Le Dieu sauvage (The Savage God) is a comic book by Jacques Martin. It was first published in Tintin magazine in 1969. Then it was published as a comic album in 1970. This is the ninth episode of the Alix series.
Alix, Enak and Héraklion disembark at Appolonia, a newly-founded Roman city in North Africa. They think that General Horatius asked them to meet him here in a letter, but they soon understand that the letter was a fake.
Le Dieu sauvage provides examples of the following tropes:
- Alas, Poor Villain: The death scene of Queen Adréa, an Anti-Villain, is really moving.
- Ancient Artifact: The statue of the savage god has supernatural powers: it can heal people, but it can also destroy a whole city.
- Anomalous Art: The statue of the savage god has supernatural powers: it can heal people, but it can also destroy a whole city.
- Anti-Villain: The Cyrenians in general: they are the victims of a brutal conquest, but their revenge (using a magical statue to destroy Appolonia) is cruel and Alix cannot approve of it. Héra in particular: she wants to kill Alix at all costs, but for a legitimate reason: she is afraid he might tell the Romans about the secret retreat of her people. In the end, she understands that she can trust Alix and she reconcile with him.
- Back for the Dead: Queen Adréa was thought to have died in the end of Le Dernier Spartiate. She comes back in this album, only to die for good.
- Bittersweet Ending: Alix has found Héraklion, but his mother has died. Alix has thrown the statue of the savage god into the sea, but Appolonia is destroyed.
- Book Ends: The first panels show the coast of Cyrenaica, first uninhabited, then with Appolonia under construction. The last panel shows the same place, with Appolonia in ruins.
- By the Hair: Macius grabs Alix's hair during their Duel to the Death.
- Call-Back: The plot revolves around the abduction of Héraklion, a character from Le Dernier Spartiate. It is finally revealed that this was schemed by Astyanax and Queen Adréa, two other characters from that album.
- Cassandra Truth: Nobody believes the augur when he sees that doom is upon the city during the installation ceremony of the statue of the savage god.
- Chekhov's Gun: The bronze doors of the temple are briefly mentioned by the architect when he shows Alix and his friends round. Later, they are revealed to play an essential role in the destruction caused by the statue of the savage god.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Kora is introduced as a background figure who carries construction material. His importance is revealed later when he gives Alix information about Héraklion's disappearance.
- Chromatic Arrangement: The usual red and blue duo (Alix and Enak) is complemented by a green-dressed character, Héraklion.
- Clothing Damage: Alix's tunic is apparently torn by the sand storm in the desert, so he is bare-chested after that.
- Continuity Nod: Horatius (who appeared in La Griffe noire, Les Légions perdues and Le Dernier Spartiate) is mentioned as the one whom Alix, Enak and Héraklion were supposed to meet in Appolonia, but he does not appear in this album.
- Dead Guy on Display: After the destruction of Appolonia, Varius Munda fastens corpses wearing legionary uniforms to stakes to create a sham army.
- Deadly Dodging: Alix uses it to defeat the giant Macius in a duel. In the final blow, Macius tries to hit Alix with his own head, but Alix dodges out of the way and Macius's head hits a stone wall.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Varius Munda orders to send Alix to the galleys because Alix cannot take a joke.
- Distressed Dude: Héraklion is kidnapped and Alix wants to free him. Subverted, because actually Héraklion is not in danger: his kidnappers only want to reunite him with his mother before she dies.
- Dramatic Thunder: At the very moment when Adréa dies, a lightning strikes nearby.
- Duel to the Death: Alix intervenes to save Kora and his mother. Varius Munda is offended and he demands that Alix fights in a duel to the death with Macius, a giant. Alix resorts to Deadly Dodging to defeat him.
- Due to the Dead: In the end, Alix asks the Cyrenians to give the dead Romans a proper burial. They accept.
- Flashback:
- There is one when Massina tells Alix the backstory of his people.
- There is another one when Astyanax tells Alix how he escaped the fire of the temple with Queen Adréa and how they finally ended up in the retreat of the Cyrenians.
- A short flashback also shows Adréa and her late husband, Héraklios.
- There is a flashback when an inhabitant of Appolonia tells Alix about the destruction caused by the statue of the savage god.
- Forged Message: Alix, Enak and Héraklion go to Appolonia because they received a forged letter signed with the name of General Horatius. Tiburce Carone notices that the letter is fake.
- Girl of the Week: Even if she seems to be determined to kill Alix for most of the story, the last scene shows that Héra had an interest in Alix (she tells him that she wanted him to stay and she kisses him).
- Go Mad from the Revelation: Varius Munda is driven into madness, probably because he witnessed the destruction of Appolonia.
- Grey-and-Gray Morality: The Romans are the Cyrenians. The Romans are brutal conquerors who immediately want to enslave the Cyrenians even if they were not initially hostile. Nevertheless, some Romans are decent people, like Tiburce Carone, the governor. The Cyrenians are the victims of a brutal conquest, but their revenge (using a magical statue to destroy Appolonia) is cruel and Alix cannot approve of it. Moreover, some Cyrenians are determined to kill Alix, like Héra.
- Hidden Elf Village: The Cyrenians were defeated by the Romans. They were going to be wiped out or enslaved. So, they settled down in a secluded place in the middle of the desert. Héra does not want Alix to leave this retreat alive, because she is afraid he might tell the Romans about this secret place.
- Human Sacrifice: When Alix comes back to Appolonia, someone tells him that some worshippers sacrifice human victims to the savage god.
- Imagine Spot: There is one when Massina explains to Alix that the statue of the savage god will destroy Appolonia.
- Irony: Some inhabitants of Appolonia keeps on worshipping the savage god and they protect the statue, because they think it will protect them from destruction, although the savage god is actually the cause of the destruction.
- I Will Find You: Alix is determined to find Héraklion after he disappeared.
- Lady Macbeth: Héra wants to Alix to die. At first, she would like to kill him herself, but finally she asks Haron to kill Alix and to bring her his severed head. As a reward, she promises to marry Haron if he succeeds. Downplayed, because she is an Anti-Villain.
- Look on My Works, Ye Mighty, and Despair: Appolonia is a newly-founded Roman colonia in North Africa. It is a model city with all the refinements of Roman civilization. By the end of the book, it is completely destroyed by the savage god.
- MacGuffin Title: The savage god is a magical statue that can destroy a whole city.
- Nightmare Sequence:
- Alix has one in Appolonia, when he dreams about Massina being tortured and calling him for help.
- Alix has a second one in the dungeon of the Cyrenians.
- Prophecies Are Always Right: During the installation ceremony of the statue of the savage god in the temple, the augur sees that doom is upon the city. He is right.
- Retcon: In the end of Le Dernier Spartiate, Astyanax and Queen Adréa were supposed to die in the fire of the temple. In this album, they actually have managed to escape through a secret underground passage.
- The Reveal: Héraklion was kidnapped by Astyanax, who wanted to reunite him with his mother, Queen Adréa, who is still alive.
- Secret Underground Passage: Used by Astyanax to escape with Queen Adréa from the fire of the temple in the Flashback.
- Settling the Frontier: Appolonia is a newly-founded Roman colonia in North Africa. The Romans defeated the natives militarily, but they are the victims of a magical statue. Finally, they will leave the place.
