DC had Bizarro Comics, Marvel had Strange Tales, and now Erik Larsen's Savage Dragon has secured an alternative comics-style tribute of his very own. Starting with May's Issue 160, Savage Dragon will run a series of "Twisted Savage Dragon Funnies" back-up strips by an array of indie cartoonists. The project is spearheaded by Act-I-Vate's Michel Fiffe, and the full line-up for the first year or so -- including Vito Delsante and Rachel Freire, Hyeondo Park, Andrew Dimitt and more -- can be found on the blog of contributor Chris Sinderson.

Fiffe's press release is below:

Erik Larsen and I are proud to announce “Twisted Savage Dragon Funnies”, a monthly backup feature in the Savage Dragon title showcasing some of today’s rising indy stars and their alternative spin on the Dragonverse.

Erik Larsen’s character sandbox is vast and diverse enough to give way to all sorts of themes and genres. He’s given us a fantastic opportunity to tell compelling stories through his characters.

I’ve gathered some of my favorite new cartoonists to work on their own vision of the Dragon, and I really got a kick out of seeing their unique sensibilities. . Erik gave us complete freedom to express ourselves through these characters and as a result, we produced incredible stories while remaining faithful to the source material. We now have a solid year’s worth of back up stories and some very special guests stopping by soon to create even more Dragon comix!

In the spirit of Marvel’s “Strange Tales” and DC’s “Bizarro Comics”, the off-kilter stories in “Twisted Savage Dragon Funnies” are hilarious, adventurous, sometimes surreal, always highly personalized and gorgeous to look at. These short stories will be enjoyed by longtime Dragon fans, but they’re also great for brand new readers.