Canis: Page 14

I think the true value of wolves is similar to the moon: I’m never going to experience it, but I’m glad it’s there. I have no more need to try and be a wolf than I need to try and grab the moon. I cannot be a wolf by owning wolf hybrids , running on all fours, or surrounding myself with other people who claim that inside, they’re wolves, too. The wolf as a symbol is more human than wolf, anyway.

Most stories are stories about how to survive death, to leave something meaningful behind after death, to find meaning in death, or even to die so that others may live. I have never seen any wolf comic address any of these aspects, despite wolves having the potential to plumb the themes of death and loyalty very deeply. (For that matter, no dog comic I’ve seen does it either; you’re lucky if the humans featured are even drawn right or are more than floating hands or boots. Oh, and they’re never nice. Because that never happens between humans and dogs.) A “culture of death” wolf pack would be very interesting to see. For that matter, a wolf trying to come to terms with his own inner savagery would make for a powerfully resonating human story; what are humans if not trying to overcome our propensity for violence? (Really, what else is the werewolf story but a metaphor for that?)

But death in wolf comics is rarely given stakes; if it appears at all, need I remind you, it’s strictly to show how badass the main character is, or how badass wolves are. Death and the handling of it are at the heart of every hero’s journey, and to see the element of death treated cavalierly automatically makes for a poor story. I like to think that the cattle man in Axe’s final panel has had his own life saved by Axe’s actions: his family will survive because his livelihood is safe. There’s many a man who’s fallen on his knees in gratitude to the gift of a dog.

Bluemoss selfishly escaped the slaughter in the valley, choosing survival over loyalty to her misguided companions. Looks like she settled for Ravenwind after all. Ravenwind behaves the most like a wolf. Shy of man, canny, selfish, and clever, he’s the one that will pass on his genes to the next generation. Because in nature, among real wolves, that’s how it works.

Now everyone go back and read the first page of Canis again. I guarantee you the context has changed.

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