Steelhead the Grandfather

Steelhead the Grandfather is the fifth issue of The Saga of the Metabarons (the main series of The Metabarons franchise). It was written by Alejandro Jodorowsky, illustrated by Juan Giménez and released by Les Humanoïdes Associés in 1998. In the english version it was released in three issues: The Clash of the Meta-Warrios, Steelhead's Quest, Melmoth's Plight, all in 2001.

In this issue Steelhead battles and kills Aghnar, and conquers Doña Vicenta's heart using the head of the poet Zaran Krleza, naming himself Melmoth.

The Clash of the Meta-Warrios
Tonto and Lothar keep waiting for the Metabaron despite the fact that’s been centuries since the last saw their master and City Shaft is empty. They check that the bio-electrogram is working by having the Metabaron’s eloctrogram fight 180 cerbomaks. After that Tonto proceeds with the metabarons story.

The story continues in a flashback: Steelhead is appointed champion of the human galaxy. A duel is arranged between him and Aghnar. Steelhead and Aghnar, each within his own Metacraft, begin their fight to the death. They pass from dimension to dimension, neither capable of eliminating the other. At last, Aaghnar’s greater experience puts him in the lead. Honorata and Steelhead surrender. But at the last moment, Steelhead seizes Honorata and begins to savagely mutilate her by cutting her fingers. Aghnar cannot bear to watch and Steelhead is revealed as a cold and treacherous monster. Even Oda/Honorata is appalled at his actions. She chooses to rejoin Aghnar, and the two of them commit suicide by setting off the mini-bombs that riddle their bodies. Even if Steelhead is despised for the methods he used, he’s saved the human race and the Pthagureans decree collective suicide. While the soldiers celebrate the victory, strange vampires come through the walls and devour the brains of the guess, including the Imperial Couple’s. The Emperoress begs Steelhead to help them: the entities have entered their universe through a breach opened by his cross-dimensional battle with Aghnar. Steelhead accepts but demands in exchange for his help the title of Supreme Metabaron and the Medallion of High Nobility, for which the agreement of all the planetary ambassadors is required. Steelhead must therefore eliminate the only one who would stand against the ceremony, Don Nicanor Rosamel de Rokha, President of the Trogolosocialik Confederation.

Steelhead easily defeats the vampires and reseals the breach, then makes his way to Philodendra, the natural and beauteous Troglosocialik capital. He arrives at the Halerce Tree, the oldest tree in the galaxy, where millions of dulcet-voices yukkas sing, and cold-bloodedly executes Don Nicanor in the middle of his morning meditation. Steelhead then goes back to the Imperial Palace to receive the medal he covets.

Steelhead's Quest
As Steelhead receives the Medallion of High Nobility, Doña Vicenta, accuses him of killing her father, exterminating millions of Dyukkas, and vaporizing the 250.000-year-old Halerce Tree. She casts her vote against the decoration, and intends to commit suicide immediately afterwards, depriving Steelhead of his award forever. Her words sting Steelhead to the bone. Most importantly Doña Vicenta predicts the end of the metabarons clan, for as a machine without a human brain, he will never know true love. So Steelhead rises to the challenge and immediately sets out to find a master who will teach him love. Steelhead goes to omni-library in the remains of Terra Prima to research ancient texts on love without success, until he comes across the image of Zaran Krleza, the last poet, who disappeared long ago. Once Tonto has located his coordinates in the galaxy’s edge, Steelhead passes through rains of acid and a shield of hurricanes to find him. Zaran has been waiting for Steelhead. Before entering Krleza’s fortress he must pass a trial: defeating an octo-tiger using only a bow, which he uses as an instrument to put the beast to sleep, proving that love triumphs over death. Steelhead succeeds and discovers that Zaran is no more than a 5.000-year-old head, which sacrificed its body to live for so long. The poethead now wants Steelhead’s body. Steelhead accepts, for emotions cannot be learned, but only felt. The Endo-robots dedicate themselves to the very delicate operation, and the two personalities, poet and warrior, not without great pains of the soul, merge into one new and complete personality, which they self-baptize “Melmoth”.

So Melmoth discovers that he is in love with Doña Vicenta, and wants to right the wrongs that Steelhead has done to her. After replacing the Halerce Tree with a tree from Gzaynon, he goes to Philodendra and then speaks to Doña Vicenta with words of the poet, which astound and seduce her. But when she discovers that the man she has just fallen in love with is her father’s murderer, the heartbreak is so great that she tries to kill herself with a revolver.

Melmoth's Plight
Thanks to the Shabda-Oud powers passed down by his mother, Melmoth slows down time and deflects the bullet, knocking Doña Vicenta out. While she is unconscious, Melmoth creates a clone of Don Nicanor, hoping to wipe out his crime and obtain the forgiveness of his beloved.

The father and daughter reunite. Melmoth and Doña Vicenta are free to love each other. The young woman wants to give the warrior and poet. Metabaron the heir he deserves, and also intends to go and vote for his Medallion of High Nobility on the Golden Planet.

But Don Nincanor’s clone has lost a portion of his memory. He remembers everything and everyone except his daughter. He shuts himself up alone with her and there declares to her that he wants her as his wife. He is about to throw himself up her when Melmoth separates them.

The President rallies his people to the cause. Yet Doña Vicenta refuses to let Melmoth kill her father again, or attack her people. But if the Metabaron does nothing, he will be destroyed and Don Nicanor will rape Doña Vicenta.

Other Issues

 * 1) Othon the Great-Great-Grandfather (1992)
 * 2) Honorata the Great-Great-Grandmother (1993)
 * 3) Aghnar the Great-Grandfather (1995)
 * 4) Oda the Great-Grandmother (1997)
 * 5) Steelhead the Grandfather (1998)
 * 6) Doña Vicenta Gabriela de Rokha the Grandmother (1999)
 * 7) Aghora the Father-Mother (2002)
 * 8) Nameless, the Last of the Metabarons (2003)