StarWarp Spotlight On: Chasing Danger

Chasing-Danger_large_book_coverWelcome back to StarWarp Spotlight, a series of posts that runs each Monday to shine a spotlight on one of our titles, as a reminder of the awesome books and comics we publish and to introduce new SWC fans to our backlist.

This week, we look at author Richard C. White’s latest work…

Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase is a collection of four noirish urban-fantasy adventures by Richard C. White, author of Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, and a growing number of SWC titles: the novel Harbinger of Darkness; the story collection For a Few Gold Pieces More; the writer’s aid Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination; the supernatural-superhero graphic novel Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings; and the pirate-adventure digital comic The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special.  Here’s the back cover copy:

Calasia: it’s a big town with big problems. Murder, thievery, extortion, corruption, magic, and monsters—just ask any native here: this ain’t a burg for the faint of heart. You don’t live in Calasia, you survive it.

Theron Chase walks these mean streets with a sap in one hand and a .45 in the other. Story is he used to be a hell of a cop in these parts—until his partner got dead in a hurry years ago. Now he makes a living as a private eye, offering his services to one and all while trying to stay on the good side of his secretary, a dishy-looking fae name of Kyra Sylvari. Ogres, werewolves, crime bosses, mages—as long as your money’s good and no one’s looking to turn him into a dead man (walking or otherwise), odds are he’ll be able to solve your problem.

Just don’t ask him to handle any magic-related items—he’s about as adept with the arcane arts as a troll in a knitting circle.

In this collection you’ll find four of Chase’s bizarre cases. 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!

And what do critics think of it?

“Fantasy Noir? You gotta be kidding me. [But] White isn’t kidding, and Chasing Danger is no joke. From the very first line, you feel the scene turn black-and-white. It doesn’t last long, for White doesn’t waste time showing that Calasia isn’t your typical gumshoe story town. There’s magic in those alleyways.”Ordinary Average Guy

Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase is available in print and digital formats, so visit its product page for ordering information. If you’re a fan of urban-fantasy tales like Lev Grossman’s The Magicians, Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden, or Showtime’s new series Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, do yourself a favor and check out Theron Chase’s adventures.

Be sure to check out the other StarWarp Spotlight titles we’ve featured so far: the writers and gamers creative how-to Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination, the nonfiction comic history From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures, the classic vampiric love story Carmilla, and the young adult dark-fantasy novel Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1—all available from the SWC webstore and online retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon UK.

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DriveThru RPG Bundles Ebooks for a Worthy Cause

terra_ingoc_lg_coverHere’s some great news in these troubling times: as part of its annual May sales promotion for gamers, e-book distributor DriveThru RPG is offering three “Covid-19 Charity Bundles” to raise money for the nonprofit organizations No Kid Hungry, Doctors Without Borders, and the World Food Programme.

With the kind assistance of bestselling fantasy author Richard C. White, the e-book we’ve donated for the two-week sale is Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imaginationa 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

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 Design (i.e., game design) program at Becker College in Worchester, Massachusetts!

Terra Incognito is part of the No Kid Hungry bundle, 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 No Kid Hungry, Doctors Without Borders, and the World Food Programme, visit the DriveThru RPG emergency relief page. And thanks for helping out!

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Talking Vampirella and Comics with J.D. Calderon

Indy-Comics-Explained-SRoman

As you might be aware, this past Sunday night I appeared on J.D. Calderon’s YouTube series Indy Comics Explained, mainly to promote my latest book, From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures.

(J.D., by the way, is the writer/creator of the fantasy series The Oswald Chronicles and the anthropomorphic fantasy comic series Tall Tails, both published through his Dream Weaver Press company. He’s also been a friend of mine since we met back in the 1990s’ days of the indie comics explosion.)

Well, don’t worry if you missed it: since it’s on YouTube you can still watch the episode, in which I talk about my time as a professional book editor (and the troubles associated with such work, especially in licensed publishing), my history as a writer and as a self-publisher, the Saga of Pandora Zwieback series, my current work as scripter for Oniric Comics’ Sideral: The Last Earthman, and, if I were offered the chance to write comics for Marvel and/or DC, which characters I’d want to work on. And, of course, I was busy pushing the book I was there to promote, offering some hints as to what you’ll find in From the Stars…a Vampiress.

Talking to Steve A. Roman” is available for viewing right now at Indy Comics Explained. If you’ve got an hour, click on the link and head on over to check it out.

vampiress_LG_CoverFrom the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures is a nonfiction book—not a comic—and a 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. 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 most important of all, what may be the first time anyone has actually told, in chronological order, 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. It also includes my look at the awful 1996 direct-to-cable-TV movie that was made, starring Talisa Soto and Roger Daltrey; a peek at Peter 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.

From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures is available right now in print and as a PDF e-book, so visit its product page for ordering information. The print edition can be purchased from us as well as through your usual retail outlets like Amazon, Amazon UK, and Barnes & Noble; the e-book is available through the SWC webstore and DriveThru Fiction.

This book is unofficial and unauthorized. It is not authorized, approved, licensed, or endorsed by Dynamite Entertainment or any of its licensees. Vampirella is a trademark of Dynamite Entertainment.

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StarWarp Spotlight On: Blood Feud

Blood FeudWelcome back to StarWarp Spotlight, a series of posts that runs each Monday to shine a spotlight on one of our titles, as a reminder of the awesome books and comics we publish and to introduce new SWC fans to our backlist.

This week, we look at our most popular young adult title…

Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1 is a dark-urban-fantasy novel by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!) about a 16-year-old Goth girl from Queens, NY, who’s spent the last decade being treated for mental health problems because she thinks she can see monsters. It’s only after she meets an immortal, shape-shifting monster hunter named 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 past the human disguises worn by the inhabitants of Gothopolis, the not-so-mythical shadow world of actual monsters that exists right alongside the human world. It’s right after that revelation that 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 they’re following goes)—a key that just so happens to have been delivered to the horror-themed museum owned by Pan’s father!

It’s a character-driven story that balances the tribulations of a teenager just trying to make sense of her bizarre life with the fast-paced frenzy of an action-adventure movie loaded with monsters. Critics certainly enjoyed it:

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

Blood Feud is a roller-coaster read; the action never lets up. Author Steven A. Roman has an incredible gift for running lateral plotlines that intersect with a glorious crash.”Monster Librarian

Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1 is available in print and digital formats, so visit its product page for ordering information.

Be sure to check out the other StarWarp Spotlight titles we’ve featured so far: the writers and gamers creative how-to Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination, the nonfiction comic history From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures, and the classic vampiric love story Carmilla—all available from the SWC webstore and online retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon UK.

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Breaking Vampirella News!

Indy-Comics-Explained-SRoman

If I’ve figured things out correctly on my end, on Sunday night at 8 p.m. EST I’ll be appearing on J.D. Calderon’s YouTube show Indy Comics Explained, where I’ll be promoting From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures.

Tune in, won’t you? I’ll be sure to wear a clean shirt.

vampiress_LG_CoverFrom the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures, by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!) is a nonfiction book—not a comic—and a 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. 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 most important of all, what may be the first time anyone has actually told, in chronological order, 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. It also includes my look at the awful 1996 direct-to-cable-TV movie that was made, starring Talisa Soto and Roger Daltrey; a peek at Peter 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.

From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures is available right now in print and as a PDF e-book, so visit its product page for ordering information. The print edition can be purchased from us as well as through your usual retail outlets like Amazon, Amazon UK, and Barnes & Noble; the e-book is available through the SWC webstore and DriveThru Fiction.

This book is unofficial and unauthorized. It is not authorized, approved, licensed, or endorsed by Dynamite Entertainment or any of its licensees. Vampirella is a trademark of Dynamite Entertainment.

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Vampirella Meets the Vampire Connoisseur

vampiress_LG_CoverIt’s review time again!

At the horror site Taliesin Meets the Vampires, host Andy Boylan takes a look at our latest release, From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures, by yours truly, Steven A. Roman. And what’s his opinion of this history of the queen of comics’ bad girls?

“Author Steven A Roman clearly has a love for the subject and his writing is conversational in tone, with a bounce to it that makes it very readable…. This is an excellent volume for the Vampirella connoisseur and an education for folks like me, who didn’t know too much and who want to learn.”

Read the entire review here.

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

Created by comics publisher James Warren and writer/editor Forrest J Ackerman, Vampirella—the half-naked vampire from outer space who fights monsters while wearing nothing but a one-piece swimsuit and a pair of go-go boots—celebrated her 50th anniversary last year with the launch of a new series by her current rights owner, Dynamite Entertainment. And in From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures you’ll find a wealth of information:

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 VampirellaThe 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! If there’s only one Vampirella history book you pick up, then be sure to add it to your collection!

From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures is available right now in print and as a PDF e-book, so visit its product page for ordering information. The print edition can be purchased from us as well as through your usual retail outlets like Amazon, Amazon UK, and Barnes & Noble; the e-book is available through the SWC webstore and DriveThru Fiction.

This book is unofficial and unauthorized. It is not authorized, approved, licensed, or endorsed by Dynamite Entertainment or any of its licensees. Vampirella is a trademark of Dynamite Entertainment.

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StarWarp Spotlight On: Carmilla

CarmillaA couple weeks back, we introduced StarWarp Spotlight, a series of posts that will run each Monday to shine a spotlight on one of our titles, as a reminder of the awesome books and comics we publish and to introduce new SWC fans to our backlist.

This week, we look at the most popular title in our Illustrated Classics line of books…

Carmilla is J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s 19th-century classic vampiric tale of love gone wrong. If you’re unfamiliar with what’s probably his most famous work, here’s the back-cover copy from our edition:

Before Edward and Bella, before Lestat and Louis, even before Dracula and Mina, there was the vampiric tale of Carmilla and Laura.

Living with her widowed father in a dreary old castle in the woods of Styria, Laura has longed to have a friend with whom she can confide; a friend to bring some excitement to her pastoral lifestyle. And then Carmilla enters her life.

Left by her mother in the care of Laura’s father, Carmilla is young, beautiful, playful—everything that Laura had hoped to find in a companion. In fact, the lonely girl is so thrilled to have a new friend that she is willing to overlook the dark-haired beauty’s strange actions…which include a disturbing, growing obsession for her lovely hostess.

Carmilla, it seems, desires more than just friendship from Laura….

Beyond being an inspiration for Bram Stoker in the creation of the vampire brides who threaten Jonathan Harker in Stoker’s seminal novel, DraculaCarmilla is regarded by a good number of literary experts as being one of the first lesbian vampire stories. It’s that “scandalous” aspect that’s helped keep the tale of Carmilla and Laura in the public’s awareness, and which (naturally) has appealed to filmmakers for decades—Hammer Films’ The Vampire Lovers, director Roger Vadim’s Blood and Roses, and the comedy Lesbian Vampire Killers (starring talk-show host James Corden!) are prime examples of sex being the primary box-office appeal of Carmilla.

On a more literary note, critics continue to enjoy this tale:

“With a cover that looks like it belongs on the paranormal romance shelf in a bookstore and half a dozen illustrations provided by Eliseu Gouveia, [the StarWarp Concepts] edition stands a good chance of tempting some younger readers to pick up this classic vampire tale…. I wish I’d picked this book up in seventh grade instead of slogging through Dracula.”The Gothic Library

“What makes Carmilla so endearing [is] the fact that the story is centered around two female characters, whose complicated relationship is colored by thinly veiled lesbian undertones.”Slate

“Like many vampire romances, Carmilla and Laura’s love is doomed and unhealthy, but glorious.”io9

Carmilla—which features six original illustrations by artist Eliseu Gouveia (Lorelei: Sects and the City, The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual)—is available in print and digital formats, so visit its product page for ordering information.

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Happy Not-the-Actual Free Comic Book Day 2020!

Free_Comic_Book_DayThat’s right, comic book fans, if it weren’t for the lockdown created by the current health crisis, today would have been Free Comic Book Day at brick-and-mortar and online comic shops around the world. But comic shops have been forced to close their doors for the time being as they’re not considered “essential” businesses by various governments, and their main source of product, Diamond Comic Distributors, has shut down a good deal of its operation. There’s been talk of FCBD being rescheduled for later this year, but it seems unlikely.

However, here at ’Warp Central, FCBD is still in effect, and here are the titles you can download—for free—directly from us!

heroines_large_coverHeroines & Heroes: A collection of comic stories and pinups all drawn by 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). If you enjoyed Harley’s recent animated series or her latest movie, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), you might get a kick out of her matching wits with the Amazon Princess (whose own movie, Wonder Woman 1984, comes out later this year). 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.

pandoracomic-coverThe Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0: 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), and includes two sample chapters from Blood Feud, the first Pan novel.

Heartstopper #1Heartstopper: The Legend of La Bella Tenebrosa#1–3: Before she became Pan’s monster-hunting mentor, Sebastienne 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 an 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); issue 2 is penciled by Uriel, Holly Golightly (School Bites), and David C. Matthews (Satin Steele) and inked by Larsen; 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, written by me with pencils by Holly and Scott and inks by Bill Lavin (Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings).

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

All these comics are available for download right now, so visit their respective product pages for more information.

Posted in Digital Comics, Events, Pandora Zwieback, Sebastienne Mazarin, Steven A. Roman | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Happy Not-the-Actual Free Comic Book Day 2020!

National Bombshells’ Day 2020 Is Tomorrow!

lorelei_logoIn case you were unaware of it, tomorrow is National Bombshells’ Day, a promotional event that, according to the National Day Calendar, was launched by a well-known lingerie company: “Victoria’s Secret created Bombshells’ Day as a day for women to celebrate themselves and their best friends with numerous in-store activities and surprises for customers. The registrar at National Day Calendar proclaimed National Bombshells’ Day in March 2015 to be held annually on the first Saturday in May.”

Well, given current conditions in the Age of Corona, it’s a good bet there won’t be any Victoria’s Secret stores open to celebrate it, but if bombshells are your thing, then might I suggest that you check out two of StarWarp Concepts’ leading—and sometimes lethal—ladies, and one very special guest…

Lorelei: Sects and the CityLorelei is a soul-stealing succubus, and SWC’s First Lady of Horror, having made her small-press-comic debut all the way back in 1989. She currently stars in three critically acclaimed titles:

Lorelei: Sects and the City is a Mature Readers graphic novel in which Lori battles a cult of Elder God worshipers attempting to unleash hell on Earth. Basically a love letter to 1970s horror comics like Vampirella, Tomb of Dracula, and “Satana, the Devil’s Daughter,” it’s written by yours truly, Steven A. Roman (From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures, X-Men: The Chaos Engine Trilogy), and illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual, Lady Death), Steve Geiger (Web of Spider-Man, Incredible Hulk), and Neil Vokes (Flesh and Blood, Fright Night). It also features art by a trio of comic-art legends: a cover painting by Esteban Maroto (Vampirella, Zatanna, Lady Rawhide), a frontispiece by original Vampirella artist Tom Sutton (Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night), and a one-page history of succubi illustrated by Ernie Colon (Vampirella, The Grim Ghost).

House_Macabre_large_finalLorelei Presents: House Macabre is Lori’s first outing as the hostess of a horror comic anthology, introducing the four tales of terror you’ll find behind the eye-catching cover art by fan-favorite artist Louis Small Jr. (Vampirella, Vampirella Strikes).

  • “The Old, Dark Manse” is written by me and illustrated by Uriel Caton (JSA Annual, The Ex-Mutants, Heartstopper: The Legend of La Bella Tenebrosa) and “Chainsaw” Chuck Majewski (Harvey Kurtzman’s New Two-Fisted Tales), and has Lori welcoming readers to this special.
  • “All in Color for a Crime” is another tale from me, with art by Lou Manna (T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, Young All-Stars). Two comic book collectors clash over a rare back issue—and only one of them will be adding it to their long boxes!
  • “The Basilisk,” from me and artist John Pierard (Graphic Classics: Horror Classics, My Teacher Fried My Brains), is a “Lori’s Feary Tale” that examines the history of a supernatural creature that’s a cross between a deadly snake and a…chicken?!
  • Wrapping up the special is “Requiem for Bravo 6,” by New York Times bestselling author and comic writer Dwight Jon Zimmerman (She-Hulk, Steve McQueen: Full-Throttle Cool) and artist Juan Carlos Abraldes Rendo. A special-ops team goes on a life-or-death mission…but will they be prepared for what awaits them at mission’s end?

Lorelei_Genesis_LG_CoverAnd Lorelei: Genesis is a 24-page, one-shot digital-exclusive comic that collects the original small-press Lori stories that I wrote and drew back in the late eighties and early nineties. Behind that brand-new cover drawing by yours truly (and colored by Eliseu Gouveia), you’ll find a pair of stories: “Lorelei” is an 8-pager from 1991 in which Lori journeys through the streets of New York on an important mission: to pick up her dry-cleaning! It’s followed by “In the Midnight Hour,” the 1989 story that introduced horror-comic fans to our favorite redheaded succubus, who steps in to rescue a couple being menaced by a street gang. If you’re curious about Lori’s early days as a horror heroine, then be sure to order yourself a copy from our webstore—it’s available at the low, low price of just 99¢!

heartstopper_lg_cover_2013Sebastienne Mazarin is an immortal, monster-hunting mentor who currently appears in my Saga of Pandora Zwieback novels, mentoring a teenaged Goth chick on the finer points of handling the creatures of the night. But before she became Pan’s monster-hunting mentor, Sebastienne Mazarin made her debut in a short-lived, 1990s Mature Readers series that you can download for free from our webstore:

Hearstopper: The Legend of La Bella Tenebrosa#1–3: The nefarious heavy metal band Hellfire has arrived in New York City, and its lead singer, Corum de Sade, is more than just a sex magnet for his female fans—he’s an 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); issue 2 is penciled by Uriel, Holly Golightly (School Bites), and David C. Matthews (Satin Steele) and inked by Larsen. Issue 3 (which Millennium never published) 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 short preview of the also-never-published Heartstopper/Trollords, a proposed one-shot special that would have had Annie meet Harry, Larry, and Jerry, the Three Stooges–inspired trolls created by Scott Beaderstadt and Paul Fricke, written by me with pencils by Holly and Scott and inks by Bill Lavin (Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings).

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

vampiress_LG_CoverLast but not least, Vampirella is best known to comic book fans around the world as the half-naked vampire from outer space—created by comics publisher James Warren and writer/editor Forrest J Ackerman—who fights monsters while wearing nothing but a one-piece swimsuit and a pair of go-go boots. Last year, via her current publisher, Dynamite Entertainment, she celebrated her 50th anniversary with the launch of a new series from acclaimed comics writer Christopher Priest. If you’re a new fan of hers, someone interested in learning about her background, or a longtime fan, we recently published a book that’s perfect for you:

From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures, by Steven A. Roman (me again) is a nonfiction book—not a comic—and a 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. 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 most important of all, what may be the first time anyone has actually told, in chronological order, 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. It also includes my look at the awful 1996 direct-to-cable-TV movie that was made, starring Talisa Soto and Roger Daltrey; a peek at Peter 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.

Lorelei: Sects and the City, Lorelei Presents: House Macabre, and From the Stars…a Vampiress are available in print and digital formats. Lorelei: Genesis is a digital exclusive. Heartstopper is a free digital exclusive. Visit their respective product pages for ordering information.

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Shore Leave 42 Cancelled

Rich-New-PicAfter the cancellation of genre fest RavenCon last month (which had been scheduled for this past weekend) and the recent announcement that even the mighty San Diego Comic-Con has been bumped to 2021 due to the coronevirus outbreak, it should come as no surprise that Shore Leave 42, which was scheduled for July, has shut it down for the year, with a replacement date of July 9–11, 2021 in Hunt Valley, Maryland.

I bring this up because one of the guests scheduled to be in attendance was our own Richard C. White, author of Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, Star Trek SCE: Echoes of Coventry, and a growing number of SWC titles.

Well, you might not be able to meet Rich at Shore Leave, but if you’re a fan of fantasy adventure, you can still have the convention experience by buying yourself one (or all) of his awesome SWC books:

Chasing-Danger_large_book_coverChasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase is Rich’s latest release. It’s a collection of dark-urban-fantasy-noir, pulp-detective tales starring a private eye working the supernatural beat in the city of Calasia. Think Showtime’s just-launched series Penny Dreadful: City of Angels or Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe meets Lev Grossman’s The Magicians—or, as one reviewer put it, if you’re a fan of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series, then this is a book for you. 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—and it’s available for download for just 99¢!

pieces_gold_large_book_cover2017For 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!

terra_ingoc_lg_coverTerra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is a reference book for writers. In it, 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.

Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings is a general readers’ 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 Rich and his wife, Joni M. White, and illustrated by Reggie Golden and Randy Zimmerman.

Chronicles of the Sea Dragon is a digital exclusive, but the other titles are available in print and digital formats, so visit their respective product pages for ordering information.

Stay safe, and stay well!

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