The Prince of Iron

The Prince of Iron is an American graphic novel published by DC Comics and set in the Good Ol' Magic universe. The comic follows the main villain of the series, the Iron Emperor.

Synopsis
The comic follows the villainous Iron Emperor and presents a possible origin story for him, going from when he was a child to when he finally dons the identity he is known as today.

Chapter One
A prostitute gives birth to a boy whose birth left her in so much pain she was convinced she'd die. The mother names the baby (though it is never shown) and reveals she doesn't actually know who the father is. It then cuts to several years later in the middle of winter.

The boy is now around seven-years-old and is being beaten by a small group of bullies who refer to him as "witch boy." The bullies leave when a girl named Susie shows up, chasing them off and helping the boy up.

The two exchange words and he ends up following her back to her home, which he praises as if it's a mansion despite not being much larger than the other houses in the area. He spends some time with her and then returns to his own home, which is revealed to be a brothel named the Midnight Walk.

He enters and walks up the stairs to see his mother who he is informed is "at work." Taking pity on the boy, the owner (Big Martha) decides to make him something to eat and sends him to bed. However, that night he is woken up by an odd goblin-like creature named Mister Todd, who reveals that he is in search of a new master and he believes the boy could be him.

The boy rejects him outright but Todd refuses to leave, constantly trying to convince him to change his mind. The boy constantly refuses until that afternoon, where he sees Susie being pelted by snowballs by the bullies from before. One curls a small stone into the ball and tosses it, hitting her hard enough to draw blood.

After seeing this, the boy is convinced and asks Todd what he needs to do, with Todd asking him to say his command. The boy commands Todd to "make him pay" and a swarm of tiny creatures floods into the area, scratching and biting the bullies until they are all forced to retreat. Todd congratulates the boy on becoming the Prince of Iron.

He speaks with Susie, who is terrified of what he just did. She does manage to calm down, but the two part ways with the knowledge that their relationship has been changed.

Chapter Two
Five years later, Midnight Walk is being investigated by police and the boy, now calling himself Prince, is horrified at the thought he will be thrown out on to the street and his mother will be arrested. Due to this, he begins searching for a way to help Midnight Walk, though he constantly denies Mister Todd's requests to summon the minions.