Read WOLF'S HEAD issue 5 of the comic book series for free on the Internet Archive

Elevator Pitch

“Lauren Greene is forced to deal with the recent death of a loved one. Trying to place the massive loss, Lauren’s situation is made all the harder as she struggles to come up with the money for the funeral, deals with the disappearance of her mom’s dog, and attempts to communicate with the strange artificial intelligence her mom had befriended.”

Key Links

Here are all of the key links:

• Internet Archive link for WOLF’S HEAD Issue 5: https://archive.org/details/wolfs-head-005-by-von-allan
• WOLF’S HEAD Volume 3 (collecting Issues 5 and 6 of the series): https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-3.html
• Shop Page: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/shop.html
• Wolf’s Head Official Site: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/

Loss

Whew, this was one tough issue to write and draw. Why? Lauren is dealing with the death of… well, revealing that would be spoilers so I’ll just say someone very close to her. I wanted to make damn sure I handled that death as realistically as possible. While comics can tell any story in any genre, I feel that for WOLF’S HEAD, realism is what counts. Knowing that Lauren is poor meant having to figure out the costs of a funeral actually are. And how cold and inhumane so much of how our society, both American and Canadian, handles death. While Lauren certainly isn’t naive, she’s still shocked when she comes face-to-face with it, and we see that and feel that in this issue.

At the same time, I didn’t want to wallow in the death. Lauren is strong and while her grief overwhelmed her, the strength she possesses was something that she could fall back on. That and the love of her friends. That love and empathy forms a big part of the story and is an aspect of the series that I don’t talk too much about. Perhaps I should, but I think it shines through when one sits down and reads an issue or two.

Of course, the death isn’t a loss Lauren feels alone. And when a certain character also feels that loss, Lauren is shocked… perhaps more shocked then she really ever has been. Dealing with that was a great deal of fun and I think builds very plausibly from what occurred over the course of the previous issues. How will it all play out? Well, that’s something we’ll see begin to unfold over the course of the next few issues. Especially the next one, where the seeds of certain events finally start to grow.

Death is always hard. I’ve dealt with it a fair bit in my own life, some of which I’ve discussed here and here. I wanted to do a story that drives that loss home, but I think in a way that creates a great deal of hope. This issue also represents some of the best art I’ve ever done, especially the light house scene that ends the issue.

WOLF’S HEAD Volume 3 Trade Paperback Graphic Novel

For those who would like to purchase a print copy, issue 5 and issue 6 are collected together in a 60 page trade paperback graphic novel. So while you can always read the series for free, print-lovers are well-represented, too! You can learn more about the graphic novel at https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-3.html.