Last week, we introduced StarWarp Spotlight, a series of posts that will run each Monday as we 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 recent title, which focuses on a comic book character who celebrated her 50th anniversary last year…
From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures, by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!) is a nonfiction history of Vampirella, 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. It’s an extensive look at her early days, from the debut of her series in 1969 to the death of Warren Publishing in 1983.
In From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures you’ll find a wealth of information in its 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 Plus stories behind some of Vampi’s unpublished adventures!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 Vampirellamovie 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! If there’s only one Vampirella history book you pick up, then be sure to add it to your collection!
“It’s obvious that the author, Steven A. Roman, is a fan as the book is lovingly written…. If you have ever felt the need to geek out on Vampirella you have everything you need right here.”—Ravenous Monster
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 reailer 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.
This coming Sunday, April 26, sees the debut of Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, Showtime’s follow-up to its popular Penny Dreadful series that ran from 2014 to 2016. Unlike the original PD, which was set in Victorian England, City of Angels expands that supernatural world by moving the action to 1930s Los Angeles, California, where a bizarre murder sets in motion events that tie in to both racial unrest in America and the specter of World War II looming in the distance. Forefront in the growing chaos is the shape-shifting demon Magda, played by Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones, The Hunger Games). Sounds exciting!
The world might be on virtual lockdown these days, but even with a global pandemic we’ve still got a company to run around here—after all, what better way for folks to pass the time than by reading? So starting today, each Monday we’ll shine a spotlight on one of our titles, as a reminder of the awesome books and comics we publish (he said modestly) and to introduce new SWC fans to our backlist.
Hey, superhero fans! A few days ago I told you about the debut of a new series from indie publisher Oniric Comics: Sideral, The Last Earthman, for which I’m the scripter.
Hey, comic fans! The sixth issue of The Formidables—the superhero series that I’ve been involved with as editor—is now on sale at online comics distributor IndyPlanet.
Last week, amid government edicts that all nonessential businesses—pretty much everything that isn’t a hospital, pharmacy, supermarket, post office, or, oddly enough, liquor store—comic fans and comic retailers alike were shocked to learn that Diamond Comics Distributors—the sole means by which the majority of North American and British shops obtain the latest comics—announced its temporary shutdown as the world tries to figure out how to deal with the novel coronavirus infection and the awkwardness of social distancing.
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