Blog | StarWarp Concepts | Publisher of Dark Fantasy and Horror

Ready to Rev Your Harley?

Posted on February 7, 2020 by Steven

Today is the U.S. release date of Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), the latest entry in Warner Bros.’ DC Comics movie universe, in which star Margot Robbie reprises her well-received portrayal of the Clown Princess of Crime, Harley Quinn, last seen busting out of Belle Reve prison with her “puddin’,” the Joker, in 2016’s Suicide Squad.

Well, if you’re a fan of Dr. Harleen Quinzel’s villainous alter ego, then perhaps you’d be interested in checking out a free digital comic available exclusively from your friends at StarWarp Concepts…

Heroines & Heroes is a collection of comic stories and pinups written and 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 (spoiler warning: 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 long-canceled indie comic Motorbike Puppies; and an adventure of the indie superheroine The Blonde Avenger.

Heroines and Heroes is a free digital exclusive. Visit its product page for ordering information, as well as sample pages.

Posted in Digital Comics, movies | Tagged birds of prey, birds of prey and the fantabulous emancipation of one harley quinn, digital comic books, harley quinn, heroines and heroes, shameless plugs, steven a. roman, superheroes | Comments Off

On the Road Again…

Posted on February 6, 2020 by Steven

With the 2020 convention season already under way (did you check out my report on SWC’s trip to Pow Con 2020 last week?), that means it’s time to get back to meeting the fans. Here’s where you’ll find us during the year:

February 28–March 1: MystiCon: Author Rich White (Chasing Danger, Terra Incognito, For a Few Gold Pieces More, Harbinger of Darkness) makes his annual pilgrimage to the Holiday Inn Tanglewood in Roanoke, Virginia, for this three-day genre gathering whose media guests this year include award-winning sci-fi author Larry Niven and actor Daniel Logan (young Boba Fett of Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones).

April 24–26: RavenCon: You’ll find Rich White hawking his goods at this sci-fi and fantays gathering being held at the DoubleTree Hilton Williamsburg, in Williamsburg, Virginia. This year’s big guest is Terry Brooks, the award-winning author of the Shannara series of fantasy novels.

July 10–12: Shore Leave 42: Rich will be making his annual trek to this sci-fi and fantasy con, being held at the Delta Hotels Baltimore in Hunt Valley, Maryland. They’ve already lined up a bunch of authors who’ll be there to greet the fans, and somewhere among them—and no doubt hosting or participating in half the panels—you’ll find Rich!

September 12: CT Horrorfest is Connecticut’s sole horror convention, and this one-day gathering of monster kids keeps getting bigger every year, especially now that it’s held at the Naugatuck Event Center in the town of Naugatuck (located in New Haven County). This year, their guests so far include Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes, Weird Science), C.J. Graham (Jason Voorhees of Friday the 13, Part VI: Jason Lives), and Quinn Lord (demon-boy Sam of Trick ’r Treat).

More news to come on other SWC convention appearances as the information becomes available!

Posted in Conventions | Tagged connecticut horrorfest, conventions, mysticon, ravencon, shore leave | Comments Off

Coming February 18, 2020: From the Stars…a Vampiress!

Posted on February 5, 2020 by Steven

If you’re a horror fan or comics fan—or even better, a combination of both—then you’re familiar with the character Vampirella. She’s the half-naked vampire from outer space (or hell, depending on who’s writing her origin) who fights monsters while wearing nothing but a one-piece swimsuit and a pair of go-go boots. Created in 1969 by comics publisher James Warren and writer/editor Forrest J Ackerman, she celebrated her 50th anniversary last year with the launch of a new series by her current rights owner, Dynamite Entertainment. But for all the new comics, classic reprints, and histories of Warren Publishing that were released last year, surprisingly the one topic that was never covered was the behind-the-scenes history of Vampirella herself.

Until now, that is (click to embiggen, as they say)…

Coming February 18, 2020 is From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures. Written by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!), author of the Pandora Zwieback series and the tales of the Vampi-inspired succubus Lorelei, it’s an extensive look at Vampi’s early days, from the debut of her series in 1969 to the death of Warren Publishing in 1983, in seven heavily researched chapters:

The Vampire Who Fell to Earth: It’s the story of the life of Vampirella at Warren Publishing: her 1969 development by cocreators James Warren and Forrest J Ackerman, with the assistance of artists Frank Frazetta and Trina Robbins; the adventures she went on via the writing and artistic talents of such visionaries as Archie Goodwin, Bill DuBay, Jose Gonzalez, Enrich, Gonzalo Mayo, and many others; and the cancellation of her series in 1982 when the company collapsed. It also features probably the most you’ll ever see reported about four Vampi writers who were just as talented but not as well known: Mike Butterworth, who wrote under the pseudonym Flaxman Loew; T. Casey Brennan; Rich Margopoulos; and Gerry Boudreau.

The Vampirella Episode Guide: The largest section of the book, it examines every story starring Vampirella during the Warren Era: over 100 entries, some with little known behind-the-scenes details. Plus stories behind some of Vampi’s unpublished adventures!

Vampi Goes to Hollywood: In 1975, Hammer Films announced the development of a Vampirella movie starring model/actress Barbara Leigh and the legendary Peter Cushing (later known the world over as Grand Moff Tarkin of Star Wars). The project crashed in spectacular fashion, but the details have always been murky. I try to clear up the confusion surrounding it, detailing the production from its launch to its unfortunate ending. And then I take a critical look at the awful Vampirella movie that was made in 1996, starring Talisa Soto and rock god Roger Daltrey of the Who—and probably shouldn’t have been!

The Literary Vampiress: From 1975 to 1976, Warner Books published a series of Vampirellanovelizations by sci-fi author Ron Goulart. I take a look at each novel, and explain why they’re worth tracking down…if you can find copies!

The Vampirella Warren Era Checklist: A list of every Warren Vampi story! Every reprint volume from Harris Comics and Dynamite Entertainment! Plus little known trivia!

From the Stars also features: A foreword by Sean Fernald, the Official Vampirella Historian! A peek at Peter Cushing’s personal copy of the 1976 Vampirella screenplay! A frontispiece by legendary artist Bob Larkin, who painted covers for Warren’s Vampirella, The Rook, Eerie, and Famous Monsters of Filmland! Photos of Barbara Leigh in costume as Vampirella at the 1975 Famous Monsters Convention, held in New York! Photos of Talisa Soto in costume on the set of the 1996 Vampirella movie! Rare photos from the collection of Forrest J Ackerman! If there’s only one Vampirella history book you pick up—and let’s be honest, this is the only Vampirella history book that’s been published—then be sure to add it to your collection!

From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures goes on sale February 18, 2020 in print and as a PDF e-book.

This book is unofficial and unauthorized. It is not authorized, approved, licensed, or endorsed by Dynamite Entertainment or any of its licensees. Vampirella is a trademark of Dynamite Entertainment.

Posted in Publishing, vampirella | Tagged from the stars a vampiress, steven a. roman, vampirella | Comments Off

Author Richard C. White Interviewed by the Dicegeeks

Posted on February 4, 2020 by Steven

The popularity of role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons (which is currently going through a resurgence) and the like remains as healthy as ever these days, and among the handy reference books that are available for gamers and gamemasters you’ll find our own how-to book, Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination, by fantasy author Richard C. White (Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase, Harbinger of Darkness).

In Terra Incognito, Rich 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 Timesbestselling 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.

Recently, Rich appeared on the podcast series Dicegeeks Tabletop RPG Show (actually recorded last October) for the episode “World Building, Writing and Role-Playing Games with Richard C. White,” in which he and host Matt Davids discuss his writing background and gaming history before getting into the meat of world building. Head over there now and give it a listen.

Posted in Interviews | Tagged dicegeeks, Interviews, richard c. white, terra incognito: a guide to building the worlds of your imagination | Comments Off

Happy Women in Horror Month 2020!

Posted on February 3, 2020 by Steven

Women in Horror Month is here again, that annual celebration that shines the spotlight on the contributions of all the female creators—writers, artists, movie directors, producers, special makeup artists, special effects experts, etc.—who’ve brought thrills and chills to generations of fans around the world.

And speaking of women writers, we happen to have a title you just might be interested in checking out in celebration of this special month…

White Fell—The Werewolf, by Clemence Annie Housman, was originally published in 1896 as The Were-wolf, and is regarded by scholars as perhaps the first feminist werewolf story. In it, a beautiful woman named White Fell wanders into a snowbound village—and into the hearts of twin brothers, one of whom immediately becomes smitten by her. The other brother, however, soon grows suspicious of the enigmatic White Fell. Where did she come from? Why does she always carry an ax? And is her sudden appearance somehow related to the recent sightings of a bloodthirsty wolf in the area?He may come to regret being so inquisitive…

White Fell—The Werewolf is available as an e-book, so visit its product page for further information. If you enjoy tales of horror and empowered women (and werewolves!), be sure to give it a read!

Posted in Events | Tagged clemence annie housman, swc horror bites, white fell the werewolf, women in horror month, women writers | Comments Off

Tomorrow Is Take Your Child to the Library Day 2020!

Posted on January 31, 2020 by Steven

Tomorrow, February 1, is the 9th annual Take Your Child to the Library Day.

Founded in 2011 by librarians Nadine Lipman and Caitlin Augusta, the event is held the first Saturday in February and encourages librarians to reach out to their communities and show folks just how wonderful reading can be.

Before the Internet, libraries were the source for information and reading, and these days they can use our support. So head out now, introduce your children to that big brick building with all the free books to borrow, update the library card that’s been stuck in the back of your wallet for all these years, and renew your acquaintance with a vital partner in the ongoing literacy campaign.

For more information, including the list of participating libraries, visit the TYCLD website.

Posted in Events | Tagged take your child to the library day | Comments Off

Pow Con 2020 Wrap-up

Posted on January 28, 2020 by Steven

This past weekend, the StarWarp Concepts crew rolled into Brooklyn for the second annual Pow Con. So, how’d it go? Well…it could’ve gone better…

Having launched last year at a Brooklyn-based hotel, Pow Con this year expanded to the Brooklyn Expo Center, a glass-paneled gathering place in the fashionable neighborhood called Greenpoint. If the weather hadn’t been so lousy—it rained all day Saturday, sometimes heavily—the view outside might’ve been really nice.

As you can see below, we had a two-table setup in artists’ alley. And since this seemed to be more of a comic-related con, I focused the merchandise being offered to mainly comics, graphic novels, and copies of the X-Men: The Chaos Engine novel trilogy I wrote in the early 2000s—complete with a homemade Cosmic Cube to catch the eye of potential buyers! (Hey, you have to be inventive when it comes to trying to recoup your con expenses.)

Our first sale came about a half hour after the doors opened, but sales overall would be few and far between; at times there seemed to be more vendors than attendees. Maybe the rain chased away a lot of folks, or maybe everybody was over at the New York Boat Show, at the Javits Center (I kid).

Around the time of the first sale, the sweet location we’d snagged became a mixed blessing with regard to the booth diagonally across from us, because that’s where the deejays (whaaat?) were located to serenade us all with almost eight uninterrupted hours (minus panel announcements) of loud, pounding, conversation-killing club music. Imagine being stuck in an endless loop of the rave scene from the first Blade movie—only without the blood sprinklers and vampires—with your seat right in front of the speakers. (And I like Pump Panel’s remix of New Order’s “Confusion.”) But…yeah. Well, at least they were having a good time.

Not that everything was dire, mind you—the rain clouds parted long enough for a rainbow to form high above the streets of Brooklyn! And the people were great, too! Our next-door neighborhood was an extremely talented artist named Sha-Nee Williams, whose work you should definitely give a look-see. Lee Whitley, cohost of the YouTube series The Nerdy Life Show, stopped by to chat about what we do here at ’Warp Central, though the musical accompaniment made it difficult to go into any real depth. And I got into a discussion with Eric Tapper of the digital comic distribution company GlobalComix about the possibility of SWC’s comics joining their growing ranks of titles.

Toward the end of the day, a large crowd gathered around the SWC booth. Unfortunately, they weren’t there to check out our wares, but to attend a raffle drawing and win prizes!

PowCon20-Crowd

“Bet this is the most people you’ve had at your table all day, huh?” a member of the horde asked with a laugh. I smiled and shrugged. He was right…if you overlook the fact that everyone there is looking in the opposite direction! And once all the prizes were given away, the crowd quickly dispersed.

That was when I happened to notice the wad of packing newspaper that had fallen out of one of the boxes of books during setup and lay on the floor all day under the table. When I picked it up, I was surprised to find it was damp. The heating in the expo center hadn’t kept the cold, rainy air outside from seeping into the building, particularly across the tiling under my feet. I’d thought it odd when I noticed fliers and book covers on the tables starting to curl at corners, but when I ran my hands over every box I’d stored underneath, the dampness was confirmed.

PowCon20-Rainbow Well, after the low sales and the daylong aural barrage, that was the final indicator it was time to pack up and head home; we wouldn’t be back for day two. After all, I couldn’t leave all my stuff in there and run the risk of damaging the books. So with a heavy sigh, the crew and I tore down the setup and headed to White Castle for some much-needed comfort food. (All right, it’s my idea of comfort food, but still.) And so our excursion to Pow Con 2020 came to an end.

Bottom line? Pow Con is an enthusiastically run show, in a great location (as long as it’s held on dry, sunny days, I suppose), but between the soft sales and the blaring music it’s just not a venue for us. But we wish you nothing but continued success, Pow Con, and thanks for letting us check you out!

Posted in Convention Reports, Conventions | Tagged convention reports, conventions, pow con | Comments Off

Welcome, Pow Con 2020 Attendees!

Posted on January 25, 2020 by Steven

Thanks for stopping by our booth this weekend 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 dark-fantasy and fantasy titles, and hope we can add you to our growing fan base.

StarWarp Concepts specializes in tales of horror, fantasy, and dark urban fantasy, and our titles range from illustrated classics (J. Sheridan’s Le Fanu’s vampire romance, Carmilla; the 1932 novelization of the original King Kong) and fantasy-noir (Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase) to graphic novels for adult horror aficionados (Lorelei: Sects and the City) and digital and print comic books (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual#1, Heroines and Heroes). And we’ve got even more exciting projects in the works!

Blood Feud Currently, our most popular series is The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, the young-adult, dark-urban-fantasy adventures of a 16-year-old Goth who’s spent the last decade being treated for mental health problems because she thought she could 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. Pan’s adventures can be found in the trilogy of novels Blood Feud, Blood Reign, and the upcoming Blood & Iron, and in the one-shot comic special The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1.

Some of our other popular titles include:

Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is perfect for budding authors as well as RPG fans interested in building their own fantasy and science fiction environments. In this how-to book, author Richard C. White (Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil) 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.

Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase is a collection of fantasy-noir, pulp-detective tales by bestselling fantasy author Richard C. White (Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil). In it, Rich introduces you to Theron Chase, a private eye working the supernatural beat in the city of Calasia. From a sexy chanteuse who literally turns into a beast when the moon is full to a string of pearls that kills its owners, and from the ghost of a dead woman seeking justice to the Grim Reaper’s little girl seeking her stolen chicken, Theron Chase certainly has his hands full—of danger, death, and dames!

Carmilla is J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s 19th-century classic vampiric tale of love gone wrong. Laura is so desperate for a friend that when a young woman named Carmilla 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. Regarded as the one of the earliest female vampire tales—if not the first—Carmilla was an influence on author Bram Stoker in the creation of the vampire brides in his seminal novel, Dracula, and remains a popular character in fiction to this day. Our edition contains six original illustrations done especially for StarWarp Concepts by the super-talented Eliseu Gouveia.

Lorelei: Sects and the City is a Mature Readers graphic novel in which a succubus battles a cult of Elder God worshipers attempting to unleash hell on Earth. Basically a love letter to 1970s horror comics like Vampirella, Tomb of Dracula, and Ghost Rider, it’s written by yours truly, Steven A. Roman (X-Men: The Chaos Engine Trilogy), and illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia (Stargate Universe, Lady Death), Steve Geiger (Web of Spider-Man, Incredible Hulk), and Neil Vokes (Eagle, Fright Night). It also features a cover by legendary artist Esteban Maroto (Vampirella, Zatanna, Lady Rawhide), a frontispiece by original Vampirella artist Tom Sutton (Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night), and a one-page history of succubi illustrated by Ernie Colon (Vampirella, The Grim Ghost).

King Kong is our e-book-exclusive Illustrated Classics edition of the official novelization of the renowned motion picture. Written by Delos W. Lovelace, based on the story by Edgar Wallace and Merian C. Cooper and the screenplay by James A. Creelman and Ruth Rose, the SWC edition of King Kong features scenes that didn’t appear in the final cut of the film—including the notorious “spider pit” sequence in which Kong’s human pursuers are attacked by horrific arachnids and insects. What makes our version special is that it contains six exclusive, original black-and-white illustrations by comics artist Paul Tuma, whose pulp-influenced style has appeared in the pages of The Twilight Avenger, Flare, and Dan Turner: Hollywood Detective.

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.

Posted in Conventions, StarWarp Concepts | Tagged conventions, pow con, starwarp concepts backlist | Comments Off

Pow Con 2020: Steve Roman’s Non-SWC Stuff

Posted on January 22, 2020 by Steven

Yesterday, I told you about StarWarp Concepts’ appearance this coming weekend at the second annual Pow Con, being held at the Brooklyn Expo Center. We’ll be selling copies of our in-print titles, but in addition to that—since we’ve luckily been assigned an endcap booth (A9!) at the corner of two aisles, which means we’ll have two tables—I’ll be offering some of my non-SWC work, which skews more toward mainstream audiences than the adventures of the soul-stealing succubus Lorelei or teen Goth adventuress Pandora Zwieback:

X-Men: The Chaos Engine Trilogy: Three original novels that I wrote between 2000 and 2002, published by BP Books. In them, the super-villains Doctor Doom (the Fantastic Four’s #1 enemy), Magneto (the X-Men’s #1), and the Red Skull each get their hands on the Cosmic Cube, a wish-box device that changes reality to suit the desires of its possessor. If you’re a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you’re more familiar with its movie name: the Tesseract, one of the Infinity Stones introduced in Captain America: The First Avenger and last seen in Avengers: Endgame.

Sunn: Another ibooks, inc. release—this one from 2003—it’s a young adult graphic novel about a teen whose father is a Superman-like hero. When Dad is injured battling a super-villain, his son creates his own super-costume identity as Sunn. This one-off origin story features art by Kevin Lau (Vampi, Iron Fist: The Return of K’un Lun) and comic-art legend Alex Nino (Batman Black and White, The Fury of Firestorm).

Untold Tales of Spider-Man: An anthology published by Berkley Books in 1998, this collection of original Spidey adventures includes “The Ballad of Fancy Dan,” a character-driven short story written by Ken Grobe and me about one of Spidey’s old enemies, a member of the non-powered group of thugs called the Enforcers.

Best New Zombie Tales 2: Another anthology, this one from Books of the Dead Press, it includes my story “Laundry Day,” about a group of people trapped in a Laundromat at the start of a zombie apocalypse. A standard-enough setup, perhaps, but reviewers were surprised by the twist it took at the end. If you’re a fan of stuff like The Walking Dead, you should definitely give it a read.

Supplies of the non-SWC titles are limited, and they’re not available through the SWC webstore, so be sure to pick ’em up at Pow! Con while you get the chance.

For more information on the convention, visit the Pow Con website.

Posted in Conventions, Steven A. Roman | Tagged best new zombie tales 2, pow con, steven a. roman, sunn, untold tales of spider-man, x-men: the chaos engine trilogy | Comments Off

Pow Con 2020 Is This Weekend!

Posted on January 21, 2020 by Steven

This coming weekend, January 25–26, pop-culture fans of all ages will be gathering in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, at the second annual Pow Con, being held at the Brooklyn Expo Center. It’s The ’Warp’s first convention appearance of the year.

You’ll find us at table A9 in Artists Alley. And since we’ve luckily been assigned an endcap booth at the corner of two aisles that means we’ll have twotables on which to display all our finery.

Pow Con’s show hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. Guests include comics legend Larry Hama (Wolverine, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero) and the usual complement of Power Rangers, wrestlers, and anime voice actors that have become the norm at today’s pop-culture shows.