new zealand has a rich—if often overlooked—tradition of folk legends and tall tales. the heading dog who split in half collects together some of the best of these, artfully adapted as graphic tales and complete with background notes. together these stories conjure up the ‘old, weird new zealand’: a place of phantom waka, romantic escapades in the early whaling days, magical sheepdogs and gargantuan crayfish. the book includes pākehā, māori and general new zealand tales from around the country, including the poignant legend of dunedin’s tunnel beach, tales of lake tarawera’s ghostly canoe, musterers’ yarns from the canterbury high country, and more. the heading dog who split in half uncovers a new zealand not found in the history books, but which exists as a country of the imagination, half-familiar, half-dream.

this beautiful book is a collaboration between writer michael brown and comics artist mat tait. about ten years ago, while undertaking postgraduate research into new zealand folk music, brown came across various local folk tales which he thought deserved to be more widely known. after approaching tait, whose distinctive comics have been acclaimed in new zealand and overseas, they began adapting these stories and soon piqued the interest of the local comics community. the result is the heading dog who split in half, an anthology consisting mostly of previously unpublished material, which will appeal to graphic novel fans young and old, together with aficionados of kiwi cultural history.