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.