“Jennifer Blood” Review at Comics for Sinners

JenniferBlood01-CovOver at the site Comics for Sinners you can check out my review of Jennifer Blood: Born Again #1, currently on sale from Dynamite Entertainment. Written by Steven Grant (Captain America, X-Man, Spectacular Spider-Man) and illustrated by Kewber Baal (Jennifer Blood, Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies), it’s the first in a five-issue miniseries about a gun-toting bad girl taking on Los Angeles’ criminal underworld—because an imposter is besmirching her good(?) name! High-impact shoot-’em-ups aren’t exactly unfamiliar territory for Grant, who put Marvel Comics’ Punisher through some of his toughest mob-war paces, and whose Boom! Studios graphic novel 2 Guns hit the big screen in 2013 as a vehicle starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg. If you’re into contemporary crime drama comics with a 1980s vibe, then go see what I’m talking about!

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Turtle Power!

turtles-posterAs you’re probably aware, today marks the U.S. release date for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the Michael Bay–produced live-action reboot movie that stars Megan Fox and four giant CGI man-turtles, based on the indie comic licensing juggernaut created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird back in the 1980s. And that means it’s time for a Tale of Development Hell Flashback Special!

In a series of stories posted on this blog, I’ve talked about a couple of licensed novels I was involved in that never really got off the ground: one based on the classic cartoon Speed Racer, the other a team-up of Spider-Man and the X-Men’s resident Cajun, Gambit. Believe me, there were quite a number of similar projects I started working on that, for one reason or another, got cast into the junk drawer, never to see the light of day…until I started the “Tales of Development Hell” feature, of course. For instance, back in the early 2000s I was supposed to write a trilogy of fantasy novels starring a certain quartet of heroes in a halfshell, with the involvement of Kevin Eastman. To learn the details, just check out this post from August 2011 and read all about it!

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Vampirella #3 Review at Comics for Sinners

VampiVol2-03CvrNow at the news site Comics for Sinners, you can read my review of Dynamite Entertainment’s Vampirella, Vol. 2 #3, which is on sale today. It’s written by Bram Stoker Award–winning author Nancy A. Collins (Sunglasses After Dark, Swamp Thing, Red Sonja) and illustrated by Patrick Berkenkotter (Dynamite’s Project: Superpowers, Marvel’s The Torch) and Dennis Crisostomo (Marvel’s Emma Frost and Superior Carnage). Marked as the intended host body for a mad goddess, in this issue Vampirella begins the first leg of a journey around the world to save herself from possession by feasting on the blood of legendary vampires. First stop on her monster-killing tour: Thailand and its deadly Krasue—a bodiless creature that consists of a floating head attached to organs. Bet that’ll put you off your takeout order of pad thai, for sure!

Lorelei: Sects and the CityAnd if you’re an old-school Vampirella fan like me, 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 artist Esteban Maroto (Lady Rawhide). Visit the Lorelei: Sects and the City product page for all the ordering information, as well as sample pages.

“Lorelei, you’ve cast your spell o’er this guy!”Forrest J Ackerman, creator of Vampirella and Famous Monsters of Filmland

“From the beginning I was stunned and impressed. The writing and art stand side by side with the best I’ve seen from the Warren magazines. Phenomenal work!”
Louis Small Jr., artist of Vampirella, Vampirella Strikes, and Vampirella/Shi

“Kudos to Roman for capturing the essence of 1970s fare like Vampirella. Filled with ghouls, chicks, and some strong artwork, this is a title that might’ve piqued Hammer Studios’ interest back in the day.”Dread Central

“A great homage to Warren’s Vampirella magazine. Steve Roman has captured the spirit of the black and white Warrens, especially his female star.”Vampirella Revealed

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Bob Larkin at Doc Con 2014

DocCon-LarkinAttention, pulp-fiction fans! Doc Con is an annual celebration of 1930s heroic adventurer Doc Savage—created by author Lester Dent (aka Kenneth Robeson), and recently the star of Dynamite Entertainment’s Doc Savage and upcoming Justice, Inc. comic-book series. And this year Bob Larkin—cover artist of SWC’s Saga of Pandora Zwieback novels and legendary painter of Bantam Books’ reissue of classic Doc Savage novels—will be making his first appearance as guest of honor for this three-day event. Doc Con XVII is being held at the Comfort Suites, in Glendale, Arizona, and runs October 17–19. For more information, including how to purchase tickets, head over to the Doc Con 2014 site.

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Star Trek: City on the Edge of Forever Review at Comics for Sinners

ST-City1If you head over to the news site Comics for Sinners, you can read my review of IDW’s Star Trek: Harlan Ellison’s The City on the Edge of Forever—The Original Teleplay #1–2; the second issue is currently on sale. It’s the comic-book adaptation of the original version of Ellison’s award-winning episode, before all the massive rewrites dictated by Gene Roddenberry—and you’ve truly never seen Classic Star Trek like this! Forget about talking time-portal rocks and Dr. McCoy’s bad acid trip, this one has an immortal race called the Guardians, who hold the secrets of time travel—and they’ve just let a drug-dealing crewman from the Enterprise slip into the past! Not your daddy’s Star Trek, is it? Give my review a read and then grab yourself a copy of this exciting miniseries before it reaches its conclusion!

And speaking of Mr. Ellison, check out this May 27th SWC post that marked his 80th birthday—a tale of my first encounter with him, back when I was an assistant editor at a book packaging company. From what I’ve been told, even Harlan got a kick out of it!

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Afterlife with Archie #6 Review at Comics for Sinners

afterlife06It started as a jokey Halloween drawing and has gone on to become one of the best horror comics currently on the stands. I’m talking, of course, about Archie Comics’ runaway hit Afterlife with Archie, a not-for-kids series that places America’s favorite comic-book teenager and his cast in the setting of a dramatic, terrifying zombie apocalypse—accidentally started by none other than Sabrina, the Teenaged Witch! And if you head over to the news site Comics for Sinners, you can check out my review of Afterlife with Archie #6, which is currently on sale. Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Stephen King’s The Stand, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark) and illustrated by Francesco Francavilla (Guardians of the Galaxy, The Black Beetle), AwA #6 shows what Sabrina’s been up to since she unleashed hell on Earth, in a story filled with shout-outs to the works of genre legends H. P. Lovecraft, Arthur Machen, and Robert W. Chambers.

 

Lorelei: Sects and the CityAnd if you’re into Lovecraftian Elder Gods, have I got a graphic novel for you! Lorelei: Sects and the City, the StarWarp Concepts graphic novel stars a soul-stealing succubus in battle with a cult of Elder God worshipers attempting to revive their ancient masters. This critically acclaimed adventure is written by Steven A. Roman (that’s me), illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1, Infiniteens), Steve Geiger (Web of Spider-Man, Incredible Hulk), and Neil Vokes (Fright Night, The Black Forest), and sports a cover by Esteban Maroto (Vampirella). Visit the Lorelei: Sects and the City product page for all the ordering information, as well as sample pages.

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DRM-Free Comics? Already Got ‘Em!

pan_comic_0As you may have heard, at this week’s Comic Con International: San Diego, digital comics distributor Comixology announced that they are making titles from certain independent publishers—including Image, Dynamite Entertainment, and Top Shelf—available as Digital Rights Media–free (DRM-free) PDF and CBZ downloads. (Marvel and DC aren’t on board with this yet, but who knows what the future holds?) In other words, you can now own the digital copies of the comics you’ve paid for!

 

seadragon_lrg_cov_revThat’s a great innovation (I’ve already downloaded some of the comics from my own account), but I’ve got news for you digital comics fans: StarWarp Concepts’ comics and graphic novels have been that way since we began offering them through our webstore and DriveThru Comics. The teen Goth comics The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0, The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1; the supernatural superhero graphic novel Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings; the mature readers miniseries Heartstopper: The Legend of La Bella Tenebrosa; the adult graphic novel Lorelei: Sects and the City; and the pirate fantasy one-shot The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special are all available for download, and are all DRM-free.

Visit each of the titles’ product pages for more information, including sales links and sample pages, and start shopping today, secure in the knowledge that the comics you buy from The ’Warp are actually yours to own!

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The Devilers #1 Review at Comics for Sinners

Devilers01At the site Comics for Sinners you’ll find my review of The Devilers #1, currently on sale from Dynamite Entertainment. Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov (I, Vampire, The Bunker) and illustrated by Matt Triano (Sherlock Holmes: The Liverpool Demon, The Lone Ranger Annual 2013), it’s the first in a seven-issue miniseries about a religious strike team—led by a Catholic priest who lacks faith—tasked with stopping an invasion of demons when a gateway to Hell opens in Rome, destroying the Vatican. It’s two-fisted theology in the Mighty Dynamite Manner, with an old Hammer Films vibe. Head over to C4S and find out what it’s all about!

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Warlord of Mars #0 Review at Comics for Sinners

Warlord0-cov-HardmanEver since Dynamite Entertainment started publishing comics based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’s “Mars” novels, his creation John Carter, Warlord of Mars, has continued to achieve the success in comic-book publishing that eluded him on the big screen in Disney’s woefully mistreated adaptation, John Carter (which is a really good movie, by the way). And if you head over to the news site Comics for Sinners, you can check out my review of his latest adventure in Warlord of Mars #0, which is currently on sale. It’s written by Matt Brady (Buck Rogers, Young Justice Secret Files) and illustrated by Jack Jadson (Warriors of Mars, Red Sonja: Unchained) and Marcelo Mueller.

 

princess_cover_smallIf the comic-book adventures of John Carter pique your interest, then you should definitely order a copy of his debut adventure in the novel A Princess of Mars, Edgar Rice Burroughs’s swashbuckling science fantasy epic that’s also one of StarWarp Concepts’ illustrated classics. (This was the basis for the 2012 film adaptation.) The StarWarp Concepts edition features exclusive illustrations by Eliseu Gouveia (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1, Lorelei: Sects and the City, Carmilla). Visit the Princess of Mars product page for all the ordering information.

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Chastity #1 Review at Comics for Sinners

chastity01Bad girls are apparently back in style at Dynamite Entertainment these days. First there was June’s relaunch of comics’ premier bloodthirsty seductress, Vampirella, followed by the debut of the probably-not-a-vampire-series The Blood Queen. Now, spinning off from the recently revived Chaos! Comics line of characters in the pages of the miniseries Chaos, comes the return of the vampire teen called Chastity. And if you head over to the news site Comics for Sinners, you can check out my review of Chastity #1, which is currently on sale. It’s written by Marc Andreyko (Batwoman, Manhunter, Fairest) and illustrated by Dave Acosta (The Fallen, Vessel of Terror).

 

Loelei: Sects and the CitySpeaking of bad girls, 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. Written by Steven A. Roman (that’s me), this critically acclaimed adventure is illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1), Steve Geiger (Web of Spider-Man), and Neil Vokes (The Black Forest), with a cover by legendary artist Esteban Maroto (Vampirella). Visit the Lorelei: Sects and the City page for all the ordering information, as well as sample pages.

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