Werewolf comic fans might want to clear their afternoon schedules before reading any further. Werewolf News reader / supporter / all-around great dude Kurt just launched wereshere.com – a tremendous resource for anyone interested in comic books and graphic novels with werewolves in them.
The site is split into two sections: comics in Kurt’s collection, and comics he’s searching for. Both lists are enormous, and every entry leads to a page with tons of details on the issue. Publication info, characters, writers, artists and letterers are all present, and Kurt plans to start adding his own reviews, too. He was nice enough to answer a few questions I had about his collection and his site.
I count roughly 500 comics on the “own” section of the site. Is this your entire collection of werewolf comics, or only part of it?
The first collection listed on wereshere.com is every comic book and graphic novel that I have in physical print. This is NOT my entire collection. The second list of comics to dig up represent books that either I have come across and do not own or in some cases may not be available in print and only exist online. Drivethrucomics, Amazon Kindle, and Comixology contain some great materials by independent people who don’t have the financial support. And comic books and graphic novels are just at the edge of the wereshere forest.
What’s your criteria for adding a comic to the list? Can a werewolf appear anywhere in the issue, or do they need to be a character of a certain prominence?
There are actually a few titles already listed that are may not even be considered were-related to most. For example, I have an issue of Darkchylde that except for the cover art turned out not to have anything within its pages, but the issue caught my eye with what looked werewolf-related. If I see something that looks were-like, humanoid monster, or fur, fangs, and claws, that is enough in my book. Wereshere will start providing reviews and details on each of the materials listed so others can prey upon the flavors they want.
What’s your favourite single issue in the collection, and why?
Wow, do you have any difficult questions? That was wercasm if you didn’t catch it. To keep this question in proper context, Let keep the choices limited to the comic books then. One of my most lasting impressions was from a Batman miniseries called Scratch, specifically the final issue #5. At the time I read it, Scratch was a boy’s alter werewolf ego and until he was to accept this part of himself, the werewolf transformations resembled puberty because he could not control it and often times only a portion of his body might change, so maybe one of his hands would be a paw while the rest would remain human. I have never seen this metaphor used in another comic book and at the time I read the series, I could really connect. The messages delivered by the story and the art style itself really leaves an impression.
Are there any comics you’re searching for? What’s the best way for WN readers to reach you if they have something you’re interested in?
Without going into the what should a werewolf look like panel [I did a panel that touched on this topic at Howl Con – aq], I am always looking for new stuff usually with creatures that tend to resemble the Howling or American Werewolf in London appearance. I respect and pay homage to the Lon Chaney Jr. hairy face creatures, but I am a child of the 80’s and between Rick Baker, Rob Bottin, KNB Effects, or Stan Winston, the more lupine features are my idols. Also, gotta mention my late mentor Lance Pope of Haunted Verdun Manor who shed light and fur on many things. I have lots more to share and I hope wereshere will be my window to do just that. Twitter, tumblr, and email all point to me and I will keep my ears perked.
I met Kurt during Howl Con 2015, at a roundtable discussion about werewolves in comics (surprise!). It was my first panel and I was nervous, but the pretence of formality instantly dissolved when Kurt produced an enormous pile of werewolf comics, which he spread around the table and invited everyone to explore. He was generous and kind, and his enthusiasm for collecting, sharing and reading werewolf comics was infectious. Check out wereshere.com to get bitten by werewolf comics yourself!