What’s that, you say? Didn’t we announce back in January that the ’Warp Crew wouldn’t be making any convention appearances in 2021 due to the complications brought about by conventioneering in the middle of a global pandemic? That’s very true…as far as in-person appearances go. But that doesn’t necessarily apply to online convention—like the SPACE show being held this July, and which SWC has just signed up to participate in as an exhibitor!
SPACE—an acronym for Small Press & Alternative Comics Expo—is the creation of Bob Corby, writer/artist/publisher of Back Porch Comics. Bob launched SPACE in the late 1990s in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio, and it’s an event that’s steadily grown in crowd size and exhibitor attendance with each passing year. The Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Maryland, and the MoCCA (Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art) Arts Festival, here in New York, might get all the attention, but SPACE still has the sort of small-press-creator feel that reminds me of the days when SWC first launched, and I was turning out hand-stapled, digest-size comics on photocopiers (which is how our resident succubus, Lorelei, got her start)—especially since some of SPACE’s attending creators who were my peers back then (like Bob) are still making comics today!
Coronavirus forced Bob to take SPACE online last year, and this year’s con follows suit (although he is making plans for a live show in November). The advantage here is that he’s opened wide the virtual convention-hall doors so that alt-press and indie publishers who normally wouldn’t be able to attend, like SWC, can now have a presence—for free! Hey, why pass up a good thing?
SPACE runs July 10 and 11. Visit its website for further information.
Recently, it was announced by comics publisher Dynamite Entertainment that independent film company Mike the Pike Productions had optioned the film, television, and streaming rights to Vampirella, the queen of the comic book bad girls who celebrated her 50th anniversary two years ago. Although Mike the Pike has only one film in their production history—the 2018 low-budget sci-fi actioner Beyond White Space—they have great hopes of adapting Vampi’s story to the big (or little) screen.
This actually makes the third time that Vampirella’s caught the eye of Hollywood—and you can learn all about those earlier attempts in one of our most popular titles!
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.
So really, when you look at it from that perspective, anything Mike the Pike Productions comes up with could potentially only be an improvement. Unless, of course, they decide to ditch Vampirella’s iconic swimsuit-and-go-go-boots look to make her look more socially acceptable; then the movie will be straight-up trash. After all, as both former Vampi comic writer Nancy A. Collins and current Vampi writer Christopher Priest have stated in interviews, take away that costume and the character is no longer Vampirella, but just another run-of-the-mill vampire. Good luck, then, Mike the Pike—we Vampi fans are hoping for the best.
News broke late Sunday night, March 7, that legendary artist Frank Thorne—the man who made Robert E. Howard’s Red Sonja, the She-Devil With a Sword, the iconic, memorable character she became during her days at Marvel Comics—had died at the age of 90; a death made even more shocking by the report that his beloved wife, Marilyn, had also passed away just a few hours after her husband.
Thorne never reached the mega-heights of popularity in the comics industry—superheroes had never been his thing, so his name wasn’t as recognizable as those of such peers as Jack Kirby, John Romita, John Buscema, Steve Ditko, Neal Adams, or Gil Kane—but he did stake his claim in comics history as the artist of a second-tier Marvel Comics character who’s still known today to legions of comic fans: Red Sonja.
Curvier and far sexier than the average mainstream comic-book heroine, dressed in little more than a chain-mail bikini (actually designed by artist Esteban Maroto) and wielding a whole lot of self-confident attitude like a weapon, Thorne’s version of Sonja became the standard for sword-swinging babariennes. In fact, his Sonja was so sexy that it ultimately created problems for him with Marvel’s editors, to the point that he quit the company at the height of his (and Sonja’s) popularity and moved over to Warren Publishing—the home of another underdressed heroine, the outer-space bloodsucker Vampirella—where he created his own “mature readers” (in other words, fairly pornographic) she-devil: the blond-haired but equally half-naked Ghita of Alizarr, who appeared in the pages of 1984 (later 1994) magazine.
Thorne never returned to mainstream comics—he was having too much fun being comics’ dirty old man!—but he kept making the kinds of comics he wanted to make, and his fans were always eager to see his next project. Not that his work on Red Sonja was ever forgotten: right up to the present day it’s his version of Sonja that remains first and foremost in fans’ minds whenever they think of the character.
Thorne’s work on Sonja served as a major inspiration for me, a fledgling cartoonist who’d been trying to find a style for himself. I’d started out emulating things like Archie comics and Harvey Comics (Casper the Friendly Ghost, Spooky the Tuff Little Ghost) because they were somewhat simple enough to try and get a hook on, but it was Thorne’s “Sonja face”—which, really, was the same face he drew for all his lead heroines—that really opened my eyes because it was something I could actually get close to imitating.
Want proof of that? Look no further than my digital comics Lorelei: Genesis and Heroines and Heroes! Even more, check out this blog post from 2014, where I tell the story of taking a one-day art class that Thorne taught at an NYC comic book convention in 1988. The class’s title? “How to Draw Women the Frank Thorne Way”!
In 2001, I had the pleasure of being put in touch with Mr. Thorne by one of his friends/fellow comic legends: the late, great Gray Morrow. One phone call later, Mr. Thorne had agreed to provide cover art for what would then become Lorelei, Vol. 2 #2. Considering how much of a fan I was (and still am) of his art, I couldn’t have been more thrilled to have the artist whose style has been a major influence on my own do a cover for my first comics character.
So, thank you, Mr. Thorne, for the inspiration and for all the great art. And thank you, Mrs. Thorne, for having the patience of a saint to put up with being married to comics’ dirty old man! 🙂
Since 2002, March 4th has been well known to the gaming community as International GM’s [Game Masters] Appreciation Day. Never heard of it? Well, that’s probably because, like me, you’re not involved in that ever-growing collection of fans. To explain this event, I’ll let this quote from the official GM’s Day site provide you with some background:
GM’s Day was born on the site EN World in December 2002. Originally a simple message board post by EN World member Spunkrat, the idea quickly gained popularity, championed by Mark Clover of Creative Mountain Games and, of course, EN World itself…. GM’s Day is an annual day to show your Game Master (or Dungeon Master, or Storyteller, or Referee) how much you appreciate them. Publishers and retail outlets across the world now join in GM’s Day, offering discounts, sales, and other cool stuff.
And what do you know? It just so happens that StarWarp Concepts has a book that’s perfect for game masters and gamers alike:
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 (Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special, For a Few Gold Pieces More, 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. In fact, Terra Incognito is a book that’s become so popular with gamers that it’s currently being used as a textbook in the Interactive Media Design program at Becker College in Worchester, Massachusetts!
Hey, book lovers! Do you like reading? Well, of course you do! Do you like reading out loud? If so, then today is your day to celebrate, because it’s World Read Aloud Day!
Started in 2009 by the nonprofit organization LitWorld and sponsored by mega–publishing house Scholastic, World Read Aloud Day “unites people around the world by highlighting the importance of reading aloud and sharing stories.”
Well, if you’re a parent looking for a book that you can read aloud with your child, how about sitting down and with a world-famous fairy tale that we offer as a handy e-book?
Snow White is the classic story by the Brothers Grimm, and one of the titles in our Illustrated Classics line. Featuring full-color illustrations first published in 1883 (and they really are beautiful drawings), this digital-exclusive titleis available for immediate download for the wickedly low price of just 99¢!
Snow White is a digital exclusive available for download, so visit its product page for ordering information and sample pages.
Yes, it’s time again for Will Eisner Week: an annual celebration—held every year from March 1 to March 7—run by the Will and Ann Eisner Family Foundation, to promote literacy, graphic novels, free speech, and the legacy of the late Will Eisner, the creator of the 1940s masked crimefighter The Spirit, and one of the founding fathers of American graphic novels. A Contract with God, A Life Force, Dropsie Avenue, and The Dreamer are just some of the fascinating tales Eisner wrote and drew, featuring ordinary people in extraordinary (and sometimes not-so-extraordinary) situations. And even though he passed away in 2005, Eisner continues to inspire generations of writers and artists. Events are being held this week around the world; visit the Will Eisner Week site for more information.
StarWarp Concepts, of course, has its share of graphic novels and comics that might pique your interest. Here are just a few:
Lorelei: Sects and the City: This is the critically acclaimed, Mature Readers tale of a succubus battling a cult that’s trying to revive the elder gods they worship. Basically a love letter to 1970s horror comics like Vampirella, Tomb of Dracula, and “Satanna, the Devil’s Daughter,” it’s written by yours truly, Steven A. Roman (Stan Lee’s Alexa, X-Men: The Chaos Engine Trilogy), and illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia (Vengeance of the Mummy, Lady Death), Steve Geiger (Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Kraven’s Last Hunt, Incredible Hulk Epic Collection: Going Gray), and Neil Vokes (Flesh and Blood, Fright Night). It also features art by three legendary Warren Publishing artists: a cover by Esteban Maroto (Vampirella, Creepy), a frontispiece by original Vampirella artist Tom Sutton, and a history of succubi illustrated by ErnieColon (Creepy, Eerie).
Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings: Perfect for superhero fans, this graphic novel is 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! Written by the husband-and-wife team of Richard C. White (For a Few Gold Pieces More, Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination) and Joni M. White, and illustrated by Reggie Golden and Randy Zimmerman, Night Stalkings presents the TSI members on their first mission: protecting a multimillionaire from a trio of Middle Eastern demons out to raise a little hell!
The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1: Although it may not be a graphic novel, at 56 pages it’s still a pretty thick comic book, with three stories of Pan and the monsters that live in her New York City hometown. The Saga of Pandora Zwieback chronicles the adventures of sixteen-year-old Pandora Zwieback, a Gothy horror fangirl who possesses amazing powers that she just learned about, including the ability to see past the human disguises worn by monsters to blend in with society. And The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1 is a 56-page, full-color special that contains stories by Steven A. Roman (yep, me again) and Sholly Fisch (Scooby-Doo/Batman Mysteries), and art by Eliseu Gouveia (Lorelei: Sects and the City, The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0) Elizabeth Watasin (Charm School), and comic-art legend Ernie Colon (Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld).
All titles are available in print and digital formats, so visit their respective product pages for ordering information, as well as sample pages.
“Short tales to appease your monstrous hunger for suspense” is how we describe SWC Horror Bites, our digital-chapbook series. Basically, they’re classic horror tales, both familiar and unfamiliar, presented as downloadable chapbooks. Some are by well-known authors; others may not be household names but should be, and this is our way of introducing them to you.
Here’s what’s available so far:
White Fell: The Werewolf: Originally published in 1896 as The Were-wolf, our launch title was written by renowned author, artist, and suffragette Clemence Annie Housman, and 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…
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Washington Irving’s legendary tale of the Headless Horseman has captivated readers ever since its first publication in 1820, in Irving’s collection The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., and in the 200 years since it’s become the quintessential Halloween story, as well as the basis for countless movies, TV shows, comic books, and other pop-culture adaptations. When schoolteacher Ichabod Crane arrived in Sleepy Hollow, New York, he had dreams of marrying beautiful socialite Katrina of the wealthy Van Tassel family, only to lose his head (both figuratively and literally!) when he encountered the horrific Headless Horseman one fateful night!
White Fell: The Werewolf and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow are digital exclusives available for download right now, so visit their respective product pages for ordering information. Other Horror Bites are currently in development; stay tuned for future anouncements!
Women in Horror Month is here again, that annual celebration that shines the spotlight on the contributions of all the female creators—writers, artists, movie directors, producers, special makeup artists, special effects experts, etc.—who’ve brought thrills and chills to generations of fans around the world.
Well, if you enjoy tales of horror and empowered women, may we recommend one of our classic fiction titles?
White Fell: The Werewolf, by Clemence Annie Housman, was originally published in 1896 as The Were-wolf, and it’s 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. After all, 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…
This past Sunday, Legendary Pictures released the trailer for Godzilla vs. Kong, the much-anticipated latest entry in Legendary’s “Monsterverse,” which includes 2014’s reboot of Godzilla, 2017’s Kong: Skull Island, and 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters (which brought us rebooted versions of King Ghidorah, Rodan, and Mothra). It stars two of monsterdom’s greatest titans alongside human costars Eiza Gonzalez (Bloodshot), Kyle Chandler and Millie Bobby Brown (Godzilla: King of the Monsters), and Alexander Skarsgard (The Stand). “One will fall” is its promotional tagline—but which one will it be when the movie debuts on March 26 in theaters and HBOMax?
Of course, this title match wouldn’t happen without Kong, the creation of Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace who was brought to stop-motion life in 1933 by effects master Willis O’Brien. The original King Kong went on to become a worldwide cultural icon that inspired generations of Monster Kids who grew up to be directors, writers, and special-effects creators. It also inspired all of us at StarWarp Concepts—here comes the shameless plug—to add the story of the king of the simian monsters to our line of Illustrated Classics!
King Kong is an e-book-only republication of the 1932 novelization of the original movie classic. 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, it includes 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.
Our version features six 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.
Not familiar with the beauty-and-the-beast story of Kong and his “love interest,” Ann Darrow (who was played in the 1933 original by the queen of the scream queens, Fay Wray)? Well, here’s our edition’s back-cover copy to bring you up-to-date:
Ann Darrow was a down-on-her-luck actress struggling to survive in Depression-era New York when she met moviemaker Carl Denham. He offered her the starring role in his latest film: a documentary about a long-lost island—and the godlike ape named Kong rumored to live there. Denham needed a beauty as a counterpart to the beast he hoped to find, and Ann was the answer to his prayers.
Mystery, romance, a chance to turn her life around, even the possibility of stardom—to Ann, it sounded like the adventure of a lifetime! But what she didn’t count on were the horrific dangers that awaited her on Skull Island—including the affections of a love-struck monster…
King Kong (the 1932 novelization) is available directly from the SWC webstore, so visit its product page for ordering information.
The 2021 convention season is looming ever closer, and around this time of year we’d be announcing some of the places you’d find the SWC Crew in attendance—but how does that work in the Age of Coronavirus?
As you’re no doubt aware if you’re a regular con attendee, the 2020 season was completely wrecked when the global pandemic erupted during the spring, forcing the closure of hundreds of genre shows around the world, from one-day venues like Connecticut Horrorfest to mega-events like San Diego Comic Con. After all, it’s hard to socially distance when you’ve got up to 150,000 people crammed into one setting. A number of them, like SDCC and New York Comic Con, opted for online iterations—virtual cons—that had downloadable content as well as YouTube channels packed with prerecorded Zoom-style panels, all to try and provide that “con” feel. We even experimented with that format by participating (to a small degree) in one such show—SiouxperConline in October—though it didn’t appear to generate any book sales for us.
But where do we go from here? Sure, there are vaccines that have started to be distributed (thank goodness!), but it’ll be quite a while before the vast majority of Americans are properly immunized, and then there was the discovery of mutations in the virus that are making the rounds, which raised the concern that infection rates will spike again. On top of that, cons in general have never had a good reputation when it comes to matters of personal hygiene (insert your own “hey, have you ever heard of soap?” joke here). Are you familiar with the term “con crud”? That’s when you come home from a show and wind up sick as a dog because you caught some virus from interacting with people who more often than not knew they were ill and attended anyway. Now, in the days of “super-spreader events,” such venues have become an even greater potential risk for infection.
For those of us at ’Warp Central, it wasn’t as though we’d been hitting the convention circuit very hard in past years, anyway: Connecticut Horrorfest was our only 2019 show, and of the two appearances we intended on making last year, February’s Pow Con in Brooklyn, NY, didn’t turn out all that great, so we had no plans to go back, and September’s CT Horrorfest was canceled due to the pandemic. With regard to 2021’s shows…sorry, ’Warpnauts and Panatics, but we’re opting out for this year to see how things progress. If plans should change, however, you can be sure I’ll keep you up to date on our status.
Stay safe, and stay well!
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