Not at SDCC 2024? Neither Are We!

Posted on July 25, 2024 by Steven

Today is the launch day for San Diego Comic-Con 2024: four days in which hordes of comic and pop-culture fans descend on the San Diego Convention Center to meet their idols, hunt down collectibles, pose in their best costumes, and crowd the aisles. Or is that meet the crowds in their best collectible costumes—and hunt down their idols…? (Somebody call Security!)

StarWarp Concepts won’t be part of the festivities—in fact, we haven’t attended Comic-Con since 2005 (it’s just too expensive to exhibit there, what with cross-country travel and shipping, not to mention exhibitor and hotel fees)—but that doesn’t mean you can’t experience SWC’s sort of scaled-down version of the big show right here!

You want vendors? Our webstore is open 24/7, so at any time you can order our amazing titles that range from comics and graphic novels to fantasy and dark fantasy novels, and from Illustrated Classics to nonfiction books about gaming and comics history. And while our webstore is currently offline (sorry about that; we’re working on the problem), our product pages have links to traditional book retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble for print editions, and Smashwords and DriveThru for e-books and digital comics.

Speaking of e-titles, a good number of our digital titles are currently available at discounted prices, as part of our annual involvement with Smashwords’ Winter/Summer E-book Sale and the Christmas in July Sale at DriveThru Comics and DriveThru Fiction. Both sales run until the end of the month, so click the links to check out the bargains!

Convention giveaways? Our Downloads page has Pandora Zwieback wallpapers for your smartphone and computer, and book samples. Plus, we have free digital comic books you can download:

Lorelei #1: The 30th Anniversary Edition is a reprint of the comic that helped launch StarWarp Concepts in 1993. Wriiten and created by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!), and drawn by David C. Matthews (Heartstopper: The Legend of La Bella Tenebrosa), it introduced readers to celebrated professional photographer Laurel Ashley O’Hara, on the day that would change her life forever—a day when a major exhibition of her work was opening at a prestigious New York museum…and the day she unfortunately met the charming but dangerous Arioch—a lord of hell!

Heroines & Heroes is a collection of comic stories and pinups all drawn by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!), dating back to my days in the early 1990s small-press movement—that age of dinosaurs in which creators like me used to make our comics by printing them out on photocopiers and then stapling them by hand. In H&H you’ll find mainstream heroes and small-press heroines, and even a couple of anthropomorphic bikers. Leading off is “V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N (in the Summertime),” a three-page Wonder Woman vs. Harley Quinn story that I wrote and drew in the late ’90s as a sample for a DC Comics editor who thought I’d be a good fit for their Batman: The Animated Series comic (it didn’t work out). The WW/Harley matchup is followed by an adventure of small-presser Jeff Wood’s rabbit-eared superspy, Snowbuni; three pages from the long-canceled indie comic Motorbike Puppies; and an adventure of the indie superheroine The Blonde Avenger.

The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0 is a full-color introduction to the young adult novel series of the same name, hosted by Pan herself. Pan is a 16-year-old New York City Goth who’s not only a horror fangirl but someone with the rare ability to see the for-real monsters that regular humans can’t (she calls it her “monstervision”), and with the help of a 400-year-old, shape-shifting monster hunter named Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin, she’s learning how to protect her family, her friends, and the world from the supernatural dangers out there—and maybe even have some fun while doing it. This 16-page comic features a seven-page story written by me, with art and color by Eliseu Gouveia (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1, Carmilla, A Princess of Mars, Lorelei: Sects and the City), and includes two sample chapters from Blood Feud, the first Pan novel.

Heartstopper: The Legend of La Bella Tenebrosa #1–3. Before she became Pan’s monster-hunting mentor, Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin made her debut in this short-lived, 1990s Mature Readers series from Millennium Publications. A nefarious heavy metal band has arrived in New York City, and its lead singer is more than just a sex magnet for his female fans—he’s a soul-stealing incubus! Will Annie put an end to his plans for worldwide chaos, or fall prey to his supernatural charms? Written by me (of course), issue 1 is drawn by Pan and Annie co-creator Uriel Caton (JSA Annual) and inker Alan Larsen (Femforce), and colored by Dan Peters; issue 2 is penciled by Uriel, Holly Golightly (School Bites, Archie Comics), and David C. Matthews (Satin Steele), inked by Larsen, and colored by Zeea Adams; and issue 3 is penciled by Holly, with four pages of inks by “Chainsaw” Chuck Majewski (Harvey Kurtzman’s New Two-Fisted Tales).

As a special bonus, issue 3 includes a brief look at the never-published Heartstopper/Trollords, a crossover special that would have had Annie meet Harry, Larry, and Jerry, the Three Stooges–inspired trolls created by Scott Beaderstadt and Paul Fricke for their popular comic series of the 1980s. H/T was to be written by me with pencils by Holly and Scott and inks by Bill Lavin (Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings), but unfortunately it just never got past the starting gate.

(Warning: Heartstopper is designated a “Mature Readers” comic for violent scenes and some sexual innuendo, so younger Panatics should avoid it.)

Artists Alley? Our Gallery area—think of it as an online artists’ alley—features two sections, The 13 Days of Pan-demonium and Visions of Lorelei, both containing original renderings of our two best-known characters by a host of artists from indie and mainstream comics, including such notables as Mike Mignola (Hellboy), Elizabeth Watasin (Charm School), Teri S. Wood (Wandering Star), Neil Vokes (Tom Holland’s Fright Night), Frank Thorne (Red Sonja), Louis Small Jr. (Vampirella), Dave Simon (Ghost Rider), Bill Ward (Torchy), and Joseph Michael Linsner (Red Sonja)!

So even though the StarWarp Concepts crew—and possibly you, as well—isn’t in sunny San Diego, at least you can have an SWC con-like experience from the comforts of your home!

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Celebrate Christmas in July 2024 With DriveThru’s E-book Sale!

Posted on July 20, 2024 by Steven

Sleigh bells ring—are you listening?

No? Then obviously you haven’t paid a visit to the Hallmark Channel these days, otherwise you’d know we’re smack-dab in the middle of what’s become known as Christmas in July. (Not that we watch any of the bazillion yuletide romances HC is running, you understand—we’re merely pointing it out for research purposes…)

Anyway, if saccharine-sweet rom-coms aren’t your thing, but reading horror and dark fantasy and straight-up fantasy is, then you should head over to our e-book distributor DriveThru Fiction—and its sister site, DriveThru Comics—who’s definitely in the holiday mood with its annual Christmas in July Sale, during which you can purchase tons of digital books at special prices! It runs from now to July 31st—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), and among the titles we’re offering at a sweet discount, you’ll find:

From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures, by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!). It’s a nonfiction history of Vampirella (who just celebrated her 55th anniversary on Monday!) 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 to telling the tale of Hammer’s unproduced film adaptation that was to star Barbara Leigh and Peter Cushing, I provide 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 a look at the awful 1996 direct-to-cable-TV movie that was made, starring Talisa Soto and Roger Daltrey. There’s also a peek at Mr. Cushing’s personal copy of the ’70s Vampirella screenplay; 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.

Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is our popular how-to book for writers and gamers in which fantasy author Richard C. White (For a Few Gold Pieces More, Chasing Danger) 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, the book is so popular that it’s currently being used as a textbook in the Interactive Media Design program at Becker College in Worchester, Massachusetts!

The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1 is a 56-page, full-color comic special that features cover art by award-winning artist Henar Torinos (Mala Estrella) and contains three original stories. In “Song of the Siren,” by writer Steven A. Roman and artist Eliseu Gouveia (Vengeance of the Mummy, Lady Death), the teenaged Goth adventuress matches wits with a man-stealing enchantress who’s set her sights on Pan’s boyfriend, Javier. It’s followed by “After Hours,” by writer Sholly Fisch (The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries), and comic-art legend Ernie Colon (Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld), in which a demon walks into a bar to unwind after a long day of scarifying. And rounding out the issue is “Shopping Maul,” a short story by Roman with title-page art by Elizabeth Watasin (Charm School), in which Pan and Annie, along with Javier and Pan’s best friend, Sheena, run into a group of Gothic Lolita vampires out to do more than a little window shopping.

Carmilla is J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s 19th-century classic vampiric tale of love gone wrong. Laura is so desperate for a friend that when a young woman named Carmilla practically turns up on the doorstep of the castle owned by Laura’s father, she thinks her prayers for companionship have been answered. But as she comes to realize, Carmilla isn’t as interested in making friends as she is in spilling blood. Regarded as the one of the earliest female vampire tales—if not the first—Carmilla was an influence on author Bram Stoker in the creation of the vampire brides in his seminal novel, Dracula, and remains a popular character in fiction to this day. Just like with A Princess of Mars, our edition contains six original illustrations done especially for StarWarp Concepts by the super-talented Eliseu Gouveia.

Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings is a graphic novel 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 the husband-and-white team of Richard C. White and Joni M. White, and illustrated by Reggie Golden and Randy Zimmerman.

And Harbinger of Darkness is an original fantasy-adventure novel by Richard C. White 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!

Again, the Christmas in July Sale runs now through July 31st, so head over to the StarWarp Concepts publisher pages at DriveThru Fiction and DriveThru Comics, and start your summer-reading shopping!

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Vampirella’s 55th Anniversary: The 1970s Almost Movie

Posted on July 17, 2024 by Steven

Two days ago, July 15th marked the 55th anniversary of the day in 1969 when Warren Publishing introduced the comics world to Vampirella, the bloodsucker from another planet who was created by Forrest J Ackerman and publisher James Warren, and designed by legendary artists Frank Frazetta and Trina Robbins. (That was the date Vampirella #1 debuted on newsstand magazine racks, in those long-ago days before comic shops.)

That first issue, and the series that followed, was an instant success—undoubtedly due to the spectacular art of Spanish illustrator Jose Gonzalez, who set the gold standard for depicting the swimsuit-wearing vampiress, and the paintings of cover artist Enrique Torres-Prat (aka Enrich)—and Vampirella quickly rose to become Warren Publishing’s most popular character. So it was only a matter of time before the motion-picture industry took notice…

In 1975, Hammer Films—the British studio best known for its series of Dracula movies starring Christopher Lee as the count and Peter Cushing as his nemesis, Professor Van Helsing—announced the forthcoming production of Vampirella: The Movie, to star Barbara Leigh (Junior Bonner, Pretty Maids All in a Row, Terminal Island), with Cushing as her best friend, a faded stage magician named Mordecai Pendragon. To promote the upcoming production both co-stars appeared at the 1975 Famous Monsters Convention in New York City, with Leigh creating a sensation when she walked out for the movie panel in a comics-accurate costume (which can be seen above).

Left to right: Leonard Wolf, Forrest J Ackerman, host Tom Snyder, and Peter Cushing on the Tomorrow Show set.

That same night, Cushing and Ackerman (along with Dracula expert Leonard Wolf) appeared on NBC’s late-night talk show The Tomorrow Show, to discuss the horror genre with host Tom Synder. Leigh had also been booked for the episode, but when she showed up at the studio in her Vampi costume, the show’s producers, and Snyder, recoiled in shock and banned her from joining the sit-down discussion.

Unfortunately, that’s as far as the production got. Shortly after the convention, the whole thing fell apart and Leigh lost her chance at headlining stardom, while Cushing moved on to attaining sci-fi immortality by playing the sinister Grand Moff Tarkin in 1977’s mega-hit Star Wars (later known as Episode 4: A New Hope). A couple attempts were made to revive the project—including one in which genre actress Caroline Munro (Dracula A.D. 1972, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, The Spy Who Loved Me) was approached (she declined)—and by the late 1970s any hope of a Vampirella movie was ended.

Having read it, I can say that, in all honesty, the script by screenwriter Christopher Wicking (Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb, To the Devil a Daughter) is…pretty awful. It’s a mishmash of plotlines taken from the comics, combined with a main plot that ends up making no sense whatsoever. The only positive aspect of it was that the relationship between Vampirella and Pendragon is accurately translated from the series; it would have been wonderful to see how Cushing played with the character.

That’s not the full tale, however, but for the full, in-depth behind-the-scenes story of the Vampirella film’s failure, and a full plot overview of the screenplay, there’s only one place you can find them:

From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures is Steven A. Roman’s (that’s me!) 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 as Vampi and featured a scenery-gulping performance from rock-god Roger Daltrey (lead singer of the legendary band The Who) as Dracula; and, of course, a pretty extensive look at the history of Hammer Films’ Vampirella movie. 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.

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

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Happy 55th Anniversary, Vampirella!

Posted on July 15, 2024 by Steven

He picked a magazine off the coverlet which showed an incredibly endowed young woman in a skintight costume who was sucking the blood of a young man…. The name of the magazine—and of the young woman, apparently—was Vampirella.—Stephen King, ’Salem’s Lot

Where does the time go? Back on April 22nd, we celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Warren Publishing Company, the home of popular horror magazines Creepy, Eerie, and Famous Monsters of Filmland (although that anniversary actually marked the release of Warren’s first and only mainstream comic, The Flintstones at the 1964 World’s Fair). And now another Warren-related anniversary has arrived!

Vampirella #1. Cover painting by Frank Frazetta.

On July 15, 1969, the Warren Publishing Company released Vampirella #1, in which publisher/co-creator James Warren, writer/co-creator Forrest J Ackerman (aka “the Ackermonster,” editor/creator of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine), artist Tom Sutton, and cover painter Frank Frazetta introduced horror-comic fans to the scantily clad survivor from a planet of vampires who would travel to Earth in her next issue and begin a series of adventures that have inspired writers and artists for over five decades (including, of course, yours truly), not to mention generations of cosplayers. And now, today, she’s celebrating her 55th Anniversary!

Yup, it was fifty-five years ago today that Warren Publishing’s Vampirella #1 (cover-dated September) went on sale in 1969 and set the template for generations of bad girls to come. Behind that iconic cover Frazetta painting and that distinctive costume he designed with comic artist Trina Robbins, readers found horror stories by writers Don Glut and Nicola Cuti, and artists Billy Graham, Reed Crandall, Neal Adams, Mike Royer, Tony Tallarico, and Ernie Colon. And leading off the issue was “Vampirella of Draculon” by Ackerman and Sutton.

In Vampi’s seven-page launch, we were introduced to a heroine who was a mash-up of horror and science fiction themes, an inhabitant of Draculon, a planet light-years from Earth that orbited twin suns; a planet that had literal rivers of blood running across it, until the suns turned the world into a dried-out husk. Vampi is one of the few survivors hanging on to life, and becomes the first to witness the crash of a spacecraft—the Arthur Clark (named, of course, for Arthur C. Clarke, the sci-fi writing legend)—carrying visitors from Earth.

Freaked out by the sight of a giant bat (Vampi’s in-flight form), they fire laser guns at her, and she responds by draining their blood—and discovers that the “water” on her world is the same type of liquid that flows in the veins of the astronauts. And when she goes inside the ship and finds a complement of crewmembers in suspended animation…well, let’s just say she’s not about to go hungry anytime soon.

It’s a cute story that gets across what Ackerman set out to do—introduce Warren Publishing’s new character and horror-story hostess—but it’s hampered somewhat by the wince-inducing puns he inserts throughout. Vampirella exclaiming “Smorgasblood!” when she spots the frozen crew, then saying ”Feast come, feast served!” as she taps into them…the water composition on Draculon being H20 (hemoglobin doubled with oxygen)…remarking that the blood shower is “Sole satisfying! Right down to my soles!”…they’re shining examples of the wacky sense of humor Ackerman always exhibited in the pages of Famous Monsters of Filmland, but which don’t work in a semi-dramatic setup.

Thankfully, the jokey tone was left far behind with issue 8, when Vampi’s adventures were placed in the hands of editor and new writer Archie Goodwin (of Warren’s other horror magazines, Creepy and Eerie), who began to introduce all the aspects of Vampi lore that her fans came to appreciate: her boyfriend (and vampire hunter) Adam Van Helsing, and his father, Conrad; the inebriated magician Mordecai Pendragon; the revelation that Dracula was a fellow refugee from Draculon; the blood-substitute serum that allowed her to function without going on feeding frenzies; and, most important, the Cult of Chaos—the Elder God–worshipping sect whose creation reflected Goodwin’s appreciation for horror master H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos. All these concepts are still in use, in one form or another, by contemporary Vampi scripters. And when Sutton was replaced on the series by Spanish artist Jose Gonzalez, that’s when Vampirella hit the heights of popularity, as his depiction of the outer-space vampiress became the gold standard by which all Vampi artists were measured, even to this day.

Vampirella art by Jose Gonzalez.

So why are we so excited about this momentous occasion? Well, because if you happen to be a fan of Vampirella, or a fan of Warren Publishing, we have the perfect book to help you celebrate this special day. Cue the sales plug!

From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures is written by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!), author of the Pandora Zwieback series and the tales of the Vampi-inspired succubus Lorelei. It’s an extensive look at Vampi’s early days, from the debut of her series in 1969 to the death of Warren Publishing in 1983, in seven heavily researched chapters:

The Vampire Who Fell to Earth: It’s the story of the life of Vampirella at Warren Publishing: her 1969 development by cocreators James Warren and Forrest J Ackerman, with the assistance of artists Frank Frazetta and Trina Robbins; the adventures she went on via the writing and artistic talents of such visionaries as Archie Goodwin, Bill DuBay, Jose Gonzalez, Enrich, Gonzalo Mayo, and many others; and the cancellation of her series in 1982 when the company collapsed. It also features probably the most you’ll ever see reported about four Vampi writers who were just as talented but not as well known: Mike Butterworth, who wrote under the pseudonym Flaxman Loew; T. Casey Brennan; Rich Margopoulos; and Gerry Boudreau.

The Vampirella Episode Guide: The largest section of the book, it examines every story starring Vampirella during the Warren Era: over 100 entries, some with little known behind-the-scenes details. Plus stories behind some of Vampi’s unpublished adventures!

Vampi Goes to Hollywood: In 1975, Hammer Films announced the development of a Vampirella movie starring model/actress Barbara Leigh and the legendary Peter Cushing (later known the world over as Grand Moff Tarkin of Star Wars). The project crashed in spectacular fashion, but the details have always been murky. I try to clear up the confusion surrounding it, detailing the production from its launch to its unfortunate ending. And then I take a critical look at the awful Vampirella movie that was made in 1996, starring Talisa Soto and rock god Roger Daltrey of the Who—and probably shouldn’t have been!

The Literary Vampiress: From 1975 to 1976, Warner Books published a series of Vampirella novelizations by sci-fi author Ron Goulart. I take a look at each novel, and explain why they’re worth tracking down…if you can find copies!

The Vampirella Warren Era Checklist: A list of every Warren Vampi story! Every reprint volume from Harris Comics and Dynamite Entertainment! Plus little known trivia!

From the Stars also features: A foreword by Sean Fernald, the Official Vampirella Historian! A peek at Peter Cushing’s personal copy of the 1976 Vampirella screenplay! A frontispiece by legendary artist Bob Larkin, who painted covers for Warren’s Vampirella, The Rook, Eerie, and Famous Monsters of Filmland! Photos of Barbara Leigh in costume as Vampirella at the 1975 Famous Monsters Convention, held in New York! Photos of Talisa Soto in costume on the set of the 1996 Vampirella movie! Rare photos from the collection of Forrest J Ackerman! If there’s only one Vampirella history book you pick up—and let’s be honest, this is the only Vampirella history book that’s been published—then be sure to add it to your collection!

“This is without a doubt the essential, authoritative reference book for anything related to the Warren-era Vampirella… There are lots of books out there with good information—Empire of Monsters, The Art of Vampirella: The Warren Years, The Art of Jose Gonzalez, etc.—but none offers such a broad, all-encompassing look at the history of this character.”—Vampirella of Drakulon (blog)

“A great book for any Warren Vampirella fan.”—Seth Biederman, writer of Vampirella Manga 2999 and Vampirella Manga 3000, former Harris Comics Vampirella editor

“Not only a fantastic reference guide, but it is also a love letter to the fanged horror heroine. New fans and old will be interested in the bibliography especially. Libraries that specialize in comics should consider including this volume in their collection as well. Highly recommended.”—Monster Librarian

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

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Happy 65th Birthday, Richard C. White!

Posted on July 12, 2024 by Steven

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!

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Happy 75th Birthday, Bob Larkin!

Posted on July 10, 2024 by Steven
Bob Larkin (l) and me at the 2013 New York Comic Con

“You may not know the name off the top of your head but if you’ve been reading Marvel comics, or SF and fantasy paperbacks, for any length of time at all then you’ve seen Bob Larkin’s work…. Once I learned to recognize the style it seemed as though I saw it everywhere. At some point Bob Larkin was doing covers for everything cool I liked.”—Greg Hatcher, Comic Book Resources

If you’re a fan of comic books, or movies, or pulp fiction heroes, Bob Larkin is a painter whose work you recognize immediately; he’s provided covers and movie posters for just about every publishing house and film studio for more than five decades.

Cover art for Doc Savage, Star Wars, Star Trek, and The Savage Sword of Conan the Barbarian, and movie posters for Piranha, Night of the Creeps, and The Toxic Avenger II are just some of the painted images you’re already familiar with, even if you didn’t know they were Larkin’s work.

Probably his most famous piece of art is, of all things, the iconic disco-inspired cover for Marvel’s Dazzler #1, first published in 1980. It’s everywhere on the Internet—if there’s an article about a potential movie, it’s the art used at the top; if there’s an article about Taylor Swift possibly playing Dazzler in a movie, it’s the art used at the top. Numerous artists and publishers have done homage covers referencing it, and comic fans recognize his cover immediately, even if they don’t always know his name.

To top it off, last month Marvel not only released the cover as an oversized poster ready to hang on your wall, but they also announced the launch of a new Dazzler comic series, with a truckload of variant disco-themed covers all no doubt inspired by Bob’s painting.

Bob Larkin battles Darth Vader in the Eternal Con dealers room. Photo by Ken Larkin.

He’s also been an inspiration to artists like Joe Jusko and Alex Ross. He’s worked behind the scenes on such movies as Star Trek V, providing concept artwork (that planet where “God” was hanging out, in need of a starship? That was Bob’s). If you’re a fan of StarWarp Concepts’ projects, then you know him as the cover artist of the Saga of Pandora Zwieback novels Blood Feud and Blood Reign, and the the frontispiece artist for my nonfiction comics history From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized History of Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures.

And today is his 75th birthday!

“Larkin’s importance in his field can be judged by the fact that Joe Jusko provided the introduction to [The Savage Art of Bob Larkin] and Alex Ross wrote the afterword. His paintings were very influential on the current generation of cover artists.”—ICV2

“Throughout the’ 70s and ’80s, if you saw Bob Larkin’s name on the cover to a magazine or comic, you simply had to have it. This is a guy that’s never truly received the credit for being one of the best all-time cover artists.”—Shotgun Reviews

I’ve known Bob since 1998, when as a fiction editor I hired him to paint the covers for the novels X-Men: Law of the Jungle and Gen 13: Version 2.0 (the latter written by another friend of mine, Sholly Fisch), then again when I needed covers for my own X-Men: The Chaos Engine Trilogy. But long before that I was a fan of his work, most of which I saw on the covers of 1970s magazines like Haunt of Horror, Tomb of Dracula, The Rook, Vampirella, and Crazy, among many others. And then when I learned he also did T-shirt art for World Wrestling Entertainment (Drew Barrymore wore his Stone Cold Steve Austin T-shirt in Charlie’s Angels), not to mention designed the meat-hook tattoos for wrestler (later MMA fighter) Brock Lesner…well, could he be any cooler?

It didn’t take long before my fandom turned into a friendship that’s still going on to this day!

“A prolific and accomplished painter, Bob Larkin ‘owned’ the Marvel magazine format. If you’ve ever seen a circa Bronze/Modern large-sized Marvel painted cover that just took your breath away, you were probably admiring the work of Bob Larkin.”—Gotham City Art

“With Larkin’s vibrant movie-poster style, ferocious barbarians, sci-fi and fantasy icons, classic monsters and buxom beauties burst from the page, caught in breathtaking action.”—Bookspan

When I relaunched StarWarp Concepts in 2010, Bob was the first artist I approached to get involved. I wanted painted covers for the Pandora Zwieback novels, and Bob was the artist I wanted for them. And not only did he create three cover paintings for the series, he also painted the flames and woodcut reproduction that adorn the real-world Pan Zwieback leather jacket, created sculptures of the bat ornament and demon-faced belt buckle Pan wears, and provided the final artwork for the demon-girl T-shirt that we sell in the SWC Store! And if you attend a convention that StarWarp Concepts is at, that’s Bob’s art on full display on the Pan banner that hangs in the back of our booth.

“With his vibrant, movie-poster style, Larkin was one of the most sought-after artists of his time.”—Science Fiction Book Club

If you’re unfamiliar with Bob’s stunning work, pay a visit to his art blog, Bob Larkin: The Illustrated Man. Yes, it hasn’t been updated in quite a while, but you’ll still find a wealth of imagery on display—and a lot of what he’s done will probably surprise you!

So, happy birthday, Bob! You’re a legend and an inspiration and a good friend, and all the best wishes to you on this special occasion!

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Happy World UFO Day 2024!

Posted on July 2, 2024 by Steven

Holy Close Encounters of the Third Kind! It’s Roy Neary’s favorite holiday, as you can see in this iconic cover painting that our friend, legendary artist Bob Larkin, did for Marvel Comics’ comic book adaptation of CE3K, back in 1978.

According to the site There Is a Day for That, World UFO Day was launched in 2001 by UFO hunter Haktan Akdogan and “is observed and celebrated on July 2nd every year to raise awareness about Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) and alien life forms. The day aims to discuss and educate people about UFOs, flying saucers, and sightings of bright blue light in the sky that make headlines across the world.”

True story: When Bob was commissioned by Marvel to do the CE3K cover painting, the notes he was given described the main characters, Roy Neary and Jillian Guiler (played respectively by Richard Dreyfuss and Melinda Dillon), running away in fright from the approaching UFO. But shortly after he delivered the painting, he received a call from the comic’s writer/editor, Archie Goodwin, who explained that Steven Spielberg had rejected the art because Roy and Jillian were supposed to be running toward the UFO.

Since this was long before the days of Photoshop, the art couldn’t just be reconfigured with replacement foreground figures, so Bob hurried to his studio and created a completely new painting—the one you see here—in 24 hours!

But it’s not just his painting skills that are impressive—Bob’s also one hell of a pencil artist, as evidenced by his work in a couple of SWC projects (cue the sales pitch!).

The Bob Larkin Sketchbook is a collection of some of Bob’s incredible pencil drawings, and what you’ll discover when you see them is how wide-ranging his subjects are. Sci-fi, horror, Westerns, pulp adventure, crime fiction, movie merchandise, even wrestling stars—as we say on the book’s back cover, there really is little that he hasn’t painted.

The sketchbook also features three pieces created especially for it: the Pandora Zwieback cover art; a portrait of Patricia Savage, the fightin’ cousin of pulp fiction’s top-tier adventurer, Doc Savage, the Man of Bronze; and a two-page spread in which Doc faces off against another Golden Age crimefighter—The Shadow!

Bob also provides a great frontispiece illustration for From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures, by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!). It’s a nonfiction history that takes an extensive look at the queen of comic book bad girls, from the debut of her series in 1969 to the death of Warren Publishing in 1983, featuring 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; the story behind the rise and fall of Hammer Films’ proposed Vampi movie of the 1970s that was meant to star Playboy model Barbara Leigh and horror icon Peter Cushing—along with a peek at Peter Cushing’s personal copy of the ’70s Vampirella screenplay; and a look at the awful 1996 direct-to-cable-TV movie that was made, starring Talisa Soto as Vampirella and rock god Roger Daltrey as Dracula. There’s also a foreword by Official Vampirella Historian Sean Fernald, and photographs from the personal archives of Vampi’s cocreator (and creator/editor of Famous Monsters of Filmland), Forrest J Ackerman.

The Bob Larkin Sketchbook and From the Stars…a Vampiress are available in print and digital formats. Visit their respective product pages for ordering information.

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Smashwords’ 2024 Summer/Winter E-book Sale Begins

Posted on July 1, 2024 by Steven

Hey, book lovers! Today’s the day when e-book distributor Smashwords launches its annual Summer/Winter Sale, during which you can purchase thousands of digital books at special prices! It runs from July 1 to July 31—and yes, you’ll need to set up an account (it’s free) to take advantage of this promotion.

As for why Smashwords gives this event such an unusual name: “Because Smashwords serves a global readership where it’s summer in the Northern hemisphere and winter in the Southern hemisphere. So whether you’re looking for a great beach read, or you want to curl up in front of a warm fireplace with a great read, we’ve got you covered!”

Included among the many participating publishers is StarWarp Concepts (of course), which means you can get the following digital titles at 25% off:

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) takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. A bonus feature is an exclusive 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.

Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1 is my young adult novel that’s perfect for lovers of dark urban fantasy. It introduces readers to Pandora Zwieback, 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 professional monster hunter Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin 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. In Blood Feud, Pan, her parents and friends, and Annie are drawn into a conflict among warring vampire clans searching for the key to an ultimate weapon (or so the legend goes)—a key that just so happens to have been delivered to the horror-themed museum owned by Pan’s father.

In Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2, Pan and Annie face even greater challenges as the vampire clans draw up plans to go to war with humanity. Leading the charge is a fallen angel named Zaqiel, whose previous attempt at subjugating the world was stopped by Annie—who, back in the day, was Zaqiel’s lover! But Pan isn’t about to let some ancient monster win the day, not when the lives of her parents and friends—along with those of every human on the planet—are at stake, so she leads a charge of her own. But whose side is going to emerge the victor remains to be seen…

For a Few Gold Pieces More is Rich’s collection of linked fantasy short stories about a Rogue With No Name who travels a world of epic-fantasy adventure, looking for treasure, romance—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).

Harbinger of Darkness is Rich’s original fantasy-adventure 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 Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase is Rich’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!

Again, the Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale runs July 1 to July 31, so head over to the StarWarp Concepts publisher page at Smashwords and start your summer (or winter) shopping!

Posted in Dark Urban Fantasy, e-books, e-tailers, Fantasy, Horror, Nonfiction, Richard C. White, Steven A. Roman, Summer Reading, Writing Reference Books, Young Adult | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Smashwords’ 2024 Summer/Winter E-book Sale Begins

Quality SWC E-books Available for Libraries

Posted on June 27, 2024 by Steven

With today being Day 1 of the 2024 American Libraries Association Annual Conference (being held this year in San Diego, California), I’m always reminded of a conversation I once had with Richard C. White, author of SWC’s supernatural graphic novel Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings, pirate-fantasy digital comic The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special, the fantasy-adventure titles For a Few Gold Pieces More and Harbinger of Darkness, and the popular how-to book for writers, Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination.

Rich had been a guest at a science fiction convention where he spoke with some school librarians interested in adding Terra Incognitoto their lists of e-book titles. But how, they asked, would they be able to obtain it? As librarians, they’re required to order books from distributors, not from publishers; that applies to e-books as well.

Well, librarians, it just so happens that one of The ’Warp’s digital distributors, Draft2Digital, makes our titles available to libraries through OverDrive, Baker & Taylor, Odilo, Bibliotheca, BorrowBox, Palace Marketplace, and hoopla:

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, 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, the book is so popular that it’s currently being used as a textbook in the Media & Game Development program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worchester, Massachusetts!

“A solid introduction to the subject of world building. The book succeeds in helping the aspiring writer in creating a skeletal framework on which to hang the moving parts required of a believable fictional setting.”—The Gaming Gang

For a Few Gold Pieces More collects Richard C. White’s fantasy short stories about 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). It’s “entertaining, old-school sword and sorcery, in the tradition of [Fritz Lieber’s] Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser,” according to author Jim C. Hines of the Magic ex Libris book series, and we at SWC couldn’t agree more!

Harbinger of Darkness is a fantasy-adventure novel by Richard C. White. In it, 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!

“A visceral adventure through a world of magic with well-developed characters, dynamic dialogue and a good dose of two-handed sword fights.”—Experience Writing

You can also obtain our Saga of Pandora Zwieback young adult novels, written by yours truly, Steven A. Roman. You know how popular young adult books are these days, don’t you? Well, here’s another series your patrons might be interested in!

Pan is 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 an immortal monster hunter named Annie 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. You’ll find Pan battling her own brand of evil dead in the following titles:

Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1: This critically acclaimed novel is the beginning of Pan’s story, explaining how she, her parents and friends, and Annie are drawn into a conflict among warring vampire clans searching for the key to an ultimate weapon (or so the legend goes)—a key that just so happens to have been delivered to the horror-themed museum owned by Pan’s father.

“Far and away one of the best young adult supernatural fantasy novels. Pan is exactly the kind of teen heroine that readers should be standing up and cheering for.”—HorrorNews.net

It’s a character-driven action-fest that leads immediately into the second novel:

Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2: Pan and Annie face even greater challenges as the vampire clans draw up plans to go to war with humanity. Leading the charge is a fallen angel named Zaqiel, whose previous attempt at subjugating the world was stopped by Annie—who, back in the day, was Zaqiel’s lover!

So if you’re a librarian interested in adding those titles to your digital bookshelves, head over to OverDrive, Baker & Taylor, Odilo, Bibliotheca, BorrowBox, Palace Marketplace, or hoopla and place your order today!

Posted in Dark Urban Fantasy, e-books, e-tailers, Fantasy, Richard C. White, Steven A. Roman, Writing Reference Books, Young Adult | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Quality SWC E-books Available for Libraries

StarWarp Concepts Publishing News

Posted on June 17, 2024 by Steven

Hey, folks! I know it’s been a while since my last post, so here’s just a brief update on what’s going on around ’Warp Central. It’s a good news/bad news situation—but mostly good!

We’ll start off with the bad news: For the moment, the SWC Store is off-line due to software problems that are preventing us from taking orders on our print and e-book titles. We’re currently working on finding a replacement program that will restore in-house ordering. In the meantime, you can still follow the links we have on the product pages to outside vendors like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and DriveThru Comics, among others. Sorry about the complications!

Now for the good news:

Item 1: Last week, e-book distributor Draft2Digital made our original e-titles (in other words, the books by Richard C. White and myself) available through Fable, “the social app for bookworms” (according to the company’s press material) in which readers can join virtual book clubs or start their own, in addition to purchasing e-books directly from their store. So, that’s a whole new venue in which to pick up new readers!

Item 2: In a couple of weeks, StarWarp Concepts will be participating once again in e-book store Smashwords’ annual Summer/Winter Sale, running throughout July, where you can purchase our titles at 25% off (not to mention choose from the thousands of titles available at similar discounts from a world of indie publishers large and small).

Item 3: SWC will also be participating in another e-book event next month: DriveThru Comics and DriveThru Fiction’s annual Christmas in July Sale, which is held the last two weeks of the month (usually in time to coincide with the San Diego Comic-Con), so that will give you an opportunity to save on our books, comics, and graphic novels!

And hey, all you librarians looking for quality e-books for your patrons: Through our association with Draft2Digital, our titles can be ordered through OverDrive, Baker & Taylor, Odilo, Bibliotheca, BorrowBox, Palace Marketplace, and hoopla. Please keep that in mind while you’re attending the 2024 American Library Association Annual Conference at the end of this month, when you’re in search of books to add to your virtual shelves.

After all, summertime’s the perfect time for reading, isn’t it?

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