Bill Savage

Real Name: Bill Savage

Identity/Class: Normal human

Occupation: (formerly) Truck driver; (current) resistance fighter

Affiliations: The British Resistance

Enemies: The Volgs

Known Relatives: Unnamed wife (deceased), Jack (brother, deceased), Tom (brother), Cassie (sister), Noddy (brother-in-law)

Aliases: Jack Savage

Base of Operations: England

First Appearance: Invasion, 2000 A.D. #1 (26th February 1977)

Powers/Abilities: Bill is a tough and tenacious individual, and a dab hand with a shotgun.

History: (Disaster 1990, Prog 119-139) In 1990 a nuclear submarine explodes at the North Pole, melting most of the polar ice cap. This causes an immediate rise in water levels around the globe, and Britain is caught in the path of an immense tidal wave that submerges huge portions of the country. Truck driver Bill Savage is amongst the survivors. For several months, until the waters finally refroze and receded, he fought against a variety of threats to survive.

(Invasion, Prog 1-51, 2000 AD Annual 1978, 1979, 1980, Dan Dare Annual 1979, 2000 A.D. Summer Special 1977) In 1999 war erupted in Europe as the Volg Republic, formerly part of the Soviet Union, launched an invasion. Britain fell quickly under the onslaught, and Bill Savage, his family killed in the fighting, took up arms as a major resistance figure.

In 2002, he managed to escape to America in an attempt to return the then-prince to the safety of Canada. Since the Volgans had killed the crew of an American ship trying to stop him, Bill thought this would mean the Americans would go kick the Volgans out of Britain; as it turned out, they were not going to due to a treaty between Volga and the States. He returned to Britain in disgust, faking his own death and having had plastic surgery done so he could assume the identity of his dead brother Jack. As of 2004, he fights from within London- unlike his earlier exploits, he is focused more on subterfuge and terrorist bombings.

Comments: Created by Pat Mills and Jesus Blasco. Reprints of some of his early stories appeared in 2000 A.D. Annuals 1982-1984. Having been one of 2000 A.D.'s first strips, and a reasonable success, Bill was brought back in Disaster 1990, a prequel. This story, written in 1979, was set in the then still distant future. During the 1990's Bill was generally only remembered as some kind of joke, appearing in Armoured Gideon among the dead characters, and cameoing in a couple of Tharg strips.

Pat Mills and Charlie Adlard have recently brought back Bill in the strip Savage, a new 2000A.D. saga as of May 2004. The grim style of Savage is very different to the more colourful exploits of Invasion. Thanks to Charles Ellis for information on his newest stories.

CLARIFICATIONS: Not to be confused with

Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.

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