All right, I am sick and tired of the “Malcolm gets laid a lot” story arc.  I understand that writer/artist Erik Larsen is working to establish Malcolm as a young hero who is trying to figure out who he is and what he wants to be.  Dealing with life issues has been a strong point with the new direction of The Savage Dragon and has been one of the things that has made it worth reading.   But since around the 200^th  Issue, the “Malcolm gets laid a lot” angle has gotten kind of tired and worn.  Must we continue to follow the highs (very highs) and lows (none that I can see) of young Malcolm’s love life.  I am ready for some action and not the kind of action in between the sheets. I am wanting good old traditional smash mouth bust your head kind of action.  That kind of action has been floating around during the last few issues, but the “Malcolm gets laid a lot” has kind of overwhelmed it causing the whole title to suffer. Issue #202 shows some promise however, as we begin with Dart on the scheme to bust into Bellco Chemicals and recapture the God Sword which can cut through anything, including young dragon types.  Yes, I am excited by this.  Then, we cut back to Malcolm and his apartment situation.  Guess what? I will spare the details, but we get another installment of “Malcolm gets laid a lot” that deals with ex’s, accidental sex tape viewings, and an impromptu foursome. Damn man, Enough!

Fortunately though, things change quickly as the Bellco bust in occurs and Malcolm with Angel, fresh off  another sex session are on it.  Also at play are the forces of Bellco (who knew?) with their superhuman scientists, their “freak out” spray that turns mutants back to their natural forms, and the impressive battle with the God Sword hanging in the balance.  Now this is the kind of action that gets things going and this is the kind of action that makes me all into the title.  Things look to be improving.

The ending on this one is satisfying.  Things happen that may have this little broken record repeat of “Malcolm gets laid a lot” back on the right pathway.  I am hopeful that a corner has been turned and we can return to the good vibes that the title has been creating before the whole “Malcolm gets laid a lot” loop started up.  We shall see.

This issue definitely has enough going for it that brings it from the brink of suckiness.  Larsen is back in his element with the action sequences and they explode both on word and on drawing with intensity, good motion, and fun times. The trash talking is back and things are beginning to get righted where they have fallen off dramatically since the success of Issue #199 that was the best of the Malcom new direction issues.  Things may be back in that mode.  I know that I am certainly hoping so.

To say I am sick and tired of the “Malcolm gets laid a lot” angle is a huge understatement.  There are much better mediums to get that flow and The Savage Dragon is not one of them. When I think of Savage Dragon, I think of rough and tumble.  Big time violence with bad assed action.  We do get some of that here with this issue, just not enough to push this issue from good to excellent.  It is getting better however.  Here is hoping Malcolm can keep his one gun in his pants and use his other guns to take care of his business.

Score: 3/5

Savage Dragon #202 Writer/Artist/Creator: Erik Larsen Colorist: Nikos Koutsis Publisher: Image Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 2/18/15 Format: Ongonig; Print/Digital