Ironwolf

Lord Ironwolf

Ironwolf is a little known and badly written creation of Howard Victor Chaykin,that was featured in the last three issues of Weird Worlds present,published by DC Comics in 1974.Ironwolf was soon abandoned in favor similar creaions like Cody Starbuck,Dominic Forune,His Name is Scorpion,Rueben Flagg,

Publicaion Hisory

WEIRD WORLDS PRESENTS IRONWOLF Nov-Dec 1973, Jan-Feb 1974, Oct-Nov 1974 Created, plotted and drawn by Howard Chaykin Scripts by Denny O'Neil Covers by Howard Chaykin, Nick Cardy, and Mike Kaluta.In 1972, DC Comics launched Weird Worlds a a science fiction/fantasy comic showcasing other characters created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the creator of Tarzan. These secondary properties failed to find an audience. Before the book was eventually cancelled, Editor Denny O'Neil offered Chaykin his first taste of creative carte-blanche.

Finding the right Chaykin ain't easy, but worth the wait! I believe Howard has said his work on Iron Wolf was instrumental in George Lucas tapping him for the Star Wars gig.

His concept, Iron Wolf, led to seminal versions of concepts that would eventually be found in much of Chaykin's work. He infused it with "themes of romantic honor tempered by ironic detachment, played out against a background of galactic empires and brightly painted starships" -- Howard Chaykin, from the Iron Wolf reprint, 1986.An interesting experiment that failed.

Weird Worlds came to an end with the tenth issue, and Iron Wolf with it. Chaykin then created The Scorpion, a pulp style adventurer for Atlas Comics in 1975. However, following the second issue, the concept was dramatically retooled into standard super-hero fare. This sudden alteration failed to save the title from being cancelled, and Atlas soon disappeared as well.

Putting Atlas behind him, Chaykin continued to toil in the trenches of the comics industry, doing fill-ins on such titles as DC's Weird War. At Marvel, he and Len Wein collaborated on Dominic Fortune, another pulp-style character. They also put their heads and talents together for Gideon Faust, a Victorian era sorceror published first in in the pages of Star Reach, an independent sci-fi anthology comic, and later in Heavy Metal.

He also continued to develope his own ideas while experimenting with a variety of artistic styles. When his Cody Starbuck debuted, his drawing style was very reminiscent of Alex Toth. A grand space opera, Cody Starbuck mirrored many of the themes later seen in the 1977 blockbuster film Star Wars.Unfortunately Star Wars was better written-followed Joseph Cambell's Power of Myth-The Heroes Journey.

The Call to Adventure

The hero starts off in a mundane situation of normality from which some information is received that acts as a call to head off into the unknown.This might have given Lord Ironwolf maybe a better set up than,hey I don't you to have Anti grav tree's,man.Maybe Ironwolf was patrolling space and something happens,to alter him troubles with the Empire.This draws further toward the Empresses plans for him-whatever they are,he dosen't know.

Refusal of the Call

Often when the call is given, the future hero refuses to heed it. This may be from a sense of duty or obligation, fear, insecurity, a sense of inadequacy, or any of a range of reasons that work to hold the person in his or her current circumstances.Well,kind of happened.Lord Ironwolf refused to give over his tree's the Empire,but the set up was sloppy.

Supernatural Aid

Once the hero has committed to the quest, consciously or unconsciously, his or her guide and magical helper appears, or becomes known. More often than not, this supernatural mentor will present the hero with one or more talismans or artifacts that will aid them later in their quest.I'm sorry Lord Ironwolf really could have used a Merlin type to guide him along,because the guy was clueless as how to go about fight his evil empire.

The Crossing of the First Threshold

This is the point where the person actually crosses into the field of adventure, leaving the known limits of his or her world and venturing into an unknown and dangerous realm where the rules and limits are not known.Nope,Lord Ironwolf was already out having those adventures.Most skimmed over in a single page-you know,so they could finnish the origin issue and get on two future crap stories.

Belly of The Whale

The belly of the whale represents the final separation from the hero's known world and self. By entering this stage, the person shows willingness to undergo a metamorphosis.Yeah,It might have been neat for Lord Ironwolf and crew of the Limerick Rake to trapped into something-a big ship or monster,only later to get free.Nope,Howie Chaykin was too busy running to his next project to rethink the last one.

Initiation

The Road of Trials

The road of trials is a series of tests, tasks, or ordeals that the person must undergo to begin the transformation. Often the person fails one or more of these tests, which often occur in threes.With Ironwolf this would be sales of his comic books-nothing more.

The Meeting With the Goddess

This is the point when the person experiences a love that has the power and significance of the all-powerful, all encompassing, unconditional love that a fortunate infant may experience with his or her mother. This is a very important step in the process and is often represented by the person finding the other person that he or she loves most completely.

Woman as Temptress

This step is about those temptations that may lead the hero to abandon or stray from his or her quest, which does not necessarily have to be represented by a woman. Woman is a metaphor for the physical or material temptations of life, since the hero-knight was often tempted by lust from his spiritual journey.With Ironwolf it might have Shebaba O'Neil,but with Chaykin it's often some bimbo,wanting jack him off in the cafferea.

Atonement with the Father

In this step the person must confront and be initiated by whatever holds the ultimate power in his or her life. In many myths and stories this is the father, or a father figure who has life and death power. This is the center point of the journey. All the previous steps have been moving in to this place, all that follow will move out from it. Although this step is most frequently symbolized by an encounter with a male entity, it does not have to be a male; just someone or thing with incredible power.Lord Ironwolf didn't have a father or parents for that matter.Like many cliches of superheroes,he's an orphant,without any family ties.Oh wait,he did have Tyrome,but he was a traitor,so dosen't count anyway.

Apotheosis

When someone dies a physical death, or dies to the self to live in spirit, he or she moves beyond the pairs of opposites to a state of divine knowledge, love, compassion and bliss. A more mundane way of looking at this step is that it is a period of rest, peace and fulfillment before the hero begins the return.

Apotheosis

When someone dies a physical death, or dies to the self to live in spirit, he or she moves beyond the pairs of opposites to a state of divine knowledge, love, compassion and bliss. A more mundane way of looking at this step is that it is a period of rest, peace and fulfillment before the hero begins the return.

Apotheosis

When someone dies a physical death, or dies to the self to live in spirit, he or she moves beyond the pairs of opposites to a state of divine knowledge, love, compassion and bliss. A more mundane way of looking at this step is that it is a period of rest, peace and fulfillment before the hero begins the return.

The Magic Flight

Sometimes the hero must escape with the boon, if it is something that the gods have been jealously guarding. It can be just as adventurous and dangerous returning from the journey as it was to go on it.

Rescue from Without

Just as the hero may need guides and assistants to set out on the quest, oftentimes he or she must have powerful guides and rescuers to bring them back to everyday life, especially if the person has been wounded or weakened by the experience.

The Crossing of the Return Threshold

The trick in returning is to retain the wisdom gained on the quest, to integrate that wisdom into a human life, and then maybe figure out how to share the wisdom with the rest of the world. This is usually extremely difficult.

Master of Two Worlds

This step is usually represented by a transcendental hero like Jesus or Buddha. For a human hero, it may mean achieving a balance between the material and spiritual. The person has become comfortable and competent in both the inner and outer worlds.

Freedom to Live

Mastery leads to freedom from the fear of death, which in turn is the freedom to live. This is sometimes referred to as living in the moment, neither anticipating the future nor regretting the past

The man was been off track since he left better character like Cody Starbuck,Dominic Fortune ,Monark Starstalker and Iron Wolf .Maybe those characters were not the greatest comics ever,but they showed far promise than the post American Flag-so called adult approach-soft core porn,with weak storylines,disguised as science fiction or crime drama. I'm disgusted that Howard Chaykin could written and drawn some wonderful adventure comic,if he just took a different direction.Go to my blogs on it.You'll see better what I mean.My Maveric Universe Wiki site,too.I.m not some idiot,like John Byrne claims,in love the older stuff,because it'sa older-it fact,some of older stuff is rough-undesiplained-even plotted crappy,but it's way cut about all post American Flagg stuff,which crap.Byrnes only mad because alot of fans prefer his non X-Men/Fantastic Fur because,he's someone else whose lost it and producing alot of big brand professional crap..I stopped by either John Byrne or Howard Chaykin because I discovered I wasn't it for quality of story or characterization,but the art.I liked the Artist,so I was Art Collecting,not reading it for the enjoyment of the work. Ironwolf Cody Starbuck and Monark Starstalker,were cool concepts given a chance might work,but I don't the porn driven,jackass hack Chaykin is now,would know what to do with either,given the green light.Someone else might,but not him.I have faith just the Shadow,I'd screw it up.Maybe in the both Howie Chaykin and John Byrne should listen to the fans-they might find that sense of wonder they must have lost to repressed by the crap master they have become.

Ironwolf has no super powers, but he is an extraordinary hand to hand fighter. he is a master swordsman and highly skilled with the guns of his era.He uses arcaic weapons like swords and a 357 Magnum,when good blaster are about,with much explaination as why.Unlike much thats been written about guy,I'm not going to chalk it up Hey.I remember him.Another DC flots-now lets talk again about Batman and Superman.As those haven't talked to death 5000 time over by everyone twice.No,Ironwolf's an abandoned creation-mostly abandoned by DC and creator.The comic had the potention of a space fairing Conan set among a Star Wars back drop.What went will discussed here.Since I run this my way and not the Wikapedea way,I can do what I like.

Doc Thompson

Lord Ironwolf was the finest officer in the Earth based interstellar Empire Galaktika in the 61st century. On his home world of Illium, he owned millions of trees with "anti - gravity wood" from which starships such as his own were constructed.

Empress Erika Klien - Hernandez asked Ironwolf to allow her new alien allies to make use of the trees. Fearing the aliens would then build their own fleet of starships with which to attack the empire, Ironwolf flatly refused. Lord Iron-Wolf refuses to turn over his planet’s resources to “allies” of the Empress of Empire Galaktika out of fear it will leave his planet open to attack.He smakes her across the chops,which I'm sure is an act of treason in any kingdom or empire,attacking the head of state.

The act of Treason generally is causes harm to the Sovereign, the Governor-General or the Prime Minister resulting in the death of the Sovereign, the Governor-General or the Prime Minister; or (c) causes harm to the Sovereign, the Governor-General or the Prime Minister, or imprisons or restrains the Sovereign, the Governor-General or the Prime Minister;or so far as they relate to the compassing, imagining, inventing, devising, or intending death or destruction, or any bodily harm tending to death or destruction, maim, or wounding, imprisonment, or restraint of the person of the heirs and successors of King of a Kingdom, and the expressing, uttering, or declaring of such compassings, imaginations, inventions, devices, or intentions, or any of them. When the Empress reveals her true colors and tries to kill Iron-Wolf, he manages to escape.There is lots of Peter Blood jumping about like you see Errol Flynne going in his movie.Of course,The Sea Hawks and Peter Blood are prime inspirations for this comic,as way Robert E.Howard .

As a result, Ironwolf became a hunted outlaw. From there, he proceeds to wage a one-ship campaign of intergalactic rebellion against the Empress and his pursuers.

He retaliated by using his spaceship to become a space pirate, robbing nobility, destroying imperial ships and battling the Empress' Blood Legion, a race of vampires created through an evolutionary accident.A neat idea,not explored here,either. Ironwolf ultimately destroyed all the anti gravity trees to prevent the empire from using them.Theirs a scence with Ironwolf,using his sword and a wooden stake as apart of a makeshift cruafixe.Other than ripping off,the movie Fearless Vampire Killers,this scene makes little scence,in we are told the vampires are biological and not supernatural in nature.

Under Construction-Got something to add-sign on. Doc Thompson

'Ironwolf,like Monark Starstalker,is a fiction character,that pretty is obscure,by many comic fans,featured in First Appearance: Weird Worlds (October 1976),for DC Comics.Created by Howard Chaykin.It was yet another attempt,to create a space opera hero,like like Monark Starstalker,that he did at Marvel Comics another obscure Space hero,featured in three,last issues of Marvel Premiere years later on.Lord Ironwulf is a character that shows alot of possable potential,but as of Howard Chaykin,the characters creator has yet shown not to be able to give it the direction the character needs,because he too obsessed sex,and alot of other rubbish writting to make it work.

Character appearances: Monark Starstalker; Ulysses (a robot falcon); Robin Goodfriend; Brigid Siebold; Kurt Hammer.Pretty much Starstalker was another version of both Cody Starbuck and Ironwolf,without the star ship and a cool android falcon added.Another Chaykin creation not explored or exploited correctly.Marvel Premiere # 32 - Monark Starstalker is a comic book published by Marvel Publishing and that was to over twenty year-until I bet some trademark and copyright deadline came up again.After all,in publishing it's use it or lose.,

The Empire Galaktika Today, let's look at a space opera from the nineteen-seventies, chock full of a galactic empire, rebellion, swordplay, blasters, aliens, an imperial legion, and heroism. No, it's not Star Wars - it's the saga of Lord Iron-Wolf, as told in its entirety (sort of) in the pages of three issues of Weird Worlds.The Empire Galaktika never got really explored.We never are given here reasons why they oppressive:other the nobels are rich and Empress wants Anti Gravity Trees to give the barbarian-whose species,never gets a name.You'd think being the hier to a crop of anti-grav tree's on his home of Illium,Lord Ironwolf would have the Empire Galaktika by the ball,as the Guild Steersmen have the Empire in the Dune novels.Like oil,he controls the trade routes or fuel that runs the shipping,controls the government to degree.Anti Gravity trees supply the Anti Gravity Lumber Yards and controls the Anti Gravity Tree Ship builting.

The Spacing Guild has a monopoly on imperial banking and interstellar travel: with the use of melange, the geriatric spice, Guild Navigators are the only beings capable of piloting the massive Guild heighliners safely through space. The heightened awareness and prescience of the spice allows the Navigator to plot a safe course between the stars. Contrary to popular belief, the navigators do not themselves 'fold' space, allowing a nearly instantaneous trip. The space-folding is accomplished by Holtzman engines activated from the navigator's chamber.

In Dune,The Guild is apolitical (with exceptions, noted below), since their monopoly allows them to dictate terms to all parties that preserve the economy that supports them. As the only party able to transport goods in an interstellar economy, the Guild's highest concern is that commerce continue; for commerce to continue, the Guild must continue; for the Guild to continue, melange must be available. Ultimately, the Guild's only concern is that melange continue to be mined on Arrakis. Because spice is a requirement for long distance space transport, their motto resonates throughout the empire: "the spice must flow."

With their power over interstellar transport, the Guild holds the ability to peacefully end wars and to shape much of the political world. This is not to say that the Guild takes the position of categorically preventing any military action. To the contrary, there have been numerous cases of Guild support of war, and in each of them the Guild was paid high rates to transport troops and materiel.The Illium Anti Gravity Trees would to somewhere along these lines.Lord Ironwolf and company or family,that runs said company,would ask the Empress any price-unless she want invade the planet-which unlikely since she's got an alliance these alien brute,acting her mercenary force.They need Illium Anti Gravity wood for star ships and like Corellia of Star Wars,guess build all the star ship-Ironwolf's people.Check and mate.But like many no brains comics,Ironwolf stupidly blows his greatest bargainning chip to become a space pirate.Duh.!

History

This is an outer space adventure typical of its time: in some distant future, the principled hero, Lord Iron-Wolf (yes, hyphenated in the dialogue but not in the title), renounces his priviliged position in the Empire Galaktika in opposition to the Empress's policies and cruelties. He become first an outlaw and then a revolutionary, and escapades in a tradition unbroken from Robin Hood through Zorro to Flash Gordon ensue.This is an outer space adventure typical of its time: in some distant future, the principled hero.Ironwolf has no super powers, but he is an extraordinary hand to hand fighter. He is a master swordsman and highly skilled with the guns of his era or sometimes using antique 20th Century weapons like a 357 Magnum.Lord Ironwolf was the finest officer in the Earth based interstellar Empire Galaktika in the 61st century. On his home world of Illium, he owned millions of trees with "anti - gravity wood" from which starships such as his own were constructed. On his home world of Illium, he owned millions of trees with "anti - gravity wood" from which starships such as his own were constructed., renounces his priviliged position in the Empire Galaktika in opposition to the Empress's policies and cruelties.Empress Erika Klien - Hernandez asked Ironwolf to allow her new alien allies to make use of the trees. Fearing the aliens would then build their own fleet of starships with which to attack the empire, Ironwolf flatly refused. Lord Iron-Wolf refuses to turn over his planet’s resources to “allies” of the Empress of Empire Galaktika out of fear it will leave his planet open to attack.He smakes her across the chops,which I'm sure is an act of treason in any kingdom or empire,attacking the head of state.

As a result, Ironwolf became a hunted outlaw. From there, he proceeds to wage a one-ship campaign of intergalactic rebellion against the Empress and his pursuers.

He retaliated by using his spaceship to become a space pirate, robbing nobility, destroying imperial ships and battling the Empress' Blood Legion, a race of vampires created through an evolutionary accident.A neat idea,not explored here,either. Ironwolf ultimately destroyed all the anti gravity trees to prevent the empire from using them.Theirs a scence with Ironwolf,using his sword and a wooden stake as apart of a makeshift crucifix.Other than ripping off,the movie Fearless Vampire Killers,this scene makes little scence,in we are told the vampires are biological and not supernatural in nature. Iromwolf desides visit his homewold and find brother Tyrome,sold out his birthright the Anti Gravity tree supply to the Empire.He slaps brother around a bit and deside to blow the trees from orbit aboard his star ship,that use them as leverage against the Empress.Lord Ironwolf them goes into deep space again,sadded he had destroy the only of value his family had.The Limerick Rake discovers the Sargasso Sea of Space.The Limerick Rake.encounters the lost Sargasso Sea of Space,where lost star ships drift among this lonely void.Ironwolf takes a shuttle to explore one of those lost vessel-one with over grown plants covering the ships inner hull.Taking a shuttle over to one of the drifting star ships,the space pirate discovers an interior full of plants growing some garden inside.Suddenly,he sees a scarlet haired woman,being pursued by the same alien barbarian creature seen the stories openning.Ironwolf quickly slices one with sword and then uses the fallen one.great sword to stab in the back the other one running away.The red head turn out to be Shebaba O'Neal from the empress' alien allies. She was a member of the resistance movement sworn to overthrowing the empress and establishing democracy. ironwolf joined the resistance and O' Neal became first mate on his spaceship, The Limerick Rake.

Analysis

Conan among the Star Wars reality or just some junk from the mind of Howard Victor Chaykin ? Ironwolf should have Conan,set upon the background of a galactic empire,fighting off rebels,but it wasn't.What was a confused mess of nothing-generally the kind of material Chaykin gave us then and still is to this day.

The plot just starts rolling along from the very first page, whipped along by dialogue such as "Control yourself, Lord Iron-Wolf! You may be my best officer but I can still discipline you!" that shoehorned exposition into conversation, and captions such as "At that moment, a mime troupe hired to amuse the court enters, and..." that eliminated any need for those slow, set-up scenes. Ah, they don't write 'em like that anymore.

Howard Chaykin, in both story and art, envisioned a captivating world: Iron-Wolf dresses like Macbeth and talks like Horatio Hornblower; the Empress consorts with hulking aliens reminiscent of oversized Kazakhs and has a praetorian guard of vampires; illegal drugs turn people into supercharged, aggressive brutes. But the crown jewel of Chaykin's conceits was his splendid twist on space-travel technology: starships made of anti-gravity wood!

I still marvel at the audacity and visual appeal of this notion. Italic Since this epic does predate Star Wars, it

remains firmly in the Buck Rogers tradition when it come to personal technology: although the characters carry ray guns, they also fight with plain old edged swords, rather than with light sabers or solar scimitars or plasma foils or atomic epees or any other sort of non-trademarked energy weapon. Chaykin uses an interesting device in portraying the action scenes: in addition to the usual set-piece fight scenes, we are treated to several little mini-conflicts, show

n in triptych in one tier of borderless panels. This set-up is repeated so often it takes on a ritual nature, almost like something from kabuki theatre. Here's a sampling:

Since this is Chaykin, there are several prominent women characters, all of whom display both strength and sexuality, often in a confounding combination. And in this case, all of them wear that odd fashion that marked the transition from the hippie-influenced sixties to the disco-seventies. We have the villian of the piece, the Empress Erika Klein-Hernandez:a bimbo-who runs an empire,like the one Cody Starbuck-this time with clothe on,because the comic code.Obviously,Chaykin was mad Latin people and blacks,so he made the villians of the story.

There's Missy, she of the aforementioned mime troupe, who becomes an associate of Iron-Wolf's:and quickly written two pages later on,never to seen again.She's typical throwaway female furnichure bimbo,seen in Howie Chaykin comics-stuck and thrown out again when the eye candy gets boring.

And of course, the intriguingly named Shebaba O'Neal, the revolutionary:sort of paterned after Red Sonja and kind of predates Princess Leah,as the forefront figure of a rebel group.Difference is ,both Red Sonja and Princess Leah got to be developed into strong female character,while Shebaba O'Neal didn't.

Chaykin is working here before his arc of Scorpion (Atlas), Dominic Fortune (Marvel) and American Flagg (First)-all who pretty much dress the same. His art is more baroque and less streamiled, but a lot of the elements that he would continue to play with over the next ten years are in place. (Walt Simonson did some of the lettering, and his streamlined sound effects are jarringly incongruous at times.)

Sad to say, Lord Iron-Wolf never got much more than an introduction; the series - indeed, the whole comic - was cancelled with issue #10, a dream deferred because not from low sales as might expect,but because of a paper shortage,that seemed scare Denny O'Neil-who was the books editor..

Additional notes:

First full appearance of Ironwolf. Script by Denny O'Neil; plot, art, and cover by Howard Chaykin; lettering by Walt Simonson. Chaykin cover. Cover price $0.20.The story begins and ends basically here. Ironwolf stars in "Though This Be Madness." Script by Denny O'Neil, plot and art by Howard Chaykin. Back-up "Tales of the House of Ironwolf" story, "Wolfcrest." Script by Chaykin and John Warner, art by Vicente Alcazar. Nick Cardy cover. Cover price $0.20.

Final issue of the series. Ironwolf stars in "Home World." Script by Denny O'Neil (?), art by Howard Chaykin. Back-up "Tales of the House of Ironwolf" story, "Encounter!" Plot by Chaykin and John Warner, script by Warner, art by Vicente Alcazar. Michael Kaluta cover. Cover price $0.20.

Ironwolf: The Fires of the Revolution

By Howard Chaykin, John Francis Moore, Michaela Mignola & P. Craig

Russell (DC Comics)

ISBN: 1-56389-065-8

In the early 1970s, when Howard Chaykin and other luminaries-in-waiting such as Bernie Wrightson, Walt Simonson, Al Weiss, Mike Kaluta and others were just starting out in the US comics industry, it was on the back of a global fantasy boom. DC had the comic-book rights to Fritz Lieber’s Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser tales (beautifully realised in five issues of Swords and Sorcery by Denny O’Neil and many of the above-mentioned gentlemen) as well as the more well-known works of Edgar Rice Burroughs – Tarzan, Korak, John Carter of Mars, Carson of Venus, Pellucidar and even Beyond the Farthest Star.

Those beautiful fantasy strips began as back-up strips in the jungle books but soon graduated to their own title Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Weird Worlds, where they enthralled for just seven magnificent issues before returning to back-up status in Tarzan and Korak. Dropping the ERB strap line the comic itself ran for three more issues before folding in 1974, featuring an all new space opera scenario by O’Neil and Chaykin – ‘The saga of Ironwolf’.

Predating Star Wars by years it only just began the story of a star-spanning empire fallen into dissolution and decadence and the rebellion of one honest aristocrat who threw off the seductive chains of privilege to fight for freedom and justice. Artificial vampires, monsters, vast alien armies and his own kin were some of the horrors he tackled with his loyal band of privateers from his gravity defying wooden star-galleon the Limerick Rake.

With impressive élan Ironwolf mixed post-Vietnam, post-Watergate cynicism with youthful rebellion flavoured by Celtic mythology, Greek tragedy, the legend of Robin Hood and pulp science fiction trappings to create a rollicking, barnstorming romp unforgettable. It was cancelled after three issues.

In 1986 those episodes were collected as a special one shot which obviously had some editorial impact as a few years later this slim but classy all-star conclusion was released in both hardcover and paperback.

In the Empire Galaktika no resource was more prized than the miraculous anti-gravity trees of Illium – ancestral home of the lords Ironwolf. These incredible plants took a thousand years to mature, would grow on no other world, and were the basis of all star ships and travel in the Empire.

After untold years of comfortable co-existence the latest Empress, Erika Morelle D’Klein Hernandez, steeped in her own debaucheries, declared that she was giving the latest crop of mature trees to the monstrous aliens she had welcomed into her realm. Disgusted at this betrayal, nauseated by D’Kein’s blood-sucking allies and afraid for the Empire’s survival, Lord Brian of Illium destroyed the much-coveted trees and joined the revolution.

With a burgeoning republican movement he almost overthrew the corrupt regime in a series of spectacular battles, but was betrayed by one of his closest allies. Ambushed, the Limerick Rake died in a ball of flame…

Ironwolf awakes confused and crippled in a shabby hovel. Horrified he learns he has been unconscious for eight years, and although the Empire has been replaced with a Commonwealth things have actually grown worse for humanity. The Empress still holds power and men are no more than playthings and sustenance not only for the vampiric Blood Legion but also the increasingly debased Aristocrats he once called his fellows.

Clearly he has a job to finish…

After decades away much of the raw fire of the young creators who originated Ironwolf has mellowed with age, but Chaykin has always been a savvy, cynical and politically worldly-wise story-teller and still had enough indignant venom remaining to make this tale of betrayal and righteous revenge a gloriously fulfilling read, especially with the superbly enticing artwork of Mike Mignola and P. Craig Russell illustrating his final campaign to liberate the masses.

Although this tale (which links into Chaykin and Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez’s DC future-verse Twilight epic – and no, that one has nothing to do with fey vampires in love) is still readily available, I think the time is right for reissuing the entire vast panoramic saga in one complete graphic novel.

Let’s all hope that somebody at DC is reading this review… © 1992 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

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Publishing history

In 1972, DC Comics launched Weird Worlds a a science fiction/fantasy comic showcasing other characters created by

Edgar Rice Burroughs, the creator of Tarzan. These secondary properties failed to find an audience. Before the book was eventually cancelled, Editor Denny O'Neil offered Chaykin his first taste of creative carte-blanche. His concept, Iron Wolf, led to seminal versions of concepts that would eventually be found in much of Chaykin's work. He infused it with "themes of romantic honor tempered by ironic detachment, played out against a background of galactic empires and brightly painted starships" -- Howard Chaykin, from the Iron Wolf reprint, 1986.

The Classics - Weird Worlds #1

[1] In the early '70s DC was trying lots of different books in an attempt to take on Marvel, and one of those titles was Tarzan.

They did something really clever with that book - they put it in the hands of the incredibly talented writer / artist / editor Joe Kubert, and he turned out some fantastic work.

It was apparently a hit with the fans, too, because not long after a companion book was created to house the Edgar Rice Burroughs-created heroes who were appearing in backup features in Tarzan and Korak, Son of Tarzan.

The comic, which was cover-dated August - September 1972, was called Weird Worlds. It featured the adventures of John Carter, Warlord of Mars, and David Innes At the Earth's Core!

Like Tarzan's comic, the editors didn't scrimp on the talent (although with one exception the creators at work here were relatively new to the game).

Behind a Kubert cover was an 11-page David Innes story, written by Len Wein and drawn by Alan Weiss. Wein does his usual top-notch job, and Weiss gets to have a lot of fun with apes and other monsters. Vastly underappreciated, Weiss' style owed a lot to Neal Adams, but he had a more organic feel to his art. He also (like Adams) had the knack for drawing beautiful, sexy women.

Speaking of which... the second feature in the book was written by Marv Wolfman, doing an excellent job on a feature he would also write later at Marvel, and the art was supplied by the veteran of the issue, the outstanding Murphy Anderson, who seemed to be having the time of his life, tackling Carter, the giant four-armed Tharks, assorted monsters, and the incredibly beautiful Dejah Thoris, who was wearing the skimpiest bikini I'd seen in a comic (at least up to that point).

[2]

The story was loaded with swordplay, brutal battles and even tenderness - though I have to admit I would have picked the comic up just for the drawings of Dejah. (As proof, here's a clip of the interior art.)

Notice that she doesn't have a belly button. That's not because of prudishness - she was born from an egg, like all Martians.

Anderson has always been one of my favorite artists, and he turned in some great work on his short run on this title.

Sadly, the Weird Worlds comic had a limited run, lasting only 10 issues, though it included some classic work, including both ERB characters and an original creation - Ironwolf - by Howard Chaykin.

In 1972, DC published a comic called Weird Worlds that was a Tarzan tie-in title featuring John Carter of Mars and Pellucidar adaptations. By issue #8, they dropped all the Burroughs-related stuff and went with an original, non-DCU character, Iron-Wolf, created by Chaykin. He plotted it, penciled it and inked it, and Denny O’Neil did the script. The beautiful lettering - seriously, it’s awesome - was by Walter Simonson.

In the text page for issue #8, Denny O'Neil draws a comparision between the corruption in the Empire Galaktika and the

revelations of the Watergate scandal of the Nixon White House, which were just beginning to come to light at the time.Yes,remember Nixon couldn't win the war in Viet Nam,because of all the anti gravity trees,he needed to build a fleet of star ships.

In the text page for issue #10, O'Neil sums up the cancellation in the word ecology.

Dear Readers

You are holding the last issue of this magazine.The reason for its demise is,I think worth telling.

Judging from the mail we've gotten,WW is a critical success.And sales reports indicate that it is a commercial success.Then why this abrupt end?

In a word;Ecology.

For years,we've been publishing stories in the comics,in science fiction collections and detective magazines warning of impending shortages of rital materials,or worse,and pleading that we follow the ancient Indian admenition and walk lightly on the earth.

People thought we weren't serious.

You're moaning all the way in the bank,a colorist said when one such parable appeared.Like many others,she thought we were merely being crenby,taking easy shots at the headlines.

We weren't.The problem is real.One proof is that their will be no more Weird Worlds.

We can't get enough paper to publish it.

Simple as that.

There is,and will continue to be,a serious paper shortage.

The lesson is too obvious to need stating.

The lose of a magazine is no great thing in itself.Hurt as a parrieal of a possible future,is frightening.

To tell the truth,I am a little scared

Peace,

Denny

He says they couldn't get enough paper to publish it.Right.that why most books fail-low distribution of paper,as low sale of the book after it's published,not before.Most likely,the real reason,is Weird Worlds was going to be axed and paper went those books that selling.Which means basically either the book was cancelled low sale or low paper would not matter much either way.

Issues #9 and #10 each contain a back-up feature, Tales of the House of Iron Wolf. The stories concern two brothers, who are the ancestors of both Iron-Wolf and the Empress, in quasi-medieval adventures suposed set 2,000 earlier than the main story, but still in the distant future.

Issue #9 includes an in-story performance of Hamlet, and carries the credit, after Chaykin's and O'Neil's, "With Additional Dialogue by Wm. Shakespeare". (This has become a bit of an in-joke with Shakespearean adaptations and it was very out of place in story about a space opera revolution. All of us had grown up on that material, but by the time we'd become professionals – and I'm speaking for myself, and fairly certain I speak for most of those guys – we were interested in a wider range of material. I did pulp fiction, and science fiction, sword & sorcery. I was just testing the waters on everything I could get."

Yeah,testing the waters means,Howie once again was very clueless as what good writting is.Snappy diologue dosen't cut.

Chaykin and John Francis Moore reworked these themes and characters in the 1992 graphic novel Ironwolf - Fires of the Revolution. The new story, wonderfully illustrated by Mike Mignola and P. Craig Russel with achingly idiosyncratic detail, was more steampunk than space opera (extrapliting even further with the wooden spaceships) and got the usual nineties grim-n-gritty treatment (though not so much as Twilight, the science-fiction magnum opus from which it was spun off).

In the text page for issue #8, Denny O'Neil draws a comparision between the corruption in the Empire Galaktika and the revelations of the Watergate scandal of the Nixon White House, which were just beginning to come to light at the time.

In the text page for issue #10, O'Neil sums up the cancellation in the word ecology. He says they couldn't get enough paper to publish it.

Issues #9 and #10 each contain a back-up feature, Tales of the House of Iron Wolf. The stories concern two brothers, who are the ancestors of both Iron-Wolf and the Empress, in quasi-medieval adventures suposed set 2,000 earlier than the main story, but still in the distant future.

Issue #9 includes an in-story performance of Hamlet, and carries the credit, after Chaykin's and O'Neil's, "With Additional Dialogue by Wm. Shakespeare". (This has become a bit of an in-joke with Shakespearean adaptations.) All of us had grown up on that material, but by the time we'd become professionals – and I'm speaking for myself, and fairly certain I speak for most of those guys – we were interested in a wider range of material. I did pulp fiction, and science fiction, sword & sorcery. I was just testing the waters on everything I could get."

The DC comics of the early 1970s were still fairly stodgy, but newcomers like Howard Chaykin, Mike Kaluta, Bernie Wrightson, Walter Simonson and others were starting to shake things up. I’ve made no secret of my love of Howard Chaykin’s work. He’s a creator who continues to challenge the form, push it, break barriers and twist it around while still having interesting things to say.

This editorial from Denny O’Neil in the final issue of Weird Worlds claims that the book is being cancelled due to there being no paper to print it on! It seems that in 1974 DC was spearheading the green revolution, leading the ecological fight by cancelling titles and saving the trees. Hooray!

That the book had recently switched from being a Edgar Rice Burroughs-themed comic to featuring the early work of Howard Chaykin and his Iron Wolf strip was not a factor in Weird World‘s demise. No sir.Another reason why Nixon was a bad president–he cancelled Weird Worlds!

Honest.

Creator

Howard Victor Chaykin (born October 7, 1950 in Newark, New Jersey) is an American comic book writer and artist famous for his innovative storytelling and sometimes controversial material. Chaykin’s main influences are the mid-20th Century book illustrators Robert Fawcett, Al Parker, and others, along with a love for jazz, which is often reflected in his work.

Howard Chaykin began his career in comics as an assistant to such artists as Gil Kane and Neal Adams before going solo. His first major work was for DC Comics drawing a comics adaptation of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser in Sword of Sorcery. Although the title was well received, it lasted only five issues before cancellation. Chaykin also drew the character Ironwolf in the science fiction anthology title Weird Worlds for DC,that lasted three issues.Maybe we can call those three issues the Ironwolf Trilogy. Moving to Marvel Comics, he began work as co-artist with Neal Adams on the first Killraven story, seen in Amazing Adventures #18 in 1973. After this, Chaykin was given various adventure strips to draw for Marvel, including his own creation, Dominic Fortune, (inspired by his Scorpion character, originally drawn for Atlas Comics,) now in the pages of Marvel Premiere. In 1978, he also wrote and drew his Cody Starbuck creation for the anthology title Star Reach, one of the first independent titles of the 1970s. These strips saw him explore more adult themes as best he could within the restrictions often imposed on him by editors and the Comics Code Authority. The same year, he produced for Schanes & Schanes a six-plate portfolio showcasing his character.

The Scorpion is the name of two fictional characters who starred successively in an eponymous comic book series published by Atlas/Seaboard Comics in the 1970s.

The Scorpion ran three issues, cover-dated February to July 1975. The premiere was written and drawn by character creator Howard Chaykin. On the second issue, Chaykin's pencil art was inked by the team of Bernie Wrightson, Michael Kaluta, Walt Simonson and Ed Davis.

Citing lack of control over his creation, Chaykin quit and the third issue was produced by writer Gabriel Levy and penciler Jim Craig, with uncredited inker Jim Mooney.

scorpion1.jpg Weird Worlds came to an end with the tenth issue, and Iron Wolf with it. Chaykin then created The Scorpion, a pulp style adventurer for Atlas Comics in 1975. However, following the second issue, the concept was dramatically retooled into standard super-hero fare. This sudden alteration failed to save the title from being cancelled, and Atlas soon disappeared as well. http://www.comicbookbin.com/bubble072.html

Comments

Based upon this article I picked up the 3-in-1 reprint from '87. Thanks so much for calling my attention to this work! I really enjoyed Ironwolf. After reading a comment in the letters column of an old Star Hunters comic that referenced Iron-Wolf, I looked it up on-line and found this blog entry.After looking through this post, I decided to try to find the comic and ended up finding the 3 in 1 reprint from the 1980s. I would like to read the originals--I just really like the old school coloring!I really enjoyed the comics, though--new coloring and all. Tales of the House Ironwolf was a back up strip.about former members of household,of Ironwolf family history within the back pages of the comic.

Howard’s art is not as slick as it would later and quickly become and he shows a lot of Neal Adams influence. But you can see he’s definitely experimenting with storytelling and page layout. He’s trying new things. Some traditional Chaykin touches are evident: the independent wise-cracking hero, sexy female characters named Erika Klein-Hernandez and Shebaba O’Neal, wooden spaceships made from “gravity-defying trees,” a spaceship called the Limerick Rake and even a bible reference at the end. It’s a lot of fun, 37 years later, and makes me wish I had another issue handy. Of all of Chaykin’s 70s creations, Iron-Wolf and The Scorpion (aka Dominic Fortune) are my favorites.

This issue was published in 1973, as the Republican-owned Watergate scandal that would eventually bring down President Richard Nixon was unfolding. Denny, who was also the book’s editor, was worried that this saga about a space pirate would be just “pure fantasy,” and not be “relevant.” But Denny didn’t need to worry. Writing in the letters page, he said, “For some weeks, we’ve been learning that men we trusted, men we believed in, have betrayed us. There is an almighty smell of corruption coming from places where most Americans least expected it, and a lot of faces I see on the streets are masks of anguish.” Denny proclaims that we Americans are a hardy lot and he’s not worried about the future. He also realizes that “Lord Iron-Wolf is in exactly the same situation,” so “a trio of comic book makers, intending to create a wholly imaginative story, find themselves, instead, creating a parable. A Moral Tale. A piece of Relevance.”

Weird Worlds #8 had a cover price was 20¢ and the actual story page count for the 32-page comic was 20, down from the more traditional 22-24 in an effort to cut costs in most DC titles at the time. There were also 8 pages of paid interior ads (something I bet they’d love to have now), 3 house ads and a letters page. Quite a bargain to watch a game-changer like Howard go to work.

Disclosure: I was once Howard’s editor on a project and I might have bought him dinner at some point in the process.

[Artwork: Cover to Weird Worlds #8 by Howard Chaykin, © DC Entertainment]

Created by

PERSONAL DA First Appearance: Weird Worlds #8 (November-December 1973)

changed his name Cody Starbuck and then Dominic Fortune

SHEBABA O'NEA

Created by 

PERSONAL DATA First Appearance: Weird Worlds #8 (November-December 1973)

HISTORY

A Resistance fighter of Empire-Galaktica in the 61st century, and the mate of Iron Wolf.

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• classes (1)

Not comics link Header panel courtesy Bob Fingerman, Pat McEown, Bill Oakley, and Matt Hollinsworth via Bizarro Comics © 2001 DC Comics

Monark Starstalker Working as a "rigger",as told in the issues flashback, with his nervous system wired into the ship he was piloting, Monark was attacked by hostiles. Running from them, Monark Starstalker was forced to traverse the core of a nova, the star's energies buffeting the ship and frying his nervous system, senses, and memory. Rescued by a passing ship, the doctors gave Monark Starstalker Monark Starstalkerup for dead, but the "technos" developed an android falcon, named Ulysses, which, telepathically linked to him, acted as an artificial nervous system. Becoming a "vigilante" (seemingly a bounty hunter), Monark Starstalker pursued wanted men across the galaxy.

Some time later,in an issue of Comics Journal #109.1986, cover date July: Portions of Marvel Premiere #32, along with numerous other examples of his work, appear in an Gary Groth interview with Chaykin refered Monark Starstalker ,an in editorial captions not directly from Chaykin, as "an abortive Marvel strip," but the reasons for its demise are not given. Even with illustrations, it's a thirty-three page interview.

But then Chaykin was beyond from the American Flagg and graphic novel Hard Times, his Blackhawk miniseries, maybe even Midnight Men were already published.

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The Creator

Howard Chaykin Search for 'Howard Chaykin' on eBay

Bio: Chaykin's main influences are the late 19th and early 20th century book illustrators Howard Pyle and Charles Robinson and little of his work has been for the super-hero genre. He began working for Marvel Comics in the early 1970s drawing-one off stories for publications such as Marvel Spotlight. Chaykin had an interest in Jazz and the 1920s-1930s era that was in-tune with editor Roy Thomas who gave him a series of adventurers-for-hire to illustrate. He also created a short-lived sword and sorcery title, Ironwolf. In 1976, Chaykin landed the job of drawing the Marvel Comics adaptation of Star Wars that proved a great success and also got him work doing illustrations for the numerous tie-in projects. Chaykin produced a number of projects for the Heavy Metal and Star Reach anthology magazines including the space opera hero Cody Starbuck that revealed an interest in sexually explicit material as well as graphic violence. There were also a number of lavish graphic novel projects with an adaptation of Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination and original collaborations with Michael Moorcock and Roger Zelazny. Chaykin also worked on the design of the movie Heavy Metal.

In 1982 Chaykin launched American Flagg! for First Comics, writing and drawing the first twelve issues exclusively. The series was a massive critical and popular success, winning a number of awards. In 1985 Chaykin also wrote and drew a re-launch of The Shadow for DC Comics and produced Time², a quasi-spin-off to American Flagg! that allowed him to indulge his love of Jazz and New York. The mini-series based on Blackhawk of 1987 was another chance to indulge in the 1930s mileu as as provide a witty recasting of a defunct DC character.

Black Kiss in 1988-89 provided Chaykin with the chance to fully show the sex and violence content hinted at since his work of the late 1970s. Since then his original output has been limited. There was a return to Marvel for a Wolverine/Nick Fury graphic novel and the mini-series Power and Glory.

Some of Chaykin's recent comics work includes: the graphic novel Mighty Love, the mini-series Challengers of the Unknown and City of Tomorrow, as well as a one-off issue of Solo, all published by DC Comics. Chaykin has also been active in television since the 1980s, acting as Executive Script Consultant for The Flash and Viper, and has most recently acted as head writer on Mutant X.

This entry uses material derived, either in part or in the main, from wikipedia.org.

Date of Birth: October 7, 1950 Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey

Ironwolf: The Fires of the Revolution

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

By Howard Chaykin, John Francis Moore, Michaela Mignola & P. Craig Russell (DC Comics) ISBN: 1-56389-065-8

In the early 1970s, when Howard Chaykin and other luminaries-in-waiting such as Bernie Wrightson, Walt Simonson, Al Weiss, Mike Kaluta and others were just starting out in the US comics industry, it was on the back of a global fantasy boom. DC had the comic-book rights to Fritz Lieber’s Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser tales (beautifully realised in five issues of Swords and Sorcery by Denny O’Neil and many of the above-mentioned gentlemen) as well as the more well-known works of Edgar Rice Burroughs – Tarzan, Korak, John Carter of Mars, Carson of Venus, Pellucidar and even Beyond the Farthest Star.

Those beautiful fantasy strips began as back-up strips in the jungle books but soon graduated to their own title Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Weird Worlds, where they enthralled for just seven magnificent issues before returning to back-up status in Tarzan and Korak. Dropping the ERB strap line the comic itself ran for three more issues before folding in 1974, featuring an all new space opera scenario by O’Neil and Chaykin – ‘The saga of Ironwolf’.

Predating Star Wars by years it only just began the story of a star-spanning empire fallen into dissolution and decadence and the rebellion of one honest aristocrat who threw off the seductive chains of privilege to fight for freedom and justice. Artificial vampires, monsters, vast alien armies and his own kin were some of the horrors he tackled with his loyal band of privateers from his gravity defying wooden star-galleon the Limerick Rake.

With impressive élan Ironwolf mixed post-Vietnam, post-Watergate cynicism with youthful rebellion flavoured by Celtic mythology, Greek tragedy, the legend of Robin Hood and pulp science fiction trappings to create a rollicking, barnstorming romp unforgettable. It was cancelled after three issues.

In 1986 those episodes were collected as a special one shot which obviously had some editorial impact as a few years later this slim but classy all-star conclusion was released in both hardcover and paperback.

In the Empire Galaktika no resource was more prized than the miraculous anti-gravity trees of Illium – ancestral home of the lords Ironwolf. These incredible plants took a thousand years to mature, would grow on no other world, and were the basis of all star ships and travel in the Empire.

After untold years of comfortable co-existence the latest Empress, Erika Morelle D’Klein Hernandez, steeped in her own debaucheries, declared that she was giving the latest crop of mature trees to the monstrous aliens she had welcomed into her realm. Disgusted at this betrayal, nauseated by D’Kein’s blood-sucking allies and afraid for the Empire’s survival, Lord Brian of Illium destroyed the much-coveted trees and joined the revolution.

With a burgeoning republican movement he almost overthrew the corrupt regime in a series of spectacular battles, but was betrayed by one of his closest allies. Ambushed, the Limerick Rake died in a ball of flame…

Ironwolf awakes confused and crippled in a shabby hovel. Horrified he learns he has been unconscious for eight years, and although the Empire has been replaced with a Commonwealth things have actually grown worse for humanity. The Empress still holds power and men are no more than playthings and sustenance not only for the vampiric Blood Legion but also the increasingly debased Aristocrats he once called his fellows.

Clearly he has a job to finish…

After decades away much of the raw fire of the young creators who originated Ironwolf has mellowed with age, but Chaykin has always been a savvy, cynical and politically worldly-wise story-teller and still had enough indignant venom remaining to make this tale of betrayal and righteous revenge a gloriously fulfilling read, especially with the superbly enticing artwork of Mike Mignola and P. Craig Russell illustrating his final campaign to liberate the masses.

Although this tale (which links into Chaykin and Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez’s DC future-verse Twilight epic – and no, that one has nothing to do with fey vampires in love) is still readily available, I think the time is right for reissuing the entire vast panoramic saga in one complete graphic novel.

Let’s all hope that somebody at DC is reading this review… © 1992 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

Plot synopsis

Monark Starstalker first known activity came on the planet Stormking, a perpetual icy world. There, the bounty hunter intended to hunt down and capture Kurt Hammer. After befriending local sheriff Bob Hightower and visiting Triplanet Metals Inc. vice president Emanuel Shaw, Monark Starstalker met Robin Goodfriend. While visiting with her at her home, Shaw and Hightower were killed by Kurt Hammer, who escaped with his girlfriend, Brigid Siebold in front of the town of New Canaan's populace. When the populace informed Starstalker of where Hammer had gone, Starstalker tracked the man down, utilizing Ulysses to enable Monark Starstalker to hit a seemingly-hidden Kurt Hammer. Firing at Ulysses, Hammer inadvertently triggered and avalanche, burying Starstalker. Thinking him dead, Kurt Hammer then began trying to kill Ulysses, not noticing Starstalker digging himself out until it was too late. While Starstalker intended to keep Hammer alive to carry his girlfriend back to town, Hammer died on the long trek back to town. Informing the citizens of this, Starstalker asked them to make sure his claim for the kill was registered and tell Goofriend he was leaving. Starstalker then made his way out of town, not wanting to deal with the townspeople (who had cheered the death of Shaw, yet were shocked when Hightower was killed) any more.

• Paraphernalia

• Equipment

Utilizes an android falcon, Ulysses, which acts as an external nervous system and extra sensory organs,for Monark Starstalker allowing him to see, hear, and detect thermal readings through Ulysses.

• Weapons

• Utilizes handguns.Vortex Pistol is a peace keeping weapon developed during the Famine Riots of '03?? for crowd dispersal. The weapon causes instantaneous blindness, vertigo, and nausea.Similar to Slumbatol Pistol,used in American Flagg

• Background Data

Technos Little has been revealed about this alien race, except that their hearts are mechanical. The Technos also created Ulysses, Monark Starstalker's android falcon.

Triplanet Metals Inc.

Triplanet was a federal mining corporation, which also catered to the needs of terraformers. They were interested in the vast mineral wealth beneath the glaciers of planet Stormking.

Stormking was an inhospitable planet of rock and ice, and the most distant of all the frontier worlds. It's inhabitants survived in cities protected by force domes. Places of interest included New Canaan, Vesalius, and a Mega IV out post

Wharf Rats

Slang for common thugs who prey on off-worlders.

---

Characters

Robin Goodfriend-Robin was a frontierswoman born on planet Stormking. However as the daughter of a federal citizen, she was treated as an outcast in the frontier. She was a known cohort of Monark Starstalker, and knew Ulysses was the source of his power. She lived in a chalet on the outskirts of New Canaan.

Kurt Hammer-Kurt Hammer was a decorated war hero among the frontier planets. After the war he became an intergalactic assassin, who was wanted dead or alive for the murder of six people on the planet Tycho. It was also rumored that he was secretly involved with Triplanet Metals Inc. He was last seen in New Canaan where he murdered Bob Hightower, Emanuel Shaw, and a number of civilians. He was later found dead due to pneumonia, the location of his corpse was reported to authorities by Monark Starstalker.

Bob Hightower Hightower was a frontier sheriff of New Canaan, he was respected and well liked. He was murdered in public by Kurt Hammer.

Emanuel Shaw-Mr. Shaw was 3rd Vice President of Triplanet Metals Inc., and a federal citizen. He was murdered by Kurt Hammer while giving a public speech about methods of terraforming Stormking. --

Brigid Siebold-Miss Siebold was Emanuel Shaw's aide, and a federal citizen. She was kidnapped by Kurt Hammer; however, she was actually Kurt Hammer's secret lover. She was later rescued by Monark Starstalker, but in need of immediate medical attention.

---

Notes

The squinty fellow is Monark Starstalker, seen here on the cover of "Marvel Premiere" #32, October 1976. Created by Howard Chaykin, Monark is a charming, square-jawed, two-fisted rogue with thick black hair and crinkly, smiley eyes. It's a shame Chaykin never revisted that type of character ever again, huh? His android falcon, besides just looking hella cool, also doubles as a telepathic replacement for his body's destroyed nervous system. So, the coolness is essentially doubled.

• edit Links

• Appearances of Monark (Earth-616)
• Character Gallery: Monark (Earth-616)
• Images that feature Monark (Earth-616)
• Fan-Art Gallery: Monark (Earth-616)
• Quotations by Monark (Earth-616)

• ==Discover and Discuss==

• Search News for: Starstalker • Monark • Monark (Earth-616)
• Starstalker • Monark. Monark (Earth-616)
• Discuss this and other characters on the forums
• http://galaxybeingsmavericlions.blogspot.com/

tag.* [[Ironwolf{DC COMICS}]];An obscure Space hero,featured in three,last issues of Weird Worlds.