Comics News
Laurence Alison Talks to Tripwire About Heartwood And Shares Some Art From The Book
A Cold Heart
Tripwire’s contributing writer Paul Neal recently had the opportunity to speak to one of the brightest rising stars in the comic industry, writer Laurence Alison.
While discussing the collected edition of his adaptation of the classic story of Odysseus, he also mentioned his latest project, Heartwood. Here is what Tripwire discovered…
TRIPWIRE: We have spoken a few times in the past. I gather you have a new comic named Heartwood at the Kickstarter funding stage. Could you tell me a little about the story first please? …BUT May I frame the question in this fashion please:
“If you were talking to an acquaintance that rarely buys comics, what is the Heartwood sales pitch? What makes Heartwood interesting to the casual or occasional comic fan that is seeking something new and interesting to read?”
LAURENCE ALISON: Heartwood combines my experience working in US law enforcement, my knowledge of the murdered and missing Indigenous women crisis, and my love of folk horror. But at its heart, it’s about a genuine hero. I’ve spent years writing some pretty awful people, so it was refreshing to write a detective with compassion, resilience and real moral courage. If I had to sum it up, I’d call it a cross between Fargo, Wind River and True Detective.
LA: Sarah is inspired by a couple of close friends, both women, one of whom was raised on a reservation before becoming a prominent investigator. Rather than copying any one person, I wanted to capture qualities I admire. Sarah is stoic and measured—a woman of few words whose words matter. Like the heartwood of a tree, something inside her has been permanently changed by her experiences, yet that inner strength is exactly what keeps everything else standing. She’s been one of the most rewarding characters I’ve ever written.
TW: From a casting point of view who, if it ever came to it, who would you choose to play your new character on screen?
LA: That’s an incredibly difficult question. There aren’t many Indigenous actresses working in exactly the right age range, and I never wrote Sarah with anyone specific in mind. Interestingly, I think Neil McClements loosely based his cover interpretation on Anna Gunn from Breaking Bad. Warwick Fraser-Coombe’s version is quite different—harder, tougher and less delicate. If Heartwood ever reached the screen, I’d much rather find the right actress than force a celebrity casting.
TW: Also, almost more interestingly, what does Sarah Heartwood sound like to you personally? Not necessarily to the reader, because that may be a subjective thing, but just to you? When you write your characters, can you actually hear their voices in your head?
LA: Not literally, but every character has a distinct voice. One of my writing rules is that if you removed the character names from the dialogue, readers should still know who’s speaking through cadence, vocabulary and rhythm alone. Sarah is incredibly economical with language. In some respects, she’s a little like Judge Dredd—except she has empathy.
She sounds solid, thoughtful and quietly confident. She never speaks just to fill silence. Every word has purpose, and if she has nothing worth saying, she’d rather remain silent than fill the air with nonsense.
TW: What should fans expect from Heartwood. Is this a complete story? Or are we looking at the first issue of a long running series? Is this the start of your first honest to God ongoing character?
LA: The current story is planned as a three-part arc, with this being the opening chapter. That said, I think Sarah is absolutely capable of carrying an ongoing series. I’d certainly love the opportunity to write more stories featuring her.
TW: Looking at the promotional images, I am getting a strong Fargo or a haunted Coen Brothers vibe. Would that be fair?
LA: Absolutely. The setting shares that same frozen, isolated landscape and harsh climate. Where Heartwood differs is in its tone. The characters are very different, and the story gradually becomes much darker, stranger and more supernatural.
LA: Having spent a great deal of time in northern Minnesota, I fell in love with the landscape. It feels like a genuine frontier—vast, beautiful and incredibly unforgiving. You can drive for hours without seeing another person, and there’s a feeling that civilisation is only ever a thin layer over something much older and much stranger. That isolation became central to the atmosphere of Heartwood.
TW: If Heartwood had a soundtrack to accompany the experience of reading it for the first time, what would you recommend?. What would set the mood?
LA: If I had to recommend one artist, it would be Avi Kaplan. In particular, his song Peace Somehow feels like the perfect opening theme for Heartwood. It captures both the melancholy and the quiet strength that run through the story.
TW: In fact, that inspires me to ask. Do you ever listen to any particular music to get the creative writing juices flowing as you write any given project? Or do you prefer to write in absolute silence?
LA: I often listen to music while plotting and developing ideas, but never while actually writing. Once I’m putting words on the page, I need complete silence.
TW: Could you please tell me all about the Kickstarter for Heartwood? When does it start, are there any exciting rewards for fans that are tempted to invest in your latest project?
LA: The Kickstarter is live now. All of Warwick Fraser-Coombe’s original artwork has already sold, but there are still sketch covers available from both Warwick and myself. There’s also a stunning Neil McClements variant cover that I’m incredibly proud of. I think there’s something for both collectors and readers alike.
TW: Finally in ten words or less please describe Heartwood?
LA: Weird supernatural thriller that doesn’t let up.
TRIPWIRE NOTE: Here is the all-important link to the Heartwood Kickstarter.
Finally, below is a gallery of art from Heartwood issue one.
The first image is the variant cover painted by artist Neil McClements followed by the main cover by series artist Warwick Fraser-Coombe, concluding with some pieces of interior art from the first issue.
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