Find Your Inner Wolf with Tom Neely

By Emma Krasov

Image: Tom Neely, The Wolf – book cover



The Wolf is a painted novel by artist Tom Neely, published by the author’s enterprise, I Will Destroy You.

The book explores eternal philosophical questions of identity, personal freedom, societal pressure, human ties and humanistic beliefs in poetic reincarnation. The story of a werewolf in love is presented in a childhood picture book format – a throwback to folk tales juxtaposing beast and red flower, hero and crowd, love and death.

(WARNING: Due to some sexual content this book is not suitable for children).

Neely’s art is skilled, dynamic, very engaging, and always manages to bring out the author’s main idea in the most accessible manner. The inspiration is palpable in the rhythms and tunes of his expressionist strokes, surges of color, and changing focal points.

Neely’s previous works include a graphic novel The Blot (Ignatz award 2007) and a selection of comic strip poems Brilliantly Ham-fisted, as well as other comic books – Your Disease Spread Quick, Bound and Gagged, and Doppelganger.

The artist received his MFA degree from San Francisco Art Institute, and will participate in the Alternative Press Expo (APE) at the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco October 1-2. The Wolf book tour is planned for September to start in the artist’s hometown of Los Angeles, and continue through California up to Seattle, Washington.More info: http://www.iwilldestroyyou.com/ and www.comic-con.org/ape.