By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)
Published by Paper Movies and ComicMix
Comic book artist Gil Kane is a pioneer. not only is he the co-creator of Green Lantern (and many other fan favourite characters) but also is a tour de force. He’s been in the industry since the 40s. In the late 60s, his independent work His Name Is… Savage gave birth to the graphic novel format and a little more than 50 years later, Katie Batchelor is bringing back that legacy with her own interpretation, Her name is… Savage.
This modern take is co-authored with Shane Riches and drawn by Jesus Antonio Hernandez Portaveritas. Not only are they involved in bringing all the hallmarks of a Gil Kane work–to be treated like a cinema—to life, what’s presented presents the violence to something you’d see out of a John Wick movie. We also see a vulnerable side to this protagonist. Her motherly instincts will kick in. It’s not about seeing the flat end of a frying pan when you cross her. With a license to kill, she’s not simply protecting everyone who is close to her.
When she’s ready for any mission at all, it’s “Have Gun – Will Travel.” She’s looking for Miriam Naude, the head of the Ukrainian Mafia and true to many James Bond films, she’s globetrotting in search for this Queen of Crime. True to the formula, Savage has a fixer, inventor, hacker–all those things you’d expect from a Mission Impossible movie but compressed into one character–Cassidy.
I’m good with this, otherwise there’d be too many character development arcs to keep track of, and we only have 100 pages to tell it all.
Of course, we want to know how it all began, Savage’s transformation from little girl to killer. Does this work say? I won’t spoil it and just say pick this graphic novel up! It’s been available since early August but with Fantasia Fest having me occupying the last half of last month, I need to keep the action pumping along and this work fits the bill!
