Frequently Asked Questions

What's this story about?

WOLF'S HEAD is the story of Lauren, a young woman who quits her job as a police officer in Detroit and consequently struggles to find her place in society. After her mom makes an astounding discovery, Lauren must fight for their lives against forces that will stop at nothing to stop them.

What can you tell me about Lauren?

Honestly, I think this is best determined by reading the series. Wait, not good enough for you? Fair enough. Okay, let's see. Lauren is a young woman, in her early twenties, trying to figure out where she's at in life. She thought that being a police officer would be the "right" path for her. Turns out she was wrong. Frustrated, she's been trying to pick up the pieces ever since. But that isn't so easy; she gave up a good paying job and hasn't been able to find something else. Like most of us, she has rent to make and bills to pay. So, she's figuring these out as best she can, muddling through.

So WOLF'S HEAD is a contemporary story?

You bet! Set in present day Detroit and it takes place in our very real world.

What about Lauren's mom Patty?

She's the beating heart of the story, at least in its initial stages. She loves her daughter very much. And she dearly loves her dog, Sankó.

She's sick (rheumatic heart disease) and she knows it. And that has put a bit of a shadow on some of her life. Well, until something wonderful happens to her.

What's that?

To answer that, you'll have to start reading the series!

That's a cop out! Can't you say anything about it?

Whew, tough questions here. Okay, okay. I've got to answer you without giving spoilers, right? Let's see. Patty makes a discovery. She finds something and that something has changed her life. When WOLF'S HEAD first starts, in issue 1, Lauren isn't even aware of this discovery. What I love about it is that what Patty finds is profoundly based on her own humanity. Her love and passion for life. I really can't say anything more than that!

You've been working on this for a long time. What took so long to start spreading the word?

Yup, about three years now. Some of it was that I wanted to take things very easy and slow. Some of it was based on just how busy I've been; I was a bit worried that announcing it too early might lead to long lag times between issues (y'know, production delays and all that). Plus, it's not easy publishing. In fact, I really wasn't planning on publishing the series myself, but here's where I am.

Talk more about this.

Do I have to? Okay. I've been self-publishing my own work for ages and that's not new. I was hoping WOLF'S HEAD might find the right home in comics, especially in what we call the "Direct Market" (comic shops in other words), but that's been a tough battle. As popular as comics are, finding a publisher that believes in you isn't easy. So I decided, after a lot of false starts, to do it myself.

I am pretty pleased with the results. I think the books look great. WOLF'S HEAD is in full colour and that was a bit of a learning experience for me, but it really looks fantastic.

Colour? With a "u"? Are you Canadian?

Yup! I try to make sure that the issues themselves have American spelling, but I'm born and raised in Canada.

Are there any difficulties for a Canuck writing and drawing a series based in the United States?

I'd be lying if I said no. It took research and quite a bit of paying attention to try and makes things "read" correctly. I think I did a good job with it, but it'll come down to readers letting me know. So far, so good, so there's that.

Alright, let's get to the tricky issue.

Eh?

You know what I mean.

I do?

You're a white guy.

Ah. Yes, that's true.

Lauren, her mom, and a lot of the people in their lives are black.

Also true.

So do you think you're qualified to do this?

I have no idea how to answer that. Short answer is maybe not. 

Well, why do it?

Because representation matters. Because I was sick of seeing comics, at least mainstream and corporate comics, that featured the same kinds of characters that I saw when I was a kid. Because I think that it's important to do. Because I like pushing myself. Pushing boundaries, especially my own, and see where it takes me. Because I don't think writing only what I know is especially useful to anyone one, including me.

What about pushback to that?

What's the alternative? I only write and draw white people? White men? White Canadian men? How does that help anything?

You don't think it's presumptuous?

Maybe. But look: my mom, who died at 48, was diagnosed schizophrenic when I was a kid. Am I only supposed to write about that? Well, I did write about that. Hell, I was even in a beautiful film that talked about that. Am I doomed to only write about that? I don't think so. At the end of the day, I can only do the best I can, with the best sensitivity and storytelling that I can bring, and hope for the best.

Hope?

Yeah, hope. I hope that I've done my job right. I hope that readers, in general, believe in Lauren and her mom. Believe them to be real. Cheer for their victories and ache for their losses. If, in the balance, that happens, then I'm content. And if some think I've overstepped my bounds, well...so be it.

So how do you describe WOLF'S HEAD?

It's an action-adventure story set in our very real world with characters that have feet of clay. It's the kind of story I love writing. It's the kind of story I love drawing. I think Lauren, her mom, Sankó, and all the characters thrill and challenge readers. I hope people fall in love with the series. It's a lot of fun. Give it a shot!