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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Wonder Woman ’77 Review at Comics for Sinners

Posted on June 9, 2015 by Steven

WW77Special-1Over at the news site Comics for Sinners, you’ll find my review of Wonder Woman ’77 Special #1, available from DC Comics. Written by Marc Andreyko (Batwoman, Chastity, Vol. 1: Life/Death) and illustrated by Drew Johnson, Matt Haley, Jason Badower, and Richard Ortiz, it collects the first two story arcs of the digital comic series that picks up where the cult-classic 1970s Wonder Woman television series left off. (You know the one: the live-action show that starred the incomparable Lynda Carter as the Amazing Amazon and Lyle Waggoner as Steve Trevor, and which ran for two seasons on CBS, the new home of Supergirl.) In it, Wonder Woman—as well as her intelligence-agent alter ego, Diana Prince—faces the disco-diva dangers of Silver Swan, and the mind-bending machinations of the madman known as Dr. Psycho And did I mention the Russian team of roller-derby-skating bombshells? Yeah, them, too. Head over to C4S to learn more.

Speaking of superheroes, are you aware of StarWarp Concepts’ very own team of super-powered crimefighters, known as Troubleshooters, Incorporated? No? Then allow me to fill you in…

troubleshooters_lrg_coverPerfect for superhero fans, the graphic novel Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings is about a supernatural team of superfolk-for-hire, consisting of a wizard, a sorceress, a female ninja, a high-tech-armor-wearing rock concert lighting designer, and a werewolf. Not every superhero team has Tony Stark’s billions to play with, you understand, and the Troubleshooters are just looking to earn a living while fighting the monsters that have always lurked in the shadows.

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! It’s available in both print and e-book formats, so visit the Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings product page for all the ordering information, as well as sample pages.

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Bob Larkin at Eternal Con 2015

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Steven

The Bob Larkin SketchbookEternal Con 2015 runs this Saturday, June 13, and Sunday, June 14. And although the StarWarp Concepts crew won’t be attending, Bob Larkin—cover painter of my Saga of Pandora Zwieback novels Blood Feud and Blood Reign, and featured artist of his own Bob Larkin Sketchbook—is scheduled to be there as a guest of honor, with his own table in Artists Alley. To locate him you’ll probably have to look no farther than the hordes of Doc Savage, X-Men, and Dazzler fans gathering at his table.

Eternal Con is being held at the Cradle of Aviation Museum, in Garden City, Long Island. For more information, head over to the Eternal Con website.

By the way, have you purchased a copy of The Bob Larkin Sketchbook yet? If not, you’re missing out on spectacular pencil drawings of Doc Savage, Spider-Man, Batman, the X-Men, and other subjects, and features a special, full-color cover drawing of a certain Goth adventuress. 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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The Vampire Almanac: Now Available in English

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Steven

vampirealmanac02Last year, I told you about a short story collection called L’Almanach des Vampires that I was surprised to find myself involved with, in that French publishing house Riviere Blanche—a subsidiary of indie publisher Black Coat Press—had reprinted “Night’s Children,” a story I’d written years ago for BCP’s anthology Tales of the Shadowmen 4. (Which I was okay with.) Well, now that collection has been broken in half and republished in English, and you’ll now find “Night’s Children” in The Vampire Almanac, Vol. 2, also from Black Coat Press. Here’s the back cover copy:

This dual nature of the vampire, stretching between love and death, creates a moral ambiguity which is omnipresent in its literary treatment, incorporating and contrasting seduction and horror, heroism and villainy. It only reflects the nature of life after death, and how it is perceived by its surrounding culture. Is it a desirable dream, or a hateful abomination? A reward or a punishment? And what price must one pay for such survival?

The stories contained in this collection, featuring some of the most famous vampires in literary history, incorporate all of these contradictions; in them, vampires can be both super-human and sub-human, sexual predators and impotent, romantic and passionate, and yet devoid of soul. Ultimately, the vampire is our own face, reflecting in the mirror of our beliefs, the incarnation of our spiritual choices.

And here’s the lineup for volume 2:

Introduction by Roger Vadim 
[director of the vampire classic Blood and Roses, as well as the campy sci-fi movie Barbarella]
THE GYAOS: Matthew Dennion: “Hercules in the Shadow of Evil”
LORD RUTHVEN: Micah Harris: “May The Ground Not Consume Thee…”
THE VIRGIN VAMPIRE: John Peel: “Blood Calls For Blood
”
THE VAMPIRE COUNTESS: Jared Welch: “The Vampire of New Orleans”
CARMILLA: Brian Gallagher: “Carmilla and the Witch”; Henri Bé : “You Will Die Sweetly
”
THE VAMPIRE CITY: Matthew Baugh: “The Heart of the Moon”
CAPTAIN VAMPIRE: Brian Gallagher: “The Trial of Van Helsing”
COUNT DRACULA: Anthony R. Cardno: “So Much Loss”
THE VAMPIRE BROTHERS: Brian Stableford: “The Titan Unwrecked; or, Futility Revisited”
MRS. STONE: Guy Kermen : “A Room for Fingal”
COUNT ORLOK (NOSFERATU): Steven A. Roman: “Night’s Children”
PRINCESS ASA VAJDA: Matthew Dennion: “Soul Sisters”
COUNTESS CARODY: Win Scott Eckert: “Nadine’s Invitation,” “Marguerite’s Tears,” “Violet’s Lament”
THE ORPHAN VAMPIRE GIRLS: Henri Bé: “The Ladies of Midnight”

“Night’s Children” involves Irma Vep (the femme fatale of the 1915–16 French movie serial Les Vampires) crossing paths with Count Orlock (the Dracula surrogate of F. W. Murnau’s 1922 horror movie, Nosferatu). It’s no romantic tale, however—Orlock is a rat-faced, bloodsucking monster, and Irma, an art thief, is his next intended victim. Who comes out the winner? You’ll only find out by reading the story!

The Vampire Almanac, Volume 2 can be ordered from most online bookstores, as well as directly from Black Coat Press. If you’re a fan of vampire fiction, you should definitely check it out.

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