Wolf's Head: Issue 2

by Von Allan

Lauren Greene and her mother, Patty, have a huge disagreement over the future of a self-aware AI that her mom saved from a lab and sheltered from its war-mongering creators. Angry at her mother's stubbornness and terrified of the world they're suddenly involved in, Lauren storms out only to be kidnapped by Jeremy Hamilton, the powerful man who invented the AI. Later that night, in trade for Lauren's freedom, Patty surrenders herself and the AI machine to Hamilton.

Freed by Hamilton's goons and assured that her mother is safe and will be released the next day, Lauren returns home to wait. But later that night, she learns, to her horror, that Patty has been suddenly hospitalized in critical condition and the AI is missing. Since the AI has protected her mother in the past, Lauren races against time to find it, hoping that it can save Patty yet again. As she searches frantically, and with her world turned upside down, Lauren must confront an old enemy, dodge new ones, and find the AI, which might not want to be found...before it's too late for everyone.

50 pages, Paperback

First published July 17, 2018

About the author

Von Allan was born red-headed and freckled in Arnprior, Ontario, just in time for Star Wars: A New Hope. The single child of two loving but troubled parents, Von split most of his childhood between their two homes and, consequently, spent a lot of time in the worlds of comics and wrestling. And, to be perfectly honest, what comics and piledrivers didn't teach him, science fiction did. He worked at a small independent bookstore in Ottawa for many years, all the while working on story ideas in his spare time-- eventually, he decided to make the leap to a creative life.

Von currently lives in Ottawa, Canada, with his writer/editor geek wife, Moggy and their husky dog, Corbin.

Von was recently featured in the documentary film I AM STILL YOUR CHILD written and directed by Megan Durnford (http://iamstillyourchild.com) and produced by Katarina Soukup of Catbird Films (http://catbirdfilms.ca). His artwork was also featured in a CBC Arts video profile at http://www.cbc.ca/arts/exhibitionists...

Reviews

[Mike Levin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing like some sex to speed up the pace of a story.

Von Allan opens Issue 2 of his Wolf’s Head series with a sex scene involving lead character ex-cop Lauren Greene. And the pace picks up from there.

Lauren and her mother Patty seem to like arguing, amid declarations of mutual love, and continue squabbling about the artificial-intelligence (AI) entity that Patty stole from her job. It was rescued, Patty claims, and the “being” has now become the focus of the narrative.

This is also when Allan starts to reveal just how evil Patty’s corporate CEO boss is, calm with moments of pure insanity. A liitle extortion and kidnapping never hurts if it means getting his “experiment” back, and if the body count adds up, then that’s a small price to pay.

His lunacy is nicely balanced by Lauren’s despair when things go terribly wrong and we’re left wondering how big a part the AI will play in Wolf Island’s next issue.

[Wordmechanic · Rating 5 out of 5]

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. I am eager to dive into the next issue, and I'm also wondering where on earth (or elsewhere?) Von Allan will take this series next. I've always enjoyed Allan's artwork, but he's gotten even better. I loved fine touches like his re-creation of the Detroit Federal Theatre Project poster (great for a WPA wonk like me to find), and it was a treat to see his "Take Two" of an illustration from "the road to god knows." One last thought: I appreciate the impeccable editing of this issue and high-quality look and feel. Easily 95% of the books I buy on Amazon--from huge publishers and independent publishers alike--feature typos and poor-quality construction. Not "Wolf's Head!"

[KimStitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's just so real in it's scifi. So easy to relate to all the characters down on their luck.