Welcome to StarWarp Concepts!

Posted on January 3, 2022 by Steven

In case you’re wondering who we are, StarWarp Concepts is a publisher of dark-fantasy and fantasy novels, comic books, and graphic novels that are available for sale in brick-and-mortar stores and through select online booksellers and distributors (as well as our own webstore, of course). 

We launched in 1993 with the release of the comic book Lorelei, Vol. 1 #0, which introduced readers to the world of Laurel Ashley O’Hara, a woman destined to become the soul-stealing succubus called Lorelei, and in the twenty-nine years since then we’ve grown into a publisher of novels, graphic novels, sketchbooks, writers’ guides, and classic reprints.

Currently, our backlist consists of the following titles:

Dark urban fantasy: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback is a young adult, dark-urban-fantasy novel series written by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!). It stars a 16-year-old Goth girl who’s spent the last decade being treated for mental health problems because she can see monsters. It’s only after she meets a shape-shifting monster hunter named Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin, in the first novel, Blood Feud, that Pan discovers she’s never been ill—her so-called “monstervision” is actually a supernatural gift that allows her to see into Gothopolis, the not-so-mythical shadow world that exists right alongside the human world. But before Pan can learn more about what she can do, she and her parents are drawn into a conflict among warring vampire clans that leads into Blood Reign, the second action-packed novel, in which Pan must deal with even greater threats. 

Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase is author Richard C. White’s 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!

Nonfiction: Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is perfect for budding authors as well as RPG fans interested in building their own fantasy and science fiction environments. In this how-to book, author Richard C. White (Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil) takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. It’s become such a popular book that it’s even become part of the syllabus for the Interactive Media & Game Development program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worchester, Massachusetts! From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures, by Steven A. Roman, is a nonfiction history of Vampirella that takes an extensive look at her early days, from the debut of her series in 1969 to the death of Warren Publishing in 1983. In addition, you’ll find the tale of Hammer Films’ unproduced film adaptation of the 1970s that was to star Barbara Leigh and Peter Cushing (Grand Moff Tarkin of Star Wars); an in-depth guide to all her Warren stories; a checklist of all her Warren appearances; an overview of the six novelizations by pulp sci-fi author Ron Goulart that were published in the 1970s by Warner Books; and a look at the awful 1996 direct-to-cable-TV movie that was made, starring Talisa Soto and Roger Daltrey.

Fantasy adventure: For a Few Gold Pieces More is a collection of ten critically acclaimed short stories by Richard C. White. Think Lord of the Rings meets the “spaghetti Westerns” of director Sergio Leone (A Fistful of Dollars; The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly), as a Rogue With No Name 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). Harbinger of Darkness is Rich’s original 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!

Comic book and graphic novels: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1 features stories by author Steven A. Roman and comic writer Sholly Fisch, with art provided by Eliseu Gouveia, Elizabeth Watasin, and comic-art legend Ernie Colon. Lorelei: Sects and the City is a Mature Readers graphic novel involving a succubus battling a cult of Elder God worshipers, written by Steven A. Roman and illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia, Steve Geiger, and Neil Vokes. Lorelei Presents: House Macabre is a one-shot anthology comic containing tales written by Steven A. Roman and Dwight Jon Zimmerman, with art by Uriel Caton & Chuck Majewski, Lou Manna, John Pierard, and Juan Carlos Abarldes Rendo. Lorelei: Genesis collects Lori’s original small-press comic appearances from 1989 and 1991, written and drawn by her creator, Steven A. Roman, whose other digital-only title, Heroines and Heroes, collects the superhero comic stories he’s drawn. Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings is a graphic novel starring a group of supernatural superheroes for hire on their first mission, written by the husband-and-wife team of Richard C. and Joni M. White, with art by Reggie Golden and Randy Zimmerman. And The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special is a digital-only, 48-page pirate-fantasy adventure by writer Richard C. White and artist Bill Bryan.

Comic art books: The Bob Larkin Sketchbook is a collection of rarely seen pencil drawings by the acclaimed cover painter for Doc Savage, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel Comics, and our own Saga of Pandora Zwieback. Included is a pair of original Doc Savage–related pinups done especially for this book.

Classic literature: Know a reader with a passion for genre literature? They might be interested in our line of Illustrated Classics. King Kong is the 1932 novelization by Delos W. Lovelace that adapts the screen story by Edgar Wallace and Merian C. Cooper used for the classic monster movie, enhanced by six black-and-white illustrations by Paul Tuma. Carmilla, by J. Sheridan Le Fanu, is a 19th–century paranormal romance between a vampire and her next intended victim—or lover—that contains six black-and-white illustrations by Eliseu Gouveia. A Princess of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs, is a science-fantasy epic about Civil War veteran John Carter, who finds love and adventure on the planet Mars; black-and-white illustrations are provided by Eliseu Gouveia. Snow White is the timeless Brothers Grimm fairy tale, made even more enchanting by a collection of full-color illustrations first published in 1883. 

We also have SWC Horror Bites, a digital-exclusive series of classic tales. White Fell: The Werewolf, by Clemence Annie Housman, is considered the first feminist werewolf story. And Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is the Halloween classic about schoolteacher Ichabod Crane and his unfortunate encounter with the terrifying Headless Horseman.

Most of our titles are available in both print and digital formats, so visit their respective product pages for further information.

Adding new titles to your 2022 reading list: It’s a great way to start the New Year!

Posted in Classic Fiction, Comic Books, Dark Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Horror, Illustrated Classics, Nonfiction, Science Fiction, Sketchbooks, Writing Reference Books, Young Adult | Tagged | Comments Off on Welcome to StarWarp Concepts!

Happy Science Fiction Day 2022!

Posted on January 2, 2022 by Steven

According to the National Day Calendar, National Science Fiction Day was launched in 2011 and was meant to correspond with this being the birth date of legendary sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov—author of the Foundation Trilogy (now the basis for the Apple TV+ streaming series), I, Robot (the short-story collection, not the Will Smith movie) and the guiding spirit behind Isaac Asimov’s Robot Mysteries (a quadrilogy of original novels by Mark W. Tiedemann and Alex Irvine that I edited in the early 2000s)—who was born in 1920. It’s a celebration, the NDC says, that “encourages reading or watching science fiction.”

Well, if you’re looking for some quality sci-fi to read on this special day, might we suggest an SWC Illustrated Classic?

A Princess of Mars, originally published in 1912, is the first in the “John Carter of Mars” ten-novel series by Edgar Rice Burroughs, best known as the creator of the pulp-fiction jungle lord, Tarzan. Unlike Tarzan’s African adventures, Princess is the story of a post–Civil War era American who suddenly finds himself transported to the Red Planet, where he must constantly fight to stay alive against all sorts of alien threats—and where he falls in love with Dejah Thoris, the titular Martian princess. It served as the basis for Disney’s 2012 film adaptation, John Carter—a movie that didn’t deserve the poor treatment it got from the studio and is definitely worth checking out, if you’ve never seen it—and inspired works like Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon, George Lucas’s Star Wars, and James Cameron’s Avatar.

The StarWarp Concepts edition of A Princess of Mars features six incredible illustrations by SWC artist supreme Eliseu Gouveia (Carmilla, Lorelei: Sects and the City, The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1), and a special introduction by Mars-fiction expert John Gosling, author of Waging the War of the Worlds.

A Princess of Mars is available in print and digital formats. Visit its product page for ordering information.

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Happy New Year! Welcome to the Future!

Posted on January 1, 2022 by Steven

It’s 2022 (in case you didn’t get the memo about it), and we’ve now reached the future—at least the future as seen through the dystopian lens of the 1973 sci-fi feature film Soylent Green.

Based on the 1966 novel Make Room! Make Room! by Harry Harrison and starring Charlton Heston (Planet of the Apes, The Omega Man), Edward G. Robinson (in his final film role), and Leigh Taylor-Young, Soylent Green starts out as a police procedural, with Heston’s character, New York detective Frank Thorn, investigating the murder of an executive at Soylent Industries, the company responsible for Soylent Green, the main source of food in a critically overpopulated world—there are 40 million people living in New York City alone! (NYC’s current population is around 8 million.) 

In Make Room! Make Room!, soylent is made from a combination of soy and lentil, but in Soylent Green, the foodstuff is made from…well, that’s the shocker Thorn encounters during his investigation that’s made the film so memorable for close to 50 years. If you’ve never seen Soylent Green before, give it a look. Its final twist should appeal to horror fans, and its dystopian vibe is pure 1970s we’re-all-doomed mind-set—society has collapsed, or is soon to collapse, and life on Earth is a hellscape. 

From the 1980s onward, that approach became pure entertainment—The Terminator, Escape from New York, Night of the Comet, The Hunger Games—but in the post-Woodstock, post–flower child 1970s, there was a firm belief that humanity really was headed down that path of ultimate self-destruction, and that attitude was reflected in a slew of movies: The Omega Man, Logan’s Run, A Clockwork Orange, Silent Running, The Late, Great Planet Earth, No Blade of Grass, and Damnation Alley, just to name a few. And Soylent Green, of course. Overpopulation, starvation, poverty, environmental concerns, the world always on the brink of war… 

Huh. Nothing’s really changed all that much, has it? Only it’s not just on the movie screen.

So, welcome to the future, ’Warpnauts—now what’s for dinner?

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2021: The Year in Review

Posted on December 31, 2021 by Steven

2021: A year not all that much different from 2020, truth be told. 

A worldwide pandemic was/is still raging, although thankfully the death toll has dropped from 2020’s horrifying levels because the coronavirus-fighting vaccines have been doing their job (have you gotten your shot yet?). And the Earth’s human population was making progress as we try to reach some imitation of pre-pandemic normalcy, with bars and restaurants and sporting events and movie theaters and even Broadway reopening with proof-of-vaccination admittance. But then the Omicron variant popped up in the fall…

The genre convention industry was still feeling its way along, with some shows canceled and rescheduled for 2022, others sticking to CDC crowd recommendations and reopening to smaller crowds, and still others throwing aside all caution and making them into come-one-come-all logjams/potential super-spreader events. (November’s Anime-Fest in NYC, in fact, was connected to some of the first reports of Omicron-infection cases in the US.) At SWC, we opted to sit out the year, with the hope that things will be more stable in 2022. (Author Richard C. White, however, did make appearances at two venues: Awesome Con, in Washington, DC, and the Maryland Renaissance Fair.)

And, like 2020, we didn’t do a whole lot of publishing, it being hard to really promote our titles with no conventions to go to. We did, however, manage to offer a new hardcover version of one of our most popular books:

Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination, our how-to book for writers and gamers by bestselling fantasy author Richard C. White (Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special, Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings), gained a spiffy-looking hardcover edition over the summer.

In this nonfiction book—originally meant to be a guide for writers but quickly embraced by role-playing gamemasters—Rich 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. (Visit its product page for ordering information.)

So what lies ahead for ’Warp Central in 2022? Well, we might have some ideas about that…so stay tuned!

In the meantime, stay safe, stay healthy, and have a Happy New Year!

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DriveThru RPG Bundles Ebooks for Tornado Relief

Posted on December 23, 2021 by Steven

Here’s some great news in these troubling times: after the devastating rash of tornadoes recently in America’s Midwest, e-book distributor DriveThru RPG is offering three bundles to raise money for the Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund.

With the kind assistance of bestselling fantasy author Richard C. White, the e-book we’ve donated for the sale is Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination, a how-to book for writers and gamers in which Rich (author of For a Few Gold Pieces More, Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase, 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

So if for some reason you’ve been holding off from purchasing it, now’s the perfect time to do so, as it benefits a great organization. For more information on the bundles for the Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund, visit the DriveThru RPG emergency relief page. And thanks for helping out!

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Teach Your Kids to Game with Terra Incognito

Posted on December 19, 2021 by Steven

The holiday shopping season is in full swing, and with it comes the annual “Teach Your Kids to Game” Holiday Sale at e-book gaming retailer DriveThru RPG. From now until the end of the year, DTRPG and its sister site Dungeon Masters Guild—a webstore dedicated to Dungeons & Dragons fans—will be offering a multitude of titles for parents hoping to introduce their children to the joys of role-playing games. 

For some reason, however, this year StarWarp Concepts wasn’t included among the list of publishers joining in—even though we have a book that’s perfect for budding gamemasters. Well, there’s no reason why you can’t still purchase it—from us, of course!

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, Harbinger of Darkness) 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

From its first publication, the book has been a hit with not just fantasy writers, but role-playing gamers as well. When it debuted in October 2015 at the e-book distributor DriveThru Fiction and its sister sites DriveThru RPG and RPGNow, it immediately shot to the #1 position on all three as their top-selling title, and then remained for weeks as DriveThru Fiction’s #1 Hottest Nonfiction Book and #1 Hottest How-To for Writers! If you’re a writer or gamer, you might just want to check it out. In fact, it’s currently being used as a textbook in the Interactive Media & Game Development program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worchester, Massachusetts!

“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 print and digital formats, so visit its product pageto order a copy today!

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The Perfect 2022 Calendar for Vampirella Fans

Posted on December 13, 2021 by Steven

Well, another year is winding down, and you know what that means: finding a new calendar to hang up for marking the next year’s events. Well, if you’re a fan of Vampirella, the outer-space vampiress who’s been stalking the horror comics landscape since 1969, might we make a suggestion for your 2022 calendar choice? 

Back in 2014, the site Fantasy Ink posted quality full-size scans of the Warren 1977 Calendar featuring Vampirella and Other Girls: a collection of Warren magazine covers painted by the incomparable Enric Torres-Prat—better known as Enrich to his legions of fans. He was, and remains, the quintessential Vampirella cover painter.

Well, the funny thing about time and pop culture is that they always seem to circle around, to be discovered by a new generation. And in this case, it just so happens that the days of 2022 line up perfectly with those of 1977, so that you can use this very same calendar for the new year! So head on over to Fantasy Ink and download the pages for your very own 1977 2022 calendar!

And while you’re marking off the days of 2022, perhaps you’d enjoy some Vampirella-related reading material to liven up the year? Then do we have the perfect book for you!

From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures, by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!), is the critically acclaimed nonfiction history of Vampirella that takes an extensive look at her early days, from the debut of her series in 1969 to the death of Warren Publishing in 1983. In it you’ll find an in-depth guide to all her Warren stories; a checklist of all her Warren appearances (plus the publications from Harris Comics and Dynamite Entertainment that reprinted her Warren adventures); an overview of the six novelizations by pulp sci-fi author Ron Goulart that were published in the 1970s by Warner Books; and the behind-the-scenes story of Warren Publishing’s demise, explaining how Vampirella survived the death of her original comic house. There’s also a foreword by Official Vampirella Historian Sean Fernald, a frontispiece by Warren artist Bob Larkin, and photographs from the personal archives of Forrest J Ackerman.

In addition to all that, I tell the tale of the unproduced film adaptation of the 1970s planned by legendary horror studio Hammer Films that was to star Barbara Leigh as Vampi and Peter Cushing (Grand Moff Tarkin of Star Wars) as her constant companion, the stage magician Pendragon. How the production came to be and how it ultimately fell apart is a complicated, somewhat convoluted story, but I did my best to put the events surrounding it into a chronological, logical order—for the first time ever! This overview includes a peek at Mr. Cushing’s personal copy of the ’70s Vampirella screenplay. 

I also take a look at the awful 1996 direct-to-cable-TV movie that was made for the Showtime network, produced by Roger Corman, directed by Jim Wynorski (Dinocroc vs. SuperGator), scripted by Gary Gerani (Pumpkinhead), and starring Talisa Soto (Mortal Kombat) as Vampi and The Who’s front man, rock god Roger Daltrey as…Dracula! It’s a film so bad and so low budget, and the Vampirella costume that was concocted was such an eyesore, that even Wynorski hates being reminded of his involvement with it. 

From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures is available in both print and digital formats, so visit its product page for ordering information.

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Happy Small Business Saturday 2021!

Posted on November 27, 2021 by Steven

Hey, shoppers! Sure, yesterday might have been Black Friday, the retail industry’s most notorious day of the year, and in two days you’ll have Cyber Monday, when the Internet shatters from the volume of online sales that will be flooding shop sites, but are you aware that Small Business Saturday—that annual celebration of mom-and-pop companies that can always use your holiday-buying dollars—takes place this very day? And in case you hadn’t noticed, StarWarp Concepts just happens to be a small business! 

And what better way is there to support our efforts than by purchasing copies of our popular titles for friends and family members—or even for yourself? After all, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa are right around the corner…

Writers and role-playing game enthusiasts: Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is perfect for budding authors as well as RPG fans interested in building their own fantasy and science fiction environments. In this nonfiction how-to book, author Richard C. White (Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil) 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.

Horror and bad-girl comic fans: From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!) is a nonfiction history of the queen of the comic book bad girls. In its pages you’ll find a breakdown of every Vampirella story that appeared during her Warren Publishing days from July 1969 to December 1982 (plus a list of the modern-day books that reprinted them); a checklist of every Warren Era appearance she made; a look at the six-book novelization series written by sci-fi and pulp-adventure author Ron Goulart and published by Warner Books in the 1970s; an examination of the awful 1996 movie that starred Talisa Soto of the Mortal Kombat movies as Vampi and featured a scenery-gulping performance from rock-god Roger Daltrey as Dracula; and a pretty extensive look at the history of Hammer Films’ Vampirella movie, announced in 1975 with model/actress Barbara Leigh and Hammer legend Peter Cushing as its stars, but which was never produced. Plus little-seen photos and other material pulled straight from the vaults of the Ackermonster by the Official Vampirella Historian, Sean Fernald, who also wrote the foreword.

Dark urban fantasy readers: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback is a young adult, dark-urban-fantasy novel series written by Steven A. Roman. It stars a 16-year-old Goth girl who’s spent the last decade being treated for mental health problems because she can see monsters. It’s only after she meets a shape-shifting monster hunter named Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin, in the first novel, Blood Feud, that Pan discovers she’s never been ill—her so-called “monstervision” is actually a supernatural gift that allows her to see into Gothopolis, the not-so-mythical shadow world that exists right alongside the human world. But before Pan can learn more about what she can do, she and her parents are drawn into a conflict among warring vampire clans that leads into Blood Reign, the second action-packed novel, in which Pan must deal with even greater threats. 

But if teen monster hunters aren’t your thing, there’s another urban-fantasy title that might be more to your liking: Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase. It’s a collection of fantasy-noir, pulp-detective tales by Richard C. White, starring a private eye working the supernatural beat in the city of Calasia, and whose clientele is of a definitely paranormal persuasion. 

Fantasy and science fiction readers: For a Few Gold Pieces More is a collection of ten fantasy adventures by Richard C. White 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). Harbinger of Darkness is an original fantasy novel by Richard C. White that stars the daughter of a bookstore owner who at night transforms into a swashbuckling thief and adventurer. And A Princess of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs—the creator of Tarzan—is a science-fantasy epic about Civil War veteran John Carter, who is somehow transported to the planet Mars, where he battles monsters and aliens while falling in love with Dejah Thoris, the titular Martian princess. 

Comic book and graphic novel fans: Got a comic book reader on your shopping list, or even them yourself? The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1 features stories by author Steven A. Roman and comic writer Sholly Fisch, with art provided by Eliseu Gouveia, Elizabeth Watasin, and comic-art legend Ernie Colon. Lorelei: Sects and the City is a Mature Readers graphic novel involving a succubus battling a cult of Elder God worshipers, written by Steven A. Roman and illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia, Steve Geiger, and Neil Vokes. Lorelei Presents: House Macabre is a one-shot anthology comic containing tales written by Steven A. Roman and Dwight Jon Zimmerman, with art by Uriel Caton & Chuck Majewski, Lou Manna, John Pierard, and Juan Carlos Abarldes Rendo. Lorelei: Genesis is a digital-exclusive comic collecting Lori’s early small-press stories from the early 1990s, written and drawn by Steven A. Roman. Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings is a graphic novel starring a group of supernatural superheroes for hire on their first mission, written by the husband-and-wife team of Richard C. and Joni M. White, with art by Reggie Golden and Randy Zimmerman. And The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special is a digital-only, 48-page pirate-fantasy adventure by writer Richard C. White and artist Bill Bryan.

Comic art lovers: The Bob Larkin Sketchbook is a collection of rarely seen pencil drawings by the acclaimed cover painter for Doc Savage, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel Comics, and our own Saga of Pandora Zwieback. Included are a pair of original Doc Savage–related pinups done especially for this book.

Classic literature lovers: Know a reader with a passion for genre literature? They might be interested in our line of Illustrated Classics. King Kong is the 1932 novelization by Delos W. Lovelace that adapts the screen story by Edgar Wallace and Merian C. Cooper used for the classic monster movie, enhanced by six black-and-white illustrations by Paul Tuma. Carmilla, by J. Sheridan Le Fanu, is a 19th–century paranormal romance between a vampire and her next intended victim—or lover, and contains six black-and-white illustrations by Eliseu Gouveia. Snow White is the timeless Brothers Grimm fairy tale, made even more enchanting by a collection of full-color illustrations first published in 1883. White Fell—The Werewolf, by Clemence Annie Housman, is considered the first feminist werewolf story. And The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving, is the quintessential Halloween ghost story.

So, take a look around at our offerings and get busy shopping! Spread cheer (not to mention books and comics) this year! And enjoy the holidays!

Posted in Classic Fiction, Comic Books, Dark Urban Fantasy, Digital Comics, Events, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Holidays, Illustrated Classics, Nonfiction, Publishing, Sketchbooks, Young Adult | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Happy Small Business Saturday 2021!

DriveThru’s 2021 Black Friday Sale Is Underway!

Posted on November 26, 2021 by Steven

Beating the rush before the post-Thanksgiving shopping season goes into overdrive this weekend, e-book distributor DriveThru Fiction—along with its sister sites DriveThru Comics and DriveThru RPG—has launched its annual Black Friday/Cyber Monday Weekend Sale, during which you can purchase a ton of digital books and comics at special prices! It runs from now through Monday, November 29—so it covers those special shopping days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday—and yes, you’ll need to set up an account (it’s free) to take advantage of this promotion. 

Included among the many participating publishers is StarWarp Concepts (of course), which means you can take advantage of some sweet discounts while the sale’s running. Four of our titles are involved:

Harbinger of Darkness is an original fantasy novel by author Richard C. White that’s perfect for book lovers. It stars Perrin, the daughter of a bookstore owner in a land of magic and adventure. Quiet and unassuming, Perrin harbors a special secret: with the aid of a mystical talisman, she can transform into Raven, a swashbuckling thief who’s number one on the king’s list of most-wanted criminals. But 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! It’s sword-swinging adventure at its finest!

For a Few Gold Pieces More is a collection of ten fantasy adventures by Richard C. White 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.

King Kong is our Illustrated Classics edition of the 1932 novelization of the renowned motion picture is written by Delos W. Lovelace, based on the story by Edgar Wallace and Merian C. Cooper and the screenplay by James A. Creelman and Ruth Rose. The SWC edition of monsterdom’s answer to the tale of Beauty and the Beast features scenes that didn’t appear in the final cut of the film—including the notorious “spider pit” sequence in which Kong’s human pursuers are attacked by horrific arachnids and insects. What makes our version special is that it contains six exclusive, original black-and-white illustrations by comics artist Paul Tuma, whose pulp-influenced style has appeared in the pages of The Twilight Avenger, Flare, and Dan Turner: Hollywood Detective.

And Snow White is the classic story by the Brothers Grimm, featuring full-color illustrations first published in 1883 (and they really are beautiful drawings).

Head on over to the SWC DriveThru Fiction page now and get shopping! 

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Happy 160th Birthday, Clemence Annie Housman!

Posted on November 23, 2021 by Steven

Born on this day in 1861, in Bromsgrove, England, Clemence Annie Housman grew up to lead quite an interesting life. An 1883 graduate of the South London School of Technical Art, she became an engraver and children’s book illustrator, but was probably best known for her work as a supporter of women’s rights. 

In 1909 she and her brother, Laurence, founded the Suffrage Atelier, an artists’ collective that campaigned for women’s suffrage; she also designed banners for suffrage demonstrations. The following year, she joined the Women’s Tax Resistance League, which (according to Wikipedia) “used tax resistance to protest against the disenfranchisement of women” during the suffrage movement in England. As a result of her involvement in the latter organization, she was arrested and sent to prison for nonpayment of taxes in 1911, but was released after a week following public protests.

Outside her political work, Housman illustrated two books written by Laurence: The Blue Moon, published in 1904, and Moonshine & Clover, published in 1922. (Laurence, too, was an accomplished writer, as well as a playwright.)

Clemence Annie Housman passed away on December 6, 1955, at the age of 94.

So why are we celebrating Ms. Housman’s accomplishments here at ’Warp Central? Because she wrote three novels during her lifetime: Unknown Sea, published in 1898; The Life of Sir Aglovale De Galis, published in 1905; and her most famous work, The Were-wolf, published in 1896—which, as White Fell: The Werewolf, became the launch title for SWC Horror Bites, our e-book chapbook series that reprints classic horror stories.

White Fell: The Werewolf is regarded by scholars as perhaps the first feminist werewolf story. In it, a beautiful woman named White Fell wanders into a snowbound village—and into the hearts of twin brothers, one of whom immediately becomes smitten by her. The other brother, however, soon grows suspicious of the enigmatic White Fell. Where did she come from? Why does she always carry an ax? And is her sudden appearance somehow related to the recent sightings of a bloodthirsty wolf in the area? He may come to regret being so inquisitive…

Critics have certainly enjoyed this horror classic:

“White Fell is a powerful, independent woman, a fur-slinging, axe-wielding huntress descended straight from Hyperborea, [and] Housman shuns all of the werewolf traditions so dully repeated in many tales written before and after. White Fell is either a revenant from Valhalla or maybe just a good girl gone lupine.”—The Scream Factory

“For Housman, the female werewolf is a vehicle for her to present a strong feminist-inspired female character…. It is possible that Housman was telling the world that women had a hidden strength and that men should beware of their own hidden nature.”—The Nuke Mars Journal of Speculative Fiction

White Fell: The Werewolf is available for download from the SWC webstore, so visit its product page for ordering information.

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