Getting the Fin Right: Erik Larsen on Savage Dragon #272

Larsen breaks down a wild, bloody issue of Savage Dragon.

I’m looking for a new home for Getting the Fin Right, my regular commentary-track column with Savage Dragon creator Erik Larsen. In the meantime, it’ll be published here, with no paywall ever. Although any Finheads who want to subscribe here on Substack, that’s a great way to help me eat.

Hey there, Finheads! Welcome to Emerald City Video. For longtime Savage Dragon fans, an explanation is probably in order. I’ll keep it short.

Around the time Savage Dragon #272 was released, things were a little…up in the air…at my job with ComicBook. Ultimately, I was laid off before I managed to get the interview published. Oops.

I spoke with Erik, and he’s game to continue the column on a new platform. My only reluctance was that I’m unlikely to find another platform with a reach as large as ComicBook’s, so anybody who shares this around on social media to increase visibility will be a hero to me. I’d love to continue helping to get the good word out about Savage Dragon.

Anyway, here is the long-delayed commentary track for Savage Dragon #272. Hopefully by at least #275, I will have found a new, permanent home for the column, but for now, I just wanted to make sure you guys knew we aren’t giving up.

Spoilers ahead, obviously, for Savage Dragon #272. If you want to read it first so you can go in unspoiled, you can find it at your local comic shop or snag a digital copy here. If you’re so inclined, feel free to buy a copy of Getting The Fin Right: A Savage Dragon Companion vol. 1, which collects the first 25 of these interviews, which began way back in 2008.

Russ Burlingame: I like the faux-CCA seal on the cover. Is that going to be a recurring design element or just something that you thought fit with this month?

Erik Larsen: Image decided to do a return to a more consistent trade dress across the line and we went back to having the issue number and price affixed to the Image logo, which resulted in a dead spot to the right of the Savage Dragon logo. I decided to pop something in there rather than leave it open.

The stamp is based on one Simon & Kirby used back in the ‘50s at Mainline Publishing, and I just lifted it off that and made adjustments.

Burlingame: Is it safe to assume that Warbride is going to be a big player going forward? We have been without a true "big bad" since Dart.

Larsen:He’ll be around. I’m still trying to decide what to do, honestly. I actually ended up liking the visual look of some of his underlings more. I’m not 100% sure where I’m going with him but I thought I’d have him escape so that I had more options.

Burlingame: As you're developing them, how do you differentiate a group of uglies like The Night-Dwellers in a way that makes them different from any of the other faceless mobs?

Linking them visually helps, I think. It’s not so much a common uniform as it is a motif or look. Some of the faceless mobs can be a real mishmash of looks whereas the Night-Dwellers are mostly pasty-faced guys in blue. 

Burlingame: Is "I love you" kind of a bad idea for Frank, considering that Kid Angel really wants him to fall in love with her and stick around? It kind of feels like the closer they get, the more she's being set up for disappointment.

Larsen: Yeah, Frank’s not necessarily thinking of where this might all be headed. At the same time — this is Angel — and if the Merging of Multiple Worlds is in there somewhere—she has at least residual memories of their bond and in his head, he’s got to be thinking that he could be trapped there for the rest of his life and if so — then what? She’s the only human (that he knows of) trapped in Dimension-X. Where might this lead down the road? What if they were there for 20 years? What then? And, yeah, gross — but then he was smitten by her when they were both six. So it’s…weird. But, in the short term — yeah. Maybe not such a bright thing to say.

Burlingame: Were the multiple Glumworlds part of Glum's plan — to slow down any attempts to find Frank? Or was that just a happy accident for him?

Larsen: It was a happy accident. There was no way he would have known ahead of time to set up something like this and those worlds were there many years ago. 

Burlingame: Does Walter have a heroic future? I feel like the obvious answer would be yes in most superhero comics, but in Savage Dragon, we have characters like Thunder-Head, who has spent most of his life on the book working a fairly normal job.

Larsen: I don’t think he does necessarily. I don’t picture him donning tights or going on patrol. I think of him as a supporting character who happened to get in a scrap — not a hero looking to establish a name and reputation. That having been said, he does seem willing to help out when the time comes.

Burlingame: Is Malcolm just trying to lighten the mood with his teammates, or is he really trying to get them up and moving before they're ready? I feel like he's got a lot on his plate, but he's also smart enough to know the role his healing factor plays.

Larsen: He’s just messing with them. He knows better. They know better. They’re on the same page.

Burlingame: Was repeating Mickey Mouse's full name so many times on page 11 just done for emphasis, or was it kind of thumbing your nose at the various people still worried people will get sued for using the character?

Larsen: I just thought it was funny. It seemed natural to me. 

Burlingame: This is one of the first times we have really seen all the kids go into action on purpose, rather than having a situation where the house gets caved in or something. Is that something Malcolm is going to embrace, or will he be upset that Paul brought them along?

Larsen: We really don’t get immediate follow up on that. It’ll come up down the road. I don’t think he’d be too keen on them risking their lives at such an early age. At the same time — they did come to his rescue. So — there is that. They didn’t get hurt.