In this edition of “In Case you Missed it,” we will discuss another recent series in the Mad Cave Studios line, Savage Bastards. This five issue series explored a western motif. The story has tips of the hat to the Magnificent Seven, Silverado, and other such tales, with some supernatural mixed in.
Savage Bastards
Savage Bastards explores the classic scenario where a powerful villain named Darragh McDougal controls the territory called Red Sands. It is an almost cult like atmosphere. And like most cults, McDougal claims any women he desires. Usually against their will. This results in a wide variety of offspring. Most who have taken on their father’s evil ways. But not all. Those “children” who HAVE conformed to Daddy Dearest, help him control the territory along with select henchman. They do this the old fashioned way: by using fear and violence against all who might oppose them. They are known as The Savage Bastards.
The Good Guys
As would be expected, for every lair of villainy, there are heroes who would oppose it. In this case, two of McDougal’s children who have NOT conformed to the Savage Bastard manifesto. Although their relationship was unknown, at least to one of them. It is once they are reunited that the story picks up steam and the reader is introduced to a wide variety of characters, both good and bad. Let’s examines a few of them.
Meet Rose Franklin
Rose Franklin: Rose was one of those aforementioned women that McDougal had claimed for himself. But someone forgot to tell Rose. She broke free along with her son. Rose was a bad ass all on her own. But she knew that McDougal would come looking for “his” son. And while she lived in fear of being pursued, she wanted to make sure that her son was not. He was trained in every possible protective skill. Rose recruited teachers to make sure that he could shoot, fight, and ride. In addition, she made sure he was educated, enlightened, and ready for whatever the world threw at him as any good mother would. Her goal was always that when and if “Daddy” found him, he would not like what he found. Of course, he wouldn’t necessarily like it if he found her either.
Meet Samuel Franklin
Samuel Franklin: Sam is Rose’s son. He was the benefactor of all of Rose’s hard work. He is smart. 
Both book smart, and life wise. In fact, his sharp tongue cuts his opponents as much as a knife…when and if they understand his references. But if it comes down to a fight, he has been trained well and more than holds his own. Even when out numbered.
Sam was a handful before, but once he believed that his Mother had been killed by a band of his “Daddy’s“ henchmen, it was “Katie Bar the Door.” Sam was determined to bring down his Dad and the whole Red Sands mafia. He gathered up skilled men and women to help him in his task. But he wants one more, his brother Elliott Wright.
Meet Elliott Wright
Elliot Wright: Elliott is everything Samuel is not. He is a barber. He cannot fight, not does he really want to. In truth, he actually doesn’t even WANT to be a barber. Elliott wants to be a writer. But until that ever happens, he runs that barber shop his pappy left him. At least, he always THOUGHT that was his Pappy.
Soon, everything he knew (or thought he knew) would be turned on it’s head. Not only would he gain a brother he never knew he had, but he would find out that his real “Daddy” is looking for him…and not in a good way. So now Elliott must get a crash course in gunplay, fighting, riding and help his brother in his exacting revenge against their biological Dad. Will it happen? What dangers will they face in their confrontation? Is their Daddy what they expect? Read the series to find out.
Story and Art
Writer David Galiano along with Artist Carlos Angeli and letterer Miguel Angel Zapata deliver a five book series of surprises, iconic Western gun fights, mixed with some supernatural sauce thrown in. If you read this book without getting emotionally invested, don’t blame Galiano. He laid it all out for you as did Angeli. I even appreciate it that Galiano chose to use leave out the swear words, using the iconic mixed symbols to represent our characters potty mouths. We get the idea though. Some Wild West folks were colorful…and evil.
So if you are a fan of films like the aforementioned the Magnificent Seven, and Silverado and you mix it with Cowboys vs. Aliens, you get Savage Bastards. Be sure to check it out and let us know what you think, here at GeekVibesNation.
Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 60 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove headfirst over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 21-year-old young man with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.
