Wolves - Becky Cloonan

For those who have listened to Episode 13 of the podcast you will know I was raving about Becky Cloonan's 'The Mire', her self-published haunted fantasy comic. Well, in 2011 she self-published a precursor of sorts called 'Wolves'.

Self-published comics are usually, almost by default, a labour of love. That's certainly the feeling that 'Wolves' exudes. The small, short, black and white comic just feels much more intimate than a big glossy 'professional' comic. I'll hopefully touch on this in more detail in a later blog or episode, but the feeling that a comic has been made just for you helps you connect with the art and narrative in a way that a blatantly mass produced piece of art never could.

'Wolves' is a short story, and reads like the literary expectation of that would; carefully building an atmosphere through a simple narrative, with a 'twist' ending that on second reading makes you feel foolish for not twigging the first time round. The tale follows a hunter through darkened woods in pursuit of his vulpine prey. Things quickly turn out to be more than expected, leading to a low key and sombre finale with echoes of the aforementioned 'The Mire'.

Cloonan's artwork is perfectly suited to this 'Game of Thrones'-esque tale, which will come to no surprise to those who have seen her Conan, Dracula and Northlanders work. Somehow mixing clean and crisp lines with a sense of the dark and foreboding, her drawing evokes the Gothic illustrations of a Brothers Grimm fairytale.

Taken together with 'The Mire' it is clear Cloonan's talent extends beyond simply drawing and I look forward to seeing more of her as a writer.

Both comics are available to order from her website. Wolves can also be downloaded from there for a measly $0.99.

Wolves

Becky Cloonan

Self-published

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