Lt. Frank Darling, Sr.

Lt. Frank Darling, Sr. is the father of Frank Darling, the Chicago police officer who originally recruited the amnesiac Dragon onto the force. A veteran law enforcement figure, he represents the human institutional side of a world overrun by superhumans.

Lt. Frank Darling, Sr. is one of those quietly essential figures who roots the wild, superhero-saturated world of Erik Larsen's Savage Dragon in something recognizably human — a law enforcement veteran navigating a universe where the extraordinary is everyday. Debuting in 1995's Savage Dragon #20, he's a product of Image Comics' bold, creator-driven era, sharing pages across nearly two decades with heavyweights like Dragon, Mighty Man, and Horridus. With 49 catalog appearances spread across Savage Dragon, Big Bang Comics, and Savage Dragon Archives — and two collector-significant key issues to his name — he's far more than a background player; he's a man whose presence across 22 years speaks to the staying power of a well-crafted supporting character. If you're diving deep into the Savage Dragon mythology, Lt. Frank Darling, Sr. is exactly the kind of figure who rewards the attentive reader.