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Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Supernatural Superheroes Found in the Wild
Every now and then, I like to drop by comic shops in the New York City area to see what’s on the shelves, and to paw through the boxes of discounted back issues in search of titles from the 1980s and early ’90s. It was on one such visit to the Midtown Comics Astoria (Queens) Outlet that I came across a very familiar graphic novel from a little bit later than those decades:
Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings, in case you were unaware, is a StarWarp Concepts graphic novel perfect for superhero fans. It’s about a supernatural team of superfolk-for-hire, consisting of a wizard, a sorceress, a female ninja, a high-tech-armor-wearing rock concert lighting designer, and a werewolf. Not every superhero team has Tony Stark’s billions to play with, you understand, and the Troubleshooters are just looking to earn a living while fighting the monsters that have always lurked in the shadows. Makes sense, right? Of course it does!
In their first mission, the TSI members are hired to protect a multimillionaire from a threat to his life. It seems like a simple enough job, considering they’re superpowered—until they discover who the oppostion is: a trio of Middle Eastern demons out to raise a little hell!
This fast-paced adventure is written by the husband-and-wife team of Richard C. White (Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination) and Joni M. White, and illustrated by penciler Reggie Golden and inkers Bill Lavin and Randy Zimmerman (Sick ’n Twisted). Cover art is provided by Richard Dominguez, creator/writer/artist of El Gato Negro.
Interested? Well, there’s no need to head over to the Astoria outlet, when you can always order it directly from us!
Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings is available in print and digital formats. Visit itsproduct page for ordering information and sample pages.
Posted in Graphic Novels, Horror, Superheroes
Tagged bill lavin, graphic novels, joni m. white, randy zimmerman, reggie golden, richard c. white, starwarp concepts backlist, superheroes, troubleshooters incorporated
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Happy Love Your Red Hair Day 2022!
Redheads unite! Today is National Love Your Red Hair Day, so get out there and celebrate!
According to the National Day Calendar, this annual event was created in 2015 by Adrienne and Stephanie Vendetti, cofounders of the beauty site How to be a Redhead, and it’s “a day to celebrate the beauty of those gorgeous red tresses.”
In the world of comic books, it’s popular to be a redhead. There’s Jean Grey, aka Marvel Girl and Phoenix, of the X-Men; Mary Jane Watson, the supermodel, actress, and ex-wife of Spider-Man; Archie Andrews, America’s eternal teenager; Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow; the shape-changing Mystique; Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl; and, of course, the barbarian warrior Red Sonja, the She-Devil with a Sword.
Here at ’Warp Central, we have our own favorite redhead: the flame-haired succubus Lorelei, StarWarp Concepts’ first lady of horror, who stars in three awesome comic projects:
Lorelei: Sects and the City is Lori’s critically acclaimed graphic novel adventure, in which she battles a cult of Elder God worshipers who are trying to unleash their monstrous masters on the world. It’s a tribute of sorts to classic 1970s horror comics and movies, from writer Steven A. Roman (that’s me) and artists Eliseu Gouveia (Stargate Universe), Steve Geiger (Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Kraven’s Last Hunt), and Neil Vokes (Tom Holland’s Fright Night). Cover art is provided by Esteban Maroto (Vampirella, Zatanna: Come Together), plus there’s additional art from two more legendary artists from the Warren Publishing era: a frontispiece by original Vampirella artist Tom Sutton (Werewolf by Night, Star Trek) and a history of succubi illustrated by Ernie Colon (Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld).
Lorelei Presents: House Macabre is Lori’s first outing as the hostess of a horror comic anthology, in this one-shot special that contains four tales of horror, behind eye-catching cover art by fan-favorite artist Louis Small Jr. (Vampirella, Vampirella Strikes). “The Old, Dark Manse” is written by me, penciled by Uriel Caton (JSA Annual, Heartstopper: The Legend of La Bella Tenebrosa), and inked by “Chainsaw” Chuck Majewski (Harvey Kurtzman’s New Two-Fisted Tales), and has Lori welcoming readers to this special. “All in Color for a Crime” is another tale from me, with art by Lou Manna (T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, Young All-Stars). Two comic book collectors clash over a rare back issue—and only one of them will be adding it to their long boxes! “The Basilisk,” from me and artist John Pierard (Graphic Classics: Horror Classics, My Teacher Fried My Brains), is a “Lori’s Feary Tale” that examines the history of a supernatural creature that’s a cross between a deadly snake and a…chicken?! And wrapping up the special is “Requiem for Bravo 6,” by New York Times bestselling author and comic writer Dwight Jon Zimmerman (She-Hulk, Iron Man) and artist Juan Carlos Abraldes Rendo (Bloke’s Terrible Tomb of Terror). A special-ops team goes on a life-or-death mission…but will they be prepared for what awaits them at mission’s end?
And Lorelei: Genesis is a 24-page, one-shot comic that collects the original small-press Lori stories that I wrote and drew back in the late eighties and early nineties. Behind a brand-new cover drawing by yours truly (and colored by Eliseu Gouveia), you’ll find a pair of stories: “Lorelei” is an 8-pager from 1991 in which Lori journeys through the streets of New York on an important mission: to pick up her dry-cleaning! It’s followed by “In the Midnight Hour,” the 1989 story that introduced horror-comic fans to our favorite redheaded succubus, who steps in to rescue a couple being menaced by a street gang. If you’re curious about Lori’s early days as a horror heroine, then be sure to order yourself a copy!
Lorelei: Sects and the City and Lorelei Presents: House Macabre are available in print and digital formats; Lorelei: Genesis is a digital exclusive. Visit their respective product pages for ordering information.
Posted in Comic Books, Digital Comics, Graphic Novels, Holidays, Horror, Lorelei, louis small jr.
Tagged comic books, digital comic books, graphic novels, holidays, horror comic books, lorelei, lorelei presents: house macabre, lorelei: genesis, lorelei: sects and the city, national love your red hair day, starwarp concepts backlist
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The Legend of Calamity Jane Kickstarter: Successfully Funded!
Good news, Wild West fans! It looked a little shaky at one point during its run, but in the end animation fans united to successfully fund Piko Interactive’s The Legend of Calamity Jane: Box-Set DVD and Comic Kickstarter campaign, which will collect the entire 13-episode series, taken from the original masters and presented in its original running order.
(The unfortunate shakiness was caused by a complete, head-scratching lack of interest in the project by comic book, animation, and entertainment websites that never bothered to post the press material—including promotional art—to let potentional fans and backers know there was a Kickstarter campaign going on. So, thanks go out to the fans who discovered and backed it, and then tweeted about it—that helped a lot!)
In case you’re unaware, The Legend of Calamity Jane was a Western series that appeared on the Kids’ WB network in 1997 and presented a heavily fictionalized, heavily stylized take on the life and times of the real-life Martha Jane Canary, a gunslinging, bullwhip-toting cowgirl who was famously known across the United States as “Calamity Jane.” It starred Barbara Weber-Scaff (Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets) as the voice of Jane, with Frank W. Welker (Megatron and others of the Transformers cartoons and movies, Freddy of Scooby-Doo) as Jane’s sidekick, Joe Presto, and Clancy Brown (Superman: The Animated Series, Highlander) as Wild Bill Hickok.
The Legend of Calamity Jane: Box-Set DVD and Comic comes with The Legend of Calamity Jane: The Devil Herself, a full-color comic book for Piko’s Virtual Comics imprint, written by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!) and drawn and colored by Eliseu “Zeu” Gouveia (Lorelei: Sects and the City and the Saga of Pandora Zwieback comics). It picks up the continuity from the series, moving the action to the present day. Jane is on the hunt for a stolen relic: a gun that belonged to her old friend Wild Bill Hickok. But more suprising than the identity of the gun’s current owner—a series villain from her past—is the even bigger mystery it sets up: How can Calamity Jane still be alive today, and not looking a day older than she did in the 1870s?
So now Piko will be turning out the DVD sets in the months ahead, and Zeu will get to work on completing The Devil Herself. There’s talk of making the DVDs and comic available to a general audience after the backers receive their copies; if so, I hope you’ll enjoy checking out Jane’s newest adventure!
Posted in Comic Books, Television Shows
Tagged animation, barbara weber-scaff, calamity jane, comic books, crowdfunding, eliseu gouveia, kickstarter, piko interactive, steven a. roman, supernatural westerns, the legend of calamity jane, the legend of calamity jane: dvd box set and comic, the legend of calamity jane: the devil herself, tv shows, virtual comics, weird westerns, wild west
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It’s National Novel Writing Month 2022!
Halloween’s over, in the U.S. it’s getting time to turn the clocks back an hour as Daylight Savings Time ends, and the chill of fall is fully upon us, And with that comes the annual November event called National Novel Writing Month, which kicked off yesterday.
To explain what it is, I’ll let this quote from the organization’s website provide you with some background:
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to creative writing. On November 1, participants begin working towards the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel by 11:59 PM on November 30. Valuing enthusiasm, determination, and a deadline, NaNoWriMo is for anyonewho has ever thought about writing a novel.
And what do you know? It just so happens that StarWarp Concepts has a title that’s perfect for novelists!
Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is our popular how-to book for writers and gamers in which bestselling fantasy author Richard C. White (For a Few Gold Pieces More, Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special, Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings) 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.
What you’ll find in its pages is information that’s vital for just about any writer, especially when it comes to world building, and Rich shows you how to do it:
• Avoiding the pitfalls of naming characters, regions, and countries
• Applying the technique of “outside in” to develop and then refine ideas for your world
• Creating a world your readers can relate to, regardless of its technological levels
• Identify how to create backstories and conflict by observing how your world comes together
• Adding details to make your story richer without overwhelming your readers
• Identifying useful resources for research
“I think Terra Incognito is a solid introduction to the subject of world building. The book succeeds in helping the aspiring writer in creating a skeletal framework for which to hang the moving parts required of a believable fictional setting.”—The Gaming Gang
Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is available in trade paperback, hardcover, and digital formats, so visit its product page for ordering information.
Posted in Events, Publishing, Writing Reference Books
Tagged events, national novel writing month, richard c. white, terra incognito: a guide to building the worlds of your imagination, tracy hickman, world building, writers reference, writing reference
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The Legend of Calamity Jane Kickstarter Campaign Ends Tomorrow!
Hey, Wild West fans! Like the title says, tomorrow is the last day for Piko Interactive’s The Legend of Calamity Jane: Box-Set DVD and Comic Kickstarter campaign, which includes The Legend of Calamity Jane: The Devil Herself, a one-shot comic I’m collaborating on with artist/colorist Eliseu Gouveia (Lorelei: Sects and the City and the Saga of Pandora Zwieback comics) for Piko’s Virtual Comics imprint.
The Legend of Calamity Jane was a Western series that appeared on the Kids’ WB network in 1997 and presented a heavily fictionalized, heavily stylized take on the life and times of the real-life Martha Jane Canary, a gunslinging, bullwhip-toting cowgirl who was famously known across the United States as “Calamity Jane.” It starred Barbara Weber-Scaff (Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets) as the voice of Jane, with Frank W. Welker (Megatron and others of the Transformers cartoons and movies, Freddy of Scooby-Doo) as Jane’s sidekick, Joe Presto, and Clancy Brown (Superman: The Animated Series, Highlander) as Wild Bill Hickok.
Unfortunately, the series was canceled in the US after just three weeks—possibly due to the level of violence and gunplay on display—but it did complete its single-season, 13-episode run in other countries, where it built up quite a worldwide following over the years. And in recent years, people have been discovering it by watching low-res, fuzzy transfers posted on the Internet.
The Legend of Calamity Jane: Box-Set DVD and Comic collects the entire series, taken from the original masters and presented in its original running order, and comes with the aforementioned The Legend of Calamity Jane: The Devil Herself full-color comic book that picks up the continuity from the series—and moves the action to the present day, Jane is on the hunt for a stolen relic: a gun that belonged to her old friend Wild Bill Hickok. But more suprising than the identity of the gun’s current owner—a series villain from her past—is the even bigger mystery it sets up: How can Calamity Jane still be alive today, and not looking a day older than she did in the 1870s?
The Legend of Calamity Jane: DVD Box Set and Comic Kickstarter campaign—features a presentation video narrated by none other than Barbara Weber-Scaff, Calamity Jane herself!—ends tomorrow at 11:20 a.m. ET. If you’ve thought about backing the project but haven’t done so yet, head on over now and throw your support to the Wild West’s most badass cowgirl!
Posted in Comic Books, Television Shows
Tagged animation, comic books, crowdfunding, eliseu gouveia, kickstarter, piko interactive, steven a. roman, the legend of calamity jane, the legend of calamity jane: dvd box set and comic, the legend of calamity jane: the devil herself, tv shows, virtual comics, weird westerns
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All the Beast Wishes for the Horrorday Season!
Posted in Halloween, Holidays
Tagged halloween, holidays, horror art
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Celebrate Halloween Safely with NYC’s Trick or Streets
If you live in a big city, you know how dangerous trick-or-treating can sometimes be, with dodging speeding cars and trucks while you’re trying to make the rounds of your favorite candy-giving haunts—even in the daytime!
This year, New York City is taking steps to try and make trick-or-treating a much safer event, with “Trick or Streets,” an expansion of its “Open Streets” initiative that closes certain streets to vehicular traffic so that NYC residents can walk and bike on them without fear of injury. (It’s a popular program that started in May 2021 as a result of the pandemic lockdown, so that people could finally get out of their homes and apartments to enjoy fresh air.)
From 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Halloween, nearly 100 streets will be closed off in Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn, allowing you and yours to hit the pavement and fill those goody bags. (Weather forecasts indicate showers during those hours, so be sure to bring along an umbrella.)
For more information on the city’s Halloween plans, including a map of the streets involved and a list of family-friendly events being held, head over to the Trick or Streets website.
Have a fun, and safe, Halloween!
Posted in Halloween, Holidays
Tagged halloween, holidays, trick or streets, trick-or-treating
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It’s the Final Charge for the Legend of Calamity Jane Kickstarter Campaign!
Just six days and a few hours remain for Piko Interactive’s The Legend of Calamity Jane: Box Set DVD and Comic Kickstarter campaign, which includes The Legend of Calamity Jane: The Devil Herself, a one-shot comic I’m collaborating on with artist/colorist Eliseu Gouveia (Lorelei: Sects and the City and the Saga of Pandora Zwieback comics) for Piko’s Virtual Comics imprint.
The Legend of Calamity Jane: Box Set DVD and Comic collects the entire 13-episode animated series from 1997—only 3 of which were ever broadcast in the U.S.—that stars Barbara Weber-Scaff as Calamity Jane, Clancy Brown as Wild Bill Hickok, and Frank Welker as Jane’s sidekick, Joe Presto, and is not only taken from the original masters but presented in its original running order.
Plus it comes with a disc of bonus features and the aforementionedThe Legend of Calamity Jane: The Devil Herself full-color comic book that picks up the continuity from the series and moves the action to the present day. Jane is on the hunt for a stolen relic: a gun that belonged to her old friend Wild Bill Hickok. But more suprising than the identity of the gun’s current owner—a series villain from her past—is the even bigger mystery it sets up: How can Calamity Jane still be alive today, and not looking a day older than she did in the 1870s?
The Legend of Calamity Jane: DVD Box Set and Comic Kickstarter campaign—featuring a presentation video narrated by none other than Barbara Weber-Scaff, Calamity Jane herself!—ends next Wednesday, November 2, at 11:30 a.m. ET.
Happily, the campaign was successfully funded as of Wednesday afternoon (thank you, Jane fans!), so now it’s on to the stretch goals! Even if you’re not interested in the upper tiers, but have always wanted your own set of this much sought after “lost media” series (plus a comic I’m totally sure will become highly valuable…one day), head over now and back the project!
Posted in Comic Books, Television Shows
Tagged animation, barbara weber-scaff, comic books, crowdfunding, kickstarter, piko interactive, the legend of calamity jane, the legend of calamity jane: dvd box set and comic, the legend of calamity jane: the devil herself, tv shows, weird westerns, wild west
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Halloween Movie Offerings Examined at Pandora Zwieback Blog
Looking for something to watch this Spooky Season? In the mood for a horror movie marathon?
Over at the Pandora Zwieback blog, this week I’m taking a look at what some of the cable channels are running for their Halloween programming next Monday—Freeform, AMC, Turner Classic Movies (TCM), MeTV, Movies! TV Network, and IFC.
Sure, there’s a lot of sameness to what’s on the menu—the Halloween franchise, Ghostbusters, Gremlins, etc.—but it’s what horror fans have come to expect from the networks. TCM and Movies!, however, are always good for some real classics.
Whatever you might be interested in, whether it’s scary movies or family-friendly fare, head over to the Pandora Zwieback blog and see what’s on TV!
Posted in Halloween, Holidays, Horror, movies, Pandora Zwieback
Tagged halloween, halloween marathons, holidays, horror movies, movies, Pandora Zwieback
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