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.

Volume 8, 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 8’s ISBN is 978-1-989885-30-7. 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:

• 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!

Von Allan at the 2025 Ritchie Feed & Seed Christmas Bazaar

I am one of the vendors participating in this year’s Christmas Bazaar, hosted by Ritchie Feed & Seed, in Richmond, Ontario, just south of Ottawa proper but still part of the National Capital Region. This is a pretty neat event; Ritchie’s converts a greenhouse into a Christmas-themed venue and that allows well over one hundred artisans to showcase their work for the holiday season. It’s a great opportunity to support local artists (like me!) and find some awesome presents, too.

Now, while the event is over TWO days (Saturday November 15th and Sunday November 16th), I’ll only be there for ONE day (Sunday).

What will I be selling? Well, a full compliment of WOLF’S HEAD graphic novels, plus other comics and graphic novels (including SHEBA THE GREAT!, LOVE, LAUGHTER, AND LOSS: A COMICS COLLECTION, and STARGAZER), Christmas cards, art prints, and so on!

Over on Instagram, Ritchie’s has put up a “reel” of last year’s event. If you’d like to get a sense of what it looks like, take a peek at https://www.instagram.com/ritchiefeedinc/reel/DCh8ZcHRZhq/

Here are all the details!

Date: November 16, 2025 (Von Allan only; remember that the full show is on November 15th and 16th)

Time: 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Location: 5901 Ottawa St., Richmond, ON, K0A 2Z0

Cost: Free admission!

Facebook: The Christmas Bazaar Event Page

Visitor Tips:

• Space inside is limited — no carts or buggies

• Strollers & wheelchairs welcome (main aisle only)

• Bring reusable bags (and small bills for cash vendors!)

• The greenhouse is heated, so dress in layers

Map of the Venue: I’m at Table 2A, sharing it with Enchanted Crochet Creations and Lynne McHardy (unfortunately I can’t spot their website). To help further, here is a map of the venue!

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

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!

Footnotes

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.

Wolf’s Head Volume 6 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 6, collecting issues 11 and 12 of the ongoing digital series. This is a full colour series and is 60 pages in length. This marks a departure from the series so far, as Lauren relocates from Michigan to Alaska, meets loads of new people, and has a number of new adventures! Whew, does she ever!

Volume 6, 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 6’s ISBN is 978-1-989885-28-4. 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
• Amazon.ca
• Amazon.co.uk
• Barnes & Noble
• Bookshop.org (and IndieBound)

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, a former Detroit police officer, has started over in remote Alaska with her dog, Sankō, and a young Artificial Intelligence that a ruthless corporation wants back at any cost. To get by, she’s working doing deliveries for a local food bank, scraping together a living while trying her best to stay out of sight and protect the AI. But, when a homeless man she’s never met vanishes near a long-abandoned Cold War missile complex, Lauren can’t just ignore it. Her search takes her underground, where she discovers not only Alaska’s buried secrets but also something terrifying that shouldn’t exist at all. Now, while being hunted from the outside and facing dangers she can’t explain from the inside, Lauren has to decide: does she open herself up to new friendships and risk everything, or stay alone and lose potential friendships she desperately needs?

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 6 consists of issues 11 and 12 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 11 and 12 are below.

Remember! If you enjoy them and would like a physical copy, you can purchase Volume 6 in stores — both online and off — around the world!

   

   

TEASER FOR WOLF’S HEAD VOLUME 6

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

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:

• Amazon.com
• Amazon.ca
• Amazon.co.uk
• Barnes & Noble
• Bookshop.Org (and IndieBound)

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 Volume 4 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 4, collecting issues 7 and 8 of the ongoing digital series. This is a full colour series and is 60 pages in length. This volume was a great deal of fun to do and represents a narrative change as we see Lauren, after dealing with the losses she experienced over the past two volumes, start to take control of her life.

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 4’s ISBN is 978-1-9898852-6-0. 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
• Amazon.ca
• Amazon.co.uk
• Barnes & Noble
• Bookshop.Org (and IndieBound)

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 5 is now available, too. 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

Lauren Greene begins working with the young AI, 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. Desperate for help, Lauren reaches out to an ex-scientist, Jack Dhillon, who has a very 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? 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.

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 4 consists of issues 7 and 8 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 7 and 8 are below.

Oh, and please remember! If you enjoy them and would like a physical copy, you can purchase Volume 4 in stores — both online and off — around the world!

   

   

TEASER FOR WOLF’S HEAD VOLUME 4

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

Diamond Comic Distributors, Wolf's Head, and Me

As those of you who follow the Direct Market know, Diamond Comic Distributors has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection. Long time watchers of the comic book industry will understand just how surprising of a development this is. For those that don’t, I’ll try and explain.

Once upon a time, Diamond was the distributor for comics in North America and the United Kingdom. That was after the distribution market consolidated around Diamond in the 1980s; prior to that, there was a great deal of regional distribution with comics. Distributors such as Sea Gate, Pacific Comics (both as a publisher and a distributor), Capital City, and — here in Canada — Styx, Andromeda, and Multi-Book among others. Even when Diamond had a quasi-monopoly (and they were actually investigated back in 2000!), other distributors still tried to come and go. My personal favourite was Cold Cut, who I ordered from pretty regularly back in my bookstore days. Another was FM International. Both Cold Cut and FM International were pretty quirky, distributing indy and small press titles that Diamond either didn’t distribute or tended to disappear in their cavernous catalogues. And both are long gone now.

Due to Diamond’s Chapter 11 situation, a number of writers have written extensively on what Diamond was and what the changes in Direct Market distribution since June 2020 have wrought with the company. I don’t want to retread that ground. Instead, I wanted to discuss my own experiences with Diamond, partially because I think it shows some of the problems that Diamond had with small accounts and partially because some of these issues go back prior to 2020.

As a publisher, I have an account with Diamond and have had one since 2010. My Purchasing Brand Manager at that time was Jay Spence. Jay was awesome and quite supportive; with his help I was able to get my two-book graphic novel series, STARGAZER, into Diamond’s catalogue Previews. (Book 1 in the November 2010 issue with item code NOV101057 and Book 2 in the August 2011 issue with item code AUG111259).

While these two books were admittedly pretty rough, though not quite as rough as first graphic novel “the road to god knows…” was, Jay’s encouragement and Diamond’s support led to decent sales for my little black and white graphic novel series. And STARGAZER is still in print and continues to sell to this day, something I’m always a little surprised about.

It would have been ideal to follow-up STARGAZER with something else lickety-split, but I knew that I needed to become stronger. And life sometimes takes us in odd and surprising directions, and some of that happened to. At any rate, time passed and when I was finally ready to approach Diamond again, this time in 2018 with my ongoing series full colour series WOLF’S HEAD, I ran into problems.

The first is that Jay had left Diamond to join Dynamite. All well and good. What was less good was that I was having trouble reaching folks at Diamond. Any folks. Emails went unanswered. I actually wound up tracking Jay down at Dynamite and he managed to connect me with the right person. That person was Leigh Tyberg and this is where things get interesting.

I’ve saved my email correspondence with Leigh, because the emails are a great example about how Diamond and their Purchasing Brand Managers worked. Or, in this case, failed to work, something you’ll see in a moment. To be very clear, the Purchasing Brand Manager acts as a Gate Keeper; they’re the ones who — presumably with discussion with other folks in the Purchasing Department — decide whether or not to carry a title. As I noted above, Jay Spence was incredibly supportive of both myself and STARGAZER, something I’m grateful for to this day. Leigh? Well, you’ll see.

When it came to presenting WOLF’S HEAD to Diamond for distribution, I had high hopes. I had grown a lot as both an artist and a writer and I thought the plan I presented to Diamond was fairly strong; WOLF’S HEAD would be published in 60 page graphic novel volumes, each volume having an ISBN and a spine. The inspiration for this approach, by the by, was actually a title from Dark Horse Comics, a retelling of CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON by Art Adams. At 52 pages, it was “meatier” then a normal saddle-stitched comic but still affordable. And I liked the format of that book quite a bit.

My decision was also influenced by how Diamond worked. Very quickly, comics and graphic novels distributed by Diamond have to meet a minimum sales threshold. This threshold, called the Purchase Order Benchmark, was originally set at $1,500.00 US but was raised to $2,500.00 US in 2009. Note that was not at retail price but at wholesale. As George Gene Gustines at the New York Times pointed out at the time, “a $2.95 comic book would have to receive a minimum order of 2,100 copies” (2,100 × $2.95 = $6,195.00; since Diamond takes a 60% cut of the retail price, 40% of $6,195.00 is $2,478.00, very close to the Purchase Order Benchmark). This sent shock waves through the industry (hell, so much so that the New York Times commented on it!). Part of the reason this was so monumental was that it marked a significant change from how the benchmark used to work. As Diamond noted back in 2007, “Diamond’s benchmark for comic books solicited through Previews is $2,500 retail.” The new benchmark was actually $6,250 (!) retail, because $6,250 × 40% = (you guessed it) $2,500! That’s a 150% increase, the main reason that small press publishers of saddle-stitched comics at the time were freaking out.

WOLF’S HEAD, as a trade paperback with a higher price point, would have to sell less copies per volume then a normal saddle-stitched comic to reach Diamond’s Purchase Order Benchmark. And having an ISBN for each volume would allow me to access online retailers like Amazon as well as “brick and mortar” bookstores. More venues matter. As it turns out, the online retailers have been a huge part of why I’ve managed to continue publishing WOLF’S HEAD to this day.

It’s important to remember that Direct Market retailers (aka “comic book shops”) have to buy their titles non-returnably. So they are always rolling the dice on small press titles, especially small press titles from unknown — or even lesser known — creators. That makes them understandably gun-shy, especially when they own their mistakes — literally. Unlike bookstores, they can’t return their titles for credit (and while there have been some changes in this regard more recently, this was the case I faced with both STARGAZER and WOLF’S HEAD). So comic shops are, broadly speaking, pretty reticent to buy small press titles, though obviously there are many individual exceptions to this. While it may seem that a lower price point helps here, it actually doesn’t. If a supportive retailer is going to purchase a title, they are probably only going to purchase it in low quantities regardless of what the price point is. They might waffle; maybe they’d buy four or five copies of a $2.99 US title and only two copies of a $9.99 US title, but it’s likely to be around that (obviously this is anecdotal, but I’m partially basing it on my own purchasing habits when I was buyer at the bookstore I managed).

At any rate, this is the situation I faced when I initially reached out to Leigh and Diamond. You can see my initial email to Jay below. Since his reply was from his Dynamite email address, prudence dictates that I probably shouldn’t replicate it here (that or redact it heavily!). The key point is that he did manage to connect me to the correct person, as you will see in a moment. Oh, and as always I should add that Von Allan is my pen name; Eric is my real name. So when you see those references, you’ll know who is being spoken of.

What follows is my correspondence with Leigh Tyberg, my Purchasing Brand Manager. I’ll let that speak for itself. The only thing I’ll add is please note the dates of the various emails.

And that’s where it ended. Leigh (and Diamond) ghosted me. The key thing that’s amazing about this is that Leigh and Diamond never formally rejected WOLF’S HEAD. Obviously they never accepted it, either. Ghosting can be destructive behaviour when one experiences it personally. But when a business does it? When a business that has a stranglehold on the Direct Market — which Diamond had at the time — does it? Well, at least with a rejection you know where you stand. I’ve been rejected boatloads of times. It ain’t fun, but you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and keep going. But the waiting, wondering if you’ll hear back? Wondering if the ghosting is just something else? That’s awful.

To this day I don’t know what happened. I debated pestering Leigh and Diamond again, but eventually COVID started and the distribution side of the industry exploded. And like many folks with COVID, I experienced a personal loss that put the brakes on a lot of things.

That said, I also don’t hold any animosity towards Leigh or even Diamond, though I’d be lying if I said that the experience wasn’t frustrating. Ghosting isn’t fun, but life goes on. I’m disappointed that Diamond — apparently — had no interest in distributing WOLF’S HEAD, but I’m also pleased that I’m in no way affected by their recent Chapter 11 Bankruptcy filing. Despite it all, Leigh is still listed at Diamond as a Purchasing Brand Manager.

The funny thing about the whole experience was that, in the intervening years, I kept working on WOLF’S HEAD and I kept growing. That led to receiving two separate $4,000.00 grants from the City of Ottawa for my work on the series, being shortlisted for a Peter Honeywell award for my work on it, and finding an audience despite the lack of access by Diamond. Despite it all, WOLF’S HEAD still continues and I’m having a helluva good time doing it.

Who knows, perhaps Diamond will rise like a phoenix and be reborn into something new. Or perhaps after consolidating so much of the distribution side of the Direct Market, they won’t rebound at all. If so, perhaps their fall will be a cautionary tale of what can happen when a company with so much going for it forgets that, at the end of the day, it’s human beings that make a difference. And it’s human beings, both inside Diamond and out, that matter.

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

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