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geekwayne's review against another edition
5.0
'Savage' by B. Clay Moore with art by Clayton Henry tells a story that lives up to its title.
The story in Savage switches between the past and present. In the present, a 15 year old boy survives on an island filled with dinosaurs. In the past, we learn how his family came to be on the island and the fate of his parents. The boy is determined to get back to civilization, but he has a few things to take care of before he leaves the island.
This story is visceral and violent. Some of the story is told with minimal words. I love that the writer was willing to trust the artist with conveying the story through art this way. The art style even changes between past and present. I really, really liked it. I also liked the creator commentary with panel breakdowns at the end of each of the 4 issues represented here. They gave a nice insight to the creative process.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Valiant Entertainment, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
The story in Savage switches between the past and present. In the present, a 15 year old boy survives on an island filled with dinosaurs. In the past, we learn how his family came to be on the island and the fate of his parents. The boy is determined to get back to civilization, but he has a few things to take care of before he leaves the island.
This story is visceral and violent. Some of the story is told with minimal words. I love that the writer was willing to trust the artist with conveying the story through art this way. The art style even changes between past and present. I really, really liked it. I also liked the creator commentary with panel breakdowns at the end of each of the 4 issues represented here. They gave a nice insight to the creative process.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Valiant Entertainment, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
brandyhndz's review against another edition
5.0
Loved the story line. It wasn’t too much detail has to what the portal is and how long it’s been there, but I think it still worked. Can’t wait to read the next comics in the series.
strykers_tale's review against another edition
3.0
I don’t have much experience with Valiant titles, but this is a fun volume that is complete with killer dinosaurs, strange magical portals, and hostile groups of marooned travelers. Think Lost but with a little less teasing and way more violence. Keep this one away from the kiddies.
The story starts off with a wealthy family being stranded on a tropical island after their private plane crashes nearby. The main character is just an infant at the time of the crash, but each subsequent book in this volume starts with a flash forward to a different stage in his rise to adulthood while growing up and surviving on the island. However, the bulk of the volume covers how the family came to this place, how they survived those first few years there, and some clues as to what brought them there in the first place. This type of flashforward and flashback storytelling can often be clumsily executed, but Moore writes it well and played the current and past stories off one another expertly. This narrative style is also given an assist by the art of Henry and LaRosa who tag team this title to provide their own unique style to the two timelines that are present to provide even more separation.
As was mentioned in the illuminating creator notes that bookend each of the four books contained in this volume, Moore enjoys silent storytelling through the artist. This means that there are often pages with little to no dialogue with only the art to keep the narrative going. While this lack of dialogue might mean you speed through this volume a bit faster, the storytelling doesn’t falter and the artists hold the narrative together very well.
The story itself isn’t a new one from the outset and you get the feeling that you’ve read or watched this before. Around the third book, things start to get more interesting and it’s revealed that this isn’t just a contemporary take on The Lost World with the sprinklings of a Lost rehash. It brings some interesting ideas to the table and enough unanswered questions to tease the next volume; however, the number of unanswered questions that might frustrate some.
As an adventure book, it certainly reaches its goals, but I found the characters lacking. While this might be due to the inclusion of only four book in the volume, the motivations of the villains in this story are completely absent and I still don’t know much about our main character. Despite this criticism, I do have the feeling that the next volume in this series will expand on these gaps. As a work that lays the groundwork to an interesting story, I think this volume succeeds; however if you are looking for a character-driven story at this point you might be better looking elsewhere until some more materials lands.
The story starts off with a wealthy family being stranded on a tropical island after their private plane crashes nearby. The main character is just an infant at the time of the crash, but each subsequent book in this volume starts with a flash forward to a different stage in his rise to adulthood while growing up and surviving on the island. However, the bulk of the volume covers how the family came to this place, how they survived those first few years there, and some clues as to what brought them there in the first place. This type of flashforward and flashback storytelling can often be clumsily executed, but Moore writes it well and played the current and past stories off one another expertly. This narrative style is also given an assist by the art of Henry and LaRosa who tag team this title to provide their own unique style to the two timelines that are present to provide even more separation.
As was mentioned in the illuminating creator notes that bookend each of the four books contained in this volume, Moore enjoys silent storytelling through the artist. This means that there are often pages with little to no dialogue with only the art to keep the narrative going. While this lack of dialogue might mean you speed through this volume a bit faster, the storytelling doesn’t falter and the artists hold the narrative together very well.
The story itself isn’t a new one from the outset and you get the feeling that you’ve read or watched this before. Around the third book, things start to get more interesting and it’s revealed that this isn’t just a contemporary take on The Lost World with the sprinklings of a Lost rehash. It brings some interesting ideas to the table and enough unanswered questions to tease the next volume; however, the number of unanswered questions that might frustrate some.
As an adventure book, it certainly reaches its goals, but I found the characters lacking. While this might be due to the inclusion of only four book in the volume, the motivations of the villains in this story are completely absent and I still don’t know much about our main character. Despite this criticism, I do have the feeling that the next volume in this series will expand on these gaps. As a work that lays the groundwork to an interesting story, I think this volume succeeds; however if you are looking for a character-driven story at this point you might be better looking elsewhere until some more materials lands.
wyrmbergmalcolm's review against another edition
5.0
This is very much Lost meets Tarzan on steroids. The story is wonderfully split between Then and Now. Then shows the events of the crash and the family’s attempts to survive in a strange land. Now has a different of visceral artwork showing events a few years later as what’s survived tries to make its way home.
There are quite a few unexplained things that I would like to see made relevant in later issues, particularly the bouncing water. The final scene was very satisfying with a whole new take on the whole Tarzan in the city theme.
There are quite a few unexplained things that I would like to see made relevant in later issues, particularly the bouncing water. The final scene was very satisfying with a whole new take on the whole Tarzan in the city theme.
carroq's review against another edition
5.0
Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Savage is an exceptional addition to the Valiant universe. It's about a young man whose family was marooned on an island, similar to Lost. He grew up there hearing stories about where his family came from, and now he is looking to return there. He just needs to go through dinosaurs and a tribe of men to do it.
This is a very art forward series, which is fantastic. It is light on exposition as a result. However, what might have been presented through dialogue or caption boxes is picked up by the artists. There is a lot more subtlety to the story this way. The creators don't tell the reader much about Savage, but there is tons that is shown. Sometimes it is obvious, like the scars on his body, but not always.
The place where he lives is brutal and he responded in kind. At times this makes the art fairly graphic. I don't see it as being gratuitous though. There are times where the creators could have gone in different directions and the choices they made show a bit of restraint. The violence is not over the top and serves a purpose.
The art is beautiful in this book. I love that Clayton Henry and Lewis Larosa split the work. One drew the current period on the island, while the other drew flashbacks that lead up to current events. This gives a clear distinction between events without having to use captions to inform the reader. The styles are different, with the present being grittier and the past shown crisp and clean. The color work is wonderful. The extra pages showing process from layout to inking to coloring are amazing. These have shown up in some other Valiant books and I love them because you can see how the art changes through the process.
You should read this because who doesn't love dinosaurs? But seriously, it shows a lot of what Valiant has to offer without being wrapped up in their main set of series. For a silent and aloof character, Savage grabbed my attention and I want to read more.
Savage is an exceptional addition to the Valiant universe. It's about a young man whose family was marooned on an island, similar to Lost. He grew up there hearing stories about where his family came from, and now he is looking to return there. He just needs to go through dinosaurs and a tribe of men to do it.
This is a very art forward series, which is fantastic. It is light on exposition as a result. However, what might have been presented through dialogue or caption boxes is picked up by the artists. There is a lot more subtlety to the story this way. The creators don't tell the reader much about Savage, but there is tons that is shown. Sometimes it is obvious, like the scars on his body, but not always.
The place where he lives is brutal and he responded in kind. At times this makes the art fairly graphic. I don't see it as being gratuitous though. There are times where the creators could have gone in different directions and the choices they made show a bit of restraint. The violence is not over the top and serves a purpose.
The art is beautiful in this book. I love that Clayton Henry and Lewis Larosa split the work. One drew the current period on the island, while the other drew flashbacks that lead up to current events. This gives a clear distinction between events without having to use captions to inform the reader. The styles are different, with the present being grittier and the past shown crisp and clean. The color work is wonderful. The extra pages showing process from layout to inking to coloring are amazing. These have shown up in some other Valiant books and I love them because you can see how the art changes through the process.
You should read this because who doesn't love dinosaurs? But seriously, it shows a lot of what Valiant has to offer without being wrapped up in their main set of series. For a silent and aloof character, Savage grabbed my attention and I want to read more.
lukeisthename34's review against another edition
5.0
I just can't praise Valiant enough. The art is always stellar and they give their stories room to breathe. Terrific volume and I can't wait to see what happens next.
cjordahl's review against another edition
3.0
Cool setting. Most of the art was very good. The team made clever use of two different artists. The parent characters were generic and boring. Same with the baddies. The story, and a few of the panels, felt rushed at the end.
cindymarie's review against another edition
4.0
So many feelings.
A plane crashes on an island leaving a family stranded. Somehow they've been blasted back into time and dinosaurs are roaming the island.
This story revolves around a little boy as he grows up in this savage environment. It gets pretty graphic, there is a lot of action and gore.
I really enjoyed this and I'll definitely continue reading the rest of this series.
A plane crashes on an island leaving a family stranded. Somehow they've been blasted back into time and dinosaurs are roaming the island.
This story revolves around a little boy as he grows up in this savage environment. It gets pretty graphic, there is a lot of action and gore.
I really enjoyed this and I'll definitely continue reading the rest of this series.
willdrown's review
4.0
An action-packed bite-sized adventure on a mysterious island with some obvious shortcomings and advantages.
tl;dr at Overall, as always
Savage is a four-issue mini-series about a family getting into a plane crash and trying to survive on an island filled with dinosaurs and other dangerous things.
The main draw for me was the art, which changes depending on whether the story is in flashback or in the "current time", with both styles looking very nice and matching the mood of the story, though Lewis Larosa's art seemd more appealing as it stands out with very deep colors and a bit "grittier" look, while Clayton Henry's seems more standard, somewhat in tune with the flashbacks, when the characters' main problem was a rocky marriage.
The plot is somewhat slim, with several mysteries set up but never explained. This is not a critical problem, but the island setting, the unnatural monsters, the unanswered questions, these all may push you to recall the pitfalls of Lost and that is not always a desired comaprison. If Clay Moore has an end-game planned out then there is little to worry about, as the story beats are still fresh and manage to elicit some curiousity. But if there is no clear plan as to where this will go next, the second volume could go off the rails quite easily.
As a self-contained mini-series this works fine up until the very end, which is reminiscent of a Simpsons episode, of all things.
I do think that the appealing art, the good writing, and the fast pace of the story make this a worthy read, but I'm still worried about what may come with the second part of the. Hopefully it won't be a disappointment.
Overall, a good-looking, dynamic comic book that may not be a plot juggernaut, but is definitely worth a read if you like action, mystery, and adventure.
ARC received from the publisher via Netgalley
tl;dr at Overall, as always
Savage is a four-issue mini-series about a family getting into a plane crash and trying to survive on an island filled with dinosaurs and other dangerous things.
The main draw for me was the art, which changes depending on whether the story is in flashback or in the "current time", with both styles looking very nice and matching the mood of the story, though Lewis Larosa's art seemd more appealing as it stands out with very deep colors and a bit "grittier" look, while Clayton Henry's seems more standard, somewhat in tune with the flashbacks, when the characters' main problem was a rocky marriage.
The plot is somewhat slim, with several mysteries set up but never explained. This is not a critical problem, but the island setting, the unnatural monsters, the unanswered questions, these all may push you to recall the pitfalls of Lost and that is not always a desired comaprison. If Clay Moore has an end-game planned out then there is little to worry about, as the story beats are still fresh and manage to elicit some curiousity. But if there is no clear plan as to where this will go next, the second volume could go off the rails quite easily.
As a self-contained mini-series this works fine up until the very end, which is reminiscent of a Simpsons episode, of all things.
I do think that the appealing art, the good writing, and the fast pace of the story make this a worthy read, but I'm still worried about what may come with the second part of the. Hopefully it won't be a disappointment.
Overall, a good-looking, dynamic comic book that may not be a plot juggernaut, but is definitely worth a read if you like action, mystery, and adventure.
ARC received from the publisher via Netgalley
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