You Can’t Celebrate Halloween Without Some…Tales to Sorta Tremble By!

Posted on September 28, 2017 by Steven

Tales-Sorta-Tremble-CvrHey, horror fans! On October 13, we’ll be releasing Tales to Sorta Tremble By, the second title in our new SWC Horror Bites series of dark-fantasy chapbooks. It’s a collection of little-known mini terror tales that first appeared during comics’ Golden Age. To quote the back-cover copy:

The Flower of Evil. Jardini’s Jaw. The Living Brain. The Walking Dead.

These, and many others, are the tales you’ve long forgotten—or never even heard of before. They were the text stories, sometimes written anonymously or pseudonymously, that 1950s comic book publishers inserted in each issue of their macabre series to meet postal mailing requirements in order to be considered magazines.

This collection spotlights a baker’s dozen of those time-lost terror shorts, so gather round the jack-o’-lantern and prepare to be a little bit shocked and a tiny bit horrified by these…TALES TO SORTA TREMBLE BY!

Includes: The Walking Dead • Jardini’s Jaw • The Lonely Place • Call for Claws • Land of the Dead • Call of the Werewolf • The Flower of Evil • The Lady in Black • The Living Brain • The Shadow in the Moonlight • Just What the Doctor Ordered • Death and the Maiden • The End of the Line

Just as with our debut Horror Bite, Clemence Annie Housman’s White Fell—The Werewolf, Tales to Sorta Tremble By will only be available through the StarWarp Concepts webstore, so be sure to order a copy when October 13 rolls around!

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Author Richard C. White at Archon 41

Posted on September 27, 2017 by Steven

Rich-New-PicThis weekend, science fiction and fantasy fans from across the United States will be gathering at the 41st annual Archon convention, being held at the Gateway Convention Center and DoubleTree Hotel in Collinsville, Illinois. And among the guests in attendance will be the busiest man in con appearances, SWC’s own Richard C. White, who’ll be there to promote his two 2017 releases: For a Few Gold Pieces More and the upcoming Harbinger of Darkness.

For a Few Gold Pieces More is a collection of ten critically acclaimed short stories by Rich, who’s the author of Star Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers: Echoes of Coventry, Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, and the SWC titles Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination, Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings, and The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special.

pieces_gold_large_book_cover2017For Gold Pieces, think Lord of the Rings meets the “spaghetti Westerns” of director Sergio Leone (A Fistful of Dollars; The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly), as a Rogue With No Name 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).

Harbinger of Darkness goes on sale next Tuesday, October 3. In this original novel, 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 Rich is sure to be talking up the book—so be sure to ask about it!

For a Few Gold Pieces More, on the other hand, is available right now in print and digital formats; visit its product page for ordering information. And if you’re attending Archon this weekend, be sure to purchase For a Few Gold Pieces More and Terra Incognito directly from Rich, who’ll be selling copies all weekend!

Archon runs Friday, September 29, through Sunday, October 1. For more information on the convention, visit the Archon website.

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Celebrating a Comic Book She-Devil

Posted on September 26, 2017 by Steven

Reviews-SheDevil-CvrOn November 14, 1972, comic book readers and fans of Marvel’s Conan the Barbarian series were introduced to another memorable character from Conan creator, pulp writer Robert E. Howard. This new warrior fought as hard as Conan, drank as hard as Conan, and hated wizards just as much as Conan—and she did it all while wearing nothing more than a chain-mail bikini! Red Sonja, She-Devil With a Sword, quickly became just as popular with comic fans as Conan, and it’s a popularity that remains to the present day, in her new adventures at Dynamite Entertainment.

So what better way to celebrate Sonja’s 45th anniversary in comics than with a special StarWarp Concepts release?

Coming November 14, 2017 is Reviews of a She-Devil: A Look at Red Sonja Adventures, Past and Present, written by yours truly. An e-book exclusive, it’s a collection of my comic reviews that originally appeared at the news site Comics for Sinners, with bonus material written especially for this release—including my examination of the only Red Sonja movie ever produced (so far), which starred Brigitte Nielsen and Arnold Schwarzenegger. And the best part (at least where you ’Warp fans are concerned)? It’ll be an absolutely free download! Stay tuned for further updates!

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It’s National Comic Book Day 2017!

Posted on September 25, 2017 by Steven

pandoracomic-1Today 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.

pan_annual_lgThe 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 vampires and a jealous, man-stealing siren. It features stories by me and Sholly Fisch (Scooby-Doo Team-Up), art by Eliseu Gouveia (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0), 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, Mature Readers “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 from this very website, so download them today!

Lorelei: Sects and the CityLorelei: 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 (Vengeance of the Mummy, 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.

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).

seadragon_lrg_cov_revThe 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¢!

troublshooters_lg_cover_revTroubleshooters, 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 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: Tales of the Rogue With No Name) 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.

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It’s Banned Books Week 2017!

Posted on September 24, 2017 by Steven

Banned-logoGot 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.

This year’s focus is on “the importance of the First Amendment, which guarantees [American citizens’] inherent right to read.”

According to the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF)…there was an alarming 17% increase in book censorship complaints in 2016. Since most challenges are not reported, the actual number is probably much higher. Even more disturbing, while only 10% of the titles reported to OIF are normally removed from the institutions receiving the challenges, half of the most frequently challenged books were actually banned last year.

Banned Books Week 2017 is happening right now, September 24 to September 30, so visit the BBW website for more information, including a list of the Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2016 that they’re celebrating this year.

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Happy Harley Quinn Day!

Posted on September 23, 2017 by Steven

harley-quinn-dayFollowing an edict issued by DC Comics, today is officially Harley Quinn Day, which marks the 25th anniversary of the debut of the Joker’s equally psychotic girlfriend in Batman: The Animated Series. Cocreated by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm and introduced in the September 1992 episode “Joker’s Favor,” Harley has risen through the ranks of super-villaindom to become DC’s answer to Deadpool, Marvel’s popular Merc With a Mouth. And, of course, there was actress Margot Robbie’s memorable portrayal of Harley in last year’s movie blockbuster Suicide Squad that introduced her to a whole new generation of fans.

So how can you celebrate this special date? Well, how about by downloading a free digital comic that’s only available right here, at StarWarp Concepts?

heroines_large_coverHeroines and Heroes is 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, a couple of anthropomorphic bikers—and a certain member of the Justice League.

“V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N (in the Summertime)” is 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). It’s 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.

Heroines and Heroes is available for free download right now, so visit its product page for more information, including sample pages. It’s a small-press wonder!

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Happy International Talk Like a Pirate Day 2017!

Posted on September 19, 2017 by Steven

That’s right, swashbucklers, whether you’re a fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise, classic films like Captain Blood, The Crimson Pirate, and The Sea Hawk, or even baseball’s Pittsburgh Pirates (okay, maybe that last one’s a stretch), today’s your chance to celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day. So let’s do it with a classic tale from comics’ Golden Age!

Ripper-WitchesTales04

 

 

“The Ripper” was an entry in “Ghosts of Famous Pirates,” a series of one-page biographies that ran in the pages of the horror anthology series Witches Tales, published in the 1950s by Harvey Comics (home of Casper the Friendly Ghost and Richie Rich). This particular story appeared in Witches Tales #4, released in July 1951. Like most comic publishers at the time, Harvey had the same practice of not crediting its creators in its titles, so the identites of the writer and artist of “The Ripper” have been lost to history. Nice one-pager, though!

Speaking of swashbuckling adventures, StarWarp Concepts has exactly the kind of pirate-fantasy comic you’re looking for on this special date!

seadragon_lrg_cov_revThe Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special is a one-shot digital comic created and written by Richard C. White, author of SWC’s supernatural superhero graphic novel Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings, as well as Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination, For a Few Gold Pieces More, and Harbinger of Darkness. 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 #1, Lorelei: Sects and the City), it’s 48 pages of high-seas adventure for just 99¢!

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

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Happy National Read a Book Day 2017!

Posted on September 6, 2017 by Steven

Today is National Read a Book Day, which is celebrated in the United States every September 6th since…well, nobody seems to know precisely when this “holiday” began, or who started it, but it’s a celebration of reading, so it’s all good, right? And if you’re looking for the right book on this special day, here are a few StarWarp Concepts titles you might want to consider:

Dark Urban Fantasy
Blood FeudBlood 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.

Blood-Reign-FinalCvrIn 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…

Fantasy Adventure
pieces_gold_large_book_cover2017For a Few Gold Pieces More: This collection of ten critically acclaimed short stories by author Richard C. White stars 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. Weighing in at a hefty 420 pages, it sports a cover painting and a frontispiece illustration by fantasy artist Shane Braithwaite, who also provided the cover art for Rich’s 2015 SWC release, the writer’s reference book Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination.

SWC Classics
A Princess of MarsA Princess of Mars: Originally published in 1912, this is the first in author (and Tarzan creator) Edgar Rice Burroughs’s “John Carter of Mars” ten-novel series about a post–Civil War era American who suddenly finds himself on the Red Planet, battling to stay alive against all sorts of alien threats while falling in love with a beautiful Martian princess. It served as the basis for Disney’s 2012 film adaptation, John Carter, and inspired a century’s worth of SF works, including Flash Gordon, Star Wars, and James Cameron’s Avatar. The special StarWarp Concepts edition—available in both print and digital formats—features six incredible illustrations by SWC artist supreme Eliseu Gouveia (Carmilla, The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1, Lorelei: Sects and the City), and a special introduction by Mars-fiction expert John Gosling, author of Waging the War of the Worlds.

CarmillaCarmilla 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.

King_Kong_LG_CoverKing Kong is our e-book-exclusive Illustrated Classics edition of the 1932 novelization of the renowned motion picture. 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.

Writers’ Reference
terra_ingoc_lg_coverTerra 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 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.

The Pandora Zwieback novels, as well as For a Few Gold Pieces More, A Princess of Mars, Carmilla, and Terra Incognito are available in print and digital formats, King Kong is a digital exclusive. Visit their respective product pages for ordering information.

Happy reading!

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Twenty Years the Novelist

Posted on August 1, 2017 by Steven

spidey-warriorSpider-Man Super Thriller: Warrior’s Revenge. If the Amazon listing for the book’s publication date is correct (and really, I have no way of knowing if it’s true or not), today is the day in 1997 that I made my debut as a novelist—twenty years ago! Where did the time go?

Sure, not everyone has loved it. SpiderFan.org gave it a two-Spidey rating, but they did find some enjoyment in its pages:

“The story won’t win a Booker, but in general I have to say that the writing is actually pretty good. Barrett coins a nice phrase, and while he flirts with cliché, he doesn’t get down and dirty with it.”

A reviewer at Goodreads, on the other hand, outright hated it: “Neal Barrett, Jr. shows real craftsmanship except when it comes to quiet moments of conversation between friends. That dialogue is smarmy and has many forced references to what good friends these characters are.”

However, at Amazon U.S., one reader called it “the best book in the [Super Thrillers] series,” while another complained about it being a “children’s book” with a short page count (it’s 144 pages). The most encouraging response came from a reader at Amazon U.K.:

“Neal Barrett did an awesome job writing this book! I know the author has inspired me a great deal. I would someday like to follow in his footsteps and become an author along with a doctor!”

Of course, what none of these folks—and probably every other reader of the book—knew is that Neal Barrett Jr. didn’t write Warrior’s Revenge. I did.

It goes like this: In 1996, Byron Preiss, the publisher I worked for as an editor, had two major licenses with Marvel Comics: one to do novels and anthologies for an adult audience, that were co-published by Byron Preiss Multimedia Company and Berkley Books; and one to do books for middle-grade (ages 8–12) readers that were co-published by BPMC and Simon & Schuster’s Pocket Books.

The latter series—for which I served as editor—was comprised of eight books, was called “Super Thrillers,” and starred Spidey in seven of them (including a pair of You Are Spider-Man Choose-Your-Own-Adventure-style entries), plus one Iron Man adventure. The writers involved were science-fiction writer James D. Macdonald (using the pseudonym Martin Delrio), Star Trek and Stargate author Bill McCay, Dean Wesley Smith, pop-culture writer Richie Chevat, and Neal Barrett Jr. Cover art was provided by the team of Mike Zeck (pencils) and Phil Zimelman (airbushed painting), as well as by Ernie Colon. Ernie also provided interior spot illustrations for the series, as did Steve Geiger, John Nyberg, James Fry, Neil Vokes with Michael Avon Oeming, and Louis Small Jr. with Ralph Reese.

Neal Barrett Jr. was mainly known as a mystery writer and fantasist, but on the side he wrote movie novelizations, including the ones for Sylvester Stallone’s Judge Dredd and Pamela Anderson’s Barb Wire—a movie so awful the novelization was never published in the U.S. So when we approached him for the series he was very interested, and after the usual editorial back-and-forth over the plot for his first book, he turned in the manuscript for Spider-Man Super Thriller: Lizard’s Rage, in which Spidey fights not just his old enemy The Lizard, but Morbius the Living Vampire as well. I thought it was great, Marvel loved it, and the book went to press.

But when it came time for his next contribution, things didn’t work out so well.

I can’t remember the reasons for it, but Marvel outright rejected his manuscript for Warrior’s Revenge, in which Spidey teams up with the Incredible Hulk to fight the Super-Skrull, a shape-shifting bad guy from the Fantastic Four comics. They didn’t want the manuscript revised, they wanted it dropped completely and the process restarted from scratch with a new plot.

Neal, however, wasn’t interested in doing it—after all, Marvel had approved his plot before he ever started writing the book, so what was this give-us-a-new-plot business? And having already completed the first-draft manuscript, while he would have made revisions based on their feedback, writing a whole new book was out of the question, especially at the low author rates BPMC was paying. I didn’t argue with him—he was right on both counts.

I went in to Byron’s office and explained the situation. He sighed, paused, and then said:

“So, do you want to write it?”

See, Byron knew I was a writer. I was still publishing my Lorelei comic while I was working for him, and I’d previously co-written (with Ken Grobe) “The Ballad of Fancy Dan,” a short story for an Untold Tales of Spider-Man anthology that was part of the adult-books line. Now he was offering me the opportunity to step up to the next level—only because I was literally standing right in front of him, so he didn’t have to go searching for Neal’s replacement, but I didn’t take that personally.

Well, who was I to say no? A paying gig, writing my all-time-favorite comic character? My very first novel?

Of course I said yes. There was just one problem…

“We’ve already printed the covers for the entire run,” Byron told me, “with Neal’s name on them. So you’ll have to write it anonymously because we’re not going back to press to fix it. Sorry.”

And thus a legend was born—anonymously, of course.

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The Formidables: Ready for Relaunch!

Posted on July 31, 2017 by Steven

Formidables-ad-RedAnvilHey, superhero fans! Do you miss Marvel Comics’ Fantastic Four? Do you wish there was a super-group of heroes you could enjoy that pays homage to the work of Stan “The Man” Lee and Jack “King” Kirby on the adventures of the First Family of the House of Ideas while blazing new trails? Then let me introduce you to The Formidables!

Created by French writer/artist Chris Malgrain—my old creative partner from the one-off comic Stan Lee’s Alexa—and edited by yours truly, The Formidables are a quintet of superheroes battling evil and bigotry in 1950s America, with their first challenge coming 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!

My involvement with the series came about when Chris approached me to tweak his dialogue and captions; with English being his second language, he wanted to make sure it read cleanly for U.S readers. And since we’re both familiar with the writing style of “classic Stan Lee,” I knew exactly where he was going with the text and could make the (very minor) adjustments.

Not long after Chris published The Formidables #2 through his Oniric Comics company, he was approached by another indie publisher, Red Anvil Comics, with an offer to take over the publishing and distribution; up to that point, Oniric’s titles had only been available through online distributor Indy Planet. Chris said yes and soon enough the contracts were signed. Now it was official: Red Anvil was the new home of The Formidables. And to make it event publishing, Red Anvil decided to release the first two issues at the same time!

Even better (well, where I’m concerned) is that Chris insisted I now be included in the cover credits. I tried to talk him out of it—after all, my role has been more editor than co-writer—but that’s how he wanted it to be, so who am I to argue?

The Formidables #1–2 are listed in the current (August) edition of Diamond Prevues from Diamond Comic Distributors, with publication scheduled for October, so pick up a copy and turn to page 416 for more information. And then be sure to place an order for them at your local comic shop!

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