You say the name "Steppenwolf" and I immediately flash on the band by that name (borrowed from Herman Hesse's novel ) and the album cover below featured in countless ads in scores if not hundreds of vintage comic books.
I hear the energetically morose voice of John Kay as he somberly oozes the lyrics of "The Pusher" and "Magic Carpet Ride", and "Born to Be Wild".
But I'm a Jack Kirby fan, a devotee of the Fourth World and so I also think of Darkseid's devious uncle featured on the cover of New Gods #7. This malicious Steppenwolf was one among many pawns in the back plots of the young son of Apokolips and he played a crucial part in breaking the peace by attacking Izaya the Highfather and killing his wife Avia.
The rage which spilled forth led Izaya to battle and ultimately slay Steppenwolf the leader of the Dog Cavalry of Apokolips (the perfect name for such a one as it means describes the wild dogs of the Asian steppes). And that act set the stage for Darkseid's rise to power and the initiation of "The Pact" which resulted in the exchange of Scott Free son of Izaya and Orion son of Darkseid as hostages to the peace. It was a peace broken when Scott Free lived up to the name he'd gotten from Granny Goodness and slipped away to Earth to become Mister Miracle.
Later, illogically, Steppenwolf was revived and revised to be part of the "Super Powers" toy universe.
And now we hear that Steppenwolf will be among the very first of the to wage war against the Justice League in the Silver Age superteam's very first major motion picture ever. I for one cannot wait! As John Kay would thrum, this one "was born to be wild".
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Steppenwolf! One of my favorite rock bands of the sixties/early seventies. Listen to the “Monster” track sometime – it’s still very valid and prescient for today: “…Its leaders were supposed to serve the country / But now they won't pay it no mind / Cause the people grew fat and got lazy / Now their vote is a meaningless joke / They babble about law and order / But it's all just an echo of what they've been told…”
ReplyDeleteGoldy McJohn (buckskin jacket on the “7” cover) was the keyboard player. He just passed away on August 1st of this year (sadly, to very little notice.) He was the one tearing it up on the Hammond B3 in Magic Carpet Ride and on several of their other notable hits. Originally known as The Sparrow – producer Gabe Meckler knew he had something in 1967 when the band was signed – and thus rechristened them “Steppenwolf” after the Hesse novel.
Yes, I first thought of the band, and I kept hearing the couple of songs I knew when I read this chapter of the saga. (Can you believe I never knew the album cover until today?) This issue was an amazing look back on the events that had taken place before the new war between the twin worlds. It was so well-structured, it informed every aspect of why the events took place at the time that they did. As a matter of fact, this one chapter is the linchpin that brings the Fourth World comics together (at least two of the titles). And the machinations on Apokolips are fascinating, when eventually you learn that as devious as Uncle Steppenwolf is, there are others that are more devious still.
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