Savage Dragon #274 hit the stands yesterday (January 3), kicking off Image Comics‘s 2025 with a new issue of one of their longest-running titles. And for fans of the series, it certainly did not disappoint, with one of the more significant character deaths to happen since Dragon himself died way back in Savage Dragon #225.
And, if series creator Erik Larsen is to be believed, there’s another big event coming up in the next issue… Something that is enough of a story that he didn’t feel like this shocking moment needed to wait for a big, round number.
All of this happened, surprisingly, in an issue that did not feature series lead Malcom Dragon at all. Instead, we got one step closer to closing out the story of Frank Darling, Angel Murphy-Darling, and Mister Glum.
This is a spoiler-filled interview, so if you haven’t read Savage Dragon #274, you can pick it up at your local comic shop or buy a digital copy on ComiXology.
Comic Book Club: Were you tempted to do the Glum story’s big wrap-up in 275, or do you not necessarily plan around the big round numbers like that?
Erik Larsen: Oh, no. I had something else in mind for that.
Is it hard to nail the physics of fighting in the void? That scene with Angel and the aliens could have easily descended into disorienting.
I try not to dwell too much on the physics in the Void. It doesn’t really work if you think about it too much. Realistically, there is no up or down when you’re in pseudo-space like that and there’s no reason they should be able to breathe. I try not to get overly concerned with things like that. I let Dimension-X have it’s own rules.
Were the aliens actually trying to rape Angel, or were they just kind of doing whatever they could to subdue her? Obviously they turned around and went after Glum’s ass too.
Oh, I think they were out to rape and tame them both. Though there is a sexual component to rape—it’s more about violence and control. They’re trying to break Angel and Glum—to humble them. To get them to submit. These aren’t good people.
Angel is trusting as hell. I don’t think I would have let Glum out of my sight knowing he could evaporate his old body and thus Frank’s brain. Was that desperation or a lapse in judgment?
The blaster Glum had when he went into Dimension-X was torn from him, so he was weaponless. So—although it was an impulsive move—she wasn’t thinking Glum was a huge threat to Frank at that moment and she wanted to make sure Frank’s body wasn’t torn apart.
Angel-X is really out of touch with reality. Is she going to be a legitimate danger as the story develops?
That remains to be seen. Certainly growing up in a realm where murder is a quick and easy solution to all go your problems should be a concern. Having said that, Frank was in there with her for the better part of a year, so he would have been something on an influence.
That was…not the way most of us probably expected the Glum story to end. After everything, it’s hard to believe he didn’t have another fail safe or another body in a tube or something. Has Glum as we knew him run his course for real?
There’s always a back door if I choose to go down that road. For the moment at least—I’m thinking it’s going to sit here.
It’s always fun to see the really stylized young version of Angel. Is she fun to draw? Is that part of the appeal of keeping her and the Glum body in the mix?
She is a blast to draw, I won’t lie. I was thinking about it the other day how much more flexible these characters have become over the years and how effortlessly I will slip into cartooning. I would never have done something so wild with Peter and Mary Jane back when I was drawing Spider-Man in the ‘90s. It didn’t seem like that was an option. It never occurred to me to do something like that but I’ll frequently have Angel get super cartoony or Malcolm and Maxine. The kids lend themselves to that or course but it’s such a fun thing to be able to do. It makes things a lot more lively and expressive.
What will it mean for Frank to go back to Earth where he looks like Glum and their only excuse for why he isn’t evil is “well, he’s that cop who killed some people?”
It’s going to take some explaining for sure. Remember that Mr. Glum took over the world. So he looks like the guy who took over the world. That’s not an easy thing to explain away. Not sure how much potential there is in that. There’s a lot to play with.
Without the real Glum, what’s the future for the Glumworlds?
There’s still a weird feral Dragon child running around there somewhere. So, I’m not done with it completely.
Between Angel-X and the Dragon kids last issue, you’re getting some mileage out of how funny it is for little kids to swear their heads off. Is that just part and parcel of the wacky world these characters find themselves in?
Kids delight in swearing. This is just something kids do. They know they’re being naughty but it’s such a low-stakes way of being naughty that they can’t help but do it.
On that note — is this the first full issue since Malcolm took over, in which he doesn’t actually appear?
Off the top of my head—yes. Malcolm appeared in one panel in Savage Dragon #207. That’s the closest we’ve gotten (if memory serves) to him missing an issue. This isn’t the first cover that he hasn’t appeared on by any means.
Related to that — what went into the decision to have Glum’s death be an Angel story? Obviously he’s had plenty of scraps with Malcolm and Dragon before.
It just seemed right. They’re such a pair that it seemed better to try and contain it.
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