Read WOLF'S HEAD issue 12 of the comic book series for free on the Internet Archive

Elevator Pitch

“Faced with the disappearance of Billy, a homeless man determined to find the lost gold rumored to be hidden within Alaska’s abandoned Safeguard Missile Complex, Lauren Greene sets out to find him — along with her dog Sankō and the young Artificial Intelligence they’ve sworn to protect. She must proceed carefully; Lauren has managed to stay under the radar of the corporate forces that created the AI, and she can’t risk doing anything to change that. Her search leads them deep into the eerie, shadowed relic of Safeguard. Inside, Lauren uncovers more than treasure: she comes face-to-face with a nightmarish creature that should not exist. Caught between immediate dangers lurking underground and the ever-present, distant threat of pursuers watching from the shadows, Lauren must navigate a daunting path to protect those she loves.”

Key Links

Here are all of the key links:

• Internet Archive link for WOLF’S HEAD Issue 12: https://archive.org/details/wolfs-head-012-by-von-allan/
• WOLF’S HEAD Volume 6 (collecting Issues 11 and 12 of the series): https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/wolfs-head-volume-6.html
• Shop Page: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/p/shop.html
• Wolf’s Head Official Site: https://wolfs-head.vonallan.com/

HORROR

This issue was both a great deal of fun and one helluva challenge to write and draw. Why? Well, so far at least, WOLF’S HEAD has had a lot of action, adventure, emotion, and drama. And while there have been terrifying moments (including when Patty, Lauren’s mom, died), there hasn’t been any horror. This issue does. And that’s pretty special.

Wait, why special? Well, one of my convictions about comics — as a medium — is that any type of story can be told. This was, once upon a time, a contentious argument. There were those people in North America who felt that comics told simple stories mainly aimed at young children… and that was the end of it. Case closed. Hah! While obviously a stereotype and not a particularly sophisticated one at that, the past few decades how clearly showed that this is not the case. Comics are a medium and thus can use genre to tell any type of story.

For WOLF’S HEAD, I’ve long wanted to explore horror. And, for me, that means character-based horror. Something that terrifies Lauren, the main character in WOLF’S HEAD, as well as the reader. That is not such an easy thing to do. I debated a lot on how to do this and how to make it work. Plus a lot of research, too. Andrea Subissati over at RUE MORGUE came up with a definition that I quite like: “Horror is any art that aims to recreate an extreme feeling of repugnance and fear by usually—but not always—using elements of violence and/or the supernatural. So how does horror, as an art form, accomplish this recreation of physiological responses and what might that look like? Well, that’s going to be the hardest part to explain to an alien because really that’s the most exciting part of being a horror fan. There are so many ways to do it and content creators are finding new ways to freak us out all the time. That’s part of what makes the genre so rich.”

Did I do a good job? I hope so. As always, you’ll have to tell me!

WOLF’S HEAD Volume 6 Trade Paperback Graphic Novel

For those who would like to purchase a print copy, issue 11 and issue 12 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-6.html.

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 second 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!