Savage Dragon #68
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeSavage Dragon #68 marks the first appearance of Maxine Jung Lai — the girl who would grow up to become Malcolm Dragon's wife and one of the central figures of the series' second generation — making it a quiet but consequential debut within the book's decades-long continuity. The issue also crystallizes two of Erik Larsen's signature storytelling strengths: honest, consequence-driven romance (Alex Wilde ends her relationship with Dragon over his emotional unavailability) and ideologically charged superhero combat, as Dragon and PowerHouse debate the treatment of 'super-freaks' across the Chicago skyline. As one installment in Don Simpson's long-running Megaton Man backup serial — which occupied Savage Dragon throughout the late 1990s — the issue also stands as a record of one of the more unusual creative partnerships in the Image era, blending superhero satire with Larsen's grounded action universe.
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Erik Larsen produced issue #68 entirely in-house as creator, writer, penciller, and inker — the same single-creator discipline he maintained across the full ongoing series, which Wikipedia notes is the longest-running full-color comic to feature a single artist-writer. Letterer Chris Eliopoulos and colorists Reuben Rude and Abel Mouton rounded out the production team. The Megaton Man backup strips running through this period originated as Don Simpson's Megaton Man Weekly Serial webcomic (1996–2000), which Larsen hosted as a recurring feature in Savage Dragon beginning around issue #52; Simpson's own published checklist confirms that issue #68 contained serials #152–155 of that ongoing strip.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Maxine Jung Lai (later Maxine Jung Dragon), who becomes Malcolm Dragon's wife and a major character in the series' second-generation era.
- First appearance of Betty Gross, Angel Murphy's kindergarten teacher, and Boogan, a brute among the Gods/Godworlders.
- Alex Wilde ends her romantic relationship with Dragon after he refuses to say he loves her, citing fear of losing another partner as he lost Rapture and Smasher — a pivotal emotional beat in his character arc.
- PowerHouse, established as the new leader of the Vicious Circle, confronts Dragon at his home and demands he stop opposing the gang; the resulting brawl spans Chicago before Mighty Man (in her Ann Stevens civilian identity) intervenes.
- A subplot follows Thor and the surviving Godworlders scouting a permanent homeland on Earth following Godworld's destruction, with Debbie Harris narrowly escaping their notice.
- The issue contains three backup features: Don Simpson's Megaton Man strip (serials #152–155 of his 1996–2000 Weekly Serial, featuring Trent Phloog, Jungle Gorilla, Yarn Man, Bing Gloom, and Phantom Cowgirl); 'Savage Dragonbert' by Karl Hornell; and 'Desperate Times' by letterer Chris Eliopoulos.
- Full creative credits: Erik Larsen (creator/writer/penciller/inker), Chris Eliopoulos (letterer), Reuben Rude and Abel Mouton (colors); cover date October 1999, published November 24, 1999 by Image Comics.
- The issue is collected in the ongoing Savage Dragon Archives and Ultimate Collection/Edition reprint programs published by Image Comics.
Cast · 20 characters
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Reprinted in Savage Dragon Archives #3 (2013)
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