Savage Dragon was first featured in two issues of "Graphic Fantasy", a self-published title with a small print run, published by Larsen and two friends. In this incarnation, the Dragon was a widower and a retired member of a government-sponsored superhero team. Subsequently, the Dragon made another appearance in the third issue of Gary Carlson's "Megaton" anthology in its Vanguard strip, which Larsen had been drawing. In these appearances, the character of the Dragon remained basically the same as it had been in "Graphic Fantasy", with a few details modified (such as the inclusion of his wife, who was dead in his previous incarnation). Both the "Graphic Fantasy" and "Megaton" issues featuring the Dragon have since been reprinted in high-quality editions.