Review: Savage – The Guv’Nor / Author: Pat Mills / Art: Patrick Goddard / Publisher: Rebellion / Release Date: Out Now
Nostalgia can be a dangerous thing, and stories and ideas that were relevant to one generation can become irrelevant over time, only remaining in the public consciousness due to the insistence of those reluctant to abandon those things that brought them joy during childhood. On the other hand, some of the things that came out of the 70’s were brilliant. Starburst Magazine is one good example, and another is 2000 AD. The long-running comic anthology has a huge wealth of characters and stories, and it’s no surprise that on occasion that 2000 AD dips into its archive and brings back a long forgotten hero. One such example is lunatic, Tory and freedom fighter, Bill Savage.
The early editions of the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic were filled with many crazy ideas and larger than life characters, and one of those was Invasion!, an action adventure tale set in a nightmarish alternate world in which Britain had been invaded by the Russian Army. Cue Bill Savage, an East-End lorry-driver and one-man resistance movement who fights off the invaders. Filled with thinly veiled satire on the politics of the time, Invasion! was a fondly remembered action inspired romp.
Then in 2004, they brought him back, this time under the title Savage. Despite the name change, it’s still filled with satire and strangely enough, relevance to the modern day. Sad to say, tales of oppressed liberties and terrorism are still as relevant now as they were in the ’70s, though these weighty issues are handled with Pat Mill trademark lack of subtlety and world famous craziness. Expect double-barrelled justice, mad science, explosions, violence and absolutely spot on artwork by Patrick Goddard. This particular Savage adventure, The Guv’Nor, works well as a standalone tale though it’s more fun if you know the back-story. For the nostalgia junkies out there, it is also filled with references to other 2000 AD classics such as Ro-Busters. A cracking read, and the very definition of classic British comics.
