On Wings of Steel Soars Across the Ebook Landscape

Posted on May 20, 2025 by Steven

Already this month, fans of science fiction saw the arrival of author Richard C. White’s latest novel from StarWarp Concepts arrive in digital form at ebook retailers DriveThru Fiction and Amazon’s Kindle Store, to join its already available print edition. Now White’s steampunk adventure is landing at other digital retail sites and distributors!

On Wings of Steel: The Darkside Chronicles, Book 1 is now available for purchase from Barnes & Noble, the Apple Bookstore, Kobo, Kobo Plus, Smashwords, and other online retailers.

Librarians can add On Wings to their digital shelves through such services as Overdrive, Baker & Taylor, Palace Marketplace, and cloudLibrary.

Featuring eye-catching cover art by digital painter Beto Lima (Dungeons & Dragons), On Wings is an action-packed adventure from the acclaimed author of Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination, Harbinger of Darkness, and For a Few Gold Pieces More. Here’s the back-cover copy to pique your interest:

Death from above—and below…

Erica Halgrim is a proud new member of the Angels of Steel: a courier service whose all-female members navigate through the streets of Underworld and the skies of the Aerie with the aid of winged flying devices that allow them to traverse the toxic Dark Cloud that separates the downtrodden masses on the ground from the wealthy socialites who live aboard enormous airships.

Her job becomes secondary, however, when Erica attends a soiree at the Aerie with her fellow Angels and witnesses what appears to be an unfortunate accident (but could it perhaps have been murder?) and she becomes a suspect.

Almost immediately, her life is put in danger as various forces attempt to either jail her or permanently shut her up. Most troubling of all, though, is who exactly is looking to clip her wings…

Interest piqued? Fantastic! Then be sure to head on over to your favorite e-tailer or library service and order a copy today!

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Author Richard C. White at Balticon 59

Posted on May 19, 2025 by Steven

This coming Memorial Day Weekend, fans of science fiction and fantasy will be gathering at Balticon, which is celebrating its 59th anniversary at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel in the city’s picturesque Inner Harbor district.

Among the attendees at this cross-genre get-together will be author Richard C. White, who’ll be promoting his latest SWC release that’s hit online bookshops and ebook retailers, the sci-fi steampunk novel On Wings of Steel: The Darkside Chronicles, Book 1, in which Erica Halgrim, a member of the Angels of Steel courier service, finds herself drawn into a political plot—and possibly murder—at the risk of her own life.

Rich is the bestselling author of the licensed novel Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, as well as a bunch of titles published by us: the swashbuckling adventure novel Harbinger of Darkness; the fantasy-adventure story collection For a Few Gold Pieces More; the writers’ and RPG gamemasters’ aid Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination; the supernatural-superhero graphic novel Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings; the noir-fantasy story collection Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase; and the pirate-adventure digital comic The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special.

You’ll find Rich hawking his wares in the Dealers’ Room, so be sure to stop by his table and pick up any titles you might have missed, and to learn about the other projects he has in the works for 2025—and beyond!

Balticon runs May 23–26. For more information on the show, visit the Balticon website.

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Now Arriving at the Amazon Terminal: Richard C. White’s On Wings of Steel

Posted on May 17, 2025 by Steven

First, it debuted in print on April 29, then last week at DriveThru Fiction, and now On Wings of Steel: The Darkside Chronicles, Book 1, author Richard C. White’s latest novel from StarWarp Concepts, has arrived in digital form at Amazon’s Kindle Store!

Featuring eye-catching cover art by digital painter Beto Lima (Dungeons & Dragons, Undead Horde), On Wings is an action-packed sci-fi steampunk adventure from the acclaimed author of Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination, Harbinger of Darkness, and For a Few Gold Pieces More. Here’s the back-cover copy to pique your interest:

Death from above—and below…

Erica Halgrim is a proud new member of the Angels of Steel: a courier service whose all-female members navigate through the streets of Underworld and the skies of the Aerie with the aid of winged flying devices that allow them to traverse the toxic Dark Cloud that separates the downtrodden masses on the ground from the wealthy socialites who live aboard enormous airships.

Her job becomes secondary, however, when Erica attends a soiree at the Aerie with her fellow Angels and witnesses what appears to be an unfortunate accident (but could it perhaps have been murder?) and she becomes a suspect.

Almost immediately, her life is put in danger as various forces attempt to either jail her or permanently shut her up. Most troubling of all, though, is who exactly is looking to clip her wings…

On Wings of Steel: The Darkside Chronicles, Book 1 is available in ePub format for just $4.99 US at the Kindle Store, and also in print from Amazon, so visit their respective product pages at Amazon to place your order today!

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Richard C. White’s On Wings of Steel Lands at DriveThru Fiction

Posted on May 9, 2025 by Steven

First, it debuted in print on April 29, and now On Wings of Steel: The Darkside Chronicles, Book 1, author Richard C. White’s latest novel from StarWarp Concepts, has arrived in digital form at e-book retailer DriveThru Fiction.

Featuring eye-catching cover art by digital painter Beto Lima (Dungeons & Dragons, Undead Horde), On Wings is an action-packed sci-fi steampunk adventure from the acclaimed author of Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination, Harbinger of Darkness, and For a Few Gold Pieces More. Here’s the back-cover copy to pique your interest:

Death from above—and below…

Erica Halgrim is a proud new member of the Angels of Steel: a courier service whose all-female members navigate through the streets of Underworld and the skies of the Aerie with the aid of winged flying devices that allow them to traverse the toxic Dark Cloud that separates the downtrodden masses on the ground from the wealthy socialites who live aboard enormous airships.

Her job becomes secondary, however, when Erica attends a soiree at the Aerie with her fellow Angels and witnesses what appears to be an unfortunate accident (but could it perhaps have been murder?) and she becomes a suspect.

Almost immediately, her life is put in danger as various forces attempt to either jail her or permanently shut her up. Most troubling of all, though, is who exactly is looking to clip her wings…

On Wings of Steel: The Darkside Chronicles, Book 1 is available at DriveThru Fiction, so visit its product page at the StarWarp Concepts publisher hub to place your order today!

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It’s Children’s Book Week 2025 (Part 1)!

Posted on May 5, 2025 by Steven

Established in 1919, Children’s Book Week is an annual celebration of reading that actually runs for two weeks—one in the spring, and one in the fall. This week, of course, is the Spring Edition, with the theme of “An Ocean of Stories,” “celebrating the vast, collective ocean populated by the stories we read, share, and tell.” (Week the second will run in November.)

To find out more about the event, which runs May 5–11, and to download free stuff like bookmarks and activity pages, visit Children’s Book Week’s home at Every Child a Reader.

And speaking of books that inspire, if you’re looking for an awesome digital book for the children in your life (or even your own inner child!), then may we recommend one of our snazzy Illustrated Classics titles?

Snow White is the classic fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. An evil, vain queen sets her jealous sights on her beautiful stepdaughter, and only an unusual group of gentleman can help Snow overcome the queen’s nefarious plans. Even more exciting, the StarWarp Concepts edition is enhanced with beautiful full-color illustrations that were first published in 1893!

“Snow White delivers a timely message about survival even when the odds are not in your favor.”—The New Yorker

“One of the best-loved of the stories collected by the Brothers Grimm.”—Long Long Time Ago

Snow White is an e-book exclusive, so visit its product page at DriveThru Fiction for ordering information and sample pages.

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Happy Free Comic Book Day 2025!

Posted on May 3, 2025 by Steven

Today is Free Comic Book Day around the world: that annual event celebrated on the first Saturday in May, and usually timed to coincide with the release of Marvel Studios’ latest movie—as is the case with yesterday’s debut of Thunderbolts*, which introduces the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s latest superteam and stars Sebastian Stan (Captain America: The Winter Soldier), Florence Pugh (Black Widow), Wyatt Russell (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), and David Harbour (Hellboy).

FCBD is a day when publishers make available free print and/or digital comics for comic fans, and we here at ’Warp Central are no different, with the following titles available for download right now.

Heroines & Heroes: A collection of comic stories and pinups all drawn by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!), dating back to my days in the early 1990s small-press movement—that age of dinosaurs in which creators like me used to make our comics by printing them out on photocopiers and then stapling them by hand. In H&H you’ll find mainstream heroes and small-press heroines, and even a couple of anthropomorphic bikers. Leading off is “V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N (in the Summertime),” a three-page Wonder Woman vs. Harley Quinn story that I wrote and drew in the late ’90s as a sample for a DC Comics editor who thought I’d be a good fit for their Batman: The Animated Series comic (it didn’t work out). The WW/Harley matchup is followed by an adventure of small-presser Jeff Wood’s rabbit-eared superspy, Snowbuni; three pages from the long-canceled indie comic Motorbike Puppies; and an adventure of the indie superheroine The Blonde Avenger.

The 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 16-year-old New York City Goth who’s not only a horror fangirl but someone with the rare ability to see the for-real monsters that regular humans can’t (she calls it her “monstervision”), and with the help of a 400-year-old, shapeshifting monster hunter named Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin, she’s learning how to protect her family, her friends, and the world from the supernatural dangers out there—and maybe even have some fun doing it! This 16-page comic features a seven-page story written by Steven A. Roman, 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.

Lorelei #1: The 30th Anniversary Special Edition: A reprint of the comic that helped launch StarWarp Concepts in 1993. Written and created by Steven A. Roman, and drawn by David C. Matthews (Satin Steele), it introduced readers to professional photographer Laurel Ashley O’Hara, on the day that would change her life forever—a day when a major exhibition of her work was opening at a prestigious New York museum…and the day she unfortunately met the charming but dangerous Arioch—a lord of hell! It features cover art by Louis Small Jr., artist of Harris Comics’ Vampirella and Vampirella Strikes; DC Comics’ Codename Knockout and Batman 80-Page Giant; and Continuity Comics’ Ms. Mystic; and cover artist for SWC’s Lorelei Presents: House Macabre.

Heartstopper: The Legend of La Bella Tenebrosa #1–3: Before she became Pan’s monster-hunting mentor, Sebastienne “Annie” 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 a soul-stealing incubus! Will Annie put an end to his plans for worldwide chaos, or fall prey to his supernatural charms? Written by Steven A. Roman, issue 1 is drawn by Pan and Annie co-creator Uriel Caton (JSA Annual) and inker Alan Larsen (Femforce), and colored by Dan Peters; issue 2 is penciled by Uriel, Holly Golightly (School Bites), and David C. Matthews (Lorelei #1: The 30th Anniversary Special Edition), inked by Larsen, and colored by Zeea Adams; and issue 3 is penciled by Holly, with four pages of inks by “Chainsaw” Chuck Majewski (Harvey Kurtzman’s New Two-Fisted Tales).

As a special bonus, issue 3 includes a brief look at the never-published Heartstopper/Trollords, a crossover special that would have had Annie meet Harry, Larry, and Jerry, the Three Stooges–inspired trolls created by Scott Beaderstadt and Paul Fricke for their popular comic series of the 1980s. H/T was to be written by me with pencils by Holly and Scott and inks by Bill Lavin (Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings), but unfortunately it just never got past the starting gate.

(Warning: Heartstopper is designated a “Mature Readers” comic for violent scenes and some sexual innuendo, so younger Panatics should avoid it.)

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

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Happy 85th Birthday, Comic-Art Legend Alex Nino!

Posted on May 1, 2025 by Steven
Alex Nino (left) and I at the 2004 SDCC.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Treasure Planet. Mulan. The Omega Men. The Rook. Heavy Metal. God the Dyslexic Dog. If you’re a longtime fan of animated features and non-superhero comics, you may know the name Alex Nino, the popular, acclaimed Filipino artist who’s worked for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and pretty much everyone in between, and was a concept artist for Disney on some of their blockbuster movies.

I had the absolute pleasure of working with Alex, back in my editing days during the early 2000s at indie publishing house ibooks, inc. The first was Sunn, a superhero graphic novel I wound up scripting when the original writer (I forget who) walked off the project. I told the story behind it in a pair of blog posts back in 2015 (click the links to give them a read).

The second was The Orc’s Treasure, a fantasy graphic novel created and written by sci-fi author Kevin J. Anderson that Alex sumptuously illustrated in black and white. I was its editor, and let me tell you, everytime a new FedEx package arrived containing new pages from Alex, I went absolutely nuts for them. In fact, I wound up receiving even more pages from Alex than the script called for, because Alex would send replacements for pages and two-page spreads he wasn’t entirely happy with—what a perfectionist!

In the end, though, I found a way to include everything he sent me—so what if that two-page banquet scene was now six pages long? When you had art as beautiful as Alex’s, you found ways to keep it all in play! If you’re a Nino fan and you can track down a copy, do yourself a favor and check it out—I’m certain you’ll love what you see.

The one time I actually got to meet Alex was at the 2004 San Diego Con (as seen in the picture up top), which I attended with ibooks, inc. owner/publisher Byron Preiss, senior editor Howard Zimmerman, and editor Dwight Jon Zimmerman (no relation). I was involved in setting up ibooks author and artist appearances in Artists’ Alley. On (I believe) the Saturday of the con, we’d already had a major turnout that morning for Stan Lee, who was promoting Stan Lee’s Alexa, a superhero comic “cowritten” by The Man (but actually scripted by me), and early that afternoon I was keeping company for Marvel and DC writer Steven Grant, who was doing a signing for his 1990s superhero miniseries The Last Heroes (illustrated by the legendary Gil Kane), which had just been reprinted as a hardcover collection by ibooks.

As we whiled away the time—only one person showed up for the signing, and only to tell Grant how much they’d enjoyed his work writing Marvel’s The Punisher—I happened to glance over to the autograph table where the Stan Lee signing had been held. I knew that in the next hour Alex would be doing his own, to promote Sunn and the upcoming Orc’s Treasure, and that Alex had something of a following among old-school comic fans…but why were there so many women lined up at it already? Was somebody doing a signing before Alex?

Excusing myself, I wandered over from Grant’s table to the growing line, which had about 30 or 40 young women (and some girls), and approached the woman at the front.

“Excuse me, but who’s the line for?” I asked.

“Alex Nino,” the woman answered.

My eyes bugged out. “Everybody is here for Alex?” She nodded. “Wow. Okay, but why?”

“Because he worked on Mulan!” she said happily.

Didn’t I say he was popular?

Happy birthday, Alex!

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Richard C. White’s On Wings of Steel Now On Sale!

Posted on April 30, 2025 by Steven

As the header says, on sale right now is On Wings of Steel: The Darkside Chronicles, Book 1, author Richard C. White’s latest novel from StarWarp Concepts. Featuring eye-catching cover art by digital painter Beto Lima, On Wings is a sci-fi steampunk adventure that’s full of nonstop action…and a touch of murrrderrr!

Here’s the back-cover copy to pique your interest:

Death from above—and below…

Erica Halgrim is a proud new member of the Angels of Steel: a courier service whose all-female members navigate through the streets of Underworld and the skies of the Aerie with the aid of winged flying devices that allow them to traverse the toxic Dark Cloud that separates the downtrodden masses on the ground from the wealthy socialites who live aboard enormous airships.

Her job becomes secondary, however, when Erica attends a soiree at the Aerie with her fellow Angels and witnesses what appears to be an unfortunate accident (but could it perhaps have been murder?) and she becomes a suspect.

Almost immediately, her life is put in danger as various forces attempt to either jail her or permanently shut her up. Most troubling of all, though, is who exactly is looking to clip her wings…

On Wings of Steel: The Darkside Chronicles, Book 1 is currently available in print from Amazon, Amazon UK, and Barnes & Noble—with other retail sites to come—so visit them today to order a copy of this exciting new title!

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Author Richard C. White at Wonderplace Alpha

Posted on April 29, 2025 by Steven

This coming weekend, fans of science fiction and fantasy will be gathering at the debut of Wonderplace Alpha, a new convention being held in Lake George, NY. According to its site, the event takes place in “a liminal event environment, one where travelers from all over space and time mix in conversation, combat, empire-building, mad volunteerism, solo adventure, quiet contemplation, relaxation, Cyberpunk explorations, Renaissance Faire strolls, Steampunk irrepressibility, and Halloween all the time.” Sounds interesting!

Among the guests you’ll find author Richard C. White, who will be selling copies of his numerous published projects in the vendors area—and promoting his upcoming SWC release, the sci-fi steampunk novel On Wings of Steel: The Darkside Chronicles, Book 1.

Rich is the bestselling author of the licensed novel Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, as well as a bunch of titles published by us: the swashbuckling adventure novel Harbinger of Darkness; the fantasy-adventure story collection For a Few Gold Pieces More; the writers’ and RPG gamemasters’ aid Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination; the supernatural-superhero graphic novel Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings; the noir-fantasy story collection Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase; and the pirate-adventure digital comic The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special.

You’ll find Rich in the Dealers’ Room, so be sure to stop by and pick up any titles you might have missed.

Wonderplace Alpha runs May 2–4. For more information on the show, visit the WA website.

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Happy National Superhero Day 2025!

Posted on April 28, 2025 by Steven

Hey, superhero fans! Grab your favorite (or brand-new, or brand-new favorite) comic book or graphic novel and give it a read, because it’s time once more to celebrate National Superhero Day!

According to a number of websites, National Superhero Day “was created in 1995 by employees of Marvel Comics, who sent a team of interns out in central Pennsylvania to hear what the public thought about superheroes and what super powers they’d most want to have. Today, the day is about honoring all the superheroes in our lives, both the fictional and the real-life heroes who give their all every day.”

It sounds like an apocryphal story (Why would Marvel send out interns to do a poll? Why only central PA and not the entire United States?), but in a country that celebrates National Chocolate Custard Day (that’s May 3, in case you were wondering—mark it on your calendar!) it shouldn’t be all that surprising that even a probably made-up story can get its own holiday.

Still, it’s superheroes we’re talking about, and if you’re looking for some around these parts, we have a couple of titles you might be interested in:

Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings is a general readers’ graphic novel about a group of supernatural-superheroes-for-hire taking on their first case. The team consists of a wizard, a female ninja, a sorceress, a werewolf, and a rock ’n’ roll lighting designer wearing high-tech armor. Sure, they might not be on a power level with the Avengers or Justice League, but they get the job done. (However, they have been compared to the JL’s supernatural offshoot, Justice League Dark, and Hellboy’s Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, although TSI predates both organizations.) The graphic novel is written by Richard C. White (Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination) and his wife, Joni M. White, illustrated by penciler Reggie Golden and inkers Randy Zimmerman and Bill Lavin, and features cover art by Richard Dominguez (El Gato Negro).

And Heroines & Heroes is a digital-exclusive collection of comic stories and pinups all drawn and mostly written by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!), dating back to my days in the early 1990s small-press movement—that age of dinosaurs in which creators like me used to make our comics by printing them out on photocopiers and then stapling them by hand. In H&H you’ll find mainstream heroes and small-press heroines, and even a couple of anthropomorphic bikers. Leading off is “V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N (in the Summertime),” a three-page Wonder Woman vs. Harley Quinn story that I wrote and drew in the late ’90s as a sample for a DC Comics editor who thought I’d be a good fit for their Batman: The Animated Series comic (it didn’t work out). It’s followed by an adventure of small-presser Jeff Wood’s rabbit-eared superspy, Snowbuni; three pages from the 1990s indie comic Motorbike Puppies; and an adventure of the indie superheroine The Blonde Avenger.

Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings is available in print and digital formats; Heroines and Heroes is a free digital exclusive. Visit their respective product pages for ordering information, as well as sample pages.

Posted in Comic Books, Graphic Novels, Halloween, Richard C. White, Steven A. Roman, Superheroes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment