Blog | StarWarp Concepts | Publisher of Dark Fantasy and Horror

The Formidables 3 Now On Sale!

Posted on October 18, 2018 by Steven

Formidables3 Face front, true believer! The third issue of The Formidables—the superhero comic that I’m involved with as editor—has reached comic shops!

Originally self-published digitally by creator/writer/artist Chris Malgrain through his Oniric Comics company, its print rights were picked up by Red Anvil Comics in 2017, and the first two issues hit comic shops in May.

The Formidables are a quintet of superheroes battling evil and bigotry in 1950s America, with their first challenge having come in the form of a Communist super-villain…who’s disguised as a white supremacist! It’s a unique take on the genre, with Chris examining topics like race relations and sexual identity in a Cold War setting, with an appropriate amount of punching and explosions mixed in, of course—we are talking superhero comics, after all!

Just ignore the cover price you see here on the cover—it’s really $2.99, not $3.99. How’s that for a bargain, in an industry currently dominated by far-too-expensive superhero comics?

Also on sale from Red Anvil is the one-shot War of the Independents: Man, Out of Time. Written by Chris along with Joe Martino, with art by Chris—who’s aided by Luca Cicchitti, Jim Arden, Pat Martinez, and Oliver Hudson—it’s a crossover special in which Red Anvil’s Superman-like Mighty Titan meets Chris’s Captain America–esque Steel Patriot, from The Formidables. Much punching ensues—but not enough fisticuffs that it distracts from the main storyline: the never-before-revealed origin of the Formidables! Why, that alone should make it an instant buy! (In fact, this issue is a prequel to Formidables #1.)

So, head on down to your local comic shop right now and pick up copies of the Formidables’ latest adventures!

Posted in Comic Books | Tagged chris malgrain, comic books, red anvil comics, the formidables | Comments Off

The Toxic War Art of Bob Larkin

Posted on October 10, 2018 by Steven

Art-Of-Troma 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 four decades. Doc Savage, Dazzler, Star Wars, Star Trek, The Savage Sword of Conan the Barbarian, Piranha, and Night of the Creeps are just some of the painted images you’re already familiar with, even if you didn’t know they were Larkin’s work. He’s been an inspiration to artists like Joe Jusko and Alex Ross. If you’re a Panatic, then you know him as the cover artist of the Saga of Pandora Zwieback novels Blood Feud and Blood Reign.

You’ll see some of that spectacular art on display in The Art of Troma, which goes on sale today. A nonfiction examination of the poster art and behind-the-scenes story of one of the most successful low-budget movie studios of the 1980s and 1990s, this Dynamite Entertainment tome by writer Fred Van Lente includes two Larkin pieces: his posters for Troma’s War (1988) and The Toxic Avenger Part II (1989). Go check it out if you get the chance.

But it’s not just his painting skills that are impressive—Bob’s also one hell of a pencil artist, as you’ll see if you order a copy of SWC’s The Bob Larkin Sketchbook. It’s 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. And the sketchbook 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!

The Bob Larkin Sketchbook is available in print and digital formats. Visit its product page for ordering information, as well as sample pages.

And to see more of Bob’s stunning work, pay a visit to his art blog, Bob Larkin: The Illustrated Man.

Posted in Bob Larkin, Bob Larkin Sketchbook | Tagged art of troma, bob larkin, bob larkin sketchbook, toxic avenger, troma films, troma's war | Comments Off

Spooktacular Reads from SWC for Halloween

Posted on October 1, 2018 by Steven

Now that October has arrived and the Spooky Season is in full swing, are you looking for chilling tales of the supernatural to enjoy, as you anxiously wait for Halloween? Then look no further than StarWarp Concepts’ backlist of titles that are perfect for horror fans young and old!

Illustrated Classics
Carmilla: 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.

King Kong: Our e-book-exclusive Illustrated Classics edition of the official novelization of the renowned motion picture, which is celebrating its 85th anniversary this year. Written by Delos W. Lovelace, based on the story by Edgar Wallace and Merian C. Cooper and the screenplay by James A. Creelman and Ruth Rose, the SWC edition of King Kong features scenes that didn’t appear in the final cut of the film—including the notorious “spider pit” sequence in which Kong’s human pursuers are attacked by horrific arachnids and insects. What makes our version special is that it contains six exclusive, original black-and-white illustrations by comics artist Paul Tuma, whose pulp-influenced style has appeared in the pages of The Twilight Avenger, Flare, and Dan Turner: Hollywood Detective.

Snow White: The classic story by the Brothers Grimm. Featuring full-color illustrations first published in 1883 (and they really are beautiful drawings), this digital-exclusive titleis available for immediate download for the wickedly low price of just 99¢!

SWC Horror Bites
White Fell—The Werewolf: Originally published in 1896 as The Were-wolf, it was written by renowned author, artist, and suffragette Clemence Annie Housman, and is regarded by scholars as perhaps the first feminist werewolf story. It’s also the launch title of our SWC Horror Bites line of chapbooks. In it, twin brothers encounter a beautiful, mysterious woman known only as White Fell—a woman one brother believes is a murderous werewolf. Complications arise when his twin falls in love with White Fell. Can he save his brother before he falls completely under her spell?

Young Adult Novels
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. 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! 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…

Carmilla, White Fell, Blood Feud, and Blood Reign are available in print and digital formats; King Kong and Snow White are digital exclusives. Visit their respective product pages for ordering information.

Posted in Halloween, Holidays, Publishing | Tagged book, halloween | Comments Off

Richard C. White and Steve Geiger at Baltimore Comic Con

Posted on September 26, 2018 by Steven

This weekend, comic and genre fans from far and wide will be gathering at Baltimore Comic Con, being held at the Baltimore Convention Center in downtown Baltimore, Maryland, on September 28–30. And among the many creators set up in artists’ alley will be author Richard C. White—who’ll be there to promote his SWC releases, including bestseller Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination—and comic artist Steve Geiger, of Lorelei: Sects and the City fame!

Rich-New-Pic Rich, as SWC fans should know by now is not only the author of Star Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers: Echoes of Coventry and the bestselling licensed novel Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, but he’s also written a bunch of SWC titles: the fantasy novel Harbinger of Darkness; the fantasy 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 fantasy-adventure digital comic The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special. You’ll find Rich at table A308 in Artists Alley.

Steve-Geiger-NewPic As for Steve, comic fans probably remember his work in such mainstream titles as Web of Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, Power Man and Iron Fist, and Sectaurs, but he’s also one of the artists I worked with on the graphic novel Lorelei: Sects and the City. Steve’s currently working on growing his Evilgeiger Empire, “an entertainment development company devoted to the creation, implementation, and production of original content and creator-owned concepts and characters,” according to his press material. Sounds awesome, and given how super-talented he is as an artist, his projects are certain to be some of the best-looking comics you’ve ever seen. You’ll find Steve at table 113 in the con guest area.

Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is a nonfiction reference book for writers, in which 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. Since its publication in 2015 Terra Incognito has become a popular book not just for writers but RPG gamemasters as well, to the point that it’s now being used as a game-design textbook at a Massachusetts college!

Lorelei: Sects and the City is a Mature Readers graphic novel in which Lori—a soul-steaking succubus—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 Ghost Rider, it’s written by yours truly, and illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia (Vengeance of the Mummy, Lady Death), Steve Geiger, and Neil Vokes (Flesh and Blood, Fright Night). It also features work by a trio of Warren Publishing legends: a cover by legendary artist Esteban Maroto (Vampirella, Zatanna, Lady Rawhide); a frontispiece by original Vampirella artist Tom Sutton (Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night); and a history of succubi illustrated by Ernie Colon (Damage Control, Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld, Casper the Friendly Ghost).

Terra Incognito and Lorelei: Sects and the City are available in print and digital formats; visit their respective product pages for ordering information. And if you’re attending BCC this weekend, drop by artists’ alley and be sure to purchase books directly from Rich, who’ll be selling copies of his titles all weekend, and ask Steve to sign your copy of Sects and the City.

For more information on the convention, visit the Baltimore Comic Con website.

Posted in Conventions | Tagged baltimore comic con, conventions, richard c. white, steve geiger | Comments Off

Happy National Comic Book Day 2018!

Posted on September 25, 2018 by Steven

Today is National Comic Book Day, an unofficial “holiday” that’s celebrated every year on this date…although no one seems to know why that is, or who exactly started the tradition. Nevertheless, if you’re thinking that the friendly fiends at StarWarp Concepts must have some illustrated fiction that would be perfect for this occasion—you’re absolutely right!

The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0: A free, downloadable comic that serves as an introduction to the adventures of Pandora Zwieback and her monster-hunting mentor, Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin, with an 8-page story written by me and illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia, and a preview of Pan’s first novel, Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1. 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 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.

The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1: A spinoff from the novel series, this 56-page, full-color comic special finds the teenaged Goth adventuress battling Gothic Lolita vampires in a shopping mall and a jealous, man-stealing siren who’s got her sights set on Pan’s boyfriend, Javi Maldonado. It features stories by me and Sholly Fisch (Scooby-Doo Team-Up), art by Eliseu Gouveia (Stargate Universe), comic-art legend Ernie Colon (Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld), and Elizabeth Watasin (Charm School), and cover art by award-winning artist Henar Torinos (Mala Estrella).

Heartstopper: The Legend of La Bella Tenebrosa: Long before she met Pan, Annie was the star of this short-lived “bad girl” comic book miniseries published in the 1990s. Here you’ll find Annie doing a bit of research for an article about gentlemen’s clubs in Times Square—research that includes actually performing as an exotic dancer (I did say it was a ’90s comic, didn’t I?). It’s that part-time gig that brings her into contact with Corum de Sade, a heavy metal singer with a deadly secret: he’s a soul-devouring incubus! All three issues—written by me, with art by Uriel Caton (JSA Annual), Holly Golightly (School Bites), and David C. Matthews—are available for free, so download them today!

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 Ghost Rider, it’s written by yours truly, and illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia (Stargate Universe, Lady Death), Steve Geiger (Web of Spider-Man, Incredible Hulk), and Neil Vokes (Flesh and Blood, Fright Night). It also features a cover by legendary artist Esteban Maroto (Vampirella, Zatanna, Lady Rawhide) and a frontispiece by original Vampirella artist Tom Sutton (Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night).

Lorelei Presents: House Macabre is Lori’s debut as the hostess of a horror anthology comic. Behind that eye-catching cover by bad-girl artist supreme Louis Small Jr. (Vampirella, Vampirella/Lady Death), you’ll find stories by me and Dwight Jon Zimmerman (Iron Man, Web of Spider-Man). Art is provided by Uriel Caton & “Chainsaw” Chuck Majewski (Heartstopper: The Legend of La Bella Tenebrosa), Lou Manna (T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents), John Pierard (Graphic Classics: Horror Classics), and Juan Carlos Abraldes Rendo (Bloke’s Terrible Tomb of Terror).

Heroines and Heroes is another free digital comic book. It’s a collection of stories (and a few pinups) that I’ve drawn over the years, featuring mainstream and indie comic characters that include the superheroic Blonde Avenger, the anthropomorphic Motorbike Puppies, the half-human/half-rabbit superspy Snowbuni, and my “legendary” Wonder Woman-meets-Harley Quinn three-page tale that was meant to be my entrée to fame and fortune as a DC Comics artist (it didn’t work out, though).

The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special is a digital pirate-fantasy comic created and written by Richard C. White, coauthor of SWC’s supernatural-superhero graphic novel Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings.Drawn by Bill Bryan (artist of Caliber Press’ Dark Oz and DC Comics’ House of Mystery), and featuring 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¢! troubleshooters_lrg_cover

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 Dark—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 (Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination, For a Few Gold Pieces More, Harbinger of Darkness) and Joni M. White, and illustrated by Reggie Golden and Randy Zimmerman.

The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual, Lorelei: Sects and the City, Lorelei Presents: House Macabre, and Troubleshooters Incorporated are available in print and digital formats. Pandora Zwieback #0, Heartstopper, Heroines and Heroes, and Chronicles of the Sea Dragon are digital exclusives. Visit their respective product pages for ordering information, as well as sample pages.

Posted in Comic Books, Digital Comics, Holidays | Tagged comic books, national comic book day | Comments Off

It’s Banned Books Week 2018!

Posted on September 23, 2018 by Steven

Got a favorite book? Well, odds are good there’s someone out there in the United States who’d liked to see it censored. And that’s where Banned Books Week comes in—an annual celebration of literacy in which the spotlight is shone on the problem of censorship in U.S. libraries and bookstores. To quote the Banned Books Week website:

Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. Typically held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information.

That value is stressed even more in this year’s theme, “Banned Books Silences Stories,” which the Banned Books Week Coalition describes as “a call to action to speak up for the right to read” and “a reminder that everyone needs to speak out against the tide of censorship.”

Banned Books Week 2018 is happening right now, September 23 to September 29, so visit the BBW website for more information, including a list of the Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2017 that they’re celebrating this year.

Posted in Events | Tagged banned books week | Comments Off

It’s International Talk Like a Pirate Day 2018!

Posted on September 19, 2018 by Steven

seadragon_lrg_cov_rev Avast, ye curs, whether you’re a fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise, or classic films like Captain Blood, The Crimson Pirate, and The Sea Hawk, it’s time again to celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day—and StarWarp Concepts has a pirate-fantasy comic for you to enjoy!

The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special is a one-shot digital comic created and written by Richard C. White, author of the fantasies For a Few Gold Pieces More and Harbinger of Darkness, and the writer’s guide Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination. Drawn by Bill Bryan (artist of Caliber Press’ Dark Oz and DC Comics’ House of Mystery), and featuring cover art and color by Eliseu Gouveia (Lorelei: Sects and the City, The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual#1), it’s 48 pages of high-seas adventure for just 99¢!

Visit the Sea Dragon’s product page for more information, including sample pages.

Posted in Events, Publishing | Tagged chronicles of the sea dragon, international talk like a pirate day, richard c. white, the worlds of richard c. white | Comments Off

Richard C. White’s Terra Incognito Now a College Textbook!

Posted on September 17, 2018 by Steven

terra_ingoc_lg_cover Well, this is exciting news that we discovered last week: author Richard C. White’s nonfiction reference book for writers, Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination, is now being used as a textbook in the Interactive Media Design (i.e., game design) program at Becker College in Worchester, Massachusetts!

In Terra Incognito, 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.

What you’ll find in the pages of Terra Incognito 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. You don’t even need to be a Becker College student to enjoy it!

Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is available in print and digital formats, so visit its product page for ordering information.

Bonus! Because Rich’s interview with Hickman was so lengthy, and touched upon some topics that didn’t pertain to the world-building focus of Terra Incognito, I made the editorial decision to cut those parts from the final version of the book. However, if you want to discover what else Rich and Hickman discussed—including their shared experiences in the licensed-publishing writers market—then head over to Richard C. White’s blog and read all about it!

Posted in Publishing | Tagged becker college, richard c. white, terra incognito: a guide to building the worlds of your imagination, world building, writers reference | 1 Comment

SWC Ebooks Now Available Through Walmart

Posted on September 5, 2018 by Steven

Walmart-ebook-phone Hey, e-book fans! As you might have heard, on August 22 superstore retail chain Walmart announced the launch of its new e-book store in a partnership with Kobo, the e-tailer and e-reader company that’s been seeking over the years to upend Amazon’s e-book dominance—and with Barnes & Noble recently stealth-eliminating its Nook kiosks and incorporating the devices into their customer service area, it looks like this might be Kobo’s best time to try and play King of the Hill with Amazon…although that’s a mighty big hill to climb.

So what does all this have to do with StarWarp Concepts? Well, through our e-book distributor, Smashwords, our titles have been available to Kobo readers since 2011—and now that Kobo is linked to Walmart, that means our books are also available to the superstore’s customers.

Well, the ones who buy Kobo devices at their local Walmart, that is…

If you have a Walmart account and purchase a Kobo, you’ll be able to take advantage of Kobo’s backlist to order yourself some quality SWC titles like The Saga of Pandora Zwieback and Richard C. White’s fantasy adventures. So get to it!

Posted in e-books, e-tailers, Publishing | Tagged e-books, e-tailers, kobo, walmart | Comments Off

Richard C. White at Maryland Renaissance Festival

Posted on September 4, 2018 by Steven

Rich-New-Pic This Saturday, September 8, fans of sword and sorcery (and Game of Thrones, no doubt) will be gathering at the Maryland Renaissance Festival, being held in Annapolis, Maryland. And among the knights and maidens and jousters and fantasy royalty will be author Richard C. White, who’ll be there to promote his latest projects!

Rich, as SWC fans should know by now, is the bestselling author of the licensed novel Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, as well as a bunch of fantasy-related titles published by SWC: 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. Rich will be signing copies of Harbinger, Gold Pieces, and Terra Incognito at one of the vendor tents; a special shout-out to the folks at the Page After Page bookstore who ordered copies for the event—not only do they also run the festival, but they have excellent taste in books!

For more information on the convention, visit the Maryland Renaissance Festival website.

But just remember, Rich: If we don’t battle to the death, they will kill us both! (That’s a Cable Guy reference, y’see.)

JimCarrey-CableGuy

Posted in Conventions | Tagged maryland renaissance festival, richard c. white | Comments Off