Where does the time go?
It might be hard to believe, but it was in 1993, twenty-five years ago, that StarWarp Concepts officially launched as an independent publisher in the State of New York, with the release of Lorelei, Vol. 1 #0—our first full-size comic book. It was a big step for me as a small presser who’d been publishing digest-sized, photocopied comics since 1989—including Lori’s early adventures, written and drawn by me, along with the original version of Richard C. White’s Troubleshooters, Incorporated—but I considered it well worth the effort. Written by me with art by fellow small presser David C. Matthews (creator of the adventurous bodybuilder Satin Steele) and a spectacular cover by Louis Small Jr.—who at that time had just exploded on the scene as the penciller of Harris Comics’ first Vampirella series—Lorelei #0 didn’t exactly take the world by storm (although 2,500 copies sold was pretty darn good for a black-and-white indie comic in the early 1990s), but it did establish Lori as a character who’s still remembered to this day by comic fans and retailers, and StarWarp Concepts as an indie house willing to take chances by publishing quality material. (And the very next issue, Lorelei #1, sold 5,000 copies, so clearly we were doing something right!)
That focus on quality has continued to this day, as we’ve expanded beyond comic books to include graphic novels, dark fantasy and epic fantasy novels, illustrated classics, artist sketchbooks, writers’ guides, and digital-exclusive titles. Lorelei is still with us—as the star of the graphic novel Sects and the City and the hostess of the horror anthology comic House Macabre—and the superheroes-for-hire of Troubleshooters, Incorporated can now be found in our graphic novel section, but now they’ve been joined by the likes of teenaged Goth and part-time monster hunter Pandora Zwieback (star of books and comics), Perrin the swordswoman (star of the fantasy adventure Harbinger of Darkness), and a growing list of classic characters as SWC continues to expand its list of titles.
So what do we have planned for our twenty-fifth anniversary year? Stay tuned to this blog to find out—there’s sure to be surprises along the way.
And have a Happy New Year!
