Wolf’s Head Volume 8 in trade paperback format Worldwide (first-time ever)!
This a milestone! Due to more challenges than I can shake a stick at,1 the long-awaited Volume 8 of WOLF’S HEAD is now finally available! This volume features one of the most emotional twists I’ve done in the series so far, but one I think makes perfect sense.
As I previously noted, the first seven WOLF’S HEAD trade paperbacks are back in print in new editions, but with today’s release of Volume 8 (collecting issues 15 and 16 of the ongoing digital series) we are on brand new ground! As always, this is a full colour edition and is 60 pages in length. Haunted by loss, Lauren Greene and her loyal dog Sankō embark on a perilous road trip from Alaska to Detroit, outwitting ruthless corporate agents to protect a sentient AI child. Hunted at every turn, Lauren risks everything to keep the extraordinary life-form from becoming a weapon—and to safeguard the future of a new kind of intelligence.
- Amazon.com
- Amazon.ca
- Canadian Independent Bookstores (via BookManager)
- Amazon.co.uk
- Barnes & Noble
- Bookshop.org (and IndieBound)
- And on and on! Germany? You bet! What about Waterstones? Definitely! Again, you may need to ask your local bookstore and comic shop, but it is easily available everywhere!
As always, remember that I can’t control exactly when and where this volume will become available, but hopefully the above links are a good start. Be patient and don’t be afraid to ask your retailer for help! Volume 9 will be released shortly, either at the tail-end of 2025 or early 2026.
There is a dedicated website for WOLF’S HEAD at https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-landing-page.html with all kinds of additional information!
The Elevator Pitch
Lauren Greene’s world is turned upside down when her mother rescues a newborn artificial intelligence from the powerful and secretive Advanced Research Projects Corporation (ARPC) — a shadowy organization determined to weaponize the sentient life-form. After her mother’s sudden death, Lauren is left alone, struggling to survive and protect the extraordinary AI now in her care.
Desperate to escape ARPC’s relentless pursuit, Lauren flees her home of Detroit and disappears into the wilds of Alaska with her loyal dog, Sankō, and the young and vulnerable AI. She soon realizes, however, that running away won’t solve her problems. Determined to take control of her fate, Lauren sets out on a perilous road trip back to Detroit, hoping to find a way to secure the AI’s safety once and for all.
On the long journey home, Lauren and her companions are relentlessly hunted by ARPC agents, forcing her to risk everything to keep the AI from becoming a weapon. Outmatched and outnumbered, Lauren must summon all her courage, outwit her pursuers, and teach her unlikely companion what it means to fight for survival. If she fails, she risks losing not just her own life, but the future of a new kind of intelligence.
The WOLF'S HEAD Trade Paperback Series
Below is a listing of all the volumes of the series so far! If you click on the cover, it will bring you to a dedicated page for that volume on the WOLF’S HEAD subdomain. Again, 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.
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 8 consists of issues 15 and 16 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 15 and 16 are below.Remember! If you enjoy them and would like a physical copy, you can purchase Volume 8 in stores — both online and off — around the world!
TEASER FOR WOLF’S HEAD Volume 8
And here’s a little teaser image to help cement the idea. Two digital comics inside one trade paperback volume!
Other Links
- Overview of my Comics: http://www.vonallan.com/p/comics.html
- Wolf’s Head (My Ongoing Comic Book Series): https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-landing-page.html
- Von Allan Studio Shop Page: http://www.vonallan.com/p/von-allan-studio-shop.html
- RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/Von_Allan_Homepage
- An explanation for why you never saw WOLF’S HEAD in Diamond's PREVIEWS: https://www.vonallan.com/2025/01/Diamond-Comic-Distributors-Wolfs-Head-and-Me.html
1 But what the hell! Let’s enumerate! Here goes: The pandemic (well, duh), Diamond Comic Distributors and their intransigence, Amazon’s decision to end ComiXology as a separate platform, rolling it into Kindle platform instead, the death of a dear beloved friend, health scares from other loved ones (and family drama), the utter collapse of Diamond and the resulting upheavels in the so-called Direct Market, Ingram Content Group’s apparent difficulties with “EDI” or Electronic Data Interchange and various retailers, not to mention the normal day-to-day challenges of life. Whew!
Wolf’s Head Volume 7 in trade paperback format Worldwide!
As I previously noted, the WOLF’S HEAD trade paperbacks are back in print in brand new editions! Next up is today’s release of Volume 7, collecting issues 13 and 14 of the ongoing digital series. This is a full colour series and is 60 pages in length. Volume 6 saw the series relocate to Alaska, as our heroine Lauren Greene made a decision to move from Michigan in an effort to keep her loved ones safe. As she continues to navigate her new life and situation, she discovers that not everything is quite what it seems. Especially her!
This is also the last of the revamped original trade paperbacks. The next volume (volume 8) have never been in print before! NEVER!
Volume 7, as well as all of the other volumes in this series, are available in better bookstores and comic shops worldwide (and for why I say “better,” please read this commentary). Volume 7’s ISBN is 978-1-989885-29-1. 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:
As always, remember that I can’t control exactly when and where this volume will become available, but hopefully the above links are a good start. Be patient and don’t be afraid to ask your retailer for help! Volume 7 will be released shortly, with subsequent volumes appearing throughout 2025.
There is a dedicated website for WOLF’S HEAD at https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-landing-page.html with all kinds of additional information!
The Elevator Pitch
Lauren Greene’s world shatters when her mother dies saving a mysterious newborn AI from a secretive corporation intent on turning it into a weapon. Alone and on the run, Lauren escapes to the wilds of Alaska, struggling to protect the powerful life-form — and herself — while barely scraping by. But when a group of locals vanishes inside an abandoned government complex, Lauren is thrust into a high-stakes search that threatens to expose her secret. With the police unwilling to help and danger lurking in the shadows, Lauren faces a terrifying choice: risk everything by asking for help, or brave the haunted corridors alone, knowing that discovery could mean losing the AI forever. As injuries mount and time slips away, Lauren must confront her deepest fears and learn to trust others before it’s too late. Will she find the missing before the secret she’s guarding is revealed or will the darkness inside the complex claim them all?
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 7 consists of issues 13 and 14 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 13 and 14 are below.Remember! If you enjoy them and would like a physical copy, you can purchase Volume 7 in stores — both online and off — around the world!
TEASER FOR WOLF’S HEAD VOLUME 7
And here’s a little teaser image to help cement the idea. Two digital comics inside one trade paperback volume!
Other Links
- Overview of my Comics: http://www.vonallan.com/p/comics.html
- Wolf’s Head (My Ongoing Comic Book Series): https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/
- Von Allan Studio Shop Page: http://www.vonallan.com/p/von-allan-studio-shop.html
- RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/Von_Allan_Homepage
- An explanation for why you never saw WOLF’S HEAD in Diamond's PREVIEWS: https://www.vonallan.com/2025/01/Diamond-Comic-Distributors-Wolfs-Head-and-Me.html
Frank Plowright and his wonderful WOLF'S HEAD reviews
Things have been a tad busy in the ol’ studio, so I have been remiss in not sharing this a few weeks ago. Frank Plowright, the erstwhile writer at THE SLINGS & ARROWS GRAPHIC NOVEL GUIDE, reviewed the first six trade paperback editions of WOLF’S HEAD and had some very lovely things to say.
Mr. Plowright is a fascinating guy. From what I can tell doing a bit of sleuthing, he has been in the world of comics for one helluva long time. The earliest reference I could find is a mention from a fanzine, specifically Dan Slingsby’s BLACK AND WHITE #31 dated Summer 1982 (see screen cap below). He was 23 in 1982, so he’s been thinking and writing about comics for at least 43 years… and probably a few years longer than that. Folks, if that’s not a pedigree, I don’t know what is.
However, I first came across him much later, in 1997, when the first edition of THE SLINGS & ARROWS COMIC GUIDE was released by Aurum Press. This was back in my bookstore days, when I was running Perfect Books here in Ottawa, and I had ordered the book both for sale at the store and to make damn sure I could buy a personal copy, too. Frank was listed on the front cover as the official editor and, in the notes of contributors inside my beat-up 1st printing, it notes, “Frank Plowright co-organizes the UK Comic Art Convention.2 He’s spent many years masquerading as a writer, including a stint as British correspondent for The Comics Journal.3”
The COMIC GUIDE was (and is) a fascinating read. I have absolutely no idea how contributors were matched to the various titles, but almost 30 years later the book holds up extremely well. If you can find a copy, please do so. It’s a great read, though I can’t imagine anyone reading it in page order. Like an encyclopedia, it really rewards “jumping around.” One does get the sense that a different contributor might have had a different (perhaps radically different) point of view on a particular title, but that’s part of the fun! And Frank himself is not just the editor, but a reviewer of a number of different titles himself.
If I had a complaint (aside from the pesky disagreement with certain reviews!), it’s that the contributors (at least in my 1st edition) are not indexed at the back. While the book itself is well-indexed, not having an index of contributors is a definite miss. One has to pay attention to who is reviewing what, which is a bit disappointing, especially when the book is just that: a physical book. Nowadays a reference book like this is ideally suited for the internet, and I presume this is part of the reason that the COMIC GUIDE morphed into the online edition in the first place.
In some ways, I do prefer the COMIC GUIDE’s format and evaluation system to the current online version. The former simply used a recommended feature; one would read an entry, often covering many different issues and many different creators (think a review of the long-running AMAZING SPIDER-MAN) and then list recommended issues at the end. Simple, elegant, and with no rating system. I know many, many people like ratings (“10 out of 10”, “1 out of 5,” and so on) but I never have; from my point of view, they tend to “cement” or “lock” an evaluation. With art (broadly speaking), that is very difficult to do. Art is never zero-sum. Worse, feelings about art often change over time. Not always, of course, but opinions and tastes often do change. When the COMIC GUIDE moved online and became the GRAPHIC NOVEL GUIDE, the recommended system was dropped and was replaced with a 5 point scale (with 5 being the best). I don’t like it and I find it less useful then the original system. Worse, it’s actually more like a 10 point scale, since the online version allows fractional scores (so 4½ instead of 4 or 5).
Part of my hesitation with ratings and scales is that it’s never clear to me how a rating is calculated. That lack of transparency creates doubt, at least in my noggin’, and doubt is not helpful when evaluating a review. A “recommended” notation solves all of those problems; the reviewer liked it enough to recommend the work, but it is not burdened down with a rating. Or, to put it another way, is a 3 star review (out of 5) a recommended read? Or is a middle-of-the-road “it was kinda okay but had problems and you should probably avoid.” And, of course, that doesn’t get into the question regarding differentiating reviews with the same rank. In other words, are all 5 star reviews operating on the same level? The easy answer is “of course not,” but if so why so?
This is why, going all the way back to my own bookstore days, I never liked rating or ranking books. It’s too fungible, it’s too obtuse, and how rankings are determined is generally not transparent.
Wait. So what am I saying about WOLF’S HEAD and Frank’s reviews? Did he hate them or give them a bad rating? NO! Not at all. Let me do that again: NO! Not at all! I’m actually really really pleased with Frank’s reviews (aside from a few quibbles here and there). I’ll excerpt a number of his comments below, along with links to the full reviews, and you can judge for yourself. He gave most of the WOLF’S HEAD trade paperbacks 3 stars and two he gave 3½ stars. Now, based on the text of his reviews these are solid scores and (yup!) he does recommend the series. Would I have preferred no ratings and clear recommendations? YES. That’s exactly what I’m saying. This is somewhat influenced by my own sensibilities as well as my experience as a bookseller; I’m not convinced that a “3 out of 5” galvanizes people to seek out a work. It might, especially if people also read the actual review and are moved by it. Reviewing is an art in and of itself. But just a raw 3 out of 5? I don’t think so. That said, Frank (at least I think it was Frank!) was nice enough to also say, on their Facebook page, “We can’t understand how Wolf’s Head by Von Allan Studio slips so low on the public radar. It’s an intelligent, well-drawn character-based crime story with an appealing lead, and a creative touch of quirkiness. Six volumes out to date revealing the strange path Lauren Greene’s life has taken since quitting the police.”
I should stress here that I suspect moving from recommendations to ratings probably helped with the online world. It’s easy to list 5 star reviews, which the GRAPHIC NOVEL GUIDE site does. It’s less easy to list recommendations; presumably one would have to break them down by reviewer, which could be awkward for all kinds of reasons. Ratings and scales are also prime candidates for debate and arguments (thus leading to views and hits), which I suspect might have also played into that choice.
With all of that said, let’s get on to Frank’s reviews!
First,
a list of all
of Frank’s
reviews of my work can be found at
https://theslingsandarrows.com/writer/von-allan/
WOLF’S
HEAD Volume 1:
“Allan
never takes the easy route of telling his story via head and
shoulders drawings without backgrounds. Full figures are the choice,
and plenty of them packed into small panels…
It’s only toward the
end that a full accounting of what’s actually happening is
supplied. It’s creative and raises ethical questions…
This is a fine opening volume
presenting an engaging cast living interesting lives, and that
continues in Vol.
2.” WOLF’S
HEAD Volume 2:
“Despite
Von Allan filtering in both SF and action thriller plots, the appeal
of Wolf’s
Head
is the cast, strongly characterised with everyone’s motivations
clear. Lauren remains central, with the opening pages suggesting we
don’t know her as well as we thought, but caring and willing to
take whatever action is necessary.” WOLF’S
HEAD Volume 3:
“There
are fantastical elements to Wolf’s
Head,
but creator Von Allan’s greater interest is in Lauren as a
person and what she’s going through. He delivers a fine
portrait of someone refusing to cave under pressure, but there’s
little respite for her as the problems keep piling up…
For
all the focus on Lauren’s experiences, a crime story with an SF
intrusion has been running since the first volume, and Allan brings
that to a head here very effectively, avoiding the obvious paths a
revenge story might take.” WOLF’S
HEAD Volume 4:
“Events
came to a head in Vol.
3
(or We
All Want to Change the World
if you bought the hardback version), but Lauren’s smart enough
to know the people she dealt with aren’t the types to let
things lie. Muscle for hire Frank McRossitor is especially able to
hold a grudge, and Lauren believes it best she remain away from
regular haunts…
Lauren still has a lot going on, and the maguffin of Machine means
events could head pretty well anywhere, so head to Vol.
5
with confidence.” WOLF’S
HEAD Volume 5:
“Wolf’s
Head
continues to be a well drawn and plotted series with the emphasis on
personalities. We’ve only just met Super Bob, seen on the
cover, but the way Allan defines him means he’s understandable
from the start…
Wolf’s
Head
continues to be unpredictable and compelling, and new circumstances
kick off Vol.
6.” WOLF’S
HEAD Volume 6:
“The tone has shifted from crime drama to something possibly
supernatural, although readers may suspect that despite the way
things look, there’s a more ordinary Scooby-Doo-style
explanation. We’ll see. Either way, despite jettisoning the
entire supporting cast to date Allan ensures Lauren is strong enough
to carry the story…
In his comments Allan mentions how his career to date has been one of
consistent struggle, which is a great shame for someone both talented
and persistent in producing a consistently entertaining drama. Try
Wolf’s
Head
and become captivated.” “Try
Wolf’s Head
and become captivated.”
I
have to admit this is one of the nicest comments anyone has ever said
about the series! So there you have it! I am grateful to Frank for these thoughtful reviews. And doubly grateful that he took the time to read and really embrace my work. Not every reviewer does that. Are they perfect reviews? Nope. He has critiques here and there, but I appreciate that. While I don’t agree with every single one, that is the beauty of art. It really is in the eye of the beholder. And Frank’s reviews are, overall, very positive. So please give his reviews a read and judge for yourself.
WOLF’S
HEAD is easy to find. While it is available in stores, you can
easily find the series on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
and so on. A handy list of links is at
https://www.vonallan.com/p/von-allan-studio-shop.html Lastly, it’s still a tough time for the comics industry, as many of you who are reading
this are no doubt well-aware. As I type this, Humanoids has furthered
their bankruptcy declaration, declaring Chapter 7 bankruptcy as
opposed to Chapter 11. As Sam Spratford noted
in Publishers Weekly, “…
the Chapter 7 proceedings will see Humanoids liquidate its assets,
eventually ceasing U.S. operations.” And,
of course, the distribution
fallout from Diamond’s bankruptcy continue (you can read
some of my thoughts on my own experiences with Diamond here).
At the same time, the excitement around comics as an art form is as
strong as ever. There are so many different ways to read and embrace
comics and graphic novels now and accessibility is, I think, better
than ever. I’m happy to have carved out a little niche of my
own with fans and readers. Nine volumes of WOLF’S HEAD is
nothing to sneeze at! 1 You
can read an online edition of it on Google Drive at
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RiH4l7tPQ4N4wsyBbs1ltmh5Ay_4A_58/view 2 Sadly,
it appears that the convention, at least this iteration of it, came
to an end in 1998.
3 Online
at https://www.tcj.com/topic/frank-plowright/;
unfortunately The Comics Journal only has one current article up.
Footnotes
Wolf’s Head Volume 5 in trade paperback format Worldwide!
As I previously noted, the WOLF’S HEAD trade paperbacks are back in print in brand new editions! Today features the release of Volume 5, collecting issues 9 and 10 of the ongoing digital series. This is a full colour series and is 60 pages in length. This is also one of my favourite volumes of the series so far!
As always with my work, these are available in better bookstores and comic shops worldwide (and for why I say “better,” please read this commentary). Volume 5’s ISBN is 978-1-989885-27-7. 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:
Please remember that I can’t control exactly when and where this volume will become available, but hopefully the above links are a good start. Be patient and don’t be afraid to ask your retailer for help! Volume 6 will be released shortly, with subsequent volumes appearing throughout 2025.
And, of course, there is a dedicated website for WOLF’S HEAD at https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-landing-page.html with all kinds of additional information!
The Elevator Pitch
When grieving Detroit native Lauren Greene becomes guardian to a childlike AI—engineered for war but who hates violence and loves humanity—a vengeful ex-operative, defying his corporate masters, kidnaps her best friend to draw her out. With the AI wounded and time running out, Lauren races to protect a fragile new hope for humanity.
This volume also introduces a new character, Super Bob Sanchez, a truck driver who is not (under any circumstance!) a hero.
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 5 consists of issues 9 and 10 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 9 and 10 are below.Oh, and please remember! If you enjoy them and would like a physical copy, you can purchase Volume 5 in stores — both online and off — around the world!
TEASER FOR WOLF’S HEAD VOLUME 5
And here’s a little teaser image to help cement the idea. Two digital comics inside one trade paperback volume!
Other Links
- Overview of my Comics: http://www.vonallan.com/p/comics.html
- Wolf’s Head (My Ongoing Comic Book Series): https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/
- Von Allan Studio Shop Page: http://www.vonallan.com/p/von-allan-studio-shop.html
- RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/Von_Allan_Homepage
- An explanation for why you never saw WOLF’S HEAD in PREVIEWS: https://www.vonallan.com/2025/01/Diamond-Comic-Distributors-Wolfs-Head-and-Me.html
Wolf's Head Book 1 Trailer
I’ve very pleased to share this, though it took quite a bit of work to get ‘er done. So! This a short trailer I created for my ongoing comic book series WOLF’S HEAD, specifically for the first hardcover collection. It took some doing, mainly because there are some short animated sequences; since I’m definitely not an animator, I had to learn some new tools to make it work. That’s the challenge of creating anything, but perhaps especially art, but it’s also part of the fun, too. It’s also really neat to see my art presented in this way. Still me, but different.
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. I think the trailer does that, but of course, you will be the ultimate judge. ‘Course, if you like it, please do share it far and wide.
For those interested, I used Blender to create the animations and then put the whole thing together using OpenShot. Both software packages are free and are very powerful. Blender, in particular, is remarkable. Folks have made full length 3D animated films using it, but I was really taken with Blender’s 2D options.
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
Other Links
- Overview of my Comics: http://www.vonallan.com/p/comics.html
- Wolf’s Head (My Ongoing Comic Book Series): https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/
- Von Allan Studio Shop Page: http://www.vonallan.com/p/von-allan-studio-shop.html
- RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/Von_Allan_Homepage
- Mailing List Sign-Up: https://vonallan.us14.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=f6d06612e90503db886a31a24&id=7642c19478
Wolf’s Head Issue 18 Page 1 Process
I thought it would be fun to share some of the ol’ “process” behind a recent page from WOLF’S HEAD. In this case, it’s the first page to issue 18. And hey, 18 issues in for an indy comic book series is not too shabby, folks.
This page features Lauren Greene and Super Bob Sanchez chit-chatting in a diner in Alberta. The page also builds off of issue 17 and the various struggles that Lauren is currently going through. While I don’t think there’s any “right” or “correct” way of starting a comic, I’ve long been partial to opening with a splash page to get things going. This is especially useful here because the preceding panel in the previous issue was actually very small. So if one is reading these issues in sequential order, it should be fun to leave off last ish with a tiny panel and then start this one with a biggie.
I’ll start with the final coloured and lettered page and we can work backwards to the initial layouts. Oh, one important caveat: while some pages take a bit of visual brainstorming, in this case I knew exactly where I was going (building from last issue, right?) so I didn’t need to do that. That’s often not the case and many pages take a bit of thumbnailing (usually tiny thumbnails) to work out mentally how I want to approach a page. This is often especially true for covers; considerations of logos and whatnot influence how the page might look. In other words, sketching and “mucking about with page design” is a tried and true way to go.
Next are the final inks, including screen tones (or, if you will, Ben Day dots or what I long called “zipatones”). Generally I do not include the lettering in the final inks (well, at least for colour work) and that is reflected here. Inking is one of my favourite things to do and this page was a blast to work on!
Next up are the final tight pencils. There is a bit of visual cheating going on here. I actually rarely rough out a page like this as one individual unit. Rather, I actually do various pencil sketches (and sometimes even inked sketches) on different sheets of paper, scanning them into my computer and finalizing the pencil layout that way. I like that approach, mainly because it allows me to isolate various parts of the illustration and work on that. In this case, the diner is a good example: isolating the perspective drawing from the figure drawing allowed me to play around with some ideas, something a bit harder to do if everything was on one sheet of Bristol board.
The next two illustrations showcase more of what I mean. First is the tighter pencilled perspective sketch of the diner and that’s followed by the very loose sketch (this time with my trusty Tombow brush pen) as I loosely laid down some ideas. These actually follow part of the same process I described here, but in this case I did do a round of tighter pencils rather than just go into final inks because I needed to be sure of a few different things. The trade-off is time, but I felt it was worth it in this case.
Not included here are the separate figure sketches. I generally do loose little gestures, often in ink, and then scan, check, print out, and tighten into final pencils. You can see the final result in that first sketch above.
Some pages are slow, some go surprisingly quick, and this one was somewhere in the middle. It was a lot of fun to do and hopefully starts off issue 18 in an engaging, intriguing, and beautiful way.
Other Links
- Overview of my Comics: http://www.vonallan.com/p/comics.html
- Wolf’s Head (My Ongoing Comic Book Series): https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/
- Von Allan Studio Shop Page: http://www.vonallan.com/p/von-allan-studio-shop.html
- RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/Von_Allan_Homepage
- Mailing List Sign-Up: https://vonallan.us14.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=f6d06612e90503db886a31a24&id=7642c19478
Smash Fascism!
Since apparently this still needs to be said, fascism and nazism are never cool. Never have been and never will be. Or, as Professor Henry Jones (!) once said, nazis are the “slime of humanity.” I decided to do a pin-up of Lauren from WOLF’S HEAD making the point… clearly. Art speaks for itself, right?
Pencils and Inks for the cover of Wolf's Head 13
One of the things I'm not great at is showing work in progress, especially for my ongoing comics project WOLF'S HEAD. Here is a small effort to change that!
Up first is a cell phone photo of the tight pencils of the cover. In general, for interiors, I don't pencil this tightly. That's mainly because I ink my own work and I prefer to do some of the "drawing" in ink.
The pencils are followed by the inked illustration. This obviously doesn't have the cover logo and whatnot on it, but it's complete aside from that. I used to do all of my inking by hand, using a brush, but I found that the scanning process required a lot of very fussy work. Nowadays I digitally ink, in Manga Studio (now known as Clip Studio Paint), and that completely side-steps all of that pesky scanning and corrections. I do still ink "traditionally" from time to time, but I have to admit I really prefer digitally inking. Faster, cleaner, no scanning, and digital inking has the lovely advantage of "take-backsies" if I screw up. Nice!
And you'll actually notice I did screw up, so the inks also show a few corrections.
Wolf's Head Launches Today on Kindle
UPDATE! I have had to make the decision (reluctantly!) to pull the series off of the Kindle platform. Why? Well, the short answer is the changes that Amazon made to ComiXology, leading to the functional end of that platform and rolling digital comics into Kindle directly, created far more problems then I realized. The big problem was discovery; on ComiXology people could the series with little to no effort. Kindle was much, much worse. Even I had a hard time finding it when I used Amazon's search options. After doing everything I could think of to fix that, I realized it simply wasn't worth the effort.
Is that the end of the digital version of the series? Nope! I decided to go a completely different route and use the awesome tools at the Internet Archive to release the series for free to everyone! Please visit the Internet Archive or just use the handy links here: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-landing-page.html.
I'll leave the Kindle announcement below for posterity's sake, but I'll probably remove this post entirely in the not-too-distant future.
The original announcement!
I'm very pleased to announced that the digital comic book version of WOLF’S HEAD has now launched on Kindle. The link to the first issue is at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089V1DVY7I should add that Kindle has received and approved issues 2 through 10, so I expect that subsequent issues will be released regularly. The link to the series is at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08MTGCS49
What's it about? 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. I think the series is a great deal of fun and also contains the best writing and comic book art I've ever created.
The print editions of WOLF’S HEAD have been making their way to bookstores and comic book shops (both online and off) for awhile now, but this is the first time that WOLF’S HEAD will be available in a digital version. For those who don't know, each volume of the print version contains two issues (making each volume approximately 60 pages in length). The digital version is a single issue and that means the page count for each digital issue is approximately 25 to 30 pages in length.
There's a dedicated website for the series at https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/. This site includes previews, frequently asked questions, a complete media kit, links to the print editions, and more! https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/ will also be updated in the near future with Kindle links to each issue, too.
I think that covers it! I'm very pleased to have WOLF’S HEAD out in this format. It's going to be a great deal of fun to have the series roll out on Kindle. Come with me, won't you?
Wolf's Head launches on ComiXology April 22!
Big news, folks! I'm very pleased to announce that the first issue of WOLF'S HEAD will launch on ComiXology on April 22nd, 2020! While the specific ComiXology WOLF'S HEAD link is not live yet, you can certainly keep track by visiting the Von Allan Studio ComiXology page. And, of course, I'll update links when I have them.
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.
Cross-posted from https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/2020/04/Wolfs-Head-launches-on-ComiXology.html
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