Dark Horse Heroes
Hunting the Heroes: The Predators Attack!
Comics’ Greatest World was an imprint of Dark Horse Comics. It was created by Team CGW. Originally conceived in 1990, it took three years for the line to be released, which led to an industry-wide perception that it was created to capitalize on the speculator mania of the early 1990s. When the mania ended, most of the titles were canceled. Ironically enough, Ghost, one of the imprint’s more unorthodox titles, managed to survive the longest. It was cancelled in 1998.
All Comics’ Greatest World titles took place in a shared universe. Most of the action centered around four cities in a slightly skewed version of America: Arcadia, Golden City, Steel Harbor, and the Cinnibar Flats area of Nevada, home of an interdimensional rift called the Vortex. The series started off with a story in Dark Horse Comics before kicking off in four weekly limited series, introducing the cities and characters. These were followed by several short-lived series, one-shots, and mini-series. Only a few titles lasted very long. Around April of 1995, the imprint was renamed “Dark Horse Heroes.” With the name change, the use of the city logos was also dropped.
Writer: Lovern Kindzierski / Cover Artwork: Doug Wheatly, Mark Farmer / Penciller: Matt Clark / Inker: Chad Hunt, Jim Royal
Publication Date: August 1995
Description: Golden City: a modern-day utopia, once the envy of the world. It was the place where crime rarely existed, where harmony prevailed, where everyone wanted to live. But then things went sour: Titan, one of the city’s protectors, went rogue. Grace, mayor and founding mother of Golden City, disappeared. People began to lose faith, to lose hope. Golden City needed a new leader, one who could help this once-great utopia rise again from its pit of uncertainty. Enter the mysterious man known as Law. Law enters Golden City and seems to have all the answers to the city’s woes, but demands absolute authority if he’s to set things right. Is he a modern-day messiah who will restore Golden City to greatness, or is he a charismatic killer who craves despotic domination? Yet now there’s someone new in town who has a whole different view of Law: He considers him meat. The once utopian Golden City has become hunting ground to a Yautja, and he’s got his lasers trained on Law!
Writer: Eric Luke / Cover Artist: Adam Hughes / Penciller: Terry Dodson, Lee Moder / Inker: Gary Martin, Ande Parks
Publication Date: August 1995
Description: Arcadia. Being new to the world of the living dead, Ghost is asking several questions of herself: Why was I killed? Who killed me? Why do I hate so much? Ghost begins to search for answers. She enlists the aid of King Tiger, but the answers King Tiger provides may not be what Ghost wants to hear. A Yautja hunts a superhuman calling himself Fusion, with the power of plasma bolts. He always hoped they were being siphoned from the heart of the sun. Fusion loses, however, and is decapitated. The Yautja is too disappointed with the kill to take a trophy. Later, he looks over Arcadia and is bored. Tonight he’s after something different. There’s been rumors of a new breed of prey here: humans with enhanced abilities. Worthy opponents in battle. On his tracker, he finds what he’s looking for: a signal different from the others. It is strong, but suddenly flickers and ghosts. The hunt begins.
Writer: D.G. Chichester / Cover Artist: Simon Bisley / Penciller: Karl Waller / Inker: Tim Bradstreet
Publication Date: August 1995
Description: Frank Fletcher has something in his head, The Motor, that makes him off-the-scale powerful – and dangerous. You see, Frank hears voices, voices that tell him to use his power, something Frank just doesn’t want to do. Nobody tells Frank Fletcher what to do, and so the power grows within him, threatening to reach a cataclysmic critical mass. A Yautja has landed in Steel Harbor, and he’s looking for big game. This Yautja collects heads, and he’s never seen one quite like Motorhead!
Writer: Steven Grant / Cover Artwork: Frank Miller / Penciller: Christopher Renaud / Inker: Andrew Pepoy
Letterer: David Cooper
Publication Date: September 1994
Description: A cold wind blows along the streets of Arcadia, and black-hearted people on both sides of the law shudder at its passing. Word is out: The X-killer is on the loose! Cross him once and you get a warning; cross him twice and you’re dead. X is pursuing someone when he finds he’s got someone on his own tail! Yautja has found his way to Arcadia, and he’s looking to bring a couple of souvenirs back with him!
