If you’re a fan of fantasy adventure or science fiction, there’s a good chance you’re familiar with the work of Richard C. White. Among his many achievements, he’s the bestselling author of the media tie-in original novel Gauntlet: Dark Legacy, Book 1: Paths of Evil (based on the 1999 Midway fantasy video game) and the novella Star Trek SCE: Echoes of Coventry, and a contributor to a host of genre anthologies ranging from superheroes to Doctor Who.
And today, Rich turns 65!
I’ve known Rich since 1992, back in the earliest, small-press-comics days of StarWarp Concepts—he’d originally been a customer who ordered one of my Lorelei digest comics, but then one day he pitched me an idea for a comic about a team of superheroes for hire who specialize in supernatural cases of villainy. He called it Troubleshooters, Incorporated, and I liked the concept so much that I wound up editing, lettering, and publishing the two completed issues—and I’ve been editorially beating up his manuscripts and comic scripts ever since! (He’s a glutton for punishment.)
Rich expanded Troubleshooters to a full-size comic in 1995, publishing a three-issue miniseries through his indie house NightWolf Graphics, and I followed him over as editor/letterer. Then, a few years later, when I was an editor at Byron Preiss Visual Publications, I signed him as a contributor to an anthology I was editing: The Ultimate Hulk, based on the Marvel Comics character.
After that, we stayed in constant touch over the years, with Rich eventually joining the StarWarp Concepts crew in 2010 when I relaunched the company after a lengthy hiatus. NightWolf Graphics became an unofficial “imprint” of SWC dedicated to publishing his novels and short-story collections. To date, The Worlds of Richard C. White (as I’ve called his range of titles) consist of the following:
Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is Rich’s bestselling title at StarWarp Concepts. In it, he takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. Included is an interview with New York Times bestselling author Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance) that discusses his methods of world building, as well as his creative experiences during his time as a designer for gaming company TSR, the original home of Dungeons & Dragons. Originally intended to be a reference book for writers, it’s found a large audience among RPG game masters who use it for creating adventure campaigns, and is even currently being used as a textbook in the Media & Game Development program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worchester, Massachusetts!
Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase is a collection of fantasy-noir, pulp-detective tales starring a private eye working the supernatural beat in the city of Calasia. From a sexy chanteuse who literally turns into a beast when the moon is full to a string of pearls that kills its owners, and from the ghost of a dead woman seeking justice to the Grim Reaper’s little girl seeking her stolen chicken, Theron Chase certainly has his hands full—of danger, death, and dames!
The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special is a digital pirate-fantasy comic created and written by Rich, drawn by Bill Bryan (artist of Caliber Press’ Dark Oz and DC Comics’ House of Mystery), and features cover art and color by Eliseu Gouveia (SWC’s The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual). It’s 48 pages of high-seas adventure perfect for fans of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise, as well as classics like The Crimson Pirate, Against All Flags, Captain Blood, and The Sea Hawk.
For a Few Gold Pieces More is a collection of ten critically acclaimed short stories that star a Rogue With No Name who travels a world of epic-fantasy adventure, looking for treasure—and revenge against the woman who sent him to prison for a crime he didn’t commit (but she did). Think Lord of the Rings meets the “spaghetti Westerns” of director Sergio Leone (A Fistful of Dollars; The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly), with a healthy dose of monsters, magic, and swordplay mixed in.
Harbinger of Darkness is Rich’s original fantasy novel in which a thief named Perrin steals an extremely valuable—and magical—gem from the evil king ruling her home country. With thugs and fellow thieves and the king’s assassins hot on her trail, Perrin finds just staying alive is becoming a full-time occupation, which directly conflict with her secret life—and identity—as a humble bookseller’s daughter. It’s sword-swinging adventure at its finest!
And Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings is a general readers’ graphic novel collecting his 1990s miniseries about a group of supernatural-superheroes-for-hire taking on their first case. The team consists of a wizard, a female ninja, a sorceress, a werewolf, and a rock ’n’ roll lighting designer wearing high-tech armor. Sure, they might not be on a power level with the Avengers or Justice League of America—they’re more like superpowered Ghostbusters—but they get the job done. The graphic novel is written by Rich and his wife, Joni M. White, and illustrated by Reggie Golden and Randy Zimmerman.
And there are more releases on the way! We previously announced the upcoming publication of his steampunk sci-fi adventure On Wings of Steel (now scheduled for 2025), but there’s also the pulp-inspired Cry Havoc: The Furies, Book 1 in the works. Who are the Furies? Stay tuned to find out!
So, happy birthday, Rich! You’re a good friend and an exceptionally talented writer, and I can’t wait to see what you’ve got cooking now that you’re a full-time writer!
