Darth Zwieback: The Vampire Strikes Back

Posted on December 18, 2015 by Steven

That’s right, Star Wars fans, today is the U.S. release date for Star Wars, Episode VII: The Force Awakens—the latest entry in the space-fantasy series that changed blockbuster movies forever. So, what’s an epic space opera got to do with our resident teenaged monster hunter, Pandora Zwieback? Well, who better to be Dark Ladies of the Sith than a couple of Goth girls like Pan and her bestest friend, Sheena McCarthy—right? And with Marvel publishing blank “sketch covers” for its Star Wars titles, the Darth Vader #1 blank was, I thought, the perfect canvas for my latest “masterpiece”:

Goth-Vaders

 

Surprised I’d try to tie in Pan to the biggest sci-fi movie franchise of all time? As a wise Muppet once said, “There is no try. Only do…or do not.” 😀 Also, I was in a drawing kind of mood, and once the sketch idea popped into my head I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see how Pan and Sheena would look in the Star Wars universe.

So, hey, Marvel, when do the girls get their own spin-off series…?

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The Troop Review at Comics for Sinners

Posted on December 12, 2015 by Steven

Troop01-CvrOver at the news site Comics for Sinners, you’ll find my review of The Troop #1, now on sale from Titan Comics. Written and created by actor/director Noel Clarke (who’s best known to sci-fi fans as companion Mickey Smith of Doctor Who) and illustrated by Joshua Cassara, it’s the latest take on the superhero genre, with a quartet of metahumans hunted by a mysterious organization—think the Fantastic Four crossed with the X-Men, but with slight religious overtones. And nudity. And liberal dropping of F-bombs. Head over to C4S to learn more about it.

Speaking of super-teams, are you aware that StarWarp Concepts has its very own team of costumed crimefighters, known as Troubleshooters, Incorporated? No? Then allow me to fill you in…

troubleshooters_lrg_coverPerfect for superhero fans, the graphic novel Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings is 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.

Written by the husband-and-wife team of Richard C. White (Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination, The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special) and Joni M. White, and illustrated by Reggie Golden and Randy Zimmerman, 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! It’s available in both print and e-book formats, so visit the Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings product page for all the ordering information, as well as sample pages.

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Doctor Who: 12th Doctor 2015 Holiday Special Review at Comics for Sinners

Posted on December 11, 2015 by Steven

DW12-XmasJust in time for the holiday season, as well as the upcoming Christmas Day episode Doctor Who: The Husbands of River Song, over at the news site Comics for Sinners you’ll find my review of Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor 2015 Holiday Special, now on sale from Titan Comics. Written by author George Mann (Doctor Who: Engines of War) and writer Cavan Scott (Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor: Weapons of Past Destruction) and illustrated by Mariano LaClaustra (Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor), it’s both a Christmas-themed stand-alone adventure and the sixteenth issue of Titan’s “Season One” series of the new comic book adventures of the twelfth iteration of sci-fi’s immortal time traveler—as played by actor Peter Capaldi—and his trusty companion, Clara Oswald (while she was still on the show), played by Jenna Coleman.

Sure, Doctor Who doesn’t exactly fit into C4S’s focus on bad-girl comics—for one thing, you don’t find too many scantily clad ladies in Doctor Who—but every now and then management allows me to indulge myself. And if you’ve read this post and this other post from 2013, in celebration of the show’s 50th anniversary, you know I’m a major Whovian. Head over to C4S to find out what the Twelfth Doctor and Clara were up to in comic-land adventures while they still traveled together in the TARDIS.

Speaking of immortals and their plucky companions who protect the Earth from monsters, have you met Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin, the 400-year-old, shape-shifting monster hunter who acts as mentor to teenaged Goth adventuress Pandora Zwieback in my young adult novel series The Saga of Pandora Zwieback? 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. You’ll find Annie battling evil in the following titles:

pandoracomic-1The 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!

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 “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 are available for free from this very website, so download them today!

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

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It’s “Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day” Again!

Posted on December 5, 2015 by Steven

ChildBookstore-2015

Hey, book lovers, today marks the sixth annual Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day! Founded in 2010 by author Jessica Milchman, the event, according to its Web site, “is about instilling a love of bookstores in children so that they will value and support this most precious of resources as they go on to enter and create communities of their own.”

Kids + reading + brick-and-mortar bookstores? Always a great combination!

For more information, including a map of the bookstores that are celebrating with events of their own, visit the TYCBD site by clicking on the banner up top.

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Happy Small Business Saturday!

Posted on November 28, 2015 by Steven

terra_ingoc_lg_coverHey, shoppers! Sure, yesterday might have been Black Friday, the retail industry’s most notorious day of the year, but did you know that Small Business Saturday—that annual celebration of mom-and-pop companies that can always use your holiday-buying dollars—takes place this very day? And in case you hadn’t noticed, StarWarp Concepts just happens to be a small business!

And what better way is there to support our efforts than by purchasing copies of our popular titles for friends and family members—or even for yourself? After all, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa are right around the corner…

Writers and role-playing game enthusiasts: Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is perfect for budding authors as well as RPG fans interested in building their own fantasy and science fiction environments. In this nonfiction how-to book, author Richard C. White (Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil) 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.

Blood FeudDark urban fantasy readers: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback is a young adult, dark-urban-fantasy novel series written by Steven A. Roman. It stars 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 a shape-shifting monster hunter named Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin, in the first novel, Blood Feud, 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. But before Pan can learn more about what she can do, she and her parents are drawn into a conflict among warring vampire clans that leads into the second action-packed novel, Blood Reign.

troubleshooters_lrg_coverComic book and graphic novel fans: Got a comic book reader on your shopping list, or even them yourself? The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1 features stories by author Steven A. Roman and comic writer Sholly Fisch, with art provided by Eliseu Gouveia, Elizabeth Watasin, and comic-art legend Ernie Colon. Lorelei: Sects and the City is a Mature Readers graphic novel involving a succubus battling a cult of Elder God worshipers, written by Steven A. Roman and illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia, Steve Geiger, and Neil Vokes. Lorelei Presents: House Macabre is a one-shot anthology comic containing tales written by Steven A. Roman and Dwight Jon Zimmerman, with art by Uriel Caton & Chuck Majewski, Lou Manna, John Pierard, and Juan Carlos Abarldes Rendo. Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings is a graphic novel starring a group of supernatural superheroes for hire on their first mission, written by the husband-and-wife team of Richard C. and Joni M. White, with art by Reggie Golden and Randy Zimmerman. And The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special is a digital-only, 48-page pirate-fantasy adventure by writer Richard C. White and artist Bill Bryan.

Comic art lovers: The Bob Larkin Sketchbook is a collection of rarely seen pencil drawings by the acclaimed cover painter for Doc Savage, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel Comics, and our own Saga of Pandora Zwieback. Included is a pair of original Doc Savage–related pinups done especially for this book.

Snow WhiteClassic literature lovers: Know a reader with a passion for genre literature? They might be interested in our line of illustrated classics. Carmilla, by J. Sheridan Le Fanu, is a 19th–century paranormal romance between a vampire and her next intended victim—or lover—that contains six black-and-white illustrations by Eliseu Gouveia. A Princess of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs, is a science-fantasy epic about Civil War veteran John Carter, who finds love and adventure on the planet Mars; black-and-white illustrations are provided by Eliseu Gouveia. And Snow White is the timeless Brothers Grimm fairy tale, made even more enchanting by a collection of full-color illustrations first published in 1883.

Now, get busy shopping! And enjoy the holidays!

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Lorelei vs. Frankenstein’s Monster?

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Steven

Alert the villagers and grab the pitchforks: today is the U.S. release date for Victor Frankenstein, the latest big-screen adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel, starring James McAvoy (X-Men: Days of Future Past) as Frankenstein, Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter, himself!) as his assistant, Igor, and Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey) as…Lorelei?!

Unfortunately, it’s not the Lorelei we here at ’Warp Central want to see on film. Still, while we’re on the subject of horror characters named Lorelei, have you met StarWarp Concepts’ resident soul-stealing succubus? Making her comics debut in 1993, Lori has remained SWC’s first leading lady of horror, and currently stars in two critically acclaimed projects:

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 Satana, the Devil’s Daughter, it’s written by yours truly, Steven A. Roman (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, 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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Gothic Librarian Entranced by Carmilla

Posted on November 20, 2015 by Steven

CarmillaReview time! Over at the site The Gothic Library, gothic librarian (and site owner) Julia—who stopped by the StarWarp Concepts booth at this year’s Brooklyn Book Festival, and who previously reviewed The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0—gives her thoughts on Carmilla, The ’Warp’s most-popular entry in our Illustrated Classics genre.

“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…this 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.”

You can check out the rest of her review by going here.

CarmillaSampleCarmilla is the blood-drenched temptress of a 19th-century novella by author J. Sheridan Le Fanu—a vampiress who desires not just blood but love from her victims. And when she enters the life of a young woman named Laura, Carmilla decides that her new friend will become her next great love—and won’t take no for an answer. Regarded as the one of the earliest lesbian vampires—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. The StarWarp Concepts edition contains six exclusive, captivating illustrations by artist Eliseu Gouveia (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Lorelei: Sects and the City).

Carmilla is available in print and digital formats, so visit its product page for ordering information.

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Terra Incognito Ranks #1 at DriveThru Fiction!

Posted on November 18, 2015 by Steven

terra_ingoc_lg_coverThe hits just keep on coming for Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination, SWC’s first how-to book on the particulars needed to create detailed fantasy worlds. As of this writing it sits atop e-book distributor DriveThru Fiction’s charts as the #1 Hottest Nonfiction Book and the #1 Hottest How-To for Writers! Congrtulations, Rich!

In Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination, bestselling fantasy author Richard C. White (Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special) 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.

Meanwhile, over at Rich’s blog, he recently posted the conclusion of a two-part reminiscense about how he applied his knowledge of world building to a steampunk fantasy project called “The Dark Codex,” for another publisher.

That’s not all the good news, though! Last month, Rich started “World Building 101,” a brand-new column on the subject, at online magazine Black Gate. And according to the publisher, Rich’s first entry, “The Village,” was the most popular article on the site for the month of October!

You can read “The Village” right here.

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.

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Happy Birthday, Steve Ditko!

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Steven

steve-ditkoHe’s one of the founding fathers of modern superhero comics—along with giants like Jack Kirby, John Buscema, and Wally Wood—but he’s also an extremely private, fairly reclusive man who’s been referred to as the J. D. Salinger of comics. Today, Steve Ditko, the art legend who brought us such characters as Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, the Question, the Creeper, and Shade the Changing Man, turns 88—and I once had the privilege of speaking with him!

Back in 1997, I was an editor for a company called Byron Preiss Multimedia (named after its owner), which had the rights to publish original novels and anthologies based on Marvel Comics’ massive stable of characters. Although for sales purposes, Stan “The Man” Lee and writer Peter David were listed as the editors, I was the behind-the-scenes guy responsible for “their” upcoming anthology, The Ultimate Hulk—a collection of all-new Hulk stories from various points in his history. My job was to select the stories, submit them to Lee and David for approval, and then do the actual editing. (Full disclosure: I wound up co-writing one of the tales, “Assault on Avengers Mansion,” with Richard C. White, currently the author of SWC’s Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination.)

ultimate-hulkOne selection was “Transformations,” by Will Murray. Set in the Hulk’s early days, it involved a run-in with Magneto, the X-Men’s number one super-villain.

“You know who I’d like to have draw the illustration?” Murray asked. “Steve Ditko. He’s a friend of mine—do you want his phone number?”

Holy crap.

It wasn’t as though Ditko wasn’t familiar with the Hulk—he’d drawn some of his early appearances after Kirby had left the first 1960s series. Not exactly Ditko’s best work (just check out the weird feet on that Hulk  in that cover below), but having him in the anthology would be a major marketing draw for the book.

Hulk006Of course I said yes to Murray, but with reservations. I knew that, at the time, Ditko and Marvel had been working together on various projects, so there’d be no problem in getting him approved by the licensing division, but Ditko also had a reputation of being touchy about drawing characters from his Marvel past—he’d flat-out refused to ever again draw Spider-Man and Doctor Strange after his initial falling out with Marvel decades earlier, and nothing would change his mind. (His stance has remained unchanged up to the present day, by the way.)

Murray was well aware of this—but this is the Hulk, he pointed out, not one of Ditko’s co-creations. Maybe Ditko would feel differently. “Anyway, it doesn’t hurt to ask. The worst he can say is no.”

So I called him. I explained the project and Murray’s involvement; pointed out that it was the Hulk, not Spider-Man or Doctor Strange, I was asking him to draw (he chuckled!); and that it was a single illustration.

“Well, it was very nice of you to call,” Ditko said, “but I’m afraid I’ll have to decline. I’m happy that Will suggested me, but I just don’t see any future in doing pin-ups.”

Well, that was disappointing. If you’ve ever seen his black and white art, you know it would have been amazing, and that the anthology would have been all the better for it. Still, I did get to speak with a living legend, so that more than made up for the disappointment.

(By the way, the more-than-capable replacement for Ditko was Neil Vokes, artist of the graphic novels The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: Life, The Universe, and Everything, The Black Forest, and my own Lorelei: Sects and the City. Neil even gifted me with the finished illustration as thanks for including him in the book.)

Happy birthday, Mr. Ditko!

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Trick or Treat!

Posted on October 31, 2015 by Steven

Lori-Halloween-SWC

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