Ironwolf

For other uses, see Iron Wolf (disambiguation).

Ironwolf is a fictional character who appeared in the last three issues of Weird Worlds, a comics anthology series published by American company DC Comics from 1972 to 1974.^[1]

Ironwolf was created by Howard Chaykin,^[2] with Dennis O'Neil and Walt Simonson serving as writer and letterer for his stories. Ironwolf has no powers, but is an extraordinary hand-to-hand combat fighter. He is a master swordsman and highly skilled with the guns of his era. He sometimes uses antique 20th-century weapons like a .357 Magnum.

Creation

Weird Worlds editorial was in need of a new character since they lost the license to the Edgar Rice Burroughs library, Editor Denny O'Neil recalled the conversation with writer/artist Howard Chaykin in the editorial column in issue 7 of Weird Worlds. In which Chaykin stated,

"I want to do a strip about piracy, war and rebellion. I intend to combine elements of those magnificent swashbuckling films Seahawk, Captain Blood, Robin Hood in a cosmic setting. My hero is a man rebelling against a queen determined to sell the human race to a herd of nasty aliens from a distant star. His quest for a way to de- feat the villains takes him to hundreds of bizarre planets — weird worlds. He's brave, educated, deter- mined and desperate. His ship's crew are loyal to him and he's loyal to them and everyone else interested in the welfare of his solar system. O'Neil, I can't describe all the stuff I'm putting in. Battles, beautiful women, eerie creatures - everything! Tell the fans that anyone with a taste for high adventure has got to like Iron Wolf."

Fictional character history

Lord Ironwolf is an officer from the interstellar Galaktika Empire in the 61st century. On his homeworld of Illium, he owns millions of trees with "anti-gravity wood" that is used to make starships. He renounces his position in opposition to Empress Erika Klein-Hernandez's cruelty and rebels against her, fearing that her alien allies will build a fleet to attack the Empire.

Later versions

The Weird Worlds stories were reprinted in an Ironwolf one-shot in March 1987.^[3] Chaykin returned to the Ironwolf character in 1992, co-writing Ironwolf: Fires of the Revolution with frequent collaborator John Francis Moore. This graphic novel was penciled by Mike Mignola and inked by P. Craig Russell.^[4] Some of the events of the Weird World stories are recapitulated here but it also brings the story to something of a close.

References

1. Sacks, Jason; Dallas, Keith (2014). American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1970s. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 116. ISBN 978-1605490564.
2. McAvennie, Michael (2010). "1970s". In Dolan, Hannah (ed.). DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. Dorling Kindersley. p. 157. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. After the debut tale by acclaimed artist Howard Chaykin and co-scripter Denny O'Neil, Ironwolf became the lead protagonist in the Weird Worlds [title].
3. Ironwolf #1 at the Grand Comics Database
4. Ironwolf: Fires of the Revolution Archived 2013-02-26 at the Wayback Machine at the Grand Comics Database