While the Saw franchise is best known for its movies, and a couple of video games, it also spawned a one-shot comic that’s been lost in the archives. Surprisingly, it was actually pretty good.
Back when Saw II released in physical media form in 2006, buyers who purchased the “limited edition” version from Best Buy were greeted with a pretty neat exclusive: a prequel comic book. It was also available in the Saw IV Extreme Limited Edition case in the UK. The comic, distributed by IDW, was written by R. Eric Lieb and Kris Oprisko with art by Renato Guede. It served as a prequel to the first movie, and the intention was for it to lead into Saw II.
The general plot of the comic is quite simple. It chronicles John Kramer’s earlier years, before he became the sadistic game-making Jigsaw, back when he worked as a toymaker. He mopes around with a lack of any sort of ambition. Eventually, John’s girlfriend Jill Tuck leaves him, stating a lack of commitment, and he wallows deeper into his solitary and reclusive life.
There’s links and easter eggs connecting it to the original movie, too. As Kramer grows weak and sick, he’s admitted to hospital where he’s treated by oncologist, Dr. Lawrence Gordon (one of his first victims). Once Kramer learns that his strain of cancer is pretty much incurable, he meanders around the hospital. One person he meets is Zep Hindle, who vents to Kramer about his annoyance at the indifference of doctors towards their patients, particularly aiming at Lawrence Gordon.
By the end of the issue, Kramer’s mental state deteriorates further, leading him to take his own life by driving off a cliff. However, he survives the crash and experiences a sudden sense of renewal. It turns out that facing death made him realise the value of his life, prompting him to adopt the Jigsaw persona. His goal is to test the will to live in others, which brutally manifests in the subsequent movies.
Writers Kris Oprisko and R. Eric Lieb pen a terrific story, providing a portrait of a man who would become an insidious monster. What’s more, the gritty artwork by Renato Guede is a joy to flick through. It’s a shame that Jigsaw’s origin was ultimately rewritten by Saw IV. The comic was later adapted into a motion comic film starring George Williams and Whit Anderson, but again, it’s hard to find online in good quality.
Nowadays, Saw: Rebirth is hard to come by. Physical copies are few and far between; it’s best to look on sites like eBay, but even then it comes at a premium price. There is an Amazon listing for it, but the page a ghost town.
