Wolf's Head Issue 6 on Kindle

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.

So, why am I talking about this here? Well, the first six issues of WOLF’S HEAD are full of real change. Lauren, the main character, is not in the same position by the end of issue 6 that she was when the series first started. She’s experienced growth, loss, heartache, and great joy. She’s seen the death of her mom and learned to cope with that loss. Even the dates of the story reflect this; the series starts in September 2017. Issue 6 ends on November 1, 2017. In other words, time moves on and that plays a big part of the story.

Taken together, issues 1 through 6 form a complete arc. Each issue of this arc, however, has its own episodic closure (well, except the very first issue, which ended on a cliffhanger). That’s the kind of storytelling I love. Combining real change with episodic closure. Building story arcs that work collectively, but each “piece” still works on its own. I find that thrilling and it is so exciting to do. I hope you think so, too!

With that said, here’s this issue’s Elevator Pitch: “Just as things are appearing to get back to some degree of normalcy after the death of her mom, Lauren Greene is confronted by the corporate forces who created the Artificial Intelligence (AI) and are attempting 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.”

And, of course, here are the usual links:

• Wolf’s Head Official Site: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/
• United States of America: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089XSTJKC
• Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B089XSTJKC
• United Kingdom: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B089XSTJKC
• France: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B089XSTJKC
• Germany: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B089XSTJKC
• Spain: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B089XSTJKC
• And so on!

And don’t forget that the series page can be found at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08MTGCS49; and you can just change the “dot com” part of the url with your specific top-level domain. In Germany, changing the “dot com” to “dot de” means that the series can be found at https://www.amazon.de/dp/B08MTGCS49. See? Easy!

Lastly, the first six issues of WOLF’S HEAD form one helluva story arc, full of fascinating characters, loads of change, and a great deal of fun… plus a little heartache, too. If you love the series and know someone who likes great comics, please consider sharing that love along!