Read WOLF'S HEAD issue 8 of the comic book series for free on the Internet Archive
Elevator Pitch
“Lauren Greene is a young Detroit woman whose life is turned upside down after her mom saves a newborn life-form, a kind of Artificial Intelligence (AI), from a secretive corporation that intended to use the powerful baby for war. When her mom dies, Lauren is left alone to figure out what to do with the new life-form while also trying to make ends meet in her real life. Desperate for help, she has reached out to ex-scientist, Jack Dhillon, who has a 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? This issue also introduces a new character, Super Bob Sanchez, a truck driver who is not (under any circumstance!) a hero.”SPLIT BOOK
WOLF’S HEAD is the first time in the series that I’ve tried something a little bit different. This issue is a “split” book. What’s that? Well, it’s an issue with two different stories with two different main characters. In this case, Lauren Greene is the star of the first story and Super Bob Sanchez is the star of the second!“Split” books fascinate me; back in the 1960s, Marvel Comics faced a unique situation. Due to their distribution arrangement with Independent News Co., Marvel could only distribute a certain amount of titles per month. Why? Because Independent New Co. was owned by National Periodical Publications, the company that owned DC Comics. As Stan Lee noted in an interview, Marvel’s output was “eight or 12 books a month, which was all Independent News Distributors would accept from us.” “Split” books were one solution to the problem this distribution restriction represented. By having two stars rather than one, I presume that Marvel hoped they could gain more sales. Eventually, Marvel grew so strong that they could avoid these restrictions. Characters that rubbed shoulders with one another in the “split” books now could star in their very own titles.
I have a soft spot for a lot of the “split” books, though. Primarily STRANGE TALES, but also TALES TO ASTONISH and TALES OF SUSPENSE. Part of the idea with this issue of WOLF’S HEAD was to celebrate these titles. However, I also faced a practical problem that was tricky to solve. With WOLF’S HEAD, I wear all the hats. I knew I needed to introduce Super Bob into the story, but I wanted his story to run separately to Lauren’s. Well, I could have launched a second title. Yikes! Even if I wanted to launch a second title, I simply don’t have enough time to do it. So what to do? One solution was to “cross-cut” their narratives, basically using parallel editing. While I’ve done that before, this was not my preferred solution this time. Trying to brainstorm a solution, I remembered these ol’ “split” books. And that’s the way I decided to go!
Why did I want to dedicate so much space for Super Bob, a character that Lauren hasn’t even met yet? The answer to that, he says cryptically, will become apparent next issue and even more so in issue 10! So stick around; it’s going to be a great deal of fun!
Key Links
Here are all of the key links:- Internet Archive link for WOLF’S HEAD Issue 8: https://archive.org/details/wolfs-head-008-by-von-allan
- WOLF’S HEAD Volume 4 (collecting Issues 7 and 8 of the series): https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-4.html
- Shop Page: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/shop.html
- Wolf’s Head Official Site: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/
WOLF’S HEAD Volume 4 Trade Paperback Graphic Novel
For those who would like to purchase a print copy, issue 7 and issue 8 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-4.html.
Multiple Ways to Read the Series
Digital Comics
You can read every issue of WOLF'S HEAD for free on the wonderful Internet Archive. You can click on any of the covers below to find that issue on the Internet Archive.
Trade Paperback Graphic Novels
What if you want to hold these comics in your hand? Easy! Trade paperbacks have been published in nine volumes so far. Each volume collects two issues of the digital series and are 60 pages in length. Most volumes also have sketches, background material, editorials, letters, and whatnot, too! These affordable paperbacks are available worldwide.
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. In addition to these links, all of the ISBNs for the trade paperbacks and the hardcover are also below, so you can always use that when you are chatting with your local bookseller or comic book shop.
WOLF’S HEAD Book 1 Hardcover Graphic Novel
Aside from the aforementioned trade paperback, the first story arc (consisting of the first six issues of the ongoing series and combining the first three volumes of the trade paperback) is also available! This is a deluxe hardcover, larger than the trade paperbacks, and printed on fantastic paper! For those who would like a more immersive experience, this is a great way to go. And like the trade paperbacks, the hardcover is widely available at better comic book stores, book shops, and online retailers all over the world! You can learn more about the hardcover at https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/2022/01/wolfs-head-book-1-in-hardcover-worldwide.html.
The first WOLF’S HEAD Story Arc
And, of course, you can always read the entire story arc for free at the Internet Archive! Please visit https://archive.org/search?query=creator%3A%22Von+Allan%22&sort=title for all the download links!
