Savage Game is a comiXology Original release. You can buy it in digital directly from comiXology or read it for free with a comiXology Unlimited subscription.
Written by Ryan Kalil and Shawn Kittelson with Art by Chris B. Murray
The first issue of Savage Game is 60 pages long and covers the introduction to this new world really well. The premise, our protagonist’s father builds an island with unrestricted experimentation and scientific innovation. The problem… Wait, you know this story right? The Island of Dr. Moreau? The video game called Bioshock? Yep, that’s the gist. So, of course, the worst thoughts on the scientific study have to happen; in this case, gene splicing of apex predators so they can fight to the death in a stadium. That, of course, has page after page of an announcer doing a play-by-play on 2 separate fights. Meanwhile, our hero confronts his father and then wants to leave the island. There is some sabotage and backstabbing that takes place, and the apex predators get free, but by this point, we get it, we can see the play-by-play on the story itself.
I just can’t get into this story because it’s been done before so many times. Add to that the forced fighting of animals so humans can cheer them on, and you really lost me. Even if the apex predators get out, you just know that they will be used as the main struggle to overcome. I just don’t have an inner Mike Vick to let out to find any enjoyment in this. I actually almost just stopped reading at that first match, but I plowed on through only to be faced with reading about another match. Not my thing for sure.
The art looks fine. Some of the character’s faces look like actors in a few TV shows I’ve seen. As a matter of fact, the hero, Conner, looks a lot like Zachary Levi (to me anyway). There are some panels with full body shots where the proportion is a bit “ape-like” with long arms and short legs, but overall the art looks fine.
Wrap Up
This isn’t my type of comic book in which to find entertainment. It may be something that someone else really loves, but for me, the story has been told before, and I don’t think humans pitting animals against each other is something I’d call entertaining, even in a comic book.
