Andy Warhol’s Reviewapalooza

Posted on June 30, 2015 by Steven

Over at the news site Comics for Sinners, as some of you may be aware, starting last year I became a comic and graphic novel reviewer, giving my opinion on some of the latest releases for bad-girl fans and general readers alike. Here are the titles I’ve reviewed in June 2015:

WW77Special-1Aspen Comics
Psycho Bonkers #1: Written by Vince Hernandez, art by Adam Archer

DC Comics
Wonder Woman ’77 Special #1: Written by Marc Andreyko, art by Drew Johnson, Matt Haley, Jason Badower, and Richard Ortiz

Space Goat Publishing
Evil Dead 2: Beyond Dead by Dawn #1: Written by Frank Hannah, art by Barnaby Bagenda and Oscar Bazaldua

Interested in seeing what else I’ve reviewed? Then check out these lists and head over to C4S to read the entries:

The Ghost of Reviewapalooza: an overview of 2014 titles
Reviewapalooza Meets the Wolfman: February 2015 titles
House of Reviewapalooza: March 2015 titles
Abbott and Costello Meet Reviewapalooza: April 2015 titles

And be sure to bookmark Comics For Sinners to keep up-to-date on my opinionated ramblings about bad-girl (and other) comics.

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The Man of Bronze Meets the Girl of Goth

Posted on June 29, 2015 by Steven

The Bob Larkin SketchbookOver at the Pandora Zwieback website, you’ll find a real treat: a sketch cover drawing of our resident Goth girl teamed up with the 1930s’ #1 pulp-fiction adventurer, Doc Savage, The Man of Bronze! What makes it even better is that the drawing is by Bob Larkin, who’s not only widely regarded by Doc Savage fans as one of the greatest Doc cover painters of all time, but who’s also the cover painter of the Pandora Zwieback novels Blood Feud and Blood Reign! Head over to today’s blog post and check it out!

Speaking of Bob Larkin and Doc Savage, have you seen StarWarp Concepts’ The Bob Larkin Sketchbook? Behind that eye-catching cover art of Ms. Zwieback, it contains spectacular pencil drawings of Doc Savage, the Shadow, and a host of other subjects by the talented Mr. Larkin. It’s 24 pages of artistic goodness, available exclusively from the StarWarp Concepts webstore. Visit the Bob Larkin Sketchbook product page for all the ordering information, as well as sample pages.

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Anatomy of the Pandora Zwieback Annual Cover

Posted on June 26, 2015 by Steven

SWC_PanAnnual01Over at the Pandora Zwieback website, today’s post tells the behind-the-scenes tale of the cover design for The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1. For those of you familiar with our online gallery The 13 Days of Pan-demonium, you might recognize the work of artist Henar Torinos, award-winning creator of the manga-inspired graphic novel series Mala Estrella. So head over to the Pan site and read all about this amazing cover!

The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1 is a spinoff from the Pandora Zwieback novel series—a 56-page, full-color comic special finds the teenaged Goth adventuress battling vampires and a jealous, man-stealing siren. It features stories by me and Sholly Fisch (Scooby-Doo Team-Up), art by Eliseu Gouveia (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0), comic-art legend Ernie Colon (Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld), and Elizabeth Watasin (Charm School), and cover art by (of course) award-winning artist Henar Torinos (Mala Estrella). It’s available in both print and digital formats, so visit its product page for more information, as well as sample pages.

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Anatomy of the Pandora Zwieback #0 Cover

Posted on June 24, 2015 by Steven

Pan0-finalcvrOver at the Pandora Zwieback blog, you’ll find a two-part post covering the creative process for the cover design of The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0. Part one of this tale is found here, and part two is posted here. Head over to Zwieback Central right now and give them a read!

In case you weren’t aware, The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0 is the free, downloadable comic that serves as an introduction to Pan—courtesy of an 8-page story written by me and illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia—as well as a sneak peek at Pan’s first novel, Blood Feud (via a pair of sample chapters).

Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1 is the critically acclaimed novel written by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!) that begins Pan’s story, explaining how she, her parents, and her friends, are drawn into a conflict among warring vampire clans searching for the key to an ultimate weapon (or so the legend goes)—a key that just so happens to have been delivered to the horror-themed museum owned by Pan’s father. It’s a character-driven action-fest that leads immediately into the second novel:

Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2: Pan faces even greater challenges as the clans draw up plans to go to war with humanity. Leading the charge is a fallen angel named Zaqiel, whose previous attempt at subjugating the world was stopped by Pan’s monster-hunting mentor, Annie—who, back in the day, was Zaqiel’s lover! This one’s a fast-paced adventure, with Pan finding herself turned into something of an action star, in the mold of Indiana Jones and Lara Croft, as she deals with monsters, mayhem, and a touch of romance. And you thought your life was filled with drama!

Blood Feud and Blood Reign are available in print and digital formats, so visit their respective product pages for ordering information, as well as sample chapters.

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Legendary Artist Bob Larkin at Eternal Con 2015

Posted on June 19, 2015 by Steven

BobLarkin-EC2015

June 13–14 saw Eternal Con, Long Island’s popular annual celebration of comics and pop culture, return to the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City, NY, for another successful show. And among the guests of honor in the con’s Artists Alley was none other than Bob Larkin, artist of The Bob Larkin Sketchbook and cover painter of the Saga of Pandora Zwieback novels Blood Feud and Blood Reign!

(Thanks go out to Bob’s daughter, Claire, for the candid shot.)

According to what he told me, Bob had a great time at the show, meeting and greeting fans and hanging out with old friends like writer Larry Hama (G.I. Joe), painter Ken Kelly (KISS: Destroyer), and comic artist John Romita Jr. (Superman). He also reminded everyone that he’s currently working on Topps’ new Mars Attacks! trading card series, which is scheduled for release later this year.

If you missed him this year, don’t worry—Bob plans on attending next year’s Eternal Con.

Bob’s next convention appearance is Doc Con XVIII, being held October 9–11 at the Comfort Suites hotel in Glendale, Arizona. It’s an annual gathering of fans of pulp action hero Doc Savage: the Man of Bronze, a character Bob’s had more than a little experience in painting. And joining Bob as a fellow guest of honor will be actor Ron Ely, who played Doc in the cult-classic 1975 movie. It should be a pulp-tastic weekend!

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Evil Dead 2 #1 Review at Comics for Sinners

Posted on June 17, 2015 by Steven

EvilDead2-01-cvrOver at the news site Comics for Sinners, you’ll find my review of Evil Dead 2: Beyond Dead by Dawn #1, which goes on sale June 24th from Space Goat Publishing. Written by Frank Hannah and illustrated by Barnaby Bagenda and Oscar Bazaldua, it picks up directly from the end of the 1987 cult-classic horror movie that helped actor Bruce Campbell take the crown of King of All Things Cool—a title he still retains, all these years later. While you’re waiting for Campbell and his iconic-but-bumbling Evil Dead and Army of Darkness hero, Ashley “Ash” Williams, to make their triumphant return in the new Starz TV series Ash vs. Evil Dead this fall, head over to C4S to find out what level of groovy chain-saw justice Ash is currently handing out in comic book land.

Speaking of groovy monster fighters, have you met Pandora Zwieback, the teenaged Goth adventuress who stars in my young adult novel series, The Saga of Pandora Zwieback? Pan is a 16-year-old Goth girl who’s spent the last decade being treated for mental health problems because she can see monsters. It’s only after she meets an immortal monster hunter named Annie 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. You’ll find Pan battling her own brand of evil dead in the following titles:

The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0: A free, downloadable comic that serves as an introduction to Pan—courtesy of an 8-page story written by me and illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia—as well as Pan’s first novel, Blood Feud (via preview chapters).

Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1: This critically acclaimed novel is the beginning of Pan’s story, explaining how she, her parents and friends, and Annie are drawn into a conflict among warring vampire clans searching for the key to an ultimate weapon (or so the legend goes)—a key that just so happens to have been delivered to the horror-themed museum owned by Pan’s father. It’s a character-driven action-fest that leads immediately into the second novel:

Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2: Pan and Annie face even greater challenges as the vampire clans draw up plans to go to war with humanity. Leading the charge is a fallen angel named Zaqiel, whose previous attempt at subjugating the world was stopped by Annie—who, back in the day, was Zaqiel’s lover!

pan_annual_lgThe Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1: A spinoff from the novel series, this 56-page, full-color comic special finds the teenaged Goth adventuress battling vampires and a jealous, man-stealing siren. It features stories by me and Sholly Fisch (Scooby-Doo Team-Up), art by Eliseu Gouveia (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0), comic-art legend Ernie Colon (Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld), and Elizabeth Watasin (Charm School), and cover art by award-winning artist Henar Torinos (Mala Estrella).

Blood Feud, Blood Reign, and the Pandora Zwieback Annual are available in print and digital formats. Pandora Zwieback #0 is a digital exclusive. Visit their respective product pages for ordering information, as well as sample pages and chapters.

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Happy 85th Birthday, Frank Thorne!

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Steven

Frank-Thorne-WizardToday, comic-art legend Frank Thorne (Marvel Comics’ Red Sonja; Atlas Comics’ Son of Dracula; and creator of Ghita of Alizaar, Lann, and Danger Rangerette) turns 85! As readers of this blog probably know, Thorne is not only one of my favorite artists, but his style was also a major influence on the way I’ve drawn my own comics. And so what better time than today to point you to a few items you might be interested in:

• There’s this blog post from last year, in which I celebrate Thorne’s eighty-fourth birthday and recount the time in the late 1980s when I took the one-day art class “How to Draw Women the Frank Thorne Way” at a New York comic book convention.

• If you visit the SWC art gallery and scroll down to the “Visions of Lorelei” section, you’ll find a Thorne drawing of our favorite comic book succubus, originally done for Lorelei, Vol. 2 #2, which was published way back in 2002. To say I was awestruck when Thorne agreed to draw Lori would be an understatement.

• And over at the news site Comics for Sinners, you can read my reviews of Frank Thorne’s Red Sonja Art Edition, Vol. 2 and Vol. 3, which collect Thorne’s spectacular artwork from his 1970s Marvel Comics run—at its original 11″ x 17″ size. (And if you haven’t already picked up a copy of volume 1 of this three-volume set, you should definitely give it some consideration.)

Happy birthday, Mr. Thorne! And thanks again for all the fantastic art!

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Anatomy of the Cover for IndyFest Magazine #85

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Steven

IndyFest85-cvrOver at the Pandora Zwieback website, today’s post tells the behind-the-scenes tale of my collaboration with artist Eliseu Gouveia (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0, The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1, Lorelei: Sects and the City) for the cover art of Dimestore Productions’ IndyFest Magazine #85, which came out just a couple of weeks ago and features an extensive interview with your truly about Pan, Lorelei, and the history of StarWarp Concepts. Even better, the cover art is the first time that Pan and Lori have ever crossed paths!

And did I mention you can download the issue for free from the IndyFest site? Head over there and get your digital copy—after you’ve read the post at Zwieback Central, of course!

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Pandora Zwieback: Designing Blood Reign

Posted on June 15, 2015 by Steven

Blood-Reign-FinalCvrOver at the Pandora Zwieback blog, today’s post concludes the story behind the creative process for the cover design of the second Pan novel, Blood Reign. Head over to Zwieback Central right now and give it a read!

Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1 is the critically acclaimed novel written by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!) that begins Pan’s story, explaining how she, her parents, and her friends, are drawn into a conflict among warring vampire clans searching for the key to an ultimate weapon (or so the legend goes)—a key that just so happens to have been delivered to the horror-themed museum owned by Pan’s father. It’s a character-driven action-fest that leads immediately into the second novel:

Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2: Pan faces even greater challenges as the clans draw up plans to go to war with humanity. Leading the charge is a fallen angel named Zaqiel, whose previous attempt at subjugating the world was stopped by Pan’s monster-hunting mentor, Annie—who, back in the day, was Zaqiel’s lover! This one’s a fast-paced adventure, with Pan finding herself turned into something of an action star, in the mold of Indiana Jones and Lara Croft, as she deals with monsters, mayhem, and a touch of romance. And you thought your life was filled with drama!

Both titles are available in print and digital formats, so visit their respective product pages for ordering information, as well as sample chapters.

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Pandora Zwieback: Son of Designing Book Covers

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Steven

Blood-Reign-FinalCvrOver at the Pandora Zwieback blog, you’ll find the latest entries that explain the creative process behind the covers for the novels Blood Feud and Blood Reign. Yesterday’s post wrapped up the behind-the-scenes tale of Blood Feud’s cover design, and today’s blog post is the first of a two-parter involving the cover of Blood Reign. Part 1 of the Blood Feud cover story, by the way, can be found right here. Head over to Zwieback Central and give ’em a read!

Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1 is the critically acclaimed novel written by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!) that begins Pan’s story, explaining how she, her parents, and her friends, are drawn into a conflict among warring vampire clans searching for the key to an ultimate weapon (or so the legend goes)—a key that just so happens to have been delivered to the horror-themed museum owned by Pan’s father. It’s a character-driven action-fest that leads immediately into the second novel:

Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2: Pan faces even greater challenges as the clans draw up plans to go to war with humanity. Leading the charge is a fallen angel named Zaqiel, whose previous attempt at subjugating the world was stopped by Pan’s monster-hunting mentor, Annie—who, back in the day, was Zaqiel’s lover! This one’s a fast-paced adventure, with Pan finding herself turned into something of an action star, in the mold of Indiana Jones and Lara Croft, as she deals with monsters, mayhem, and a touch of romance. And you thought your life was filled with drama!

Both titles are available in print and digital formats, so visit their respective product pages for ordering information, as well as sample chapters.

And while you’re in the mood for clicking on links, go visit the online magazine Writing Belle and check out “Pandora Zwieback and the Bloggy Thing”: a 1,300-word mini-adventure I wrote that involves Pan racking her brains to find something to write about herself for the fictional horror site The Society of Classic Monsters—the major problem being she’s never written a guest post before (like her creator!). Coming to her aid is her best friend, Sheena McCarthy, who has an idea or two about how the Goth adventuress can promote the Saga of Pandora Zwieback books…

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