Category: Books & Comics

Werewolves set in type and inked in panels.

Read my short story “The Librarian” in the upcoming Hic Dragones Anthology “Wolf-Girls”

When I posted last year about a call for submissions for a short fiction anthology centered on female werewolves, I didn’t expect that my submission would make the cut, yet here we are! My story “The Librarian” is one of seventeen stories in Wolf-Girls: Dark Tales of Teeth, Claws and Lycogyny, available June 29th from Hic Dragones. Here are the details:

lycogyny, n., the assumption by women of the
form and nature of wolves

New title from Hic Dragones
Wolf-Girls: Dark Tales of Teeth, Claws and Lycogyny

Edited by Hannah Kate
Price: £8.99
ISBN: 978-0-9570292-1-7
Available: 29th June 2012

Feral, vicious, fierce and lost… the she-wolf is a strange creature of the night. Attractive to some; repulsive to others, she stalks the fringes of our world as though it were her prey. She is the baddest of girls, the fatalest of femmes – but she is also the excluded, the abject, the monster.

The Wolf-Girls within these pages are mad, bad and dangerous to know. But they are also rejected and tortured, loving and loyal, avenging and triumphant. Some of them are even human…

Wolf-Girls is the second title from Hic Dragones, and it contains new stories from Kim Bannerman, Mary Borsellino, J. K. Coi, Helen Cross, Marie Cruz, Beth Daley, Rosie Garland, Jeanette Greaves, Hannah Kate, L. Lark, Lyn Lockwood, R. A. Martens, Lynsey May, Mihaela Nicolescu, Sarah Peacock, Andrew Quinton and Nu Yang. This is the first time my fiction has been published anywhere, and I am absolutely honoured to be in such fine company.

If you’re in the Manchester area on June 29th, you would be wise to attend the Wolf-Girls launch party. I won’t be in attendance because somebody decided to situate my city 7,340 km away, but there’ll be readings from contributors, giveaways, competitions and wine, so somebody please go and have a good time on my behalf.

Hey Mom, Dad, I did it!

Jun. 14th 2012

Don’t pedal so hard, Bill! Stephen King’s “IT” to become two-part Warner Bros. film

According to The Hollywood Reporter, we can expect not one but two films based on Stephen King’s epic doorstop of a book, IT. Warner Bros. has chosen Cary Fukunaga to direct, and he and screenwriter Chase Palmer are splitting the story into a two-part film. No release date or casting details… yet.

I like the two-part approach, since It really tells two tales that encompass the same characters and themes, but divide them with 27 years. In both parts of the story, a central cast of characters (the “Losers Club”) faces a nameless monster that incapacitates its victims by appearing as the victim’s worst fear. The novel alternates between the two time periods, but for the sake of keeping the storylines straight, I hope the first part of the film focuses on the 1950’s Losers Club and the second with their grown-up counterparts.

It is one of the first “grown-up” books I read. I couldn’t have been older than eight or nine, and I know I didn’t understand most of what was happening in the book, but reading about Bill Denbrough‘s encounter with “It’s” werewolf disguise is one of my most vivid childhood memories. I must have re-read those pages a dozen times, hoping each time that somehow the story would change and werewolf-It would be just a little faster, and snatch Stuttering Bill off his bike. And I liked Bill! I’m glad they kept the werewolf in the 1990 made-for-TV version, even if they did completely re-write the scene. I hope Fukunaga and Palmer keep the original scene in the new films.

The real question, though, is this: will they ask Tim Curry to make a cameo appearance? Curry’s turn as the monster’s “Pennywise the Dancing Clown” persona in the 1990 adaptation is the stuff of legends!

Jun. 9th 2012

A Double Dose of Deering: Original Werewolf Painting Sale & Anathema #1 For Free

I have two Rachel Deering – related things for you this morning. Firstly: original werewolf painting for sale! In an effort to finance some 2012 convention appearances and book printing costs, Rachel is selling an original 3′ x 4′ acrylic painting by Ohio tattoo artist and painter Toby Gehrlich. Created in payment for designing Gehrlich’s art book, this fearsome beast has lived in Rachel’s office since 2011, and now it can hang in your office, den or nursery. If you’re interested, get in touch with her via Twitter.

Secondly: if you’ve wanted to read the first issue of Rachel’s werewolf comic Anathema but missed out on both Kickstarter campaigns through which it was available, get ready. Are you ready? Good. Now, click this link for a free PDF of the first issue in its entirety. That’s right, she’s giving away the first issue of Anathema for free. If you haven’t read it yet, please stop what you’re doing and dedicate the next 20 minutes of your life to some serious self-enrichment involving werewolves and righteous vengeance.

May. 29th 2012

Werewolf Wednesday Digest – May 2012, Part 1

It’s been a few weeks since my last celebration of Werewolf Wednesday, but when I woke up in my Boston hotel room this morning, I had this inspirational image by Tandye in my inbox, so I knew the time was right. (more…)

May. 16th 2012

Werewolf News Favourite Graphic Novel “Feeding Ground” Film Rights Optioned

The Hollywood Reporter says that one of my all-time favourite graphic novels, 2011’s Feeding Ground, has been optioned by veteran producer Edward R. Pressman. Alfonso Gomez-Rejon will direct a screenplay by Carlos Coto.

“Feeding Ground is an intense and terrifying thriller with a subtle but pointed commentary on immigration in modern America,” said Pressman. “The graphic novel is so cinematic in nature — as soon as I read it, I knew we could make a film that would resonate with a wide audience.”

I think “cinematic” is an understatement. After reading the first issue, I wrote that the “heat, desperation and simmering violence of the Busqueda family’s world is evident” in every panel, and if it can be successfully translated to the big screen… wow. I’m very excited for the three friends who created the book – Swifty, Michael and Chris. For more on the deal, including background on the names involved (Pressman’s done some fun stuff), read the whole article on the THR site. And if you haven’t read Feeding Ground yet, the first issue is available for free on Graphicly.com, and the whole thing is on Amazon for less than $20.

May. 12th 2012

With a week to go, indie werewolf horror comic Anathema needs your help

There’s seven days to go on the Kickstarter campaign to fund the remaining five issues of Anathema, and with a current shortfall of $4,480, I’m starting to get a little nervous. See, I think this comic series is something that really needs to happen, and not just because I loved issue 1.

As a writer myself, and the spouse of an illustrator, it’s in my nature to root for independent creative types, particularly when they’re talented, focussed and driven. Those three words form a creative version of the Project Management Triangle, and to find all three of them in effect at the same time is extremely rare. Creative people who makes smart, cohesive and well-executed stuff wants to get their stuff out there so people can see it (and buy it), but for every Miss Monster or Scott C., there’s a hundred equally-talented creators who mean well but just can’t get their shit together. Rachel Deering is in the company of those creators that have somehow achieved the mystical trifecta, and Anathema’s first issue has already proved she knows how to use that condition to produce something awesome.

$4,480 is not an insignificant amount of money, but if everyone who’s visited Werewolf News in the last month put a quarter in the jar, we’d have helped her clear the hurdle with room to spare. If you’ve been on the fence about whether to pledge or not, please, now’s the time to make a no-risk, guaranteed-to-pay-off investment in something great. Remember, you get something for your contribution, and if the project doesn’t get funded, you don’t pay anything.

If you’ve already pledged something, consider following David Fuller’s example and boost your pledge amount a little bit. In fact, I’m going to go do that right now. Boosting my pledge from $75 to $85 means I get to buy two less coffees this month, and it gets me a tiny bit closer to enjoying a lesbian werewolf comic series created by someone who’s really good at it.

Apr. 23rd 2012

Werewolf Wednesday Digest – April 2012, Part 2

Hey, what do you know, it’s Werewolf Wednesday again! Put on your special bib and suck the marrow out of these bloody tidbits.

A week or two ago, I was asked to provide a Twitter signal boost for a search being undertaken to identify this handsome devil. A number of people came to our collective rescue and identified the creature as a were-hyena (or werewolf) created by Spectral Motion for an ultimately deleted scene from Blade: Trinity. Not content to leave it there, reader Nyetwerke sent in this video of Spectral staff building the suit. Fascinating stuff!

Hugh Sterbakov, Emmy-nominated and Annie Award-winning writer of Robot Chicken, has released his debut novel City Under The Moon. He was kind enough to provide me with a review copy, which I’ll be diving into during my train commutes starting next week. The opening page was enough to hook me – have a look at the sample and see for yourself. If you dig it, you can get it at a $4 discount on Amazon.

My cause of the month is coming along nicely! The Anathema Kickstarter is $6k-and-change away from its $20k goal, with a week and a half to go. I’ve pledged more money to it than I’ve spent on Werewolf News in the last year; if you haven’t pledged anything, I want you to feel bad about yourself for five seconds and then please, go chip in five or ten bucks. Remember, if the fundraising goal isn’t met, you don’t get charged.

Subterranean Press has just published a very bestial 5,600-word short story by Locus-nominated author and charming geek-dandy Hal Duncan. The title of the story is Sic Him, Hellhound! Kill! Kill! I made that link open in a new window so you can go read the story when you’re done here. Read it. It’s filthy in all the right ways.

My Werewolf Wednesday cohort David Fuller is in search of the best tune to wolf out to. Today he looks at 11 werewolf-related songs spanning a variety of genres (including a selection by yours truly), and asks you to vote for your favourite (or suggest your own). Have a listen!

Here’s some follow-up! As mentioned in the previous Werewolf Wednesday, Simon Sanchez wrote in to tell me about his comic Nazi Werewolves from Outer Space, but he neglected to provide a link. He’s now provided a link to the comic’s Facebook page, which contains purchase information and some delightfully campy samples.

And that concludes this Werewolf Wednesday! Thanks for reading!

Apr. 18th 2012

Werewolf Wednesday Digest – April 2012, Part 1

Lately I’ve been seeing the #WerewolfWednesday hashtag pop up on Twitter. I don’t know who started it, but I like it, and I feel bad that I rarely have anything special to post on that particular day. Now, at the suggestion of @DavidJonFuller, I’m going to try Doing A Thing (and David is, too). Every Wednesday I’m going to post a digest of all the werewolfy goings-on that I’ve heard about during the previous six days but didn’t get a chance to post about (or that didn’t warrant a post of its own, for whatever reason). So, here we go!

David Fuller has an excellent interview with Rachel Deering, writer / creator of that Anathema comic I’ve been crowing about lately. I’m always interested in hearing what creative werewolf fans have to say, especially those that can actually deliver on their creative vision. Rachel’s one of those.

Here are two nice lookin’ shirts on RedBubble, designed by HeartJack: Sons of Lycanthropy and Memorial Werewolf Hunt. Love the designs, although I can’t condone the second one.

I’ve only watched the first five minutes of RED MOON, a very silly but highly agreeable little film by Sirocco Research Labs. When I get a minute I’ll watch the rest for sure – I’m compelled by four words: Soviet werewolf submarine captain.

Want some more compelling words? Nazi Werewolves from Outer Space. This sounds like a Rob Zombie concept album, but it’s actually a graphic novel by Simon Sanchez and Dean Juliette. That’s literally all I know about it – Simon emailed me about it, but the email just said “‘Check out my new comic. It’s called “Nazi Werewolves from Outer Space.’ I have a fan page for it on Facebook.” No links or anything. So, maybe it’s good? If you read it, let me know.

Hannah Kate, proprietor of the She-Wolf blog and organizer of the upcoming Manchester Monster Conference, has just posted a delicious essay comparing the portrayal of werewolves and teenage girls in tween-targeted fiction. Monster High vs. Sweet Valley High was an excellent (if ultimately dispiriting) lunchtime read, especially if you’re familiar with either of the franchises.

Lastly, Werewolf News has a Pinterest account, which I hope will replace the now-defunct Fuzzy Camera. If you thought Pinterest was the domain of picky brides-to-be, amateur home decorators and fashionistas… you’d probably be right. But I aim to get some monstrous werewolf stuff in there! All up ins, to paraphrase Jerry Holkins.

And that concludes the first Werewolf News Werewolf Wednesday!

Apr. 4th 2012

Anathema – Help Keep the Epic Lesbian Werewolf Horror Comic Alive!

If you read my Twitter-review of Anathema last week, you won’t be surprised that I am flippin’ stoked about this: the writer/creator of Anathema has launched a new Kickstarter campaign to get the remaining five issues created.

If you didn’t read that review, or if you are very forgetful, you can get acquainted with Anathema via this 5-page preview of issue 1. Or, avail yourself of this tidy summary from the new Kickstarter page:

Anathema is a six issue limited series horror comic that tells the story of Mercy Barlowe, a tormented young woman with a dark side. She must fight through treacherous lands and unspeakable horrors to reclaim her lover’s soul, which has been stolen by members of a sinister cult, bent on resurrecting a terrible and ancient evil.

In issue #1, we saw Mercy’s world torn asunder, and watched as she accepted the curse of the wolf. Can Mercy learn to harness her horrible new powers and stop the raven cult before they succeed in their vile plan? Mercy needs your help to see her journey through!

The campaign runs until April 30th, with a goal of $20,000. As I’m writing this, over $4,000 has been pledged so far. The money will pay for illustrator Chris Mooneyham and colourist Fares Maese to finish what they started: creating the visuals to accompany Rachel Deering‘s story. Given that the first issue’s goal was $6,000, we’re getting a pretty wicked discount on the remaining five. Your thrifty mom would totally approve (just don’t tell her it’s a horror comic about a lesbian werewolf avenging the murder and soul-theft of her lover – some moms get weird about that).

In addition to the comics themselves, there are some excellent pledge rewards, including a copy of the now-unavailable issue 1, original artwork pen & ink from issue 1, pinup art from Chris Mooneyham, and a general sense of satisfaction. I was too slow / poor to get the pledge item I really wanted ($500 for the 2-page spread of Mercy’s first transformation), but you can bet your ass I’ll be ponying up a solid contribution a little later this week.

Now, since I really believe this project needs to happen, I’m going to try a two-pronged approach for the “ask” portion of this post. If you are a nice and gentle person, read item 1 below. If you are a snarky comic snob, read item 2.

  1. Werewolf friends, I implore you: help get this awesome comic series completed. I’ve chatted a bit with Rachel and she’s every bit as excited and committed to this project as Jeff Davis was about the Teen Wolf show (and look how that turned out). Alas, Rachel doesn’t have an MTV-style budget, so please consider pledging a few bucks. I will love you forever.
  2. Only Kickstarter contributors and a lucky few reviewers got copies of Anathema’s 1st issue. When positive reviews started popping up, Twitter and the blog-o-sphere began to roil with the mewling cries of comics fans who missed the boat the first time around. If your voice was among that warbling cacophony, here’s a second chance to climb aboard. Stop scratching that neckbeard and get your credit card out!

In conclusion, Rachel Deering makes a good comic and you should help her out. Thank you and good day.

Apr. 3rd 2012

Beautiful & Cruel graphic novel WOLVES by Becky Cloonan, available on iTunes & Graphicly for a buck

Illustrator Becky Cloonan has made her self-published short graphic novel WOLVES available on the iTunes store for $0.99. I bought the book right after I saw her tweet about it, and then spent 20 breathless minutes pinching and flicking at my iPhone’s screen so I could get a better look. I loved what I saw, and for $0.99, I think you will too.

From the book’s page on Becky’s site:

As a lone hunter tracks an elusive beast through the forest, he reflects on his life and past love through a series of flashbacks, bringing the story to a climax that is as romantic as it is violent. This powerful mini-comic lends itself to multiple read-throughs, never giving concrete answers but (like the best enigmatic endings) leaves your own conclusions satisfying.

The story is simple but well-realized, and the black & white artwork is full of ominious hard shadows and evocative close-ups. I didn’t find the ending enigmatic at all – by the last few pages, it’s pretty clear what’s going on, and although I find most short stories leave me wanting more, I was completely satisfied with the conclusion of WOLVES.

The original print run has sold out, but as I mentioned all the way back at the top of this post, a digital version is available on iTunes for $0.99. You can also get it from Graphicly for the same price.

Mar. 29th 2012