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.

Ironwolf was influenced by the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robin Hood, and the 1948 film The Three Musketeers.^[3]

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.^[4] 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.^[5] 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. Eury, Micheal (2015). "Back Issue!" (78): 42. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
4. Ironwolf #1 at the Grand Comics Database
5. Ironwolf: Fires of the Revolution Archived 2013-02-26 at the Wayback Machine at the Grand Comics Database