Blog | StarWarp Concepts | Publisher of Dark Fantasy and Horror

Happy American Craft Beer Week!

Posted on May 13, 2019 by Steven

2019 is the fourteenth anniversary of American Craft Beer Week, which, according to its website, is “the nationwide celebration of U.S. small and independentcraft brewers. The weeklong tribute provides an opportunity for craft brewers to share their diversity, creativity and passion for the beverage they love.” This year, the festival runs from May 13 to May 18.

And what better way to celebrate it than with a frothy glass of Raven’s Lair Stout, an exceptional beer brewed in Sagras. “Unleash Your Dark Side” it urges on the label, and in a town like Sagras, tapping into your darker half is what keeps you alive!

Harbinger-Beer-Counter

…What’s that, you say? Sagras isn’t a real place? Fair enough. But that would mean Raven’s Lair doesn’t exist, either—except it does…in literary form, that is! It’s the hangout for the lead character in our fantasy novel Harbinger of Darkness!

Harbinger of Darkness is Richard C. White’s original novel in which a thief named Perrin steals an extremely valuable—and magical—gem from the evil king ruling her home country. With thugs and fellow thieves and the king’s assassins hot on her trail, Perrin finds just staying alive is becoming a full-time occupation, which directly conflict with her secret life—and identity—as a humble bookseller’s daughter. It’s sword-swinging adventure at its finest!

So why the fake-craft-beer angle? Hey, when you’re a publishing company looking for ways to promote your titles, sometimes you have to get inventive! 😀 (Also, there’s an online company that allows you to use their craft-beer label-maker templates so you can make your own. So why not play with it?)

Harbinger of Darkness—the book, not the beer—is available right now for purchase in print and digital formats. Visit its product page for further information.

Posted in Events, Fantasy | Tagged american craft beer week, Fantasy, fantasy adventure, harbinger of darkness, richard c. white, shameless plugs, the worlds of richard c. white | Comments Off

Publishing Industry Shakeup Doesn’t Affect SWC

Posted on May 8, 2019 by Steven

highlander-only-one A note to indie bookstore owners, or anyone who knows an indie bookstore owner:

As you probably know by now, Baker & Taylor announced last week the closing of its retail wholesale business to focus solely on the educational market—a decision that’s affecting indie bookstores just about everywhere. It will leave Ingram Content Group as the one major wholesale distributor.

Does this affect StarWarp Concepts? Not in the least. Our books are already handled by Ingram, and are always ready for order. In addition, if you’d rather not deal with Ingram you can always order directly from us; the information can be found at the “About Us” page at the SWC website.

So don’t worry, we’re not going anywhere! 😁

Posted in Publishing | Tagged baker & taylor, ingram content group, Publishing | Comments Off

It’s Free Comic Book Day 2019!

Posted on May 4, 2019 by Steven

Free_Comic_Book_Day That’s right, comic book fans, once again it’s time for Free Comic Book Day at brick-and-mortar and online comic shops around the world.

Held the first Saturday in May, this year’s event is timed to coincide with last week’s release of Marvel Studios’ latest blockbuster, Avengers: Endgame, in which the remaining members of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes try to reverse the universal destruction caused by the space villain Thanos in the previous movie, Avengers: Infinity War. And in keeping with FCBD’s fine tradition of gifting comics to fans everywhere, here’s a list of StarWarp Concepts’ offerings that you can download—for free—directly from us!

Heroines & Heroes: A collection of comic stories and pinups all drawn by 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 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, shape-shifting 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 while doing it. This 16-page comic features a seven-page story written by me, with art and color by Eliseu Gouveia (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual#1, Carmilla, A Princess of Mars), and includes two sample chapters from Blood Feud, the first Pan novel.

Hearstopper: The Legend of La Bella Tenebrosa#1–3: Before she became Pan’s monster-hunting mentor, Sebastienne 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 an incubus! Will Annie put an end to his plans for worldwide chaos, or fall prey to his supernatural charms? Written by me (of course), issue 1 is drawn by Pan and Annie co-creator Uriel Caton (JSA Annual) and inker Alan Larsen (Femforce); issue 2 is penciled by Uriel, Holly Golightly (School Bites), and David C. Matthews (Satin Steele) and inked by Larsen; and issue 3 is penciled by Holly, with four pages of inks by “Chainsaw” Chuck Majewski (Harvey Kurtzman’s New Two-Fisted Tales). Included as a bonus feature in issue 3 is a brief look at the Heartstopper/Trollords crossover project that was planned (but never completed) in collaboration with Trollords co-creator Scott Beaderstadt.

(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.

Posted in Events | Tagged free comic book day, free comics, heartstopper, lorelei, Pandora Zwieback | Comments Off

It’s National Superhero Day 2019!

Posted on April 28, 2019 by Steven

SuperHero-Day What a time to be a comics fan! Not only is this the opening weekend for Avengers: Endgame—the latest big-budget film from Marvel Studios in which Earth’s Mightiest Heroes try to undo the damage caused by Thanos the Mad Titan in last year’s Avengers: Infinity War—but today is 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 (Harbinger of Darkness, Terra Incognito) and his wife, Joni M. White, and illustrated by Reggie Golden and Randy Zimmerman, and features cover art by Richard Dominguez (El Gato Negro).

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 Holidays | Tagged heroines and heroes, national superhero day, troubleshooters incorporated | Comments Off

StarWarp Concepts Heroines Assemble!

Posted on April 26, 2019 by Steven

As all fans of comic-based movies are aware, today’s the U.S. premiere date for Avengers: Endgame, the payoff to last year’s blockbuster, Avengers: Infinity War, and the culmination of a storyline that’s run through ten years of Marvel flicks. Reviews are positive, fan excitement is at a fever pitch, the Internet broke in half when everyone in North America attempted to log on to Fandango to buy tickets, it’s already on track to make a bazillion dollars…in short, it’s a good time to be Marvel Films.

The question is, who’s going to survive the final battle with Thanos, the Mad Titan who used the Infinity Gauntlet to wipe out half of all life in the universe in the final moments of Infinity War? There’s a chance the team might have some open slots in their roster by the time the war’s over, and that reminded me of an old Avengers comic cover during one of their recruitment drives—and who might be perfect candidates for reserve members…

Avengers221-Pan-Lori

I know who I’m voting for: Goth Girl and Temptress! 😀

“Goth Girl,” of course, is our very own Pandora Zwieback, teenaged Goth monster fighter and star of my Saga of Pandora Zwieback books and comics. Pan made her debut in the novels Blood Feud and Blood Reign, before starring in her own comic book special, The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1.

“Temptress” is Lorelei, SWC’s first lady of horror who’s celebrating her 30th anniversary this year. You can find her supernatural adventures in the graphic novel Lorelei: Sects and the City and the anthology comic Lorelei Presents: House Macabre.

Smart, funny, talented women who protect the world from monsters—who wouldn’t want them on their team?

Who will you vote for?

Posted in Lorelei, movies, Pandora Zwieback | Tagged avengers: endgame, lorelei, movies, Pandora Zwieback, shameless plugs | Comments Off

Author Richard C. White at Awesome Con 2019

Posted on April 24, 2019 by Steven

Rich-New-Pic This coming weekend, pop-culture fans of all ages will be gathering at Awesome Con, being held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in the heart of Washington, DC. And among the artists’ alley exhibitors will be author Richard C. White, who’ll be there to promote his latest projects—including his StarWarp Concepts titles, of course!

Rich, as SWC fans should know by now, is the bestselling author of the licensed novel Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, as well as a bunch of fantasy-related titles published by us: the novel Harbinger of Darkness; the story collection For a Few Gold Pieces More; the writer’s aid Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination; the supernatural-superhero graphic novel Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings; and the pirate-adventure digital comic The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special.

Rich will be selling copies of his books at table L-02, so be sure to stop by and pick up the books you might have missed.

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

Posted in Conventions | Tagged Awesome Con DC, conventions, richard c. white | Comments Off

A Day and Night of World Books

Posted on April 23, 2019 by Steven

curious-george-books Today is a special double event for book lovers, as it’s time to celebrate both World Book Day and World Book Night!

Run by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), World Book Day (aka World Book and Copyright Day, and the International Day of the Book) is, to quote their website:

“World Book Day is a celebration! It’s a celebration of authors, illustrators, books and (most importantly) it’s a celebration of reading. In fact, it’s the biggest celebration of its kind, designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and marked in over 100 countries all over the world.”

To explain this event further, let’s turn to Wikipedia for its origin story:

“The original idea was of the Valencian writer Vicente Clavel Andrés as a way to honour the author Miguel de Cervantes [author of Don Quixote], first on October 7, his birth date, then on April 23, his death date. In 1995 UNESCO decided that the World Book and Copyright Day would be celebrated on 23 April, as the date is also the anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare and [16th-century Spanish author] Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, as well as that of the birth or death of several other prominent authors.”

So then it’s really World Book Death Day? Hey, as long as it gets people to read…

Around the world (except for Ireland and the United Kingdom), World Book Day is held every April 23—so if you live in that part of the world, visit the World Book Day site for all the latest news and events listings.

But the celebration doesn’t end at sundown, because April 23 is also World Book Night!

Run by The Reading Agency, this annual gathering of book lovers is, to quote theirwebsite:

“World Book Night is a national celebration of reading and books which takes place on 23 April every year. Books are given out across the UK with a focus on reaching those who don’t regularly read, and are gifted through organisations including prisons, libraries, colleges, hospitals, care homes and homeless shelters, as well as by passionate individuals who give out their own books within their communities.”

For more information, visit the World Book Night site.

Now get to reading!

Posted in Events | Tagged world book day, world book night | Comments Off

Lorelei’s 30th Anniversary: Visions of Lorelei: Mike Mignola

Posted on April 12, 2019 by Steven

Lori_Mignola

Hey, horror fans! Today’s the premiere of Hellboy, a reboot of the film franchise started by Academy Award–winning director Guillermo Del Toro (The Shape of Water) and lead actor Ron Perlman, based on the comic book character created by writer/artist Mike Mignola (Rocket Raccoon, Incredible Hulk, Cosmic Odyssey). Together, they brought us 2004’s Hellboy, 2008’s Hellboy II: The Golden Army, and two Hellboy Animated specials for Starz: Sword of Storms (2006) and Blood & Iron (2007). Unfortunately, a deal could never be worked out with Universal Pictures—and Del Toro’s schedule of numerous film commitments—for a Hellboy III, which would have wrapped up the planned trilogy.

But now Hellboy and his friends in the BPRD (the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense) are back, courtesy of director Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers, The Descent) and new star David Harbour (Stranger Things, Suicide Squad). According to IMDb, in this R-rated reboot, “Hellboy comes to England, where he must defeat Merlin’s consort, Nimue the Blood Queen. But their battle will bring about the end of the world, a fate he desperately tries to turn away.” Considering the fact that Nimue is played by alien ass-kicker and zombie hunter Milla Jovovich (The Fifth Element, the Resident Evil series), Hellboy’s gonna have to put in some overtime if he wants to defeat her.

But while we’re on the subject of Hellboy and his creator, were you aware that artist Mike Mignola once drew our resident soul-stealing succubus, Lorelei? Yes, way back in the early 1990s I was able to commission that convention sketch of Lori you see up top from Mignola, who was riding high on the universally positive response his work had gotten on projects like DC Comics’ Cosmic Odyssey and Batman: Gotham by Gaslight. Pretty sweet, huh?

There are more Visions of Lorelei to come. Who’s next? Keep an eye on the blog this year to find out!

Posted in Lorelei | Tagged lorelei, lorelei 30th anniversary, mike mignola, visions of lorelei | Comments Off

It’s National Library Week 2019!

Posted on April 8, 2019 by Steven

National-Library-2019 Hey, book lovers! It’s time to recognize another annual reading event, because if there’s one thing we enjoy around these here parts, it’s reading. This time, it’s National Library Week!

According to the American Library Association (ALA), the organization that runs the event:

“First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support. All types of libraries—school, public, academic and special—participate.”

This year’s theme is “Libraries = Strong Communities” and stresses the importance of libraries as “the heart of our cities, towns, schools and campuses, providing critical resources, programs and expertise.”

National Library Week runs through April 13, so be sure to see if your local library has any special events planned for the celebration.

Posted in Events | Tagged national library week | Comments Off

And Yet Another Roadstop…for Next Year!

Posted on March 19, 2019 by Steven

So far, the StarWarp Concepts list of 2019 convention appearances has included comic shows, horror cons, and even a library. Well, add one more to the list—but this one doesn’t happen until 2020!

January 25–26, 2020: Pow! Con 2: This Brooklyn-based comic show debuted this past January in the neighborhood of Bay Ridge, and was apparently received so well that it needed to expand to a larger venue. In 2020, it’ll be held at the Brooklyn Expo Center in Greenpoint.

I’ll admit there was a slight hesitation before we signed on: The Expo Center was also the location for BoroughCon 2018 last June, and the reports on that were extremely discouraging—poorly run, no promotion, practically no attendees other than the vendors and artists, the fact that security doesn’t lock the doors at night when more than one event is being held there. Things turned out so badly that the BC showrunners decided they needed to take a year off to take stock of their situation.

But Pow! Con creator and showrunner Salvatore Lo Medico has assured me that the doors will be locked at night for this show, and hopefully they’ll do some heavy promotion as 2019 progresses for peak fan attendance. Considering how expensive it’s become to exhibit at conventions these days, especially in Manhattan, it’d be nice to have a moderately priced, successful outer-borough show to go to.

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

Posted in Conventions | Tagged conventions, pow con | Comments Off