Big Apple Con 2015 is This Saturday!

big-apple-logoThe twentieth anniversary edition of the Big Apple Con is this Saturday, March 7, and StarWarp Concepts will be there! Run by noted art dealer Michael Carbonaro, this one-day gathering of geek culture has become quite the event to attend during its two decades, its aisles filled with comic book back issues, comic creators, and media guests. You’ll find me in artists’ alley, promoting StarWarp Concepts. Where, precisely? Well, that’s a good question. I guess we’ll both find out when we get there…

The Big Apple Con is being held at the Penn Plaza Pavilion, located at 401 Seventh Avenue in Manhattan, directly across from Madison Square Garden and Pennsylvania Station. Show-floor hours are 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. For more information, head over to the Big Apple Con website.

Hope to see you there!

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Happy Will Eisner Week!

WEW_2015_Poster150Graphic novels: Who doesn’t love to read them, especially if they can be used to get adults, teens, and kids interested in reading? And if there’s one thing the staff at StarWarp Concepts believes in, it’s promoting literacy. And wouldn’t you know it, there’s a yearly literacy event that’s been set up to help get the ball rolling!

Will Eisner Week is an annual celebration—held this week from March 1 to March 7—and is run by the Will and Ann Eisner Family Foundation. It promotes literacy, graphic novels, free speech, and the legacy of the late Will Eisner, who would have turned 98 on March 6. Eisner, for those of you who might be unfamiliar with his work, was the creator of the 1940s masked crimefighter The Spirit, and one of the founding fathers of American graphic novels. A Contract with God, A Life Force, Dropsie Avenue, and The Dreamer are just some of the fascinating tales Eisner wrote and drew, featuring ordinary people in extraordinary (and sometimes not-so-extraordinary) situations. And even though he passed away in 2005, Eisner continues to inspire generations of writers and artists. Events are being held this week around the world; visit the Will Eisner Week website for more information.

StarWarp Concepts, of course, has its share of graphic novels, and we’d have no problem at all if you happened them to order them as your reading material for this special week. Check out the following titles—there may be one (or more) that pique your interest:

Lorelei: Sects and the CityLorelei: Sects and the City: This is the critically acclaimed, Mature Readers tale of a succubus battling a cult that’s trying to revive the elder gods they worship. 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) and a frontispiece by original Vampirella artist Tom Sutton (Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night). It’s available in both print and e-book formats, so visit the Lorelei: Sects and the City product page for all the ordering information, as well as sample pages.

troubleshooters_lrg_coverTroubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings: Perfect for superhero fans, this graphic novel 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. Makes sense, right? Of course it does! Written by the husband-and-wife team of Richard C. White (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! And like Sects and the City, 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.

pan_annual_1_large_coverThe Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1: Although it may not be a graphic novel, at 56 pages it’s still a pretty thick comic book, with three stories of Pan and the monsters that live in her New York City hometown. For those of you who might be unfamiliar with the premise, The Saga of Pandora Zwieback chronicles the adventures of sixteen-year-old Pandora Zwieback, a Gothy horror fangirl who possesses amazing powers that she just learned about, including the ability to see past the human disguises worn by monsters to blend in with society. And The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1 is a 56-page, full-color special that contains stories by Steven A. Roman (yep, me again) and Sholly Fisch (Scooby-Doo Team-Up, The All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold), and art by Eliseu Gouveia (Lorelei: Sects and the City, The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0) and comic-art legend Ernie Colon (Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld). And yes, it’s available in both print and e-book formats, so visit the Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1 product page for all the ordering information, as well as sample pages.

Happy reading!

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Blood Reign: Pandora Zwieback 2 E-books at StarWarp Concepts Webstore

Blood-Reign-FinalCvrThe headline pretty much says it all: You can now purchase all e-book editions of Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2—my young adult, dark-urban-fantasy novel—directly from the StarWarp Concepts webstore! Here’s the synopsis:

She was stabbed in the heart with an ancient mystical spear. Her mother was kidnapped by a band of vampires led by a fallen angel—their goal: unleashing hell on earth. And every living creature on the planet faces extinction at the hands of a race of biblical monsters. But for Pandora Zwieback, the worst may be yet to come.

In this terrifying next chapter of the story begun in the critically acclaimed novel Blood Feud, join the teenaged Goth adventuress as she discovers that death is only the beginning of her saga…

Blood Reign is available in mobi (Kindle compatible), ePub, and PDF formats, each for just $2.99, so visit the Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2 product page for all the purchasing links—not to mention a free, downloadable chapter that you can also snag.

And don’t forget: the first Pandora Zwieback novel, Blood Feud, is also available in the same formats, for $2.99 from the SWC webstore. Want to know how Pan begins her saga? Then purchase Blood Feud and Blood Reign and get started reading!

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Blood Reign: Pandora Zwieback 2 E-book On Sale at Smashwords

Blood-Reign-FinalCvrHey, e-book lovers, today’s the day when you can find the ePub edition of Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2—my young adult, dark-urban-fantasy novel—available at digital distributor Smashwords! Here’s the synopsis:

She was stabbed in the heart with an ancient mystical spear. Her mother was kidnapped by a band of vampires led by a fallen angel—their goal: unleashing hell on earth. And every living creature on the planet faces extinction at the hands of a race of biblical monsters. But for Pandora Zwieback, the worst may be yet to come.

In this terrifying next chapter of the story begun in the critically acclaimed novel Blood Feud, join the teenaged Goth adventuress as she discovers that death is only the beginning of her saga…

You’ll find Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2 for $2.99 at StarWarp Concepts’ Smashwords store. Order it today!

And don’t forget: the first Pandora Zwieback novel, Blood Feud, is also available for $2.99 from Smashwords. Want to know how Pan begins her saga? Then purchase Blood Feud and Blood Reign and get started reading!

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Reviewapalooza Meets the Wolfman at Comics for Sinners

Over at the news site Comics for Sinners, as some of you may be aware, starting last year I became a comic and graphic novel reviewer, giving my opinion on some of the latest releases for bad-girl fans and general readers alike. Here are the titles I’ve reviewed in January and February 2015:

Frank-Thorne-Sonja2-CoverDynamite Entertainment
Doc Savage Archives, Vol. 1: The Curtis Magazine Era: Stories by Doug Moench and John Warner; art by John Buscema, Tony Dezuniga, Marie Severin, Val Mayerik, and Ernie Chan
Frank Thorne’s Red Sonja Art Edition, Vol. 2: Art by Frank Thorne, stories by Roy Thomas, Clare Noto, and Wendy Pini
Legenderry: Red Sonja #1: Written by Marc Andreyko, art by Aneke
Red Sonja #100: Stories by Gail Simone, Roy Thomas, Eric Trautmann, Michael Avon Oeming, and Luke Lieberman; art by Pablo Marcos, Dave Acosta, Taki Soma, Noah Salonga, and Sergio Fernandez Davila
Red Sonja: The Black Tower #1–4: Written by Frank Tieri, art by Cezar Razek
Vampirella #100: Stories by Nancy A. Collins, Tim Seeley, Eric Trautmann, Brandon Jerwa, and Mark Rahner; art by Francesco Manna, Jim Terry, Dave Acota, Gabriel Mayorga, and Javier Garcia-Miranda

Red Giant Entertainment
The Mike Deodato Jr. Sketchbook: Art by Mike Deodato Jr.

Zenescope Entertainment
The Little Mermaid #1: Written by Meredith Finch, art by Miguel Mendonca

Interested in seeing what else I’ve reviewed? Then check out The Ghost of Reviewapalooza, a year-end overview of my 2014 reviews. 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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Blood Reign: Pandora Zwieback 2 E-book On Sale at B&N

Blood-Reign-FinalCvrRejoice, ‘Warp followers, because today’s the day when you can find the ePub edition of Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2—my young adult, dark-urban-fantasy novel—available at Barnes & Noble’s Nook Store! Here’s the synopsis:

She was stabbed in the heart with an ancient mystical spear. Her mother was kidnapped by a band of vampires led by a fallen angel—their goal: unleashing hell on earth. And every living creature on the planet faces extinction at the hands of a race of biblical monsters. But for Pandora Zwieback, the worst may be yet to come.

In this terrifying next chapter of the story begun in the critically acclaimed novel Blood Feud, join the teenaged Goth adventuress as she discovers that death is only the beginning of her saga…

You’ll find Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2 here in e-Pub form for $2.99 at the Nook Store. Order it today!

And don’t forget: the first Pandora Zwieback novel, Blood Feud, is also available for $2.99 from B&N. Want to know how Pan begins her saga? Then purchase Blood Feud and Blood Reign and get started reading!

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Blood Reign: Pandora Zwieback 2 E-book On Sale at Amazon

Blood-Reign-FinalCvrGood news, ‘Warp fans! At last the day has arrived, when you can find the e-book edition of Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2—my young adult, dark-urban-fantasy novel—available at Amazon.com! Here’s the synopsis:

She was stabbed in the heart with an ancient mystical spear. Her mother was kidnapped by a band of vampires led by a fallen angel—their goal: unleashing hell on earth. And every living creature on the planet faces extinction at the hands of a race of biblical monsters. But for Pandora Zwieback, the worst may be yet to come.

In this terrifying next chapter of the story begun in the critically acclaimed novel Blood Feud, join the teenaged Goth adventuress as she discovers that death is only the beginning of her saga…

You’ll find Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2 here at the Kindle Store. Order it today!

And don’t forget: the first Pandora Zwieback novel, Blood Feud, is also available for $2.99 from the Kindle Store. Want to know how Pan begins her saga? Then purchase Blood Feud and Blood Reign and get started reading!

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StarWarp Concepts to Attend Capital City Book Fair

The inaugural edition of the Capital City Book Fair is coming to downtown Trenton, New Jersey’s state capital (thus the event’s name), in May, and StarWarp Concepts will be there!

Organized by Classics Used and Rare Books and the Trenton Downtown Association, it’s a two-day event that’s planned to include live events, musicians, food vendors and, of course, lots of books. And with my latest novel, Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2, now on sale, it sounds like the perfect venue to introduce New Jersey book lovers to the adventures of The ’Warp’s resident Goth chick—not to mention the wonders of SWC’s other titles!

The Capital City Book Fair takes place on Friday, May 1, from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and on Saturday, May 2, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. We’ll be there only on Saturday; as always, look for the distinctive Pandora Zwieback banner.

For more information, including directions to the show, visit the Capital City Book Fair website. I won’t know the location of the SWC booth until we get closer to the event, but you’ll be the first to know after I find out.

Hope to see you there!

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Little Mermaid #1 Review at Comics for Sinners

LittleMermaid_01_cover BNow at the news site Comics for Sinners, you can read my review of The Little Mermaid #1, which goes on sale February 25 from Zenescope Entertainment. Written by Meredith Finch (Wonder Woman, Grimm Tales of Terror) and illustrated by Miguel Mendonca (Warlord of Oz, Grimm Fairy Tales Unleashed), it’s a modern-day take on the classic fairy-tale character crafted by Hans Christian Andersen. You won’t find any singing Jamaican crabs or scatterbrained comedic seagulls in this Grimm Fairy Tales presentation, but you’ll certainly find lots of female pulchritude on display (well, it is a Zenescope comic, after all). Still, the art is great and the story is interesting, so head on over to C4S to read all about it.

SnowWhite_coverSpeaking of fairy-tale heroines, you should definitely check out Snow White, StarWarp Concepts’ presentation of the classic story by the Brothers Grimm, and one of the popular 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 low price of just 99¢! Visit the Snow White product page for sales links and sample pages, and start downloading today!

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Red Sonja #100 Review at Comics for Sinners

RedSonja100CovApparently February has become Red Sonja Month at comic publisher Dynamite Entertainment and—by extension—the news site Comics for Sinners, because last week I reviewed Dynamite’s Legenderry: Red Sonja #1, followed by my review of Frank Thorne’s Red Sonja Art Edition, Vol. 2 on Monday; then there was news of “Through the Eyes of a Wizard,” an upcoming Thorne retrospective at a New York art gallery; and now, my review of Red Sonja #100, which goes on sale today.

Red Sonja #100—really? Yes, it’s the same accounting trick in play that Dynamite has used for Warlord of Mars #100 and Vampirella #100—namely, adding up all the series, miniseries, and one-shots they’ve published to reach the magic number of 100. This special features stories by original Sonja writer Roy Thomas, current Sonja writer Gail Simone, her predecessor Eric Trautmann, Powers co-creator Michael Avon Oeming, and Luke Lieberman, with art by Pablo Marcos, Dave Acosta, Taki Soma, Noah Salonga, and Sergio Fernandez Davila. Head on over to C4S to read all about it.

Speaking of flame-tressed she-devils, have you been introduced to Lorelei, 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 (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) and a frontispiece by original Vampirella artist Tom Sutton (Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night). It’s available in both print and e-book formats, so visit the Lorelei: Sects and the City product page for all the ordering information, as well as sample pages.

House_Macabre_large_finalLorelei 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 Steven A. Roman (yep, me again) 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. It’s available in print for $3.99 (plus shipping) exclusively from the StarWarp Concepts webstore, and in digital form for $1.99 from DriveThru Comics and the SWC webstore (and hopefully soon from ComicsFix and comiXology, as well). Visit the Lorelei Presents: House Macabre product page for all the ordering information, as well as sample pages.

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