Valiant title Savage roars back for February 2021 debut

Savage #1 — (Image credit: Nathan Stockman/Triona Farrell (Valiant Entertainment))

After going on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Valiant Entertainment has rescheduled Max Bemis and Nathan Stockman's Savage limited series for a February 2021 debut.

Described by Bemis as a story about "a teenage caveman who becomes a social media star but then has to save the world from a bunch of mutated crazy dinosaurs," this second volume of Savage was originally scheduled to debut this past June but was postponed due to the pandemic.

"Despite the frustration of 'the new normal' we're all going through, I've remained really enthusiastic about the book," Stockman tells Newsarama. "I haven't tweaked anything I've drawn to be honest as I think there lies madness! The temptation is there but I thought it best to draw a line under what I'd done so far rather than rework and overthink it. Now more than anything I'm just eager to get it in people's hands!"

Originally introduced in 2016, Kevin Sauvage is the son of a wealthy couple who crash-landed on an uncharted island/dimension filled with prehistoric creatures such as dinosaurs. Sauvage grew up on this island, and came to be a Tarzan-style adventurer. In this upcoming series, Sauvage ventures to his parent's homeland of England - but finds dinosaurs like the ones from his home - have followed him.

"We're bringing Kevin 'Savage' Sauvage to the forefront of the Valiant Universe in 2021," Valiant senior editor Heather Antos says. "No longer is he trapped in the alternate dimension known as the Faraway -- rather he's right on our doorsteps in modern-day London! But whether or not Savage likes his new life as an icon is left to be discovered. Exploring some of the strongest Valiant tenets of questioning what it means to carry the responsibility and choice of being a superhero, the action-packed science-fiction of Savage is about as Valiant as Valiant can get."

Here's a five-page unlettered preview of the first issue by Stockman and colorist Triona Farrell:

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Savage #1 preview

Dinosaurs and feral humans sounds like a romp, but Bemis tells Newsarama there's something deeper in the story.

"I do think we're acknowledging the hypocrisy of using someone's trauma or appropriating being such a huge part of how corporate America and the government manipulate youth culture, so instead of taking that at face value, our hero begins to realize that's bogus and he needs to find his true value," the singer/writer says.

Savage #1 goes on sale on February 17, 2021.

There's more to heroes than Marvel and DC - read our rundown of the best non-Marvel and DC superheroes of all time.

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)