Danger Unlimited - Publication History

Publication History

From 1991 to 1994, John Byrne developed his own creator-owned titles at Dark Horse Comics under the Legend imprint, as did other artists and writers such as Mike Mignola and Frank Miller. In addition to Danger Unlimited, Byrne created Babe (1994), John Byrne's 2112 (1991), and John Byrne's Next Men (1992–1994) while with Dark Horse.

Danger Unlimited was intended as an ongoing series, but it ended abruptly after just four issues at Byrne's decision, due to less-than-anticipated sales brought on in part by the mid-1990s collapse of the American comic industry. Byrne himself provided insight into this collapse (or Wall Street-like "normalization") in the letter column to issue #4. Byrne had intended the series to capture a wider, younger audience with a lower cover price and no content that would require a "mature" warning. Low pre-sales and long lead times gave him less revenue, so he made the decision that it was unprofitable to continue work on the title.

Byrne says he has been misquoted about his intention for the title. He never said it was "the Fantastic Four done right." His self-described quote was, "Well, since nobody else is doing the Fantastic Four" -- that is, an old-fashioned, adventure-based superhero series suitable for all ages -- "I thought I would." That the book was not a copy of the earlier title is bolstered by the fact that while the "original" Danger Unlimited team had similar attributes to the Fantastic Four, the later team had different powers and backgrounds.

Each issue included an additional story featuring "Torch of Liberty," an American superhero similar to Captain America. They were set during World War II in the European theater. Although no members of Danger Unlimited appeared, this had many connections within the same universe, including a cameo by the Torch in one of the Danger Unlimited stories. The stories and characters were also created by Byrne.