A phenomenal review of my work, including Wolf's Head

I have been remiss. David Beard, Writing Studies BA Program Coordinator, Professor of Rhetoric, did a fantastic review of my work over at the International Journal of Comic Art blog. IJOCA is run by Mike Rhode and Professor Emeritus John A. Lent and they do a terrific job. I’m actually a bit stunned by the quality of IJOCA; it’s really good stuff. I know subscribing to an academic journal can be problematic, but the blog is free and is full of great content.

Which brings me to Beard’s review of my work. I’ll be honest; I’m small press and I self-publish, to boot. Getting reviews isn’t easy at the best of times and I’ve certainly noticed that getting reviews over the past few years is pretty damn hard. I don’t mean positive reviews. I mean ANY reviews. I’ve lost count of how many folks I’ve emailed that simply never respond¹.

David Beard, on the other hand, took an amazingly deep dive into my work and I’m incredibly honoured by that. I’m tempted to excerpt quotes and whatnot, but the best way is to simply share the review. You can find it at https://ijoca.blogspot.com/2024/01/letting-everyday-speak-its-own-power.html. Oh, and even better, it will appear in the print edition in the not-too-distant future, too!

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

1 One of the sites that really bugs me is Broken Frontier. I have no idea why, but apparently these folks won’t touch my work with a ten foot pole. I’ve even reached out to Andy Oliver, their longtime Editor-in-Chief (and apparently owner), and all I hear back are crickets. So it goes and all of that, but since they apparently like championing small press and/or self-published comics, it’s more than a little galling.

Some early WOLF'S HEAD reviews

Some early reviews of my comic series WOLF'S HEAD are slowly but surely making the rounds. I've included a few snippets below. If you've read any of the issues so far, please consider rating (and even reviewing them!) over on Goodreads.

WOLF'S HEAD issue 1: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36809058-wolf-s-head

WOLF'S HEAD issue 2: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41562440-wolf-s-head

WOLF'S HEAD issue 3: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43396709-wolf-s-head
 

Review Snippets

The Midwest Book Review: "This new and original, full color, deftly scripted, impressively illustrated comic book series is a fully engaging, page-turner of a read and would prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to personal reading lists and community library collections."

The Comics Beat:  Philippe Leblanc from The Comics Beat did an in-depth review of the first two issues. It's great, so please go have a look!

Various Goodreads Reviews

Issue 1: "I loved reading this book and recommend you try it out. 1) Really strong female characters. 2) The plot is not just compelling, but highly relevant to what's happening in our world today."

Issue 2: "I bought this issue because I'm a big fan of Von Allan--particularly "the road to god knows"--and I'm glad I did. It was an intriguing and engaging read, with likable (yet prickly and real-feeling) protagonists, big surprises, and some super sketchy super villains."

Issue 3: "After reading the first two issues, I was deeply into the plot and characters--intrigued and invested. In this issue, the story line accelerates and explodes and I reached a new warp speed of page-turning. Can't wait for the next issue!"