Wolf's Head: An original comic book series by Von Allan

Read WOLF'S HEAD issue 18 of the comic book series for free on the Internet Archive

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 19:43:16 +0000

Elevator Pitch

“Lauren Greene, having befriended and rescued a young Artificial Intelligence (AI), is fleeing from ARPC, the evil corporation that invented it and who wants it back. Isolated and alone, Lauren reluctantly reaches out to an old friend: Super Bob Sanchez. With Super Bob’s help, Lauren forces a confrontation with Richard Blairstone, an ARPC heavy, in a snowy Albertan ghost town. Lauren gambles that her plan will end ARPC’s pursuit of her and the AI once and for all. With Richard willing to kill Lauren, Super Bob, and anyone else in order to regain the AI, everything comes down to Lauren’s plan. Will her gamble work?”

Serialized Storytelling

One of the things that I love about serialized storytelling (as opposed to working on a “beginning-middle-end” stand-alone graphic novel) is that the story takes one in unexpected directions. Back when I was working on the early issues of the series, I never thought that Lauren, Sankō, and their friend the AI would have some of the adventures they’ve wound up having. That some of these events have surprised even me is pretty cool. I think (well, hope, anyway!) that this helps keep you (dear reader!) a little unsure of where things are going, too. That really is part of the fun of doing a series, regardless of its form. Back when I was working on those early issues, did I ever expect Lauren to be in Alaska and have the adventures she had there? Nope! Did I know about her road trip back down south, with her wonderful VW van and all of the rest? Nope! Did I know about the characters she’d meet along the way? Chuck Freight, Foolbert Bong, Fang Ting Him, Maggie Vraic, and all the rest? Nope! And did I know that Richard Blairstone, a bit of a “throwaway flunky” back in those early issues, would become the “heavy” he has? Nope!

Finding joy and being surprised in unexpected turns of events is amazing! It really is! I hope you find that, too, and with that in mind I’ll ask you this: if you enjoy WOLF’S HEAD, if you love it, please help spread the word about it. Review it! Tell your friends and family about it! Talk it up! Write me a letter telling me what you love and — gulp! — what you don’t! If you’re receiving this update via email as a subscriber, forward that to people you think might like the series and my work. Work with me and help get the word out!

I should add that completing this issue was difficult to say the least. Why? Well, I was working on this issue when I found out about the death of my oldest friend Dave. In fact, this issue is dedicated to him. He had read quite a bit of WOLF’S HEAD and really enjoyed it. It was actually harder than I thought it would be to complete this issue, mainly because I know that he isn’t around to read it. So it goes and all that, but I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t thinking of him quite a bit while I was working away on this issue.

Key Links

Here are all of the key links:

Internet Archive link for WOLF’S HEAD Issue 18: https://archive.org/details/wolfs-head-018-by-von-allan
WOLF’S HEAD Volume 9 (collecting Issues 17 and 18 of the series): https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-9.html
Shop Page: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/shop.html
Wolf’s Head Official Site: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/

WOLF’S HEAD Volume 9 Trade Paperback Graphic Novel

For those who would like to purchase a print copy, issue 17 and issue 18 are collected together in a 60 page trade paperback graphic novel. So while you can always read the series for free, print-lovers are well-represented, too! You can learn more about the graphic novel at https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-9.html.

Multiple Ways to Read the Series

Digital Comics

You can read every issue of WOLF'S HEAD for free on the wonderful Internet Archive. You can click on any of the covers below to find that issue on the Internet Archive.

Trade Paperback Graphic Novels

What if you want to hold these comics in your hand? Easy! Trade paperbacks have been published in nine volumes so far. Each volume collects two issues of the digital series and are 60 pages in length. Most volumes also have sketches, background material, editorials, letters, and whatnot, too! These affordable paperbacks are available worldwide.

To be clear, WOLF'S HEAD is first serialized as digital comic books and then two of those issues are collected into hefty 60 page full colour trade paperbacks! Links to each individual volume are presented below.

Most online retailers regularly stock and carry WOLF'S HEAD. However, occassionaly there are hiccups with this from time to time (typically because the retailer has had a little rush on sales!). So, if you were shopping on Amazon (for example) and discovered that a particular volume is out of stock, there are many alternatives. These include Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Indigo, McNally Robinson, The American Book Center, Waterstones, and so on. In addition to these links, all of the ISBNs for the trade paperbacks and the hardcover are also below, so you can always use that when you are chatting with your local bookseller or comic book shop.

WOLF’S HEAD Book 1 Hardcover Graphic Novel

Aside from the aforementioned trade paperback, the first story arc (consisting of the first six issues of the ongoing series and combining the first three volumes of the trade paperback) is also available! This is a deluxe hardcover, larger than the trade paperbacks, and printed on fantastic paper! For those who would like a more immersive experience, this is a great way to go. And like the trade paperbacks, the hardcover is widely available at better comic book stores, book shops, and online retailers all over the world! You can learn more about the hardcover at https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/2022/01/wolfs-head-book-1-in-hardcover-worldwide.html.

The fourth WOLF’S HEAD Story Arc

And, of course, you can always read the entire story arc for free at the Internet Archive! Please visit https://archive.org/search?query=creator%3A%22Von+Allan%22&sort=title for all the download links!

Read WOLF'S HEAD issue 17 of the comic book series for free on the Internet Archive

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 22:56:00 +0000

Elevator Pitch

“In this special issue of WOLF’S HEAD, four lives collide! Lauren Greene, hunted and desperate, must gamble everything on a dubious ally to protect her dog and a young AI. Richard Blairstone wrestles with his unravelling mind and a dangerous connection to that same AI, uncovering a grim clue from the past. Meanwhile, trucker Super Bob Sanchez scrambles to ditch a truckload of stolen goods before the law catches up. And high-powered CEO Jeremy Hamilton faces his own private reckoning, where one risky act of trust could spell redemption… or ruin.”

Milestone!

It’s a bit of a milestone for the series! While 17 issues probably doesn’t seem all that special, creating 17 issues of a full-colour independent series really is. Honestly, it hasn’t been easy; getting reviews for my work has never been easy, but it’s become much harder over the past few years. I’m not sure why this is (and there are notable exceptions, of course), but it’s a struggle. One of the things I’ve long-loved about comics was that both creators and the media that covered them had a punk/do-it-yourself kinda mentality. I think this partially stemmed from the fanzine roots of comics media combined with how disparaged (at least in the West) comics as a medium often were. Here I’m thinking of Fredric Wertham, the United States Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency hearings on comics books in 1954, and the subsequent creation of the Comics Code Authority. Not to be outdone, the province of Alberta (where some of this issue takes place!) published a pamphlet in the mid-1950s titled What's Wrong With Comic Books? that attempted to encourage educators, parents, and libarians to, as the pamphlet notes, create an “Rx for ‘comics’ — Guiding Your Child to Good Reading”.

I personally find this history pretty repugnant; the idea that comics books could have a potential impact on juvenile delinquency has always struck me as extremely narrow-minded view and, more importantly, certainly not a fact-based view. However, this mentality remained pretty dominant right into the 1990s (one only has to look at Mike Diana’s legal troubles for one concrete example), though fortunately seems to have faded since then. One advantage of all this, though, is that I’d argue many comics creators as well as journalists had (broadly speaking) a sense of solidarity. My feeling, and it’s only just that, is that this solidarity has dissipated over the past few decades.

That’s not to say that there can’t be “good” corporate comics; obviously there can be and certainly are. However, it is to say that the space for independent work seems to have shrunk. Or rather, the space to review and celebrate independent work seems to have shrunk. At the same time, the coverage of corporate comics is all-encompassing and difficult to penetrate.

What can you do? Here are some ideas:

If you like my work, then certainly buying it is a good first step.
More broadly, reviewing it and telling people about it is, in some ways, even more important. If you like it, tell your friends and family about it!
And lastly, if you have a favourite comic book site or even a favourite journalist, drop them a line and tell them about WOLF’S HEAD. Despite my best efforts, many people don’t know the series exists. You can help change that!

Share the love… because without that, the series will eventually die.

Key Links

Here are all of the key links:

Internet Archive link for WOLF’S HEAD Issue 17: https://archive.org/details/wolfs-head-017-by-von-allan
WOLF’S HEAD Volume 9 (collecting Issues 17 and 18 of the series): https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-9.html
Shop Page: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/shop.html
Wolf’s Head Official Site: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/

WOLF’S HEAD Volume 9 Trade Paperback Graphic Novel

Multiple Ways to Read the Series

Digital Comics

You can read every issue of WOLF'S HEAD for free on the wonderful Internet Archive. You can click on any of the covers below to find that issue on the Internet Archive.

Trade Paperback Graphic Novels

WOLF’S HEAD Book 1 Hardcover Graphic Novel

The fourth WOLF’S HEAD Story Arc

Read WOLF'S HEAD issue 16 of the comic book series for free on the Internet Archive

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 11:30:00 +0000

Elevator Pitch

“An increasingly desperate Lauren Greene has realized that the young artificial intelligence she’s befriended is in mortal danger from the powerful corporation that created it and wants it back. On the run again, Lauren must outsmart corporate agents on her tail, keep herself and her dog alive, and teach the reluctant AI to defend itself… or risk losing everything!”

EMOTION!

This is one of the more emotional stories I’ve done with WOLF’S HEAD. And given what’s happened in the series so far, that’s saying something! Lauren is continuing her road trip south from Alaska into Alberta, but is dogged every step of the way by a “tail” that she just can’t shake. That creates a great deal of pressure… and that pressure eventually blows in a way that hopefully will catch readers by surprise!

Creating a series like this is very rewarding, but also difficult, especially from the point of view of “getting the word out to people who’ve never heard of it!” So, if you’ve been enjoying WOLF’S HEAD, please tell your friends and family about it. The best link to use for sharing is this one; everything is all in one place. And if you’ve somehow stumbled across the series, then please give it a try. I’ve worked very hard to make sure that each and every issue is “new” reader friendly. There isn’t any one particular “jumping on” point; they all are! At the same time, a deeper and larger story is being told. Where Lauren was at the start of the first issue is a very different place than where she is now. That’s part of the fun of comics! And part of the fun of WOLF’S HEAD!

Key Links

Here are all of the key links:

Internet Archive link for WOLF’S HEAD Issue 16: https://archive.org/details/wolfs-head-016-by-von-allan
WOLF’S HEAD Volume 8 (collecting Issues 15 and 16 of the series): https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-8.html
Shop Page: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/shop.html
Wolf’s Head Official Site: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/

WOLF’S HEAD Volume 8 Trade Paperback Graphic Novel

For those who would like to purchase a print copy, issue 15 and issue 16 are collected together in a 60 page trade paperback graphic novel. So while you can always read the series for free, print-lovers are well-represented, too! You can learn more about the graphic novel at https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-8.html.

Multiple Ways to Read the Series

Digital Comics

You can read every issue of WOLF'S HEAD for free on the wonderful Internet Archive. You can click on any of the covers below to find that issue on the Internet Archive.

Trade Paperback Graphic Novels

WOLF’S HEAD Book 1 Hardcover Graphic Novel

The fourth WOLF’S HEAD Story Arc

Read WOLF'S HEAD issue 15 of the comic book series for free on the Internet Archive

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 18:01:00 +0000

Elevator Pitch

“Lauren Greene has left Alaska in an old VW Bus, headed for Detroit with her dog Sankó and the young artificial intelligence they’ve befriended. Hoping that her return to Michigan will finally secure the AI’s safety, Lauren is shocked to discover that she’s being tailed. Mustering up her courage, Lauren challenges the “tailers,” only to uncover a far greater danger to both her and the AI.”

ROAD TRIP!

I truly love issues like this. Why? Well, last issue resolved a lot of the action and intrigue that Lauren Greene was experiencing in the mysterious town called Flat City in Alaska. This issue picks up some time later and spins the story in a different — and hopefully fun! — direction. Not out of the blue or out of character or anything like that, but taking the logic of the previous issues and continuing to build both the world and the characters. That’s something I find incredibly rewarding… and damn exciting, too!

My feeling is that if I’m excited, that will be something that the reader will pick up on, too. I hope so, anyway! Doing the research on this issue was also a great deal of fun; while I know a number of people from the north, I have never been to Alaska myself. To do it properly takes some research and adds, I think, a certain “verisimilitude” to the story. I actually learned a few things, which is part of the fun of doing research.

One of the inspirations of this issue is the just unbelievable artwork of Hasui Kawase (川瀬巴水, born May 18, 1883 and died November 7, 1957). If you’re not familiar with him, Wikimedia Commons has a decent collection of his artwork online. Take a peek and I think that you, too, will be blown away. See if you can spot his influence in this issue of WOLF’S HEAD — it shouldn’t be hard!

Key Links

Here are all of the key links:

Internet Archive link for WOLF’S HEAD Issue 15: https://archive.org/details/wolfs-head-015-by-von-allan
WOLF’S HEAD Volume 8 (collecting Issues 15 and 16 of the series): https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-8.html
Shop Page: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/shop.html
Wolf’s Head Official Site: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/

WOLF’S HEAD Volume 8 Trade Paperback Graphic Novel

Multiple Ways to Read the Series

Digital Comics

You can read every issue of WOLF'S HEAD for free on the wonderful Internet Archive. You can click on any of the covers below to find that issue on the Internet Archive.

Trade Paperback Graphic Novels

WOLF’S HEAD Book 1 Hardcover Graphic Novel

The fourth WOLF’S HEAD Story Arc

Read WOLF'S HEAD issue 14 of the comic book series for free on the Internet Archive

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 18:16:00 +0000

THE END OF THE ARC

This is a big one! With this issue, we close the book on the third story arc of WOLF’S HEAD. That actually kinda blows my mind; when I was initially brainstorming the series, I had no idea it would ever get this far. Nor did I have any of this fully planned out. One of the wonders of episodic storytelling is just this: seeing where and how the story takes you. And often being delighted in the unexpected directions it goes!

This issue also features some special guest stars! Chuck Freight (of course!), but also Maggie Vraic, Fang Ting Him, and the effusive Foolbert Bong! What?! YES! I had a blast writing and drawing them and I dearly hope you enjoy getting to know them, too!

As I noted, this issue also marks the end of the third story arc in WOLF’S HEAD, which is pretty remarkable from where I sit. It is amazing to think back to that very first issue and compare where Lauren, Sanko, and the AI are now to where they were back then. It is one of the things I love the most about comics; that notion of real change, of issues building on what came before, and leading into new directions. I won’t lie; it’s a lot of work and often very challenging to do, but it is truly rewarding. I hope feel the same way, too!

Elevator Pitch

“Lauren Greene ventures deep into an abandoned gold mine to rescue a group of missing people—but the mission ends in pain and failure. With her arm broken and no one found, she’s left with crushing guilt, mounting bills, and an ever-tightening race against time to locate the missing before it’s too late. As danger stirs beneath the surface, Lauren must confront her greatest challenge: risk everything by going back alone, or build a team strong enough to face whatever lurks in the mine’s darkness.”

Key Links

Here are all of the key links:

Internet Archive link for WOLF’S HEAD Issue 14: https://archive.org/details/wolfs-head-014-by-von-allan
WOLF’S HEAD Volume 7 (collecting Issues 13 and 14 of the series): https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-7.html
Shop Page: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/shop.html
Wolf’s Head Official Site: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/

WOLF’S HEAD Volume 7 Trade Paperback Graphic Novel

For those who would like to purchase a print copy, issue 13 and issue 14 are collected together in a 60 page trade paperback graphic novel. So while you can always read the series for free, print-lovers are well-represented, too! You can learn more about the graphic novel at https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-7.html.

Multiple Ways to Read the Series

Digital Comics

You can read every issue of WOLF'S HEAD for free on the wonderful Internet Archive. You can click on any of the covers below to find that issue on the Internet Archive.

Trade Paperback Graphic Novels

WOLF’S HEAD Book 1 Hardcover Graphic Novel

The third WOLF’S HEAD Story Arc

Read WOLF'S HEAD issue 13 of the comic book series for free on the Internet Archive

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 17:56:00 +0000

Elevator Pitch

“Hiding in remote Alaska with her loyal dog Sankō and the young Artificial Intelligence she rescued, Lauren Greene is pulled into a new nightmare when a group of locals vanish inside an abandoned Cold War complex. With no help from the police — and afraid that asking anyone else for assistance would risk revealing the AI to the people hunting it — Lauren descends alone into the hidden labyrinth. What she finds in the darkness will test her courage, her sanity, and her resolve.”

CONSEQUENCES

This issue continues the themes of horror that we were introduced in issue 12. This time, though, Lauren isn’t quite so able to avoid what she encounters. That’s on her; she delved once again into a forbidden place, albeit with the best of intentions (what’s the old saw about the ‘road to hell’?!), and this time must pay a price. We see that in this issue and the fallout will continue into the next.

Why is this important? Well, consequences are what keeps characters human. If you, as a reader, see characters just overcoming all obstacles and facing no risk, what’s the point? We need to see characters we like fail and then deal with the fallout of that failure. If we don’t, then they aren’t just superhuman, they’re gods. Immortal and untouchable gods. And while stories about that type of godlike figure can be fun from time to time, it tends to sour any threats they might face. At least for me!

The problem Lauren faces is that she wants to help other people (even strangers like Billy and his friends), but doesn’t want to risk sharing her personal and private secrets with anyone else. As we saw in earlier issues, she feels that doing so creates danger for the people she loves. Is she right? Well, kind of, I suppose. But her choice leaves her isolated and alone. And attempting to explore a musty old gold mine with no help (well, aside from her dog and her AI friend) isn’t a recipe for success, as she discovers.

Consequences. It’s what makes stories real.

Key Links

Here are all of the key links:

Internet Archive link for WOLF’S HEAD Issue 13: https://archive.org/details/wolfs-head-013-by-von-allan/
WOLF’S HEAD Volume 7 (collecting Issues 13 and 14 of the series): https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-7.html
Shop Page: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/shop.html
Wolf’s Head Official Site: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/

WOLF’S HEAD Volume 7 Trade Paperback Graphic Novel

Multiple Ways to Read the Series

Digital Comics

You can read every issue of WOLF'S HEAD for free on the wonderful Internet Archive. You can click on any of the covers below to find that issue on the Internet Archive.

Trade Paperback Graphic Novels

WOLF’S HEAD Book 1 Hardcover Graphic Novel

The third WOLF’S HEAD Story Arc

Read WOLF'S HEAD issue 12 of the comic book series for free on the Internet Archive

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 22:55:00 +0000

Elevator Pitch

“Faced with the disappearance of Billy, a homeless man determined to find the lost gold rumored to be hidden within Alaska’s abandoned Safeguard Missile Complex, Lauren Greene sets out to find him — along with her dog Sankō and the young Artificial Intelligence they’ve sworn to protect. She must proceed carefully; Lauren has managed to stay under the radar of the corporate forces that created the AI, and she can’t risk doing anything to change that. Her search leads them deep into the eerie, shadowed relic of Safeguard. Inside, Lauren uncovers more than treasure: she comes face-to-face with a nightmarish creature that should not exist. Caught between immediate dangers lurking underground and the ever-present, distant threat of pursuers watching from the shadows, Lauren must navigate a daunting path to protect those she loves.”

HORROR

This issue was both a great deal of fun and one helluva challenge to write and draw. Why? Well, so far at least, WOLF’S HEAD has had a lot of action, adventure, emotion, and drama. And while there have been terrifying moments (including when Patty, Lauren’s mom, died), there hasn’t been any horror. This issue does. And that’s pretty special.

Wait, why special? Well, one of my convictions about comics — as a medium — is that any type of story can be told. This was, once upon a time, a contentious argument. There were those people in North America who felt that comics told simple stories mainly aimed at young children… and that was the end of it. Case closed. Hah! While obviously a stereotype and not a particularly sophisticated one at that, the past few decades how clearly showed that this is not the case. Comics are a medium and thus can use genre to tell any type of story.

For WOLF’S HEAD, I’ve long wanted to explore horror. And, for me, that means character-based horror. Something that terrifies Lauren, the main character in WOLF’S HEAD, as well as the reader. That is not such an easy thing to do. I debated a lot on how to do this and how to make it work. Plus a lot of research, too. Andrea Subissati over at RUE MORGUE came up with a definition that I quite like: “Horror is any art that aims to recreate an extreme feeling of repugnance and fear by usually—but not always—using elements of violence and/or the supernatural. So how does horror, as an art form, accomplish this recreation of physiological responses and what might that look like? Well, that’s going to be the hardest part to explain to an alien because really that’s the most exciting part of being a horror fan. There are so many ways to do it and content creators are finding new ways to freak us out all the time. That’s part of what makes the genre so rich.”

Did I do a good job? I hope so. As always, you’ll have to tell me!

Key Links

Here are all of the key links:

Internet Archive link for WOLF’S HEAD Issue 12: https://archive.org/details/wolfs-head-012-by-von-allan/
WOLF’S HEAD Volume 6 (collecting Issues 11 and 12 of the series): https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-6.html
Shop Page: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/shop.html
Wolf’s Head Official Site: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/

WOLF’S HEAD Volume 6 Trade Paperback Graphic Novel

For those who would like to purchase a print copy, issue 11 and issue 12 are collected together in a 60 page trade paperback graphic novel. So while you can always read the series for free, print-lovers are well-represented, too! You can learn more about the graphic novel at https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-6.html.

Multiple Ways to Read the Series

Digital Comics

You can read every issue of WOLF'S HEAD for free on the wonderful Internet Archive. You can click on any of the covers below to find that issue on the Internet Archive.

Trade Paperback Graphic Novels

WOLF’S HEAD Book 1 Hardcover Graphic Novel

The second WOLF’S HEAD Story Arc

Read WOLF'S HEAD issue 11 of the comic book series for free on the Internet Archive

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 20:56:00 +0000

Elevator Pitch

“Lauren Greene, her dog Sankō, and their young artificial intelligence friend have fled Detroit for the harsh wilderness of Flat City, Alaska. Struggling to survive in a tough economy, Lauren is forced to keep the AI hidden from ruthless pursuers willing to do anything to reclaim it. Haunted by loneliness and the sacrifices she’s made to protect those she left behind, Lauren faces a painful choice: open herself up to new connections and risk everything, or remain isolated and keep everyone safe — but remain alone.”

A BIG CHANGE

Eleven issues? Who would have ‘thunk’ it? Not me! When I was first brainstorming what would become WOLF’S HEAD, I had the first six issues roughly locked down. I had some loose ideas for what could come next, but these weren’t ‘firmed up’ plans. Of course, many of these did find their way into issues 7 through 10. That, however, was that. I had nothing written for what came after those loose plans.

Scary? A little. Exciting? You bet! That’s one of the great joys in storytelling, regardless of the medium. Letting the story take you in different, unexpected, and weird directions. There is a great deal of fun to be had in that. Not to mention some nervous moments, too. I always feel like I’m juggling raw eggs; not only might they all tumble down on top of me at any moment, but I’ll have literal (ahem… if you’ll excuse the metaphor) egg on my face, too.

I’m very pleased to say, though, that I love how this issue turned out. The first ten issues were set in Detroit, Michigan and I tried very hard to root those issues in place. This issue? The story changes focus entirely to Alaska. And that means new situations, new challenges, and new characters. The reasons for the move, hinted at last issue, was something that Lauren decided to do deliberately. Will it work out for her? Time will tell. That’s fun, too! Join me, won’t you?

Key Links

Here are all of the key links:

Internet Archive link for WOLF’S HEAD Issue 11: https://archive.org/details/wolfs-head-011-by-von-allan/
WOLF’S HEAD Volume 6 (collecting Issues 11 and 12 of the series): https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-6.html
Shop Page: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/shop.html
Wolf’s Head Official Site: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/

WOLF’S HEAD Volume 6 Trade Paperback Graphic Novel

Multiple Ways to Read the Series

Digital Comics

You can read every issue of WOLF'S HEAD for free on the wonderful Internet Archive. You can click on any of the covers below to find that issue on the Internet Archive.

Trade Paperback Graphic Novels

WOLF’S HEAD Book 1 Hardcover Graphic Novel

The second WOLF’S HEAD Story Arc

Read WOLF'S HEAD issue 10 of the comic book series for free on the Internet Archive

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 20:53:00 +0000

Elevator Pitch

“Desperate to protect a vulnerable young AI, Lauren Greene flees an old enemy through Detroit’s shadows with only her dog Sankō for support. Just as a mysterious ally, Super Bob Sanchez, offers hope for escape, her best friend is taken hostage in a brutal life-or-death exchange, leaving Lauren to choose between sacrifice and survival as time runs out.”

SPECIAL STORY

This is a very special story! Why? Well, ten issues in, we see Lauren coming face to face with the antagonist that she’s been dealing with for the past number of issues. And this forces her to make a critical decision, one that will play out over the next few issues.

One of my goals since the series started was to deal with racism in a different way than is usually depicted in comics as well as other media. What do I mean? Well, since Frank McRossiter’s introduction way back in issue 1, I wanted him to be racist without directly saying so. In other words, it’s his deeds that make him a racist, not just his words. At the same time, I wanted it to be relatively subtle; Frank doesn’t wear a Klan outfit. He also doesn’t attend racist rallies, write racist screeds, or any of that. But he is racist and that’s influenced how he’s treated Lauren right from the get-go. In some ways he’s the most heinous antagonist that the series has seen so far and his racism played a key role in that. He’s simply unable to see Lauren as the human being she is. And this is despite the fact that she saved his life back in issue 6.

I’ll leave it to you to judge how I did. I will say that coming up the twists and turns in this issue was a great deal of fun! And I think it pays off a number of plots and character points that I had established earlier. As always, that’s part of the fun of creating comics. Establishing little threads and then paying them off later on. I think (hope!) that it rewards careful reading and works on a lot of different levels.

Key Links

Here are all of the key links:

Internet Archive link for WOLF’S HEAD Issue 10: https://archive.org/details/wolfs-head-010-by-von-allan
WOLF’S HEAD Volume 5 (collecting Issues 9 and 10 of the series): https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-5.html
Shop Page: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/shop.html
Wolf’s Head Official Site: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/

WOLF’S HEAD Volume 5 Trade Paperback Graphic Novel

For those who would like to purchase a print copy, issue 9 and issue 10 are collected together in a 60 page trade paperback graphic novel. So while you can always read the series for free, print-lovers are well-represented, too! You can learn more about the graphic novel at https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-5.html.

Multiple Ways to Read the Series

Digital Comics

You can read every issue of WOLF'S HEAD for free on the wonderful Internet Archive. You can click on any of the covers below to find that issue on the Internet Archive.

Trade Paperback Graphic Novels

WOLF’S HEAD Book 1 Hardcover Graphic Novel

The second WOLF’S HEAD Story Arc

Read WOLF'S HEAD issue 9 of the comic book series for free on the Internet Archive

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 20:31:00 +0000

Elevator Pitch

“With the villains who have been pursuing Lauren Greene and the Artificial Intelligence she’s befriended in the hospital after an abortive attempt to steal it, Lauren feels like she has some breathing room to figure out her next steps… but she hasn’t counted on the anger from one of the villains, who has a personal vendetta against her. Unable to kill her himself, the villain hires a bounty killer to do the job for him. And when that bounty killer lands in town and shows up at Lauren’s apartment armed with an EMP and a gun, things start to go very badly, very quickly. Also in this issue: Can Super Bob Sanchez repair ‘Old Bess’ (his truck!) and get back on the road before police find him?”

BOUNTY KILLER

This issue stars a bounty killer! What?! Yes! And is, in some ways, the most action issue of WOLF’S HEAD yet! Action can be tricky to do well; while it’s such a staple of super hero comics, so much of it rings pretty false to me. Why? Well, the classic stereotype goes something like this: hero is minding their own business with ye olde villain decides to act. The hero, often just wandering by, decides to intervene. And lo! A fistfight is the result.

Can this be fun? Sure. Is it fun when it happens over and over again? For me? Nope. Now, the big question is why? I can only give you answer that works for me; as always with art, how one feels about this is pretty unique and can change with both experience and time. I think the problem with the stereotype is that it makes the villain active and not the hero. Often, the hero just wants to be left alone. This is not a recipe for an engaging story, especially if the villain is of the “one-and-done” variety (i.e.: the villain makes one appearance and then disappears, typically to jail or maybe to their seeming death, only to reappear a year or so down the road).

The big problem is that pesky notion of being “active.” We want — or rather, I want — an active hero. A hero that is trying to do something, something that is clear to the reader. When that’s lacking, when the hero just wants to be left alone, there’s a problem. So, in other words, an active hero combines with an active villain, each with clear goals. And one of the stronger resolutions, not always possible in fiction, is when resolving the problem the villain presents also resolves other issues the hero is facing.

This doesn’t mean that the goals have to be external. Often the best struggles are internal to the hero. Yeah, yeah, a hero could be scrounging up money to by a car and are actively trying to solve that problem. It’s often funner — at least to me — when the hero wants something intrinsic to their character; a simple example could be a fear or phobia.

Does this always have to be the case? Of course not. Sometimes the hero really is just minding their own business, perfectly happy, when the villain appears. If that’s always the situation, however, then I’d argue there’s a problem. One of the things I work very hard on with WOLF’S HEAD is to keep Lauren active. It’s a challenge, but man oh man is it ever rewarding when it works well. I think it did here, though you’ll have to let me know what you think!

Key Links

Here are all of the key links:

Internet Archive link for WOLF’S HEAD Issue 9: https://archive.org/details/wolfs-head-009-by-von-allan
WOLF’S HEAD Volume 5 (collecting Issues 9 and 10 of the series): https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-5.html
Shop Page: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/shop.html
Wolf’s Head Official Site: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/

WOLF’S HEAD Volume 5 Trade Paperback Graphic Novel

Multiple Ways to Read the Series

Digital Comics

You can read every issue of WOLF'S HEAD for free on the wonderful Internet Archive. You can click on any of the covers below to find that issue on the Internet Archive.

Trade Paperback Graphic Novels

WOLF’S HEAD Book 1 Hardcover Graphic Novel

The second WOLF’S HEAD Story Arc

Read WOLF'S HEAD issue 8 of the comic book series for free on the Internet Archive

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 17:37:00 +0000

Elevator Pitch

“Lauren Greene is a young Detroit woman whose life is turned upside down after her mom saves a newborn life-form, a kind of Artificial Intelligence (AI), from a secretive corporation that intended to use the powerful baby for war. When her mom dies, Lauren is left alone to figure out what to do with the new life-form while also trying to make ends meet in her real life. Desperate for help, she has reached out to ex-scientist, Jack Dhillon, who has a personal hatred for the AI's creator. Lauren hopes that Dhillon will teach her to work with the AI, but can she convince him to help? This issue also introduces a new character, Super Bob Sanchez, a truck driver who is not (under any circumstance!) a hero.”

SPLIT BOOK

WOLF’S HEAD is the first time in the series that I’ve tried something a little bit different. This issue is a “split” book. What’s that? Well, it’s an issue with two different stories with two different main characters. In this case, Lauren Greene is the star of the first story and Super Bob Sanchez is the star of the second!

“Split” books fascinate me; back in the 1960s, Marvel Comics faced a unique situation. Due to their distribution arrangement with Independent News Co., Marvel could only distribute a certain amount of titles per month. Why? Because Independent New Co. was owned by National Periodical Publications, the company that owned DC Comics. As Stan Lee noted in an interview, Marvel’s output was “eight or 12 books a month, which was all Independent News Distributors would accept from us.” “Split” books were one solution to the problem this distribution restriction represented. By having two stars rather than one, I presume that Marvel hoped they could gain more sales. Eventually, Marvel grew so strong that they could avoid these restrictions. Characters that rubbed shoulders with one another in the “split” books now could star in their very own titles.

I have a soft spot for a lot of the “split” books, though. Primarily STRANGE TALES, but also TALES TO ASTONISH and TALES OF SUSPENSE. Part of the idea with this issue of WOLF’S HEAD was to celebrate these titles. However, I also faced a practical problem that was tricky to solve. With WOLF’S HEAD, I wear all the hats. I knew I needed to introduce Super Bob into the story, but I wanted his story to run separately to Lauren’s. Well, I could have launched a second title. Yikes! Even if I wanted to launch a second title, I simply don’t have enough time to do it. So what to do? One solution was to “cross-cut” their narratives, basically using parallel editing. While I’ve done that before, this was not my preferred solution this time. Trying to brainstorm a solution, I remembered these ol’ “split” books. And that’s the way I decided to go!

Why did I want to dedicate so much space for Super Bob, a character that Lauren hasn’t even met yet? The answer to that, he says cryptically, will become apparent next issue and even more so in issue 10! So stick around; it’s going to be a great deal of fun!

Key Links

Here are all of the key links:

Internet Archive link for WOLF’S HEAD Issue 8: https://archive.org/details/wolfs-head-008-by-von-allan
WOLF’S HEAD Volume 4 (collecting Issues 7 and 8 of the series): https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-4.html
Shop Page: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/shop.html
Wolf’s Head Official Site: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/

WOLF’S HEAD Volume 4 Trade Paperback Graphic Novel

For those who would like to purchase a print copy, issue 7 and issue 8 are collected together in a 60 page trade paperback graphic novel. So while you can always read the series for free, print-lovers are well-represented, too! You can learn more about the graphic novel at https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-4.html.

Multiple Ways to Read the Series

Digital Comics

You can read every issue of WOLF'S HEAD for free on the wonderful Internet Archive. You can click on any of the covers below to find that issue on the Internet Archive.

Trade Paperback Graphic Novels

WOLF’S HEAD Book 1 Hardcover Graphic Novel

The first WOLF’S HEAD Story Arc

Read WOLF'S HEAD issue 7 of the comic book series for free on the Internet Archive

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 21:11:00 +0000

Elevator Pitch

“Lauren Greene has begun working with the young artificial intelligence (AI) she's encountered, but is having a difficult time creating a bond. The AI, similar to a child, either does not understand or simply cannot comprehend everything that Lauren is asking it to do. Frustrated, Lauren realizes that she needs help and begins seeking it out as best she can. At the same time, Lauren realizes that her friends are in danger simply for knowing her and she decides to protect them as best she can… with difficult results.”

ONGOING CHANGE

In some ways, this is the most important comic I’ve ever written. Wait? Does something world-shaking happen in it? Actually, no, but it still means it’s probably the most important comic I’ve written. Why? Well, to answer this requires a step back to look at WOLF’S HEAD broadly.

Previous to WOLF’S HEAD, I’ve primarily written either stand-alone graphic novels or stand-alone short stories. In other words, stories of variable length that have a definitive beginning, middle, and end. The closest I had come previous to this was my abortive series METAL GODS; while that series did give me some valuable practical experience, it only lasted four issues. And, critically, I had a lot of it mapped out in advance.

The same was true for the first six issues of WOLF’S HEAD. While I didn’t every single issue written before I started drawing issue one, I did have the overall arc in mind that I wanted to do. After that? Well, I had some loose brainstorming ideas… and not much else. Since issue six also resolved a number of storylines, the sky was the limit with issue seven. I could go in any direction. Did I want to keep the story grounded in Detroit? Or did I want to move it to some other location? With Jeremy Hamilton, the main antagonist over the first six issues, sidelined with horrific injuries, who would be the antagonist going forward? Should their even be one? And what about Lauren, the main protagonist? She had faced the death of her mom, the adoption of her mom’s dog Sankō, and the embracing of the young artificial intelligence that her mom had befriended, but where was she going to go from there?

On top of all that, WOLF’S HEAD is an ongoing series. That’s the key word: ongoing. Where do I go from the end of issue six? Figuring that out took some doing and it challenged me in some unexpected ways. That was both fun and a little scary, but I’m extremely pleased with how it turned out. Why? ‘Cuz I think it builds on what came before in logical ways. Lauren continues to grow and change; she’s not the same character as she was back in issue one. That’s exciting to me. I dearly hope it’s exciting to you, too!

Key Links

Here are all of the key links:

Internet Archive link for WOLF’S HEAD Issue 7: https://archive.org/details/wolfs-head-007-by-von-allan
WOLF’S HEAD Volume 4 (collecting Issues 7 and 8 of the series): https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-4.html
Shop Page: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/shop.html
Wolf’s Head Official Site: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/

WOLF’S HEAD Volume 4 Trade Paperback Graphic Novel

Multiple Ways to Read the Series

Digital Comics

You can read every issue of WOLF'S HEAD for free on the wonderful Internet Archive. You can click on any of the covers below to find that issue on the Internet Archive.

Trade Paperback Graphic Novels

WOLF’S HEAD Book 1 Hardcover Graphic Novel

The first WOLF’S HEAD Story Arc

Read WOLF'S HEAD issue 6 of the comic book series for free on the Internet Archive

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 09:00:00 +0000

Elevator Pitch

“Just as things are appearing to get back to some degree of normalcy after the death of a significant loved one, Lauren Greene is confronted by the corporate forces who created the Artificial Intelligence (AI) that she has befriended while they attempt to hunt it down. Forced to defend the AI, Lauren’s life and the lives of those she loves are very much in the balance as Jeremy Hamilton and his henchmen will not stop until the AI is theirs once again.”

Milestone

Issue 6! A huge milestone in the life of Lauren and the characters around her, but also a milestone in the series so far. Why? Issue 6 represents the ending of a number of storylines that have been building since the very first issue. A number of things that were set-up quite early on payoff here and that, I think, is pretty damn exciting.

I have a philosophy about ongoing comics that is fairly different than a lot of what I see in the contemporary comics publishing scene. I’m a big believer in what’s called “episodic closure.” It’s a bit of a fancy form for a pretty simple concept: the “piece” of entertainment in front of you (a comic book, a TV show, a story, etc…) should be complete in and of itself. It shouldn’t string you along, completely open-ended. A lot of contemporary entertainment does just that; you watch an episode, and it starts in the middle of something and nothing resolves in that same episode. Is that “bad”? Of course not. We’re talking art here and there are no rules to art. All we have are tools to try and create stronger storytelling (however one might define that), a history of what’s come before us, and our own sensibilities on what works and why.

On the opposite end of all this is the kind of storytelling that did have episodic closure, but the closure was so tight that there was no growth or change at all. Think of a TV show prior to the 1980s, especially but not exclusively sitcoms. Many of them could be watched in any order (even switching the seasons up!) because, from the show’s point of view, there’s no change or growth at all. It’s just stasis; a constancy that prevents real change and real growth. That doesn’t mean there can’t be excellent writing, performances, and top-notch direction and cinematography in these types of TV shows. There often is. It just means that the characters, from the first episode to the finale, don’t change much. They often don’t change at all.

The trick with episodic closure, at least with how I approach my work, is to accomplish episodic closure while, at the same time, constantly building deeper and more nuanced characters, the world they live in, and the stories themselves. With WOLF’S HEAD, I think each issue stands on its own. But when you read them in sequential order, something deeper appears. That depth has a name: real change.

Key Links

Here are all of the key links:

Internet Archive link for WOLF’S HEAD Issue 6: https://archive.org/details/wolfs-head-006-by-von-allan
WOLF’S HEAD Volume 3 (collecting Issues 5 and 6 of the series): https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-3.html
Shop Page: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/shop.html
Wolf’s Head Official Site: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/

WOLF’S HEAD Volume 3 Trade Paperback Graphic Novel

For those who would like to purchase a print copy, issue 5 and issue 6 are collected together in a 60 page trade paperback graphic novel. So while you can always read the series for free, print-lovers are well-represented, too! You can learn more about the graphic novel at https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-3.html.

Multiple Ways to Read the Series

Digital Comics

You can read every issue of WOLF'S HEAD for free on the wonderful Internet Archive. You can click on any of the covers below to find that issue on the Internet Archive.

Trade Paperback Graphic Novels

WOLF’S HEAD Book 1 Hardcover Graphic Novel

The first WOLF’S HEAD Story Arc

And, of course, you can always read the entire story arc for free at the Internet Archive! Please visit https://archive.org/search?query=creator%3A%22Von+Allan%22 for all the download links!

Read WOLF'S HEAD issue 5 of the comic book series for free on the Internet Archive

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 08:30:00 +0000

Elevator Pitch

“Lauren Greene is forced to deal with the recent death of a loved one. Trying to place the massive loss, Lauren’s situation is made all the harder as she struggles to come up with the money for the funeral, deals with the disappearance of her mom’s dog, and attempts to communicate with the strange artificial intelligence her mom had befriended.”

Loss

Whew, this was one tough issue to write and draw. Why? Lauren is dealing with the death of… well, revealing that would be spoilers so I’ll just say someone very close to her. I wanted to make damn sure I handled that death as realistically as possible. While comics can tell any story in any genre, I feel that for WOLF’S HEAD, realism is what counts. Knowing that Lauren is poor meant having to figure out the costs of a funeral actually are. And how cold and inhumane so much of how our society, both American and Canadian, handles death. While Lauren certainly isn’t naive, she’s still shocked when she comes face-to-face with it, and we see that and feel that in this issue.

At the same time, I didn’t want to wallow in the death. Lauren is strong and while her grief overwhelmed her, the strength she possesses was something that she could fall back on. That and the love of her friends. That love and empathy forms a big part of the story and is an aspect of the series that I don’t talk too much about. Perhaps I should, but I think it shines through when one sits down and reads an issue or two.

Of course, the death isn’t a loss Lauren feels alone. And when a certain character also feels that loss, Lauren is shocked… perhaps more shocked then she really ever has been. Dealing with that was a great deal of fun and I think builds very plausibly from what occurred over the course of the previous issues. How will it all play out? Well, that’s something we’ll see begin to unfold over the course of the next few issues. Especially the next one, where the seeds of certain events finally start to grow.

Death is always hard. I’ve dealt with it a fair bit in my own life, some of which I’ve discussed here and here. I wanted to do a story that drives that loss home, but I think in a way that creates a great deal of hope. This issue also represents some of the best art I’ve ever done, especially the light house scene that ends the issue.

Key Links

Here are all of the key links:

Internet Archive link for WOLF’S HEAD Issue 5: https://archive.org/details/wolfs-head-005-by-von-allan
WOLF’S HEAD Volume 3 (collecting Issues 5 and 6 of the series): https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-3.html
Shop Page: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/shop.html
Wolf’s Head Official Site: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/

WOLF’S HEAD Volume 3 Trade Paperback Graphic Novel

Multiple Ways to Read the Series

Digital Comics

You can read every issue of WOLF'S HEAD for free on the wonderful Internet Archive. You can click on any of the covers below to find that issue on the Internet Archive.

Trade Paperback Graphic Novels

Read WOLF'S HEAD issue 4 of the comic book series for free on the Internet Archive

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 10:25:00 +0000

Elevator Pitch

“Lauren Greene has been kidnapped by Jeremy Hamilton, the powerful man who invented a self-aware Artificial Intelligence (AI) that is now in possession of Lauren’s mom, Patty. In trade for Lauren’s freedom, her mom surrenders herself and the AI machine to Hamilton. Freed by Hamilton’s goons and assured that her mother will be released the next day, Lauren returns home to wait. But later that night, she learns, to her horror, that Patty has been suddenly hospitalized in critical condition and the AI is missing.

Since the AI has protected her mother in the past, Lauren races against time to find it, hoping that it can save Patty yet again. As she searches frantically, and with her world turned upside down, Lauren must confront an old enemy, dodge new ones, and find the AI, which might not want to be found… before it’s too late for everyone.”

Turning Points

This issue marks a significant turning point in the life of Lauren, the protagonist and star of WOLF’S HEAD. The problem is that it’s hard to talk about without giving spoilers to this issue. Huh. That’s a conundrum, right? How to talk about a significant event in a character’s life without ruining the reveal of that event. Tricky!

Let me see if I can get at this way. For stories to work — and I mean that broadly, in variety of mediums and genres — readers have to care about the main characters. That goes without saying, right? If a character is just some weird cardboard cutout that we, as readers, don’t give two shits about, then everything else doesn’t matter. The plot might be exciting, full of twists and turns, but if we don’t care about the characters, then all of the other stuff just falls apart.

One of my goals with WOLF’S HEAD was to make the characters as real as possible. Okay, there’s always a bit of a “wink wink nudge nudge” going on here; you know that your reading fiction just as I know I’m writing and drawing fiction. That’s obviously true, but we also have a sort of “handshake agreement” here: for you to lose yourself in the narrative, I need to make sure that the characters are as believable as possible. If I screw that up, then that agreement is broken. So I work really damn hard not to screw it up!

One of my frustrations with so many corporate comics is that they do screw this up. Losses that a character goes through (be it death or other hardship) is often “reset” and the slate wiped clean. I suppose, when I’m feeling generous, I understand it. Corporate characters are literally corporate intellectual property (or IP); for that IP to have “value” (at least to the corporation that owns it), they have to produce value. If a character is killed or otherwise “on the shelf” for a long period of time, that value is often destroyed — regardless of how the readers feel about it.

When I was a kid, the deaths of Marvel characters like Jean Grey (“Marvel Girl/Phoenix”) or James MacDonald Hudson (“Guardian”) really moved me. Ditto for the death of Barry Allen (“Flash”) and over at DC. When all of those deaths were “undone” later on, it rang hollow. Unbelievable. Fake.

I’ve desperately tried to avoid that sort of thing in my own work. When you read this issue, you’ll see what I mean. Hopefully you’ll be moved, too.

Key Links

Here are all of the key links:

Internet Archive link for WOLF’S HEAD Issue 4: https://archive.org/details/wolfs-head-004-by-von-allan
WOLF’S HEAD Volume 2 (collecting Issues 3 and 4 of the series): https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-2.html
Shop Page: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/shop.html
Wolf’s Head Official Site: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/

WOLF’S HEAD Volume 2 Trade Paperback Graphic Novel

For those who would like to purchase a print copy, issue 3 and issue 4 are collected together in a 60 page trade paperback graphic novel. So while you can always read the series for free, print-lovers are well-represented, too! You can learn more about the graphic novel at https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-2.html.

Multiple Ways to Read the Series

Digital Comics

You can read every issue of WOLF'S HEAD for free on the wonderful Internet Archive. You can click on any of the covers below to find that issue on the Internet Archive.

Trade Paperback Graphic Novels

Read WOLF'S HEAD issue 3 of the comic book series for free on the Internet Archive

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 10:10:00 +0000

Elevator Pitch

“Lauren Greene and her mother, Patty, have a huge disagreement over the future of a self-aware Artificial Intelligence (AI) that her mom saved from a lab and sheltered from its war-mongering creators. Angry at her mother’s stubbornness and terrified of the world they’re suddenly involved in, Lauren storms out… only to be kidnapped by Jeremy Hamilton, the powerful man who invented the AI.”

Characters and Goals

One of the things I love about comics is when you have well-established characters with different goals coming into conflict. To do that properly requires setting up each character so that they are as real as possible. When you know where a character is coming from — what they want and why — then it becomes a great deal of fun to put those goals into conflict with one another.

Conflict, from a writing point of view, is not Character A punching Character B. Conflict results from when a character can’t get what they want (or need). I think my favourite definition is by Keith Wilson in his book BODY TRAUMA: “Conflict is the core of all fiction. Without conflict there is no story. When obstacles prevent a character from obtaining his or her goals, there is conflict. It is also necessary that the consequences of not attaining the goal be profoundly significant for the character.” There’s no right way of doing this, but it obviously has to be crystal clear to the reader. If not, then the reader simply won’t understand the “whys” of the character’s actions.

An obstacle can be internal or external to the character. Here’s a simple example: a sixteen year old wants to get their driver’s licence. That’s their goal. An external obstacle could be a lack of money; they just can’t afford to pay for the licence and the driving school to learn. See? Simple but clear conflict. Then it becomes a matter of going through what the character does to get that money. Do they make good or bad decisions? What are the consequences of it? How do they act to overcome those consequences?

An internal obstacle is something intrinsic to the character. In the case of our young driver, an internal obstacle could be fear. They’re scared of driving. Maybe they were involved in an accident as a little kid? Regardless, they are scared and since that prevents them from accomplishing their goal, there’s conflict.

These obstacles can even work in conjunction with one another. Our teen wants to drive, but doesn’t have the money (external) and is terrified (internal). If we throw on another external obstacle (maybe they were offered a dream job, but it’s too far away and public transit is too poor to get there without a car). Here’s another: what if their mom is scared of them driving, too, and can’t face that their child has grown up? See? Now we have a number of situations where the teen is going to have to go through a lot to deal with the conflict and achieve their goals. So, with Lauren and her mom Patty, that’s what we have. Both women have goals, but their goals are different from one another. How that resolves is part of the fun of this issue!

Key Links

Here are all of the key links:

Internet Archive link for WOLF’S HEAD Issue 3: https://archive.org/details/wolfs-head-003-by-von-allan
WOLF’S HEAD Volume 2 (collecting Issues 3 and 4 of the series): https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-2.html
Shop Page: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/shop.html
Wolf’s Head Official Site: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/

WOLF’S HEAD Volume 2 Trade Paperback Graphic Novel

Multiple Ways to Read the Series

Digital Comics

You can read every issue of WOLF'S HEAD for free on the wonderful Internet Archive. You can click on any of the covers below to find that issue on the Internet Archive.

Trade Paperback Graphic Novels

Wolf’s Head Volume 2 in trade paperback format Worldwide!

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 10:00:00 +0000

As I noted last week, the WOLF’S HEAD trade paperbacks are back in print in brand new editions! Today features the release of Volume 2, collecting issues 3 and 4 of the ongoing digital series. This is a full colour series and is 60 pages in length. And this issue features some significant events that really turn the series on its head, forcing Lauren (our main character) to make decisions. Decisions that she’d rather not make.

As always with my work, these are available in better bookstores and comic shops worldwide. Volume 2’s ISBN is 978-1-98-988524-6. If you don’t see it at your local store, then you can easily order it using that ISBN. Additionally, it is already starting to show up at various online retailers, too. For example:

Amazon: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca (Canada), Amazon.co.uk (United Kingdom), Amazon.de (Germany), and so on.

Barnes & Noble

Bookshop.org and IndieBound

But remember: I can’t control when and where this volume will become available. Be patient and don’t be afraid to ask your retailer for help! Volume 3 will be released next week. In fact, the metadata is already showing up on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Bookshop.org.

The Elevator Pitch

Here’s the blurb for Volume 2:

Lauren Greene and her mother, Patty, have a huge disagreement over the future of a self-aware Artificial Intelligence that her mom saved from a lab and sheltered from its war-mongering creators. Angry at her mother’s stubbornness and terrified of the world they’re suddenly involved in, Lauren storms out… only to be kidnapped by Jeremy Hamilton, the powerful man who invented the AI. Later that night, in trade for Lauren’s freedom, Patty surrenders herself and the AI machine to Hamilton.

Freed by Hamilton’s goons and assured that her mother is safe and will be released the next day, Lauren returns home to wait. But later that night, she learns, to her horror, that Patty has been suddenly hospitalized in critical condition and the AI is missing. Since the AI has protected her mother in the past, Lauren races against time to find it, hoping that it can save Patty yet again. As she searches frantically, and with her world turned upside down, Lauren must confront an old enemy, dodge new ones, and find the AI, which might not want to be found… before it’s too late for everyone.

Read for Free

As many of you know, I’ve also begun serializing the comic book series for free on the Internet Archive (https://www.archive.org) as part of my “Pirate Von” initiative. As I mentioned above, WOLF’S HEAD Volume 2 consists of issues 3 and 4 of the ongoing series. While you can find the links to both on the Internet Archive as well as the “Pirate Von” section of this very website, to make it easier the links to both issues 3 and 4 are below.

Oh, and please remember! If you enjoy them and would like a physical copy, you can purchase Volume 2 in stores — both online and off — around the world!

TEASER FOR WOLF’S HEAD VOLUME 2

And here’s a teaser to help cement the idea. Two digital comics inside one trade paperback volume!

Wolf’s Head Volume 1 in trade paperback format Worldwide!

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 19:47:00 +0000

Starting today, the WOLF’S HEAD trade paperbacks are coming back into print in brand new editions! These new editions feature new covers and some additional new extra features. Each volume collects two digital issues; so Volume 1 collects issues 1 and 2, Volume 2 collects issues 3 and 4, and so on. These are all full colour editions and will be approximately 60 pages in length each. In fact, the first three volumes are exactly 60 pages (I know because I’ve already prepared the files for the printer!) and future volumes will be at that approximate page count.

As always with my work, these are available in better bookstores and comic shops worldwide. Volume 1’s ISBN is 978-1-98-988523-9. If you don’t see it at your local store, then you can easily order it using that ISBN. Additionally, it is already starting to show up at various online retailers, too. For example:

Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

Bookshop.org

I can’t control exactly when and where they’ll become available. Canada tends to be a little slower for whatever reason then some other countries, but that should change shortly. Be patient and don’t be afraid to ask your retailer for help!

Read for Free

As many of you know, I’ve also begun serializing the comic book series for free on the Internet Archive (https://www.archive.org) as part of my “Pirate Von” initiative. As noted above, WOLF’S HEAD Volume 1 consists of issues 1 and 2 of the ongoing series. While you can find the links to both on the Internet Archive as well as the Free section of this website, to make it easier the links to both issues #1 and #2 are below.

Please give them a try. And remember! If you enjoy them and would like a physical copy, you can purchase Volume 1 in stores — both online and off — around the world!

TEASER FOR WOLF’S HEAD VOLUME 1

And here’s a little teaser image to help cement the idea. Two digital comics inside one trade paperback volume!

Read WOLF'S HEAD issue 2 of the comic book series for free on the Internet Archive

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 11:30:00 +0000

Elevator Pitch

“After Patty Greene helps a young Artificial Intelligence escape from a secretive corporation under the cover of a huge research factory fire, she turns to her daughter Lauren for help keeping it safe. Giddy with excitement, Patty doesn’t recognize the danger she has put herself in… but Lauren does and she is terrified. As Lauren does her best to help her mom, the tensions over the Artificial Intelligence erupt between them, leaving Lauren on her own. Broke, down on her luck, and needing a job very badly, Lauren turns to her friends for aid, all the while keeping her mom’s discovery a secret.”

Grounding in Reality

This issue picks up immediately after issue 1. Literally moments after. I don’t often do this and I suspect it will be a bit of an anomaly with the series itself, but it was a lot of fun to brainstorm! Especially the opening page, since it picks up right after the final page of the very first issue of WOLF’S HEAD.

Last issue saw the reveal of the weird shape-changing artificial intelligence that Lauren’s mom, Patty, befriended. This issue starts delving into the background of that; how did Patty meet it? What’s their relationship like? And just what the hell is this weird AI “thing” that is now a big part of Patty’s life? Lauren has a lot of questions and her mom — much to Lauren’s frustration — is not exactly forthcoming with answers.

Throw in the other problems in Lauren’s life and it’s a recipe for a lot of drama. Even without her mom’s new complication, Lauren is still struggling to find a job and pay rent. That creates a great deal of pressure on her and her struggle to resolve that plays a big part of this issue.

I don’t know about you, but I actually really like grounding characters in reality. One of my immense frustrations with a lot of contemporary stories (regardless of the medium) is when we can clearly see that the lives of the characters are not realistic. Yves Smith on her Naked Capitalism site wrote a great piece on this that’s well-worth a read. She noted, “Not only does TV show how the better-off half lives, TV and the movies regularly depict characters living in better circumstances than the incomes that go with their jobs would allow.”

A reader named Clive then wrote a wonderful comment on that post. A quick (and hopefully fair use) excerpt: “Once I started noticing a phenomena (…) TV houses having unreasonably large rooms or characters having a standard of living not commensurate with their jobs (…) the author has to conjure up some outrageously contrived explanation and scenarios as to how the central characters have the time and resources to participate in whatever story arc they are about to be launched upon. (…) Where do the participants get their money from? If they work, what do they do which gives them the energy to pursue the plot line?”

One of my goals with WOLF’S HEAD was to avoid this. For me, the ordinary day-to-day struggles that characters have are important. It rings true because for so many of us it is true. One can tack on the fantastic on top of that, but that core of realism is a big part of the story. And a big part of WOLF’S HEAD.

Key Links

Here are all of the key links:

Internet Archive link for WOLF’S HEAD Issue 2: https://archive.org/details/wolfs-head-002-by-von-allan
WOLF’S HEAD Volume 1 (collecting Issues 1 and 2 of the series): https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-1.html
Shop Page: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/shop.html
Wolf’s Head Official Site: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/

WOLF’S HEAD Volume 1 Trade Paperback Graphic Novel

For those who would like to purchase a print copy, issue 1 and issue 2 are collected together in a 60 page trade paperback graphic novel. So while you can always read the series for free, print-lovers are well-represented, too. You can learn more about the graphic novel at https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-1.html.

Multiple Ways to Read the Series

Digital Comics

You can read every issue of WOLF'S HEAD for free on the wonderful Internet Archive. You can click on any of the covers below to find that issue on the Internet Archive.

Trade Paperback Graphic Novels

Read WOLF'S HEAD issue 1 of the comic book series for free on the Internet Archive

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 18:20:00 +0000

I’m so pleased to announce this! WOLF’S HEAD is an ongoing comic book series by yours truly (ahem, that Von Allan guy from the Great White North) and is now available on the Internet Archive! And this is only the beginning. Each subsequent issue will also be released for free via the same Internet Archive. This, for me, is a pretty big deal and I’m so happy to be able to share this series with you. This is also part of my “Pirate Von” initiative, where I’m making all of my comics available for free worldwide. Why? Well, as Tim O’Reilly once wrote, “Obscurity is a far greater threat to authors and creative artists than piracy.”

I hope you give the series a shot. Obviously you can read it for free and the wonderful aspect of the Internet Archive is that they automatically convert my files into a number of different formats. And you do not need an account or membership to download, too! If you would like a print copy, that’s already happening. Every two issues of the digital series will be collected into a very lovely trade paperback graphic novel. Volume 1 is already available (collecting issues 1 and 2 of the digital series). Volume 2 (collecting issues 3 and 4) and Volume 3 (collecting issues 5 and 6) will be available shortly and new volumes will become available in the coming months.

The Elevator Pitch

“Lauren Greene is a young woman who has quit her job as a police officer in Metro Detroit after becoming frustrated with growing police violence. She is slowly becoming more aware of the injustices around her; the divide between rich and poor, racism, lack of opportunity for many people, health and illness bankrupting and destroying people, and more. At the same time, and unbeknownst to Lauren, a secretive corporation has created an artificial intelligence (AI) designed for war. An AI that might actually change the world… but not for the better. Struggling to find work in a tough economy and unsure of what to do with her life, Lauren suddenly has a new problem: her mom, Patty, has found and connected with the newly born AI. And, partially due to that connection, the AI has become empathic and humane, much to the frustration of the corporate executives and scientists who created it. After Patty helps the young AI escape under the cover of a huge research factory fire, she turns to her daughter for help keeping it safe. Giddy with excitement, Patty doesn’t recognize the danger she has put herself in… but Lauren does and she is terrified. Her fear is realized when the two women are confronted by corporate forces who want to stifle knowledge of the AI and keep it for themselves.”

And, of course, you can also browse this very website for additional information. There is also a full press kit for the series, too!

Real Time and the Real World

One of the things I love about writing and illustrating a series like this is that it takes place in our real world and also uses real time. Let’s talk about the real world first. One of my favourite quotes about this is by Frank Houston in a piece he wrote on Salon.com back in 1999. Discussing Stan Lee and the rise of Marvel Comics, he noted, “New York City was where the superheroes lived. It was one of those childhood truths, a Big Apple bustling with vibrantly costumed superhumans. Spider-Man lived in Queens, the Fantastic Four in Midtown and Doctor Strange down on Bleecker Street. It was important that Lee’s heroes lived in the real world, and not in Gotham City or Metropolis, because they were real people.” (my emphasis added). That’s it. One of the conceits of WOLF’S HEAD is that Lauren’s adventures and situations are taking place in our oh-so-real world. That’s part of the fun!

Real time is just as easy. The dates that events occur matter. Lauren’s adventures don’t take place in some form of stasis. Far from it! Her stories take place in real time. As a result, time moves and characters age. This is an idea that I think was first seen in Frank King’s GASOLINE ALLEY, but is certainly not unique to it. It is rare in other comics, but certainly not unusual. Frankly, I love using real time because I believe it immediately grounds the stories in change. And change, I’d argue, is what it’s all about.

Lauren is going to change during the course of the series. And not just Lauren, either. The characters around her, too. All of ‘em! Is it challenging to do this? Sure. I think, though, that it really helps cement that notion of realism that I’m looking for. Change happens in our real lives and it will happen to the characters in WOLF’S HEAD. Some of that change may be hard at times, but that’s a part of change, too.

Artificial Intelligence

What about this whole artificial intelligence “thing,” anyway? Why use a fairly common trope? Well, the answer to this is a bit tricky to explain. I’m sick and tired of reading story after story about an evil AI that becomes self-aware and then proceeds — damn the consequences! — to murder every single human being on the planet. While these types of stories can be fun (hell, I’m a big fan of THE TERMINATOR and TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY), they’ve become quite repetitive. I wanted to invert the trope and, by doing that, play with it. And remember what I just said about stories set in our real world and featuring real time? That also implies real change. In other words, how the AI changes and grows is a big part of the plot of WOLF’S HEAD. I’m hoping you’ll find this as delightful as I do.

Why That Name?

Lastly, why is it called “WOLF’S HEAD” anyway? Some of this will be revealed in time, but here’s a sneaky little hint from Wikipedia: “Caput lupinum. The term literally means ‘wolf’s head’ or ‘wolfish head’ and refers to a person considered to be an outlaw, as in, e.g., the phrase caput gerat lupinum (‘may he wear a wolfish head’ / ‘may his be a wolf’s head’).”

There’s a great deal of fun, adventure, drama, and action to come! It’s going to be a great ride. Join me, won’t you?

Key Links

Here are all of the key links:

Wolf’s Head Official Site: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/
Internet Archive links for my Comics: https://archive.org/search?query=creator%3A%22Von+Allan%22
WOLF’S HEAD Volume 1: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-1.html
WOLF’S HEAD Volume 2: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-2.html
WOLF’S HEAD Volume 3: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-3.html
Von Allan Studio Shop Page: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/shop.html

Multiple Ways to Read the Series

Digital Comics

You can read every issue of WOLF'S HEAD for free on the wonderful Internet Archive. You can click on any of the covers below to find that issue on the Internet Archive.

Trade Paperback Graphic Novels

The trailer for Wolf's Head Book 1

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 17:05:00 +0000

This the official trailer I created for the first hardcover collection of WOLF’S HEAD. The graphic novel is available in finer bookstores and comic shops worldwide, not to mention through various online retailers (such as Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, McNally Robinson, Bookshop.org, Powell’s, and so on).

This is really a narrative trailer, for lack of a better phrase. I wanted to avoid just “throwing” artwork at viewers and try, as elegantly and succinctly as possible, to get to the heart of the story.

The video is embedded below, but if you can’t see it, you can view it directly on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1llp9chMzw

I used Blender to create the animations and then I used OpenShot to put the final trailer together. Both software packages are free and are very powerful.

WOLF'S HEAD BOOK 1 in hardcover worldwide!

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 16:26:00 +0000

Hot on the heels of the release of my first hardcover (LOVE, LAUGHTER, AND LOSS: A COMICS COLLECTION) comes the biggest release of my career so far! WOLF'S HEAD BOOK 1: WE ALL WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD.

That’s right! I’m very pleased to announce that WOLF’S HEAD BOOK 1: WE ALL WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD has now been published in a deluxe hardcover edition! This book (and whew, it is gorgeous!) collects the first six digital issues of my ongoing comic book series WOLF’S HEAD and packed with extra material. Altogether it’s 176 pages in length and I’m proud of it. Damn proud, in fact.

In many ways, LOVE, LAUGHTER, AND LOSS was the test case for WOLF’S HEAD. When I published that short story collection, I noted that it was the first time that my work had ever appeared in a premium hardcover format and I was pretty nervous about it. Part of the reason to do that collection in hardcover was a test case for WOLF’S HEAD. I wanted to make sure that WOLF’S HEAD looked as good as possible and the only way to know for sure was to test. And then test again. Which is exactly what I’ve been doing over the past year or so while production continued on the ongoing WOLF’S HEAD comic.

Now, some of you may ask about the previously published print editions of WOLF’S HEAD. Those came out in seven “issues” over the past few years. Each print “issue” collected two of the digital issues together, creating a print edition that was approximately 60 pages in length. These were in trade format (which means that they have a spine rather than being saddle-stitched — stapled — like a “typical” 32-page comic book). I was never very happy with these print versions. Why? Well, the first reason is that it was a compromise for publishing into the Direct Market (this is explained fully here). The second reason was that both the format and the print quality weren’t quite what I was hoping for. Does that mean they were awful? No, far from it, but to keep costs down the paper wasn’t the best. I never found the printed colours in these trade paperbacks looked quite right. Worse, being printed in trade paperback format meant that you could never lay the comic out flat, like you can with a “typical” 32-page comic. This new hardcover corrects all of that; the newly remastered colours (more details on that here) combined with better paper means that everything looks beautiful, the hardcover is actually quite a bit larger than the previous trade paperbacks so that the art really “sings”, and it’s much easier to lay out the book flat if you’d like (though keep in mind that at 176 pages this will not sit flat like a 32-page comic would).

Going forward, the trade paperbacks have been discontinued and will no longer be supported in print. In other words, when they sell out, that’s it! They won’t be reprinted. The series will continue in digital format and, when a specific number of issues have been completed, these will be collected into hardcovers, too. In other words, hardcover is the way the series will be printed, at least for the foreseeable future. I also believe that collecting issues into “story arcs” is the best way to present my work. I hope that you will think so, too.

I'm also pretty confident now that WOLF'S HEAD will also be debuting as a webcomic in the not-too-distant future. That would give folks a third way to read the series. I don’t want to say much more about that yet, though!

Additional Photos!

Links to Purchase

WOLF’S HEAD BOOK 1: WE ALL WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD is still “propagating” out there (in fact, I'm still waiting to get my own copies for local distribution), but here are some initial purchasing links that I know of for sure. More will be added as they appear.

Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1989885179/;
Amazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1989885179/;
Amazon.co.uk: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1989885179/;
Amazon.de: https://www.amazon.de/dp/1989885179/;
Amazon.fr: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/1989885179/;
Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/3m5dbjU;
IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781989885178;
Bookfinder: https://bit.ly/3dSVtvO.

WOLF’S HEAD is truly a journey of love for me. It represents the best art and writing I’ve ever done and I can’t wait for people to hold the hardcover in their hands!

Crossposted from https://www.vonallan.com/2021/12/wolfs-head-book-1-in-hardcover-worldwide.html

Share the Love

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Thu, 02 Apr 2020 17:07:00 +0000

As everyone knows, these are difficult times. COVID-19 has spread like wildfire and, here in North America, we're most likely only in the initial stages. The death toll has been shocking; coming to grips with that is not easy to do. And, of course, the knock on effects throughout all of our lives has been shocking (not to shocking if you happen to have lived in the global south, something that writers like Vijay Prashad have articulated so well).

The economic effects will also take some time to sort out. In the short term, COVID-19 has led to layoffs and unemployment insurance claims in the United States we have never seen (as Doug Henwood details here). A similar situation exists here in Canada.

Comic books have not been spared. Not only are comic shops and book stores closed in much of North America, but Diamond Comic Distributors stopped shipping comics and graphic novels to retailers. Worse (as Calvin Reid reported in Publishers Weekly), Diamond has also halted payments to publishers. This might (I stress might) be catastrophic both for publishers and the creators they employ.

I have had a difficult relationship with Diamond over the past few years. Without going into details, this is partially why WOLF'S HEAD has appeared in so few comic book shops. The good news for both me and Von Allan Studio is that it means that we're not affected by Diamond's recent moves. The bad news is that we've seen the same shrinkage in sales that many others in comics have been seeing.

For the immediate future, I'm scrambling to get WOLF'S HEAD into ComiXology as fast as the process allows. Hopefully there will be good news on this front in the not too distant future. I'm also considering serializing WOLF'S HEAD as a free webcomic (and if you happen to have any thoughts on that, please do let me know). In the meantime, physical copies of WOLF'S HEAD are still available in the usual places throughout the world (Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Chapters/Indigo | Waterstones | Abebooks | and so on). If you are in a position to support the series financially, please consider buying some copies (either for you or for you and for folks you think will like it). If you aren't, please consider "boosting the signal" on social media (here are Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook links).

Please do take care of both yourself, your loved ones, and (maybe especially) strangers in your community.

Lastly, I tend to default to reading through difficult times. Especially poetry, but usually poetry that is usually at least one thousand years old. I find comfort in the fact that these poets, my fellow human beings who died hundreds of years before I was born, shared so many of the same joys and sorrows that I do. That you do.

I'll end this post with one poem that I love:

WINTER NIGHT FAREWELL
by Chia Tao (779-843), translated by Mike O'Connor

At first light, you ride
swiftly over the village bridge;

Plum blossoms fall
on the stream and unmelted snow.

With the days short and the weather cold,
it's sad to see a guest depart;

The Ch'u Mountains are boundless,
and the road, remote.

(from THE CLOUDS SHOULD KNOW ME BY NOW, edited by Red Pine and Mike O'Connor, published by Wisdom Publications).

Crossposted to the Von Allan Studio page at https://www.vonallan.com

Final Inks and final colours from a poignant Wolf's Head page

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Thu, 19 Mar 2020 10:30:00 +0000

This is a fun comparison between one of my favourite pages from WOLF'S HEAD. First up are the final inks and that's followed by the final coloured version that first saw print in WOLF'S HEAD issue 3. Poignant and full of emotion as Lauren says a final goodbye.

For more on this issue, please click here.

Press Release Annoucing Wolf's Head

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Ottawa, Ontario: Von Allan, an Ottawa-based artist and comics creator, is writing/drawing a brand new comic series, ‘Wolf’s Head.’ The story follows a newly created artificial intelligence (AI) on the run from its creators with the unexpected help of a janitor, her ex-police officer daughter, and their dog. Digital issues of the series recently became available world-wide on Amazon's Kindle devices and their Kindle app.

“It was important to me that ‘Wolf’s Head’ be a fun, thrilling, escapist adventure, but I also wanted my characters and their experiences to feel real,” said Allan. “My favourite stories, even the most imaginative and fantastical ones, have always grounded themselves in reality. Spider-Man heroically saves the world but, then turn the page; he’s home, staring into an empty cupboard because he didn’t sell enough photos in today’s gig economy and can’t afford groceries. This is what I’ve tried to do in ‘Wolf’s Head’; it’s a fun, action-packed science fiction adventure but my characters are living in contemporary America. And contemporary America can be a hard place.”

‘Wolf’s Head’ features Lauren Greene, a young woman who quits her job as a police officer in Metro Detroit after becoming frustrated with growing police violence. At the same time as Lauren is quitting, a secretive corporation across town has managed to create a seemingly perfect AI for war and profit; however, before the corporation can use the AI, Lauren’s mother, Patty, a janitor at the corporation accidentally finds it. Patty is literally the kindest person the new lifeform has ever met and, as a result, it bonds to her, rejects its purpose and creators, and orchestrates a huge accident to cover an escape. Patty, overwhelmed, asks her daughter Lauren for help. Despite being broke and a bit lost herself, Lauren agrees to help; two humans, an AI, and a dog versus a warmongering corporation. ‘Wolf’s Head’ is part action-adventure and part sci-fi drama. It also features strong women of colour as the main characters.

“One of the things I love about ‘Wolf’s Head’ is that it’s about a different kind of AI,” Allan added. “We’re used to seeing evil computers and post-apocalyptic storylines; I wanted to flip that cliche on its head and have an AI that loves humanity. And it’s fun to contrast the AI’s compassion with the flawed people who created it.

About Von Allan: Von Allan was born red-headed and freckled in Arnprior, Ontario, just in time for “Star Wars: A New Hope.” The single child of two loving but troubled parents, Von split most of his childhood between their two homes. Additional information about Von Allan can be found at https://www.vonallan.com/.

Von has led workshops at schools; was featured in “The Exhibitionists,” a CBC Arts profile (https://www.cbc.ca/arts/exhibitionists/as-a-kid-his-mother-s-illness-scared-him-now-he-s-using-comics-to-come-to-terms-1.4281356); was featured in the documentary film “I Am Still Your Child” (http://iamstillyourchild.com/); and was the recipient of the Corel Endowment Fund for the Arts Award in 2014 and the CBC Trailblazer Award in 2019.