Vampirella #4 Review at Comics for Sinners

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Steven

VampiVol2-04-CovNow at the news site Comics for Sinners, you can read my review of Vampirella, Vol. 2 #4, which is currently available from Dynamite Entertainment. Written by Nancy A. Collins (Sunglasses After Dark, Red Sonja) and illustrated by Patrick Berkenkotter (Dynamite’s Project: Superpowers) and Dennis Crisostomo (Marvel’s Emma Frost), it involves Vampirella continuing her journey around the world to feast on the blood of legendary vampires, in order to prevent being possessed by the spirit of Lady Umbra, sister/lover of the mad god, Chaos. Vampi’s latest stop: Greece and its half-woman/half-snake resident, the Lamia. And dishes aren’t the only things that’ll get broken when these two lethal ladies clash. Opa!

Lorelei: Sects and the CitySpeaking of lethal ladies, perhaps you might like to read Lorelei: Sects and the City, the StarWarp Concepts graphic novel that stars a soul-stealing succubus in battle with a cult of Elder God worshipers attempting to unleash hell on Earth. This critically acclaimed adventure is, at its core, a love letter to 1970s horror comics, written by Steven A. Roman (that’s me), and illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia (Vengeance of the Mummy), Steve Geiger (Web of Spider-Man), and Neil Vokes (Johnny Demon), with a cover by legendary Vampirella artist Esteban Maroto. Visit the Lorelei: Sects and the City product page for all the ordering information, as well as sample pages.

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Vampire Weekend (No, Not the Band)

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Steven

This coming Friday, October 10th, is the release date for Dracula Untold, the new origin film for the world’s most famous vampire, and—according to recent reports—the starting point for Universal Studios’ planned reboot of their cinematic monsters universe (next up: The Mummy, in June 2016). Planning to check it out? Well, if you’re into vampires, then allow me to introduce you to a couple of StarWarp Concepts titles you might be interested in:

carmilla_cover_smallCarmilla: Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s 19th-century paranormal romance has served as inspiration for generations of horror and dark fantasy writers, from Bram Stoker (the vampire brides of Dracula) to Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter author Laurel K. Hamilton (who has described Carmilla as her all-time favorite vampire novel that she didn’t write). The tale of Carmilla and her intended victim/lover Laura is still a powerful one, even 123 years after its first publication. The SWC edition features six fantastic black-and-white illustrations by Eliseu Gouevia, the talented artist of the graphic novel Lorelei: Sects and the City, the full-color comic The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1, and another illustrated classic, A Princess of Mars.

blood_feud_medBlood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1: Teenaged Goth Pandora Zwieback, as well as her family and friends, get caught in the middle of a war among rival vampire clans seeking an ancient weapon—that just so happens to have been delivered to her dad’s horror museum. The battling houses are more Underworld than Anne Rice in terms of action, and the gun-toting, ravenous undead are as far from cute or romantic as one can get. Blood Feud is the critically acclaimed novel by Steven A. Roman (that’s me), and features cover art by Bob Larkin, the fan-favorite cover painter of Doc Savage, Dazzler, X-Men, and a host of other well-known characters.

Visit each of the book’s product pages to place an order, and get started reading while you’re standing on line for Dracula Untold this weekend!

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Visions of Lorelei: Jim Gillespie

Posted on October 7, 2014 by Steven

Talk about blasts from the past! While cleaning up my studio the other day, I came across a stack of small-press minicomics I’d collected over the years. And who did I find posing on the back cover of one of them? Lorelei—not only in her iconic blouse-and-tights costume, but in her original, 1988-era costume!

Lorelei_Goodies

Yeah, I’m not all that impressed by that original costume, either. 😀 Opera gloves and leather boots and fishnet stockings with frilly garters, combined with a minimal one-piece swimsuit? In retrospect, it’s like something the demented lovechild of Howard (Black Kiss) Chaykin and Marc (Witchblade) Silvestri would have designed! What was I thinking?

It’s a good thing, then, that the above illustration is by artist Jim Gillespie, who actually made that costume look halfway decent! Jim had written me in 1989 to ask if it was all right if he did a pinup of Lori and submitted it to Brad Foster’s Goodies, a p*rny minicomic series that had quite a successful run. When I saw the final result…wow, was I impressed!

Speaking of amazing interpretations of Lori by talented artists, have you taken a look at the Visions of Lorelei art gallery? It’s a celebration of Lorelei’s 25 years as SWC’s first leading lady of horror, and features pinups by such luminaries as Frank Thorne (Red Sonja), Gray Morrow (Zatanna), Mike Mignola (Hellboy), Joseph Michael Linsner (Dawn/Vampirella), and Jim Balent (Catwoman). Just follow the “Gallery” link and scroll down to check out the fantastic pieces! (And don’t forget to take a look at the “13 Days of Pan-demonium” gallery—a celebration of our teen Goth adventuress, Pandora Zwieback—while you’re at it.)

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Collingswood Book Festival 2014 is This Saturday!

Posted on October 6, 2014 by Steven

Collingswood-2014-logoThe 2014 Collingswood Book Festival is being held on Saturday, October 11, and StarWarp Concepts will be making its debut appearance! Never heard of CBF? Well, to quote the festival’s site:

The 12th Annual Collingswood Book Festival makes a triumphant return as bibliophiles converge in this historic South Jersey town to celebrate everything about the written word. The Collingswood Book Festival is a big literary event that exudes small-town, friendly ambience. A week of activities will culminate on Saturday, October 11, 2014 from 10am to 4pm. Festival-goers will have an opportunity to stroll more than six blocks of Haddon Avenue filled with nationally recognized authors/speakers for adults and children, as well as booksellers, storytellers, poetry readings, workshops, exhibitors and performance stages. All events are free.

Booth #18 is where you’ll find me hawking The ’Warp’s goods; as always, just look for the Pandora Zwieback banner. For more information, including travel directions, head over to the festival website.

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Charmed: Season 10 #1 Review at Comics for Sinners

Posted on October 5, 2014 by Steven

Charmed10-01Now at the news site Comics for Sinners, you can read my review of Charmed: Season 10 #1, which goes on sale this Wednesday, October 8, from Zenescope Entertainment. Written by Pat Shand (Grimm Fairy Tales, Robyn Hood) and illustrated by Elisa Feliz (Dallas: The Gathering), it starts the latest comic book “season” of the popular TV series about modern-day witches that starred Alyssa Milano, Rose McGowan, and Holly Marie Combs. This time, the Charmed Ones battle a demon from Canada that plans to steal their powers—with evil pastries! (Hey, if you’re looking for some dark, gritty, John Constantine: Hellblazer–style demon fighting in this comic, then perhaps you’re unfamiliar with the Halliwell sisters.)

troubleshooters_lrg_coverAnd if you’re into supernatural characters who battle ancient demons, then you should check out Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings, the StarWarp Concepts graphic novel about a superteam-for-hire consisting of a wizard, a sorceress, a female ninja, a high-tech-armor-wearing rock concert lighting designer, and a werewolf! 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! Visit the Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings product page for all the ordering information, as well as sample pages.

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New Column at Comics for Sinners

Posted on October 5, 2014 by Steven

BEYONCE-300x390First it was comic book reviews. Now at the news site Comics for Sinners, you’ll find Starwarped, a new, occasional column from me that’ll cover topics related to comics, horror, bad girls and, of course, StarWarp Concepts.

The first two installments are up for your reading pleasure. Readers of this blog may recognize them, since they’re repurposed posts involving the birthday of Red Sonja artist Frank Thorne, and a history of Lorelei’s costume (with a nod to Beyoncé’s Lori-like outfit at the recent Global Citizen Festival concert), but there will be other things to talk about as ideas for future columns pop up. And if you haven’t read those posts before, well, then they’re new to you! Head on over to C4S and check out Starwarped!

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StarWarp Concepts to Attend NY Horror Show 2015

Posted on October 4, 2014 by Steven

NY-Horror-Show

The first-ever NY Horror Show hits Long Island, NY, on January 16–18, 2015, and StarWarp Concepts will be there! A collaboration between the folks behind Eternal Con—Long Island’s acclaimed pop-culture show—and TwitchTwitch Productions, the NY Horror Show kicks off with a red-carpet opening of the Macabre Faire Film Festival on Friday night, January 16th, and then expands into a full-blown horror convention for the next two days. Hope you ’Warp fans will turn out for it—given the fact that no one holds horror cons in NYC anymore, this show can use all the support it can get!

The NY Horror Show is being held at the Upsky Long Island Hotel, located at 110 Motor Parkway, in Happauge. Show-floor hours are 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM on Saturday, and 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Sunday. For more information, including how to order tickets, head over to the NY Horror Show website.

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Lorelei: Fashion Trendsetter!

Posted on October 1, 2014 by Steven

Well, this was a surprise. Since I don’t pay much attention to the latest recording artists and their performances—my musical tastes tend to run, shall we say, a tad older than Katy Perry and Justin Bieber—it wasn’t until this morning that I became aware of Beyoncé’s appearance at this past weekend’s Global Citizen Festival, here in New York. But it wasn’t her performance that attracted my attention so much as the photos posted online of her—and the strangely familiar outfit that she wore…

Beyonce_Lorelei

That’s right: Beyoncé showed up at the concert, basically dressed like The ’Warp’s resident succubus, Lorelei. Well, it only took 25 years for Lori’s look to catch on (2014, by the way, marks Lori’s twenty-fifth anniversary since her first small-press comic appearances in 1989), but all I have to say is: You’re welcome for the inspiration, Beyoncé and designer Dolce & Gabbana! Now where are my royalties? 😉

If you’d like to see that unique outfit in action, then you should check out Lorelei: Sects and the City, the StarWarp Concepts graphic novel that stars a soul-stealing succubus in battle with a cult of Elder God worshipers attempting to unleash hell on Earth. This critically acclaimed adventure is, at its core, a love letter to 1970s horror comics, written by Steven A. Roman (that’s me), and illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia (Vengeance of the Mummy), Steve Geiger (Web of Spider-Man), and Neil Vokes (Johnny Demon), with a cover by legendary artist Esteban Maroto (Lady Rawhide). Visit the Lorelei: Sects and the City product page for all the ordering information, as well as sample pages.

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Happy Banned Books Week!

Posted on September 21, 2014 by Steven

Banned_Books_2014

Yes, it’s that time of year again when a spotlight is shone on the problem of censorship in United States libraries and bookstores. (In other words, books banned by prudes who are out to “protect the children.”) To quote the Banned Books Week Web site:

Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than 11,300 books have been challenged since 1982. According to the American Library Association, there were 307 challenges reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom in 2013, and many more go unreported.

The ten most challenged books of 2013 include Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games trilogy (sex and violence), Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants (the new #1 banned book!), and Jeff Smith’s fantasy graphic novel series Bone (violence and…racism? Are you kidding me?!) For more information on this annual event, just click on Captain Underpants up there.

Banned Books Week 2014 is happening right now, September 21–27. How are you celebrating it?

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Happy International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Posted on September 19, 2014 by Steven

seadragon_lrg_cov_revAre you a fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise, or classic films like Captain Blood, The Crimson Pirate, and The Sea Hawk? Do you like to talk like a pirate, on this, International Talk Like a Pirate Day? Then does StarWarp Concepts have the comic for you!

The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special is a one-shot digital comic created and written by Richard C. White, author of SWC’s supernatural superhero graphic novel Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings. Drawn by Bill Bryan (artist of Caliber Press’ Dark Oz and DC Comics’ House of Mystery), and featuring cover art and color by Eliseu Gouveia (SWC’s The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1), it’s 48 pages of high-seas adventure for just 99¢!

Visit the Sea Dragon’s product page for more information, including sample pages.

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