Comics Greatest World
Encyclopedia
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. Ghost
, one of the imprint's more unorthodox titles, managed to survive the longest. It was canceled twice, first in early 1998, before being revived later that year and canceled again after a run of just less than two years.
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 1995, the imprint was renamed "Dark Horse Heroes". With the name change, the use of the city logos was also dropped.
"Arcadia is an orderly, smoothly run machine of a city. [...] This is a world of shadow, danger, and bloody retribution." It is a city of corrupt officials and organized crime. The policemen who are not on the take are criminals in their own right.
Major characters:
Other characters:
Other characters:
Other characters:
(the aliens from the Predator movies) arrives on Earth and begins hunting various CGW heroes.
was given to retailers as an ordering incentive during the fourth week of each month in the 16-week period. The covers featured the embossed foil logo of the city they represented.
Dark Horse has published a handful of Comics' Greatest World/Dark Horse Heroes titles in omnibus form.
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
of Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
. It was created by Team CGW
Team CGW
Team CGW, short for Team Comics' Greatest World, is the group of five creators of the Comics' Greatest World line for Dark Horse Comics.The members are:* Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics' Publisher* Randy Stradley, creative director...
. 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. Ghost
Ghost (Dark Horse comics)
Ghost is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by Dark Horse Comics. The character appeared in specials and monthly titles detailing the "afterlife" of Elisa Cameron and her search for the truth surrounding her apparent death....
, one of the imprint's more unorthodox titles, managed to survive the longest. It was canceled twice, first in early 1998, before being revived later that year and canceled again after a run of just less than two years.
All Comics' Greatest World titles took place in a shared universe
Shared universe
A shared universe is a fictional universe to which more than one writer contributes. Work set in a shared universe share characters and other elements with varying degrees of consistency. Shared universes are contrasted with collaborative writing, in which multiple authors work on a single story....
. Most of the action centered around four cities in a slightly skewed version of America: Arcadia, Golden City
Golden City (comics)
Golden City is a fictional city that appears in comic books published by Dark Horse Comics, and is part of the Comics Greatest World imprint.It was created by Team CGW.Golden City first appeared in Comics' Greatest World: Golden City Week 1, in 1993...
, Steel Harbor
Steel Harbor
Steel Harbor is a fictional city which acts as one of the settings in Dark Horse Comics now dead line of Comics Greatest World. While the entire Team CGW was involved with the creation of each of the settings, Chris Warner was charged with the majority of design for the Steel Harbor locale...
, and the Cinnibar Flats
Cinnibar Flats
Cinnibar Flats is a region in Dark Horse Comics now-defunct Superhero line of Comics Greatest World. Positioned in Nevada, it consists of Hoyo Grande, a sort of Las Vegas and the smaller areas surrounding the military base which houses The Vortex, the origins of which appeared in the Comics...
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
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
, 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 1995, the imprint was renamed "Dark Horse Heroes". With the name change, the use of the city logos was also dropped.
Arcadia
First appearance: Dark Horse Comics #8 (intro of X)"Arcadia is an orderly, smoothly run machine of a city. [...] This is a world of shadow, danger, and bloody retribution." It is a city of corrupt officials and organized crime. The policemen who are not on the take are criminals in their own right.
Major characters:
- XX (Dark Horse Comics)X is a comic book Character who starred in his own self-titled series published by Dark Horse Comics for their Comics Greatest World imprint...
- GhostGhost (Dark Horse comics)Ghost is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by Dark Horse Comics. The character appeared in specials and monthly titles detailing the "afterlife" of Elisa Cameron and her search for the truth surrounding her apparent death....
- Focus (Ghost)
- Silhouette (Ghost)
- Carmine Tango (X)
Other characters:
- Monster (Comics' Greatest World, Will to Power, X)
- Pit Bulls (Comics' Greatest World, X)
- Scream (Hero IllustratedHero IllustratedHero Illustrated was a comic book-themed magazine published in the early to mid 1990s in the United States. Columnists included Andy Mangels, and Frank Kurtz was at one time a managing editor. The journal won the 1995 Eisner Award for Best Comics-Related Periodical/Publication.- History :Hero...
: X Special - Will to Power) - Lt. Lewis
- Congressman DeMarco
- Commissioner Anderson
- Mayor Teal
Golden City
Major characters:- GraceGrace (Dark Horse Comics)Grace is a fictional character, a Dark Horse Comics superheroine. The character first appeared in Comics' Greatest World: Golden City Week 1 , created by Barbara Kesel and the other members of Team CGW....
- TitanTitan (Dark Horse Comics)Titan was a Dark Horse Comics superhero.He first appeared in Comics' Greatest World: Golden City Week 3 .He was created by Barbara Kesel and the other members of Team CGW....
- Catalyst: Agents of ChangeCatalyst: Agents of ChangeCatalyst is a superhero team appearing in comics published by Dark Horse Comics under the imprint Comics Greatest World. It first appeared in Comics' Greatest World: Golden City Week 4...
(a group of heroes) - LawLaw (comics)Law is a Dark Horse Comics supervillain. He first appeared in Division 13 #1 . He appeared in comics published under both the Comics' Greatest World and Dark Horse Heroes imprints.-Publication history:...
(introduced in Division 13 #1)
Other characters:
- Madison
- Ruby
- Rebel
- Titan
- Warmaker
Steel Harbor
Major characters:- Barb WireBarb WireBarb Wire was a superhero published by Comics Greatest World, an imprint of Dark Horse Comics. A regular series was published for 9 issues between 1994-1995, followed by a mini-series in 1998.-Creators:Regular Series:...
- Motorhead
- The Machine
Other characters:
- Mace Blitzkrieg
- Wolf Hunter
- Ignition
- Charlie
The Vortex and surrounding areas
Major characters:- Lt. Anderson
- Vortex
- Division 13
- LawLaw (comics)Law is a Dark Horse Comics supervillain. He first appeared in Division 13 #1 . He appeared in comics published under both the Comics' Greatest World and Dark Horse Heroes imprints.-Publication history:...
- Hero Zero (Comics' Greatest World, Will to Power, Out of the Vortex)
- King Tiger (Comics' Greatest World, Will to Power, Ghost)
The original mini-series
The original Comics' Greatest World mini-series comprised 16 weekly issues divided into four environments, each with four issues. The story followed a group of searchers from the Reaver Swarm coming to Earth to track down the Heretic. Each issue also featured a one-page prologue detailing the Heretic's experiments on Earth during the 1930s and 1940s, which ended in an accident that resulted in the metahuman activity on the planet.Major characters
- XX (Dark Horse Comics)X is a comic book Character who starred in his own self-titled series published by Dark Horse Comics for their Comics Greatest World imprint...
(weeks 1-4) - GraceGrace (Dark Horse Comics)Grace is a fictional character, a Dark Horse Comics superheroine. The character first appeared in Comics' Greatest World: Golden City Week 1 , created by Barbara Kesel and the other members of Team CGW....
(weeks 5-8) - Barb WireBarb WireBarb Wire was a superhero published by Comics Greatest World, an imprint of Dark Horse Comics. A regular series was published for 9 issues between 1994-1995, followed by a mini-series in 1998.-Creators:Regular Series:...
(weeks 9-12) - Motorhead (weeks 9-12)
- Lt. Anderson (weeks 13-16)
- Vortex
Issues
- Prelude: Dark Horse Comics #8-10: "Who is X?" (reprinted in X: One Shot to the Head)
- Comics' Greatest World: Sourcebook
- Arcadia Week 1: X (cover by Frank MillerFrank Miller (comics)Frank Miller is an American comic book artist, writer and film director best known for his dark, film noir-style comic book stories and graphic novels Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City and 300...
) - Arcadia Week 2: Pit Bulls
- Arcadia Week 3: Ghost (cover by Dave DormanDave DormanDave Dorman is a science fiction, horror and fantasy illustrator.-Background:Dorman's parents are Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jack N. Dorman and Phyllis Dorman. Both parents are deceased. Dorman is married to award-winning TV/video producer, writer and publicist Denise Dorman of WriteBrain Media...
) - Arcadia Week 4: Monster
- Golden City Week 1: Rebel
- Golden City Week 2: Mecha
- Golden City Week 3: Titan
- Golden City Week 4: Catalyst: Agents of Change
- Steel Harbor Week 1: Barb Wire
- Steel Harbor Week 2: The Machine
- Steel Harbor Week 3: Wolf Gang (cover by Chris Warner)
- Steel Harbor Week 4: Motorhead
- Vortex Week 1: Division 13
- Vortex Week 2: Hero Zero
- Vortex Week 3: King Tiger (cover by Geoff Darrow)
- Vortex Week 4: Out of the Vortex (cover by Frank Miller)
Will to Power
Titan, following his exit from Golden City, goes to work for the United States government and comes into contact with all the major characters of the line.Issues
- Titan Special #1 (lead-in)
- Will to Power #1-3 (Arcadia)
- Will to Power #4-6 (Steel Harbor)
- Will to Power #7-9 (Golden City)
- Will to Power #10-12 (Vortex)
Hunting the Heroes
Hunting the Heroes was a "theme" series. The individual stories were unrelated and could be read in any order. Released in 1995, this series pitted the Heroes against the Predator, a hunter from another universe. A group of PredatorsPredator (alien)
The Predator is a fictional extraterrestrial species featured in the Predator science-fiction franchise, characterised by its trophy hunting of other dangerous species for sport, including humans and its fictional counterparts, Aliens....
(the aliens from the Predator movies) arrives on Earth and begins hunting various CGW heroes.
Special cases
- 9 issues of Dark Horse Comics featured CGW stories, including the very first CGW story, the 3-part "Who is X?" (#8-10, later reprinted as X: One Shot to the Head); #19-20 (X); #21-22 (Mecha); and #23-24 (The Machine).
- At least 4 issues and 1 annual of Dark Horse Presents: #144 (Vortex), #145-147 (Ghost)
- A Ghost story was featured in A Decade of Dark Horse #2.
- Also, the NexusNexus (comics)Nexus is an American comic book series created by writer Mike Baron and penciler Steve Rude in 1981. The series is a combination of the superhero and science fiction genres, set 500 years in the future.-Publication history:...
story in A Decade of Dark Horse #3 featured theme park rides of Ghost and Barb Wire, and Hero Zero made a cameo appearance in a story in The MaskThe MaskThe Mask is a Dark Horse comic book series created by writer John Arcudi and artist Doug Mahnke, and based on a concept by publisher Mike Richardson. The series follows a magical mask which imbues the wearer with reality-bending powers and physical imperviousness, as well as bypassing the wearer's...
.
Collected editions
During the initial publication period, a black-covered trade paperbackTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
was given to retailers as an ordering incentive during the fourth week of each month in the 16-week period. The covers featured the embossed foil logo of the city they represented.
Dark Horse has published a handful of Comics' Greatest World/Dark Horse Heroes titles in omnibus form.
- Dark Horse Heroes Omnibus, Vol. 1 – Collects the Comics' Greatest World and Will to Power maxi-series, plus a written summary of the events in between by Chris Warner (January 2008, ISBN 978-1593077341).
- X Omnibus, Vol. 1 – Collects X #1-11, X: One Shot to the Head, "Welcome to the Jungle" from Dark Horse Comics #19-20, X: Hero IllustratedHero IllustratedHero Illustrated was a comic book-themed magazine published in the early to mid 1990s in the United States. Columnists included Andy Mangels, and Frank Kurtz was at one time a managing editor. The journal won the 1995 Eisner Award for Best Comics-Related Periodical/Publication.- History :Hero...
Special #1-2 (May 2008, ISBN 978-1593079390). - X Omnibus, Vol. 2 – Collects X #12-25, "Someone to Watch Over Me" from Dark Horse Extra #28-31 (August 2008, ISBN 978-1593079406).
- Barb Wire Omnibus, Vol. 1 – Collects all the original Dark Horse Barb Wire tales, including the Ace of Spades series (September 2008, ISBN 978-1593079932).
- Ghost Omnibus, Vol. 1 – Collects Ghost #1-12, Ghost Special #1, "Sweet Things" from Decade of Dark Horse #2 (October 2008, ISBN 978-1593079925).
Crossovers
- GodzillaGodzilla comicsGodzilla has appeared in a range of comic books that have been published in Japan and the United States.-Japanese Godzilla comics:In his native Japan, Godzilla has been featured in various comic books since his inception in 1954. These comics for the most part were black and white publications...
(with Hero Zero) - NexusNexus (comics)Nexus is an American comic book series created by writer Mike Baron and penciler Steve Rude in 1981. The series is a combination of the superhero and science fiction genres, set 500 years in the future.-Publication history:...
(with Vortex; title canceled before release) - Predator (with X, Ghost, Motorhead, Agents of Law)
- The ShadowThe ShadowThe Shadow is a collection of serialized dramas, originally in pulp magazines, then on 1930s radio and then in a wide variety of media, that follow the exploits of the title character, a crime-fighting vigilante in the pulps, which carried over to the airwaves as a "wealthy, young man about town"...
(with Ghost) - HellboyGhost/HellboyGhost/Hellboy is a DC Comics/Dark Horse Comics two-issue crossover comic book mini-series written by Mike Mignola with art by Scott Benefiel published May to June 1996 featuring fictional heroes Ghost and Hellboy.-Creation:...
(with Ghost) - BatgirlCassandra CainCassandra Cain is a fictional character in the , one of several who has served as Batgirl, an important character in the Batman comic book franchise. Cassandra's backstory presents her as the daughter of assassins David Cain and Lady Shiva, she was deprived of speech and human contact during her...
(with Ghost) - The MaskThe MaskThe Mask is a Dark Horse comic book series created by writer John Arcudi and artist Doug Mahnke, and based on a concept by publisher Mike Richardson. The series follows a magical mask which imbues the wearer with reality-bending powers and physical imperviousness, as well as bypassing the wearer's...
(with all characters and locations)
External links
- Comics' Greatest World at the International Superheroes directory