Happy Free Comic Book Day 2016!

Posted on May 7, 2016 by Steven

That’s right, comic-book fans, today is the fourteenth annual Free Comic Book Day at brick-and-mortar and online comic shops around the world. Held the first Saturday in May, this year’s event is timed to coincide with yesterday’s release of Marvel Films’ latest blockbuster, Captain America: Civil War, in which America’s mightiest soldier goes head-to-head with fellow Avenger Iron Man in a clash of ideologies. And in keeping with this fine tradition of gifting free comics to fans everywhere, we here at The ’Warp have our own offerings for you!

Pandora0_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 girl with the ability to see the monsters that regular humans can’t, and with the help of a 400-year-old monster hunter named Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin, she’s going to protect the world from danger—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, Lorelei: Sects and the City), and includes two sample chapters from Blood Feud, the first Pan novel.

Heartstopper #1Hearstopper: 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).

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

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May the Fourth Be With You!

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Steven

If you’re a science fiction fan, you know what the headline means—yup, today is Star Wars Day, that annual celebration of George Lucas’s legendary franchise that retook the world by storm last December with the box office mega-success of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (aka Star Wars: Episode VII), which in turn set the stage for this coming December’s release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the “heist film” prequel to Episode IV: A New Hope that explains how Princess Leia got the plans to the original Death Star. It’s an exciting time to be a Star Wars fan, isn’t it?

To explain this special occasion, we look to the official Star Wars website:

“May the 4th kicks off a season of celebration, particularly since the month of May has always been important to Star Wars fans. The six live-action movies of the Star Wars saga debuted in May (starting with the original Star Wars on May 25, 1977). The month of May includes George Lucas’ birthday (May 14, 1944), and has been the traditional start date of the popular Star Wars Weekends at Walt Disney World Resort.”

So, why is StarWarp Concepts—a horror publishing house, in spite of our science-fictiony name—celebrating Star Wars Day? Because we know how to take advantage of a promotional opportunity, that’s why!

Goth-Vaders

What you see here is a sketch cover I drew last December, in time for The Force Awakens’ debut. It depicts SWC’s resident teenaged Goth monster hunter, Pandora Zwieback, as an original Star Wars character: Darth Pandoricus! And standing behind her is her best friend, Sheena McCarthy, as the dreaded Lady She’naa. After all, it only makes sense that a couple of Goth chicks would want to be dark ladies of the Sith!

For those of you unfamiliar with Pan—just in case you stumbled across the above illustration during your Internet journeys—allow me to provide you with some background:

Blood FeudPan—the star of Zwieback in my young adult novel series The Saga of Pandora Zwieback—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. You’ll find Annie battling evil in the following titles:

The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0: A free, downloadable comic that serves as an introduction to Pan and Annie—with an 8-page story written by me and illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia—as well as Pan’s first novel, Blood Feud (via a pair of preview chapters).

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!

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 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).

Blood Feud, Blood Reign, and the Pan Annual are available in print and digital formats. Pandora Zwieback #0 is a digital exclusive. Visit their respective product pages for ordering information, as well as sample pages and chapters.

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The Collect Call of Cthulhu…Will You Accept the Charges?

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Steven

Urban Temples of CthulhuOn sale right now from indie publishing house First United Church of Cthulhu is the horror anthology Urban Temples of Cthulhu: a collection of tales edited by FUCC founder Khurt Khave (author of Astronomicon Minorem: DMT, Cthulhu and You) that are inspired by the works of legendary author H. P. Lovecraft—specifically the “Cthulhu Mythos” he developed and then expanded upon with the assistance of such writers (and H.P. fans) as Robert Bloch, Conan the Barbarian creator Robert E. Howard, August Derleth, and others during the first half of the twentieth century.

“Sects and the Single Girl” is my contribution, and tells the tale of Shitaki Cumberbatch, a member of the Elder God–worshipping Church of Starry Wisdom (a religious order that appeared in “The Haunter of the Dark,” the final Mythos story that Lovecraft wrote before his death). Set in the present day, we find Shitaki involved in filing a sexual harassment lawsuit against her former church—even though she was a willing participant in all their hedonistic practices! It’s a character-driven story of faith and soul-searching, lawsuits and religious hierarchies, with just a touch of the sarcasm and snark that readers have come to expect from my writing. Editor Khurt Khave certainly appreciated my approach:

“You hooked me with the cult sexual harassment theme, but wow did you follow through with a great story. And there was even a brief moment of contention! It was one of the best stories that we received.”

Urban Temples of Cthulhu contains nineteen tales of horror and is available from Amazon in print and Kindle editions, so head over there and get yourself a copy—or face the wrath of the Great Old Ones!

Speaking of Mature Readers stories involving single women getting mixed up with Lovecraftian cults, have you met Lorelei, StarWarp Concepts’ resident soul-stealing succubus? Making her comics debut in 1993, Lori is SWC’s first leading lady of horror, and currently stars in a critically acclaimed graphic novel:

Lorelei: Sects and the CityLorelei: Sects and the City finds Lori battling 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 (Stan Lee’s Alexa, X-Men: The Chaos Engine Trilogy), 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), 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).

“I can honestly say that I enjoyed the hell out of this book…. The art is solid, the story is full of lots of things that make the horror genre so great, and the overall quality of the book is top notch.”—Die-Screaming

“Kudos to Roman for capturing the essence of 1970s fare like Vampirella. Filled with ghouls, chicks, and some strong artwork, this is a title that might’ve piqued Hammer Studios’ interest back in the day.”—Dread Central

“A satisfying romp and one that feels like it would have made an excellent seventies horror film (especially one made by Hammer)…. The story is funny at times, graphic at times, and horrific at others, and it’s always delivering its stuff at full volume.”—Strange Amusements

Lorelei: Sects and the City is available in print and digital formats, so visit its product pages for ordering information, as well as sample pages.

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Reviewapalooza Created Woman

Posted on April 30, 2016 by Steven

DrWho-4thDoc-01As regular visitors to this site might be aware, since 2014 I’ve been a comic and graphic novel reviewer for the news site Comics for Sinners, giving my opinion on some of the latest releases for bad-girl fans and general readers alike. Here are the titles I reviewed in April 2016:

Asylum Press
Chopper #1–2: Written by Martin Shapiro, art by Juan Ferreyra

Dynamite Entertainment
Gold Key: Alliance #1: Written by Phil Hester, art by Brent Peeples

Heavy Metal Comics
The Doorman #1: Written by Eliot Rahal and Daniel Kibblesmith, art by Kendall Goode

Titan Comics
Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor #1: Written by Gordon Rennie and Emma Beeby, art by Brian Williamson

Zenescope Entertainment
Satan’s Hollow #1: Written by Joe Brusha, art by Allan Otero

Interested in seeing what else I’ve reviewed? Check out last month’s list, The Evil of Reviewapalooza, and then head over to C4S to read the entries. And be sure to bookmark Comics For Sinners to keep up-to-date on my opinionated ramblings about bad-girl (and other) comics.

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Chopper Review at Comics for Sinners

Posted on April 29, 2016 by Steven

Chopper01-cvrOver at the site Comics for Sinners, you’ll find my review of Chopper #1–2, written by Martin Shapiro, illustrated by Juan Ferreyra (Batman Eternal), and published by Asylum Press in 2011. It’s the second entry in my occasional column, “It Came From the Bad-Girl Archives,” where I take a look at out-of-print bad-girl comics that featured kick-ass heroines who usually wore little in the form of a costume beyond thongs and cleavage-baring tops. (I did say the site was called Comics for Sinners, didn’t I?) In this case, the story involves a high school cheerleader who deals drugs on the side, and who runs afoul of a headless biker who likes to cut off the heads of his victims. It’s a darker spin on Washington Irving’s classic tale “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”—with bad girls! Head over to C4S to see what I’m talking about.

(By the way, if you’re interested in reading my inaugural “Archives” column, then check out the review of Betty Being Bad, which was a collection of essays about 1950s pin-up queen Bettie Page by comic creator—and legendary letterer—John Workman, accompanied by vintage photos of Ms. Page by acclaimed photographer Bunny Yeager.)

 Speaking of bad girls, have you met Lorelei, StarWarp Concepts’ resident soul-stealing succubus? Making her comics debut in 1993, Lori is SWC’s first leading lady of horror, and currently stars in two critically acclaimed titles:

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, Steven A. Roman (Stan Lee’s Alexa, X-Men: The Chaos Engine Trilogy), 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), 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).

“I can honestly say that I enjoyed the hell out of this book…. The art is solid, the story is full of lots of things that make the horror genre so great, and the overall quality of the book is top notch.”—Die-Screaming

“Kudos to Roman for capturing the essence of 1970s fare like Vampirella. Filled with ghouls, chicks, and some strong artwork, this is a title that might’ve piqued Hammer Studios’ interest back in the day.”—Dread Central

House_Macabre_large_finalLorelei Presents: House Macabre: It’s Lori’s first outing as the hostess of a horror comic anthology, in this one-shot special that contains four tales of horror, behind eye-catching cover art by fan-favorite artist Louis Small Jr. (Vampirella, Supergirl, Batman 80-Page Giant).

  • “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?

“This is like a cross between Elvira and House of Mystery, where you’ve got a very sexy hostess who loves the Macabre and tells you stories that are supposed to chill and thrill you…. This whole book is such a pleasant surprise, [and] something that should be sought out by everyone.”—Reading With a Flight Ring

“Any fans of the old-fashioned horror anthology comics (Eerie, Creepy, Tales From the Crypt, etc.) is gonna want to take a look at this one-shot from StarWarp Concepts…. If campy horror fun is your thing, this should be a hit for you.”—The Pullbox

Both titles are available in print and digital formats, so visit their respective product pages for ordering information, as well as sample pages.

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Mirror, Mirror Revisited

Posted on April 22, 2016 by Steven

Snow WhiteHey, fantasy fans! As you probably know, today’s the release date for The Huntsman: Winter’s War, the prequel to the 2012 box office sensation Snow White and the Huntsman. Starring Chris Hemsworth (Thor, Avengers), Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road, Prometheus), Emily Blunt (Edge of Tomorrow), and Jessica Chastain (Crimson Peak), it tells the tale of the Ice Queen (Blunt) teaming up with Theron’s evil queen to cause all sorts of trouble for the huntsman and his new female costar. If you have plans to see it this weekend, perhaps you might be interested in the fairy tale that started it all…

Snow White is the classic story by the Brothers Grimm, and one of the titles in our Illustrated Classics line. Featuring full-color illustrations first published in 1883 (and they really are beautiful drawings), this digital-exclusive title is available for immediate download for the wickedly low price of just 99¢! Visit the Snow White product page for more information, including sales links and sample pages.

Along with Snow White, our Illustrated Classics line includes Edgar Rice Burroughs’s A Princess of Mars and J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla. They’re all great reads, with some spectacular illustrations, so visit each of the books’ product pages for more information.

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Gold Key: Alliance Review at Comics for Sinners

Posted on April 19, 2016 by Steven

GKAlliance01-CovNow at the news site Comics for Sinners, you can read my review of Gold Key: Alliance #1, currently available from Dynamite Entertainment. Written by Phil Hester (Green Arrow) and illustrated by Brent Peeples (Legenderry: Green Hornet), it’s the start of a five-issue miniseries that teams up Dynamite’s latest rebooted versions of classic Gold Key Comics characters: Magnus, Robot Fighter; Turok, Son of Stone; Doctor Spektor; Doctor Solar, now a Woman of the Atom; and The Mighty Samson. There’s an odd, time-travel aspect to the storyline that might have old-school fans of the characters scratching their heads, but that’s no doubt Hester’s intent as he sets the Gold Keyers on the path to forming a superteam. Head on over to C4S to read all about it.

Speaking of superteams, are you familiar with SWC’s very own team, Troubleshooters, Incorporated? No? Then allow me to introduce you…

troubleshooters_lrg_coverPerfect for superhero fans, Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings is a graphic novel about a supernatural team of superfolk-for-hire, consisting of a wizard, a sorceress, a female ninja, a high-tech-armor-wearing rock concert lighting designer, and a werewolf. Not every superhero team has Tony Stark’s billions to play with, you understand, and the Troubleshooters are just looking to earn a living while fighting the monsters that have always lurked in the shadows. Makes sense, right? Of course it does! Written by the husband-and-wife team of Richard C. White (Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination) and Joni M. White, and illustrated by Reggie Golden and Randy Zimmerman, with cover art by Richard Dominguez, Night Stalkings presents the TSI members on their first mission: protecting a multimillionaire from a trio of Middle Eastern demons out to raise a little hell!

Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings is available in print and digital formats, so visit its product page for ordering information.

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Roman Interview Concludes at Pandora Zwieback Site

Posted on April 18, 2016 by Steven

SWCOver at the Pandora Zwieback website today, you’ll find the conclusion of the “lost” four-part interview that I did at the now-defunct site Write a Revolution last year. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at not just the creative process, but at some of the work that goes into putting together SWC’s critically acclaimed releases. Today I discuss how I work with book designers and e-book formatters, and whether or not the process of publishing is a difficult one.

You’ll find part one, part two, and part three of that interview at the Pan site, as well. Go give ’em a read!

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The Return of the King

Posted on April 15, 2016 by Steven

KING_KONGNo, I’m not talking about the third novel in J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic Lord of the Rings trilogy, or even Peter Jackson’s film adaptation of it, I’m talking about another monarch of the silver screen that Jackson has a history with—the Eighth Wonder of the World: King Kong!

Today is the Netflix debut of their new animated series, Kong: King of the Apes, which attempts to revive the classic movie monster for an all-new generation of young horror fans. Set in the year 2050, it finds Kong on the run from an evil mastermind who commands an army of giant, laser-beam-firing robot dinosaurs. Let the binge-watching begin!

Does this mean King Kong will become the Next Big Thing? Who knows. But considering there’s Kong: Skull Island—a big-budget film starring Tom Hiddleston (Crimson Peaks, High Rise), Academy Award winner Brie Larson (Room), Samuel L. Jackson (Marvel’s The Avengers), and John Goodman (10 Cloverfield Lane)—coming out from Legendary Pictures in March 2017, which in turn will lead to the already announced crossover film, 2020’s Godzilla vs. Kong, there’s a chance that movie audiences will want to give Kong another chance, and finally put to rest memories of that bad Peter Jackson remake from 2005.

But, you ask, why am I doing all this talking about King Kong on the SWC blog? Well, it must be because we’ve got something planned for Kong ourselves, wouldn’t you think? And you’d be absolutely right!

Coming from StarWarp Concepts in January 2017 is King Kong, a reprint of the 1932 novelization of the original motion picture and the latest addition to our Illustrated Classics line of books, joining J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla, Edgar Rice Burroughs’s A Princess of Mars, and the Brothers Grimm’s Snow White. Written by Delos W. Lovelace, based on the story by Edgar Wallace and Merian C. Cooper, the SWC edition will feature brand-new illustrations by pulp-comics artist Kevin Tuma (Tales of the Green Hornet, The Twilight Avenger), the novelization expands on the world inhabited by this famous monster of filmland and includes scenes that didn’t appear in the movie’s final cut. The most notorious of those is the terrifying “spider pit” sequence, in which a group of sailors in pursuit of Kong falls into a chasm infested with giant, man-eating arachnids. (Peter Jackson’s remake includes this scene, with outright nightmare-inducing results.)

More details to follow as we get closer to the book’s release—which, by the way, is just two short months before Kong: Skull Island hits movie theaters. Why, you’d almost think we’d planned that intentionally…

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A Book Bundle for a Worthy Cause

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Steven

RAINN-buttonA few weeks ago, I got this message from e-book distributor DriveThru Fiction, which sells digital editions of StarWarp Concepts’ titles:

April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, and once again, we’re going to be putting together some exciting digital Bundles on DriveThruRPG, DriveThruComics, and DriveThruFiction to help raise funds for a great cause. RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation’s largest anti–sexual violence organization and was named one of “America’s 100 Best Charities” by Worth magazine. Last year’s RAINN Bundle was a huge success and we’d like to try to reach even more donations and spread the word about this cause even further in 2016.

Blood FeudI’ve known about RAINN for a while—its biggest promoter is World Wrestling Entertainment’s legendary Mick Foley (aka Mankind and Cactus Jack)—so I immediately offered Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1 as a title to be included in the bundle. And now that bundle is on sale!

If you head on over to the RAINN 2016 Fiction Bundle page at DriveThru Fiction, you’ll find Pan’s first adventure is just one of more than a dozen titles you can purchase, all at once—an $80 bundle for just $15! Do it, and help support a worthy cause.

And for more information about Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, visit the RAINN website.

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