Thanks for stopping by our table today, and for coming here to check things out at a more leisurely pace. We’re always thrilled to meet potential new readers intrigued by our range of titles, and hope we can add you to our growing fan base.
StarWarp Concepts specializes in tales of horror and dark urban fantasy, and our titles range from young adult fiction (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback) and illustrated classics (J. Sheridan’s Le Fanu’s vampire romance, Carmilla; Edgar Rice Burroughs’s A Princess of Mars; The Brothers Grimm’s Snow White) to graphic novels for superhero fans (Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings) and adult horror aficionados (Lorelei: Sects and the City); from digital and print comic books (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1, Lorelei Presents: House Macabre #1, The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special, Heartstopper: The Legend of La Bella Tenebrosa); to artist sketch collections (The Bob Larkin Sketchbook) and writing guides (Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination). And we’ve got even more exciting projects in the works!
Currently, our most popular titles are:
Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination: Not a novel or graphic novel, but our first nonfiction book for writers and gamers. 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. The gaming-news site The Gaming Gang recommended in its four-star (out of 5) review that “For those who have yet to dip their toes into the creative waters of devising a fictional setting, the book makes a mighty good reference aimed to point you to the stream.” And when the e-book edition was released at digital distributors DriveThru Fiction and DriveThru RPG, it made its debut as their #1 Hottest Title, and then spent more than a month in the #1 positions for nonfiction books and writers guides!
Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1: Steven A. Roman’s critically acclaimed novel is the story of 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 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 between warring vampire clans that are 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. Her first adventure continues in Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2 (also now on sale) and concludes in the upcoming Blood & Iron: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 3.
Lorelei: Sects and the City: This critically acclaimed, Mature Readers graphic novel stars a soul-stealing succubus who finds herself in a life-or-death struggle with a cult of Elder God worshippers intent on summoning their demonic overlords to rule the world. At its heart, this tale is an homage to such 1960s and 1970s horror comics and movies as Vampirella, Son of Satan, Satana the Devil’s Daughter, Tomb of Dracula, The Devil Rides Out, and The Devil’s Rain, as well as H. P. Lovecraft’s classic Cthulu Mythos—but with a modern day attitude. It’s written by Steven A. Roman, and features art by Eliseu Gouveia (Lady Death, The Phantom), Steve Geiger (Web of Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk), and Neil Vokes (Fright Night, Flesh and Blood). Cover art is provided by the legendary Esteban Maroto (Vampirella, Zatanna, Lady Rawhide). Among Lorelei’s fans are Vampirella and Famous Monsters of Filmland creator, the late Forrest J Ackerman; James Warren, the original publisher of Vampirella, Creepy, Eerie, and Famous Monsters; horror writer Elizabeth Massie; and Science Fiction Writers of America Writer Emeritus Neal Barrett Jr.
Lorelei 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 Steven A. Roman 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 Roman, 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 Roman 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?
Carmilla: J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s 19th-century classic tale of love gone wrong. Laura is so desperate for a friend that when a young woman 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. Our edition contains six original illustrations done especially for StarWarp Concepts by the super-talented Eliseu Gouveia (Lorelei: Sects and the City).
All titles are available in print and digital formats, so visit their respective product pages for ordering information, as well as sample pages.
When you’re done touring the StarWarp site (be sure to visit the Downloads page for the freebies), don’t forget to Like StarWarp Concepts’ Facebook page, so you can keep up-to-date with all the latest SWC news.
On Tuesday I’ll be posting my convention report, so feel free to come on back and see how the show went for this indie publishing house.
