Savage Tales (Vol.2) #2 - Marvel

Dec. 1985 - "Let 'er rip!"

Those are the first words you see on the Table of Contents page of this second issue of Savage Tales, taken from a panel of one of the stories contained within. It pretty much sums up the attitude of this series to a tee.

After a handsome pirate frontispiece by Armando Gil, this issue starts off with "Raid!" by Archie Goodwin and John Severin:

Centered around the 1916 Mexican Revolution led by Pancho Villa, this longer than usual story (thirteen pages) is a crisp, fast-moving tale, expertly rendered (of course) by John Severin.

Next is another installment of Herb Trimpe's "Skywarriors" strip, titled "Scotty":

Trimpe is a well-known, avowed aviation nut, and his passion for the subject comes through, as it did in the first issue.

Third is "Good Ol' Boys" by Don Kraar and Vincent Waller, a creepy, violent tale taking place in a small corner of Georgia:

The late Will Jungkuntz's "Blood & Gutz" strip returns for another installment. I love that, even with just ten pages to work with, he made space for a sort of "title page" featuring his strip's main characters:

Next is "Mexican Standoff" by Don Kraar and the incomparable Gray Morrow, featuring one of the greatest splash pages you'll ever see: a guy, hanging upside down, surrounded by a bunch of blindfolded women carrying straight razors:

This story takes place in 1914 Mexico--just two years before the opening story, "Raid!" We've almost got a theme going here! This story also features a wonderfully dark final scene.

The final story is "A Slight Delay" by Steve Skeates and Ralph Reese:

This story is a slight change of pace--its tone is more comical, and Reese's precise work reminds me a bit of Dave Berg's. This story almost feels like "The Lighter Side of...Savage Tales."

Top this off with the Frazetta-esque cover by Arthur Suydam, and you've got another solid issue of the new series. Charmingly, editor Larry Hama explains there is no "5th To The 1st" feature (the highlight of the first issue, IMO) in this issue because artist Michael Golden "didn't get one done in time for this issue."

It was that kind of blunt honesty that was a hallmark of Marvel generally and Savage Tales specifically. Hama assumed his audience was older, and didn't need to be shielded from the sometimes harsh truths of putting out a magazine every month.

Speaking of Larry Hama, tomorrow we wrap up our week of new posts with something we haven't done in a long while--an interview! Be here for a talk with Savage Tales editor Larry Hama!