Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, electric light orchestra, elo, entertainment, kickstarter, wolver of summer

Wolves Of Summer – The Secret Ingredient Is… ELO?

Published Sat, 03 Jan 2015 12:00:25 -0600

Tony Ohaste writes,

Although they bare the distinction of being two of my favorite magically transportive things on Earth, The Electric Light Orchestra and comic books share one more similarity. While both can represent unabashedly flashy staples of trashy pop excess, that doesn't mean that that's all they have to offer. Just as there are more pleasures to be had in comics aside from the latest spandex punch-ups, if all you know of ELO is the high-pitched battle cry of 'Brrrruuuuuce', or the sugary, roller rink-tethered nightmare of Xanadu, do yourself a favor and dig deeper. Like with comics, the deeper you go, the more rewarding your journey will be.

Start with 1972's No Answer.

If you had to blame my first comics writing foray, Wolves Of Summer, on something, blame this record. As I first heard the opening doom-laden notes of the haunting, apocalyptic chamber pop of "Queen of the Hours", I was immediately transported. The story I was trying to write came alive. Before me ran a wild pack of Hitler Youth, across a green field, smiling, chasing after a figure in the distance. I saw the panels progress. Soon the sky would darken. Soon the rain would fall. As the other kids lose steam and breath, and start lagging behind, we close in on the figure. We see it's a boy; a boy carrying a rifle. Now the sky is pitch black. The boy turns around to face us. The boy is wearing a mask; a crude, frightening mask worn by Nazi guerilla fighters who called themselves werewolves. We lock wide, shocked eyes with the boy, as he sees the last sight he will ever see: Us. The chorus kicks in.

The page turns.

Thank you, Jeff Lynne.

When it came to the story's climax, I came across the bombastic, impossibly epic closing seconds of "Poor Boy (The Greenwood) from 1974's Eldorado. I wanted to capture the pace, the emotion, the essence of the song's ending in my own story's ending. The song is a speeding freight train leading to such a crescendo, that the listener feels as if they might fall over when the sound finally drops out. I hope I've achieved this. Regardless of the synthesis' success, I couldn't be more proud of the work artist extraordinaire Andrew Herbst and I put into this, our debut book.

Wolves Of Summer is the story of a group of German boys caught up in the last violent days of World War 2. Some of the boys are fanatical Hitler Youth calling themselves Werewolves; some are simply fighting for survival in the ashes of their occupied homeland. After a failed raid leaves most of their squad dead, 5 of these boys take to the wild of the Harz Mountains to plan their next move. As their desperate story unfolds, we flash forward in time to the year 1971. It's here we meet Johnny Summer, the only survivor of the doomed Werewolf Squadron. Haunted by the horrors of his past, he comes across one last chance to redeem himself. Is he beyond redemption? What is the secret of his final mission?

I was initially attracted to the story of the Werewolves because I had never seen anything quite like it in comics or other media. As I further researched the subject, I found a fascinating and disturbing secret history of brainwashed youth and power in collapse that still feels relevant today, 70 years after the fact.

We're now entering the final days of our Kickstarter journey, hoping to soon return home with the precious elixir of a printed book. Help us make it happen.

Thank you for your support. Read comics and listen to more ELO!

Playlists

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVkZt9XVR3nZuN-9NcyAuJL8Oo9PXC1Rd[/youtube]
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVkZt9XVR3nZDM97l9aqNMRMAYQxjUw0n[/youtube]

Social Links:
On Twitter @WolvesofSummer
Facebook.com/wolvesofsummer
www.wolvesofsummer.com

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