Hey, comic fans! Today is Local Comic Shop Day. It’s an annual appreciation “conceived and implemented by ComicsPRO comic book specialty retailers to call attention to locally owned independent comic book specialty stores, celebrating their unique and vital role in being the primary fire-starters of pop culture.” In other words, it’s a way of encouraging comic fans to visit their LCS as the holiday season kicks into high gear and show some support. That’s especially true now, when the coronavirus pandemic is crippling a lot of businesses.
For more information, including a list of participating stores and the special collectibles they’ll be offering for sale, visit the Local Comic Shop Day website.
But it’s not just the retail shops that have something of interest for comic fans—not when StarWarp Concepts has its own range of comics and graphic novels to offer!
The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0: A free, downloadable comic that serves as an introduction to the adventures of Pandora Zwieback and her monster-hunting mentor, Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin, with an 8-page story written by me and illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia, and a preview of Pan’s first novel, Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1. 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 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.
The 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).
Heroines & Heroes is 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: “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); “Dirty Laundry,” an adventure of small-presser Jeff Wood’s rabbit-eared superspy, Snowbuni; three pages from the mid-‘90s indie comic Motorbike Puppies; and “I Was a Super-powered Vampire Slayer!,”an adventure of the indie superheroine The Blonde Avenger. Twenty-four pages of comicky goodness—and all for free!
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 of America—they’re more like superpowered Ghostbusters—but they get the job done. The graphic novel is written by the husband-and-white team of Richard C. White (The Ultimate Hulk) and Joni M. White, and illustrated by Reggie Golden and Randy Zimmerman. Cover art is provided by Richard Dominguez, creator of the pulp-hero comic book El Gato Negro.
The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual and Troubleshooters Incorporated are available in print and digital formats. Pandora Zwieback #0 and Heroines and Heroes are digital exclusives. Visit their respective product pages at StarWarp Concepts for ordering information, as well as sample pages.
Happy reading!




Free Comic Book Summer? Where’d that come from? Isn’t it supposed to be Free Comic Book Day? That’s probably what ran through your mind when you saw the header for this post—and you’d be right to be confused. Free Comic Book Day—the brainchild of retailer Joe Field as a promotional tool to get people to visit their local comic shop—has been around since 2002, held the first Saturday in May and usually timed to coincide with the release of one of Marvel Films’ big summer blockbuster.
Hearstopper: The Legend of La Bella Tenebrosa#1–3
Even with a good deal of the world on virus lockdown (what, you thought I’d call it a global Pan-demic? Too soon!), it’s that time of year again for
The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1 is a 56-page, full-color special—with cover art by award-winning artist Henar Torinos (Mala Estrella)—with the teenaged Goth adventuress battling vampires and a jealous, man-stealing siren. It features three original stories of what I’ve termed the “Paniverse”—tales that take place within the fictional universe of The Saga of Pandora Zwieback.
The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0
Something else for our fellow shut-ins to read while we’re avoiding one another these days. Back in 2015, I did an interview with IndyFest Magazine to promote StarWarp Concepts:
Like the header says, today is annual International Read Comics in Public Day. Started in 2010 by Brian Heater and Sarah Morean, it’s an appreciation of comic books and graphic novels, demonstrated by folks not afraid to celebrate their reading choices by taking them out in public. And if you’re thinking that the friendly fiends at StarWarp Concepts musthave some illustrated fiction that would be perfect for this occasion—you’re absolutely right!

On August 8, comic-art legend Ernie Colón passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer. I had the utmost respect for Ernie—whom I always addressed as “Maestro” when we started phone conversations—and experienced the greatest pleasure in working with him over the years. I mention it here because even if you’re unfamiliar with Ernie’s work, you’ve seen it in Pan’s world: he drew the Sholly Fisch–scripted story “After Hours” in The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1.
Looking for illustrated tales of the supernatural to enjoy as you anxiously await the arrival of Halloween? Then look no further than StarWarp Concepts’ backlist of comic books and graphic novels that are perfect for horror fans young and old!