1973: Jann Wenner appears in a Daredevil comic

Two panels from Daredevil No. 100, written by Steve Gerber and drawn by Gene Colan

The past week saw Jann Wenner, co-founder of Rolling Stone magazine, fall from grace as a major voice in rock music.

An excerpt from a story in The New York Times:

For years, Jann Wenner ruled over the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, viewing his chairmanship of its affiliated foundation as an extension of the cultural gatekeeping power he long wielded as the co-founder and editor of Rolling Stone magazine.

Wenner spoke for the hall publicly, opening its annual induction festivities and posing in chummy photos with music stars. Behind the scenes, he flaunted outsize influence over which of those artists got in and which didn’t, and spoke bluntly about the institution being under his control.

That power came to a swift and brutal end on Saturday afternoon, as Wenner was ousted from the foundation’s board, one day after he was quoted at length in an interview in The New York Times making remarks that were widely criticized as racist and misogynistic.

A half-century ago, Wenner appeared as himself, Rolling Stone’s editor, in the 100th issue of Daredevil. The issue was the last (as regular artist) for Gene Colan, wrapping up a seven-year run on the title. Colan had worked with various writers. In this case, the scripter was Steve Gerber (1947-2008).

Wenner is now 77 and sold off Rolling Stone years ago. But his recent comments about rock artists who were either women or people or color have created controversy.