Together with Spawn, Savage Dragon is one of two Image Comics titles that debuted during the company's 1992 launch that continues to be published well into the early 2020s,[2] and the only one of the two that all of its run, has been written and drawn entirely by its creator, for which Larsen has been lauded.

The original Dragon, inspired by elements from Captain Marvel, Batman, Speed Racer and later The Incredible Hulk, differs greatly from the modern incarnation.

Much later, a greatly redesigned Savage Dragon was featured in two issues of Graphic Fantasy, a self-published title with a small print run, published by Larsen and two friends.

Subsequently, the Dragon made another appearance in the third issue of Gary Carlson's Megaton Comics anthology Megaton—in its Vanguard strip, which Larsen had been drawing.

In these appearances, the character of the Dragon remained basically the same as it had been in Graphic Fantasy, with a few details modified (such as the inclusion of his wife, who was dead in his previous incarnation).

Initially debuting in a three-issue miniseries (with the first issue cover-dated July 1992), the Savage Dragon comic book met with enough success to justify a monthly series, launched in June 1993.

To this day, Larsen continues to write and illustrate the series entirely by himself, and has maintained a reasonably consistent monthly schedule (save for occasional lapses) in comparison with the other original Image Comics titles.

At the time, Chicago is being terrorized by villainous "superfreaks" (Larsen's collective term for superpowered characters), namely the Vicious Circle, a criminal gang led by the mysterious Overlord.

After a number of serious incidents, including the murder of the superhero Mighty Man and the brutal mauling of SuperPatriot, Darling takes drastic action.

This is the first time the Chicago PD loses a star witness against the Overlord; Hardware, who intended to give evidence against the criminal, is shot dead.

[11] Though Captain Darling's Freak Force program fails, the Dragon carries on a lasting relationship with one of its former members: Rapture, a former prostitute with electrical powers, who later has his child.

[citation needed] After aiding the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for a second time, the Dragon narrowly survives another attack by the Fiend, which leaves him nearly crippled after his bones heal incorrectly.

After recuperating from this ordeal, the Dragon fights another prison break, this time in a maximum-security facility torn open by a newly resurrected Cyberface.

After a number of crossovers with other Image Comics characters including WildStar[15] and The Maxx,[16] the Dragon encounters Spawn and ultimately is sent to Hell by the Fiend.

[31] Following this, the Dragon fights a Dr. Doom-like armored dictator before returning to Chicago on leave and striking up a casual sexual relationship with his former partner Alex Wilde.

[citation needed] After losing custody of Angel and Ann's murder, the Dragon and Mighty Man (now former Freak Force member Dart) began searching for the missing SuperPatriot.

The Dragon has encounters with WildStar[40] and Madman[41] and finds out that during his time possessed, without Mace to stop him, he went on a much longer rampage, killing Alex Wilde.

After fulfilling a commitment to Rex Dexter—who helped him overthrow Cyberface—by saving his daughter, the Dragon returns a hero and finds his way back to Chicago and is reunited with Jennifer and Angel, who had in fact survived.

The title resumed regular publication in January 2006, with the first story involving a vengeful scientist from Iraq sending an almost unstoppable robot to kill the President.

Glum was, at the time, on the run with the Dragon's stepdaughter Angel after he caused her to grow to more than 100 feet tall, and she accidentally destroyed her house and crippled her mother.

The two become partners and Angel adopts a murderous, merciless personality, while Glum set the people of Earth to work with the impossible task of making the planet look like his face (as his old world did).

However, the intervention of a number of characters from the comic series Wanted (the Killer and the Fraternity), who had come to steal the God Gun, allows the Dragon to destroy the weapon, negating Glum's wish.

[citation needed] Meanwhile, a new Overlord takes over the Vicious Circle, resuming his attacks over the city, and the Savage Dragon, hospitalized after a fight, is ambushed and killed by a new freak with the power to steal the memories and the life force of his enemies.

As the last attempt fails,[58] Kurr sheds his facade, proclaiming his identity and retelling his origins (see below), for the first time in-universe speaking, to Malcolm and Angel.

Battling his way through several enemies, including Vanguard, an unnamed Shapeshifter taking the She-Dragon's appearance, Glum, the original Angel, and other friends and foes from his past, Kurr cleanses Earth of human life using a special venom.

Damian Overlord proceeds to restore his original look and body, giving the Savage Dragon the opportunity to greet his species and leave the cleansed Earth in their care.

The Savage Dragon decides to keep his resurrection hidden to Earthlings, and to make amends with his species, offers to help them to find a suitable planet.

The collection featured stories by the four remaining Image founders (Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, and Jim Valentino) returning to the characters they first created for the company.

Produced by Universal Cartoon Studios, it ran for 26 episodes from 1995 to 1996 and featured numerous supporting characters from the comic book series, including the She-Dragon, the Horde, Barbaric, Mako and the Overlord.

Additional voices were provided by Mark Hamill, Michael Dorn, Jennifer Hale, René Auberjonois, Frank Welker, Dawnn Lewis, Paul Eiding, Peter Cullen, Rob Paulsen, Robert Ito and Tony Jay.