The Case Files of Harlan Falk

Harlan Falk Character Concept Sketch by Scott James“You just can’t rely on anyone to be reasonable these days.”


The Case Files of Harlan Falk is the story of a man who literally makes deals with devils. Whether you’re involved in a territorial dispute with an invading parallel dimension, or simply looking to renegotiate terms with your local Tooth Fairy, Harlan Falk is ready to represent you. No win, no fee.

Falk is a character who’d been trying to talk his way into a story for a while – a “crisis resolution expert” who specialised in the supernatural. By the time Orang Utan’s Ian Sharman asked me for a contribution to the second Eleventh Hour anthology, all the pieces were in place and I was able to hit him with the pitch more or less straight away. The result was an eight-page prologue called “Carrion Camping”. A zombie siege is in progress at a holiday camp in the North of England, and Falk turns up with his partner William to negotiate a settlement. Heads roll, bullets fly and collateral is damaged. In the meantime, the character backgrounds I’d been working up for the story had taken on a life of their own and developed into a full four-part arc.

In the run-up to the 2008 Birmingham International Comics Show, Harry Markos asked me to bring along any story pitches I was working on. With close ties between Orang Utan and Markosia, a deal was quickly struck and The Case Files of Harlan Falk mini-series was born.

The art on Harlan Falk is provided by my Starship Troopers: Triple Threat collaborator, Scott James. Scott’s got a really strong, distinctive style, and was instantly able to get a feel for the story. There are plenty of files in Harlan Falk’s casebook, and many avenues I’d like to explore with the character.

For now, though – a friendly warning:

 

Beware of the Hellbilly.

Hellbilly concept sketch by Scott James. For The Case Files of Harlan Falk by Cy Dethan.

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