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

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

Wolf's Head on Kindle

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Wed, 29 Sep 2021 16:26:00 +0000

To help celebrate the arrival of WOLF'S HEAD on Kindle, I came up with this fun little piece! Being able to take images from the series (15 issues so far!) and use them as a bit of a "guiding motif" was a great deal of fun - and a bit of a challenge, too! And I like the idea of having Lauren, the main character and star, kinda look back on what's been happening in the series so far.

I should clarify one thing: while WOLF'S HEAD has been on Kindle for a little while now, I was primarily using ComiXology for the digital version of the series. With ComiXology's recent announcement to discontinue their Submit program as well as upcoming changes to their app, I've spent the past few weeks completely remastering all of my current comics to make them as "Kindle-ready" as possible. A bit more on that process, primarily focused on WOLF'S HEAD, can be found on my main website at https://www.vonallan.com/2021/09/wolfs-head-on-kindle-with-guided-view.html.

WOLF'S HEAD issues 13 & 14 out on Kindle

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Sun, 21 Mar 2021 18:15:00 +0000

The latest two digital issues of WOLF'S HEAD are now available on Kindle! Issue 13 can be found here while issue 14 is right here.

Both issues were a great deal of fun to write and draw and I'm pretty delighted with how they turned out. I hope you will be, too!

If you're new to WOLF'S HEAD, you can learn more about the series by visiting https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/about.html and https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/frequently-asked-questions.html.

Wolf's Head Issues 11 and 12 on Kindle

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 19:57:00 +0000

The links to each issue can be found below:

Issue 11 on Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08B49C6ZD
Issue 12 on Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08H41QNSB

Remember! Writing and illustrating a full colour independent series is both fun and a major challenge. Aside from supporting the series directly by buying it (and each issue is only $2.99 US!), please spread the word and share the love. You know the drill: please tell your family and friends on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and so on about the series.

The only way for WOLF'S HEAD to survive is if readers tell their friends about it. So please, do just that! Shout it from the rooftops!

Kindle now has Wolf's Head 7, 8, 9, and 10!

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Wed, 06 May 2020 16:26:00 +0000

The links to each issue can be found below:

Issue 7: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089YCM4PJ
Issue 8: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089Y4PMP2
Issue 9: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08B38GV68
Issue 10: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08B3CP3M2

If you're new to WOLF'S HEAD, you can learn more about the series by visiting https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/about.html and https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/frequently-asked-questions.html.

Remember! Writing and illustrating a full colour independent series is both fun and a major challenge. Aside from supporting the series directly by buying it (and each issue is only $1.99 US!), please spread the word and share the love. You know the drill: please tell your family and friends on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and so on about the series. The only way for WOLF'S HEAD to survive is if readers tell their friends about it. So please, do just that! Shout it from the rooftops!

Wolf's Head Issues 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 on ComiXology!

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Wed, 29 Apr 2020 16:50:00 +0000

WOLF'S HEAD issues 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 have now been released on Kindle! The series page is right here and links to each issue are as follows:

This release schedule was a just a bit unexpected (!), so I haven't built a dedicated ComiXology page here on the WOLF'S HEAD site yet. Soon, I promise! I'm also not sure, at the time of this writing, when Issue 7 will be released. I can say that ComiXology has received (and approved!) Issues 7, 8, 9, and 10, so it shouldn't be too long before these issues arrive on the platform.

I'm really happy to have these issues "out there" in the world. I can't wait to see what people think of 'em! Now, let's switch to our star and have her share some of the fun:

Wolf's Head Issue 1 launches today

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Wed, 22 Apr 2020 18:33:00 +0000

Ottawa, Ontario (April 22, 2020): ‘Wolf’s Head,’ an ongoing comic book series written and illustrated by Canadian comics creator Von Allan, has now arrived on Kindle, a digital distribution platform for comic books. This is the first time that the series has been available in a digital format, world-wide.

‘Wolf’s Head’ features Lauren Greene, a young woman who quits her job as a police officer after becoming frustrated with police violence. Coincidentally, as she’s walking away from the police force over violence, a huge corporation across town is celebrating its creation of a brand new Artificial Intelligence (or AI) that it plans to use for war. There’s a twist, though; before the organization can use its new AI for violence, the AI crosses paths with Lauren’s mom, Patty, who is a janitor at the corporation. Patty is a kind figure and the AI, brand new to humanity, immediately bonds to her, rejects its creators, and escapes. Patty ends up with the AI and asks Lauren for help. Despite being broke and a bit lost herself, Lauren can’t walk away from her mom and reluctantly agrees to help…though she can’t begin to predict the consequences of that one hurried decision.

“’Wolf’s Head’ is an action-adventure series set in our real world and it takes place in real time,” said Allan. “That means characters age, struggle to make rent and pay bills, and deal with day to day situations that so many of us know well. But it’s not all struggle. ‘Wolf’s Head’ is also an action-adventure story with some sci-fi elements, lots of wonder, and a whole lot of fun! I’m having a great time writing and drawing the series and I think that comes through in the storytelling and the characters.”

“I’ve had a few other titles on Kindle, but bringing ‘Wolf’s Head’ to this platform is a big step for the series,” added Allan. “One of the things I love about Kindle is the ‘Guided View’ technology, which basically guides the readers through the pages, panel by panel, so that they don’t miss any pictures or text. I also like that digital comics work on all devices through the Kindle app, which really opens up the readership possibilities for ‘Wolf’s Head’. I’m really looking forward to hearing what readers think as they get into the series for the first time on digital!”

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 was a finalist for the 2020 Peter Honeywell Mid-Career Artist Award (in part for his ‘Wolf’s Head’ artwork) and was the recipient of the Corel Endowment Fund for the Arts Award in 2014 and the CBC Trailblazer Award in 2019.

Von was also featured in “The Exhibitionists,” a CBC Arts profile and was featured in the documentary film “I Am Still Your Child” (http://iamstillyourchild.com/).

About Wolf’s Head: ‘Wolf's Head’ is the story of Lauren Greene, a young woman who quits her job as a police officer in Detroit and consequently struggles to pick up the pieces and find her place in society. After her mom makes an astounding discovery at a research facility, Lauren must fight for their lives against forces that will stop at nothing to stop them. The series can be found on Kindle at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08MTGCS49. The first issue is available at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089V1DVY7.

Wolf's Head launches on April 22!

noreply@blogger.com (Von Allan) — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 18:53:00 +0000

Big news, folks! I'm very pleased to announce that the first issue of WOLF'S HEAD will launch on Kindle on April 22nd, 2020! The specific Kindle WOLF'S HEAD link is live at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08MTGCS49!

You can also preview the first issue of the series at https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-issue-1.html. A press kit for the series can be found at https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/media-kit.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.