Published On: 2021-07-14 by Dark Horse Comics LLC
Artist: Jed Dougherty
Colorist: Lovern Kindzierski
Letterer: Taylor Esposito
Catch-up on Last Issue
She’s a brawny barbarian bruiser with a broken heart; he’s a lonely beastman who talks to dinosaurs. What happens when they team up against an evil sorcerer? Action, comedy, and romance in this all-new jungle fantasy romcom from Aubrey Sitterson (No One Left to Fight, The Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling) and Jed Dougherty (World’s Finest, Harley Quinn, Justice League: Future’s End).
In This Issue of Savage Hearts #1
Our warriors three, Bronwyn, Pheaux, and Fo, are on the trail of evil sorcerer, Tretch, who’s minions are terrorizing the jungle. While on their quest, the hero of our story, Graow, sees Bronwyn. and it’s love at first sight. Graow hatches a plan to win his lady’s heart not knowing that her heart is broken. Mix in some grabbers, dinosaurs and talking birds and enjoy the fun.
The Comic's Themes
Love. Is there a bigger and better theme than love? Love lost, love at first site, love of married partners. Mix in a little lust and sassiness, and Savage Hearts #1 definitely has a great theme to play with that will provide many angles and storylines to build a world around.
How's Savage Hearts #1's Writing?
The Dialogue
Starting immediately on page one, our characters are easily defined by the dialogue in the comic. What I liked even more is that the characters didn’t always fall into the stereotypes we’d expect. Bronwyn may be our bruiser barbarian, but she’s no fool. Graow’s love-struck and not completely on the level with her (although he does a great job fooling her companions Pheaux and Fo).
Comic Art Review
The cartoon style of Jed Doughterty is simply a blast to look at. There’s an energy to every panel, and the character’s facial expressions are extremely good. The characters designs are all unique. You won’t confuse one character for another. There’s a b-story about Bronwyn’s past that’s illustrated for us through several background visuals. Those visuals are all colored in monotones, and it works. You instinctively know you’re looking at a quick flashback. We also get color used to show emotion.
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- Savage Hearts 1 Cover
The Comic Panel by Panel
The page layouts are very solid. The thing I enjoyed most was the large panel shots of all our primary characters, Bronwyn, Graow, Tretch, the High Priestess of Fruxia and her boy toy. Much like the colors, the panel borders are also used to emphasize those essential flashback beats. Adding to the visuals are the letters by Esposito. We get JLI style laughs, and character unique speech balloons. It makes for a very professional package from cover to cover.
World Building
Premiere issues are all about world building as we are introduced to new characters, new places, and new situations. In Savage Hearts #1, we have an eclectic mix of barbarians, satyrs, humans, talking birds and dinosaurs. We’re treated to a visual feast of villages, jungles, and temples. Plus there’s magic in the form of Soul-cleave, our barbarians mighty axe and the mysterious Fruxia Orb.
Who's In This Issue of Savage Hearts #1
Graow - lonely beastman
Pheaux - husband
Fo - wife
Lord Tretch - evil sorcerer
High Priestess of Fruxia
The Big Question for Next Issue
Bronwyn still has strong feelings for Arkot, but beyond her flashbacks, we haven't seen what kind of person Arkot was.
"My most capable cantaloupe! I knew it from the instant we met!"
Who Will Like Savage Hearts #1?
Fans of the sillier episodes of Hercules or Xena will really enjoy Savage Hearts #1. There’s a thread of humor throughout the story that reminds me of those television shows.
If you enjoy romcoms, from children’s afternoon cartoons to feature length movies, you’ll like Savage Hearts #1. It has all the elements you want to see.
I Need More Content like Savage Hearts #1
You can find more of Jed Dougherty’s art on his Deviant Art page.
More Reviews
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Should You Buy This Comic Book?
Savage Hearts #1 may be the perfect mid-Summer comic book. Spend an afternoon with a funny book. You won't be disappointed.