Category Archives: Comic Con

Blood Reign: The Bad News and the Good News

Posted on by

“You want this, don’t you? The hate is swelling in you now…”

First off, loyal Pan-atics, I have to pass along the bad news: Despite my best efforts, Blood Reign, the second Pandora Zwieback novel, won’t be making its October 9 release date. Despite my best efforts to publish a book I’d be happy with (and you’d be happy with, as well) it’s not quite where I want it to be. And since I’m a stickler for perfection I just can’t let it go out. Not right now. Sorry. As TV host Craig Ferguson says, “I look forward to your angry letters.”

However, there is some good news. In order to take the sting out of not having Pan’s latest adventure on hand, StarWarp Concepts is making the following publications available—for free:

Blood Oath: A short story that you’ll be able to download as a PDF from the Pandora Zwieback Web site. Set between the events of Blood Feud and Blood Reign, it explains what became of House Karnstein’s vampiric strike-team leader Jenessa Branislav after she and her soldiers learned firsthand how foolish it is to attack monster hunter Sebastienne Mazarin in her home. And since Jenessa returns to complicate Annie’s life in the pages of Blood Reign, you’ll definitely want to check out this brand-new addition to Pan’s saga. The story will go live on October 11.

(By the way, what you see here is a dummy cover for the story that I cobbled together. Trust me, the final version by a professional designer will look much better.)  😀

Blood Reign—Special Sneak Preview: If you bought a copy of Blood Feud in the past year-plus and you’re attending next week’s New York Comic Con, come to the StarWarp Concepts booth (#2139) and receive this special printing of Blood Reign’s unedited first chapter, in its entirety. And yes, that cover art is a brand-new illustration by Eliseu Gouveia, artist of the still-free downloadable comic The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0.

Curious about what happened to Pan after Blood Feud’s shocking cliffhanger? Of course you are! Well, this is the place to find out until the novel goes on sale. Supplies will be limited (because I honestly know exactly how many copies of Feud have been sold to date), so get your copy while you can. (More than likely this preview will also appear as a PDF on the Pandora Zwieback site, after the convention and until the book goes on sale, so that Pan’s worldwide fans can join in on the excitement.)

Also for NYCC attendees, The ’Warp be making this one-time offer: If you’re willing to pay us what you would have spent at the show for a copy of Blood Reign, and give us your mailing address, we’ll send you an autographed copy of the book as soon as it’s available, with no extra charges. Think of it as a preorder…on a very late book.

I’ll keep you updated on the book’s progress, but at this point I’m not going to announce a definite publication date. I will, say, though, that when it’s done it means I’m happy with the results. And then I’ll have to immediately jump on the next Pan novel, the werewolf-centric Stalkers, so this problem never happens again.

I appreciate your loyalty and your understanding. And if you do plan on stopping by the SWC booth, please leave your pitchforks and torches at home—the con rules prohibit weapons and open flames.  😉

Brooklyn Book Festival Report

Posted on by

Photo courtesy Brooklyn Book Festival

So, wanna know how well things went at the Brooklyn Book Festival? Then head on over to the StarWarp Concepts blog and read all about my second trip to New York’s premier publishing event, which was held this past Sunday. You’ll find it here.

Next up on the Events calendar is the big one, the Thunderdome of East Coast pop culture conventions: New York Comic Con. And October 11th isn’t all that far away!

Booth 2139 (hall 3C) at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center will be home to StarWarp Concepts for all four days, and I look forward to seeing you there. I’ll be working the booth the entire weekend, so stop by and say hi if you’re in the neighborhood!

Convention News

Posted on by

The Baltimore Comic-Con might be in our rearview mirror, but that doesn’t mean the Fall 2012 convention season is over for StarWarp Concepts—no, sir!

Head over to the StarWarp Concepts blog right now and read all about my first trip to Baltimore’s highly acclaimed, comics-centered gathering, where I met some old fans and Pan gained a few new ones! You’ll find it here.

Next up is the Brooklyn Book Festival, being held this coming Sunday, September 23, at Brooklyn Borough Hall Plaza. I’ll have more information on The ’Warp’s appearance at that show on Friday.

Then on October 11 we’ll be plunging headfirst into that apocalyptic battleground called Thunderdome—although you probably know it as the New York Comic Con!

Booth 2139 (hall 3C) at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center will be our home away from home for the weekend, and we hope you’ll stop by to say hello (and buy our great books, of course!). I’ll have more info in the coming weeks on what we’ve got planned.

Hope to see you there!

I’m Off to Baltimore Comic-Con!

Posted on by

The 2012 Baltimore Comic-Con is this weekend, and I’m heading down there to man Table A189—the StarWarp Concepts table in artists alley; just look for the Pandora Zwieback banner. Joining me is my buddy Richard C. White, bestselling author of Gauntlet: Dark Legacy and contributor to the anthologies The Ultimate Hulk and Doctor Who: Short Trips: The Quality of Leadership.


On sale will be copies of Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1, The Bob Larkin Sketchbook, Lorelei: Sects and the City (for you mature readers), and the Official Pandora Zwieback T-shirt. We’ll also be selling copies of Rich’s pirate fantasy comic, The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon (along with its related T-shirt), for all you fans of swashbuckling adventure.

If you’re attending the show, stop by and say hi if you get the chance. And don’t forget to bring your wallet—we’ve got some great stuff for you to buy!

Baltimore Comic-Con runs from Saturday, September 8, to Sunday, September 9. Show hours are 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday; and 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. The Baltimore Convention Center is located at 1 West Pratt Street, Baltimore, Maryland.

For more information, head over to the Baltimore Comic-Con Web site; just click on the logo up top.

StarWarp Concepts at Baltimore Comic-Con

Posted on by

Press Release:

Independent publishing house StarWarp Concepts—home for edgy dark-urban-fantasy books and graphic novels—hits the road to make its first appearance at the popular Baltimore Comic-Con, being held September 8–9, 2012 at the Baltimore Convention Center.

Artists Alley table #A189 is where you’ll find bestselling author Steven A. Roman (X-Men: The Chaos Engine Trilogy) promoting The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, his young adult novel series about a teenaged Goth who teams up with an immortal shape-shifter named Annie to hunt monsters. Joining Roman will be author Richard C. White (Gauntlet: Dark Legacy, Star Trek: Echoes of Coventry), who will be promoting The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon, his pirate-fantasy comic book that’s perfect for fans of classic adventure and the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

On sale will be:

• Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1: The critically acclaimed first novel in the series finds Pan and Annie contending with warring vampire clans who attempt to unleash hell on earth.

• Lorelei: Sects and the City: Written by Roman and featuring art by Eliseu Gouveia (The Phantom), Steve Geiger (Web of Spider-Man), and Neil Vokes (The Black Forest), this Mature Readers graphic novel is about a succubus battling the members of a fanatical cult that’s trying to resurrect the Elder Gods they worship.

• The Bob Larkin Sketchbook: From Doc Savage and Batman to Star Wars and the X-Men, there’s little that this legendary painter hasn’t drawn, and this first-time collection of some of his detailed pencil work features pulp adventurers, wrestlers, femme fatales, and superheroes, and includes three new pieces done especially for this volume.

• The Official Pandora Zwieback T-shirt: Available in sizes for both women and men, it’s a full-color recreation of the T-shirt worn by Goth adventuress Pandora Zwieback on the cover of her first novel, Blood Feud.

• The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon comic book, as well as related T-shirts and roleplaying game figurines.

Attendees are encouraged to download a free digital copy of The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0—a full-color, 16-page comic book written by Roman, with art by Eliseu Gouveia. In it, Pan introduces readers to her book series and presents a two-chapter sample from Blood Feud.

Baltimore Comic-Con’s hours are:
Saturday, September 8: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Sunday, September 9: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

The Baltimore Convention Center is located at 1 West Pratt Street, Baltimore, Maryland. For more information on the show, visit.

For more information on StarWarp Concepts and its projects, please visit www.StarwarpConcepts.com.

Hey, Boston Comic Con Fans!

Posted on by

Thanks for stopping by and for your interest in Pan’s adventures.

The free e-comic can be found in the sidebar to the right, as I’ve mentioned. If you like what you see, hit the Buy the Book Button to the right. It’ll take you to the book-buying links.

Blood Feud is also available as an e-book. You’ll find the links for those on the buying links page as well. It’s just $3.99!

Boston Comic Con is This Weekend!

Posted on by


The 2012 Boston Comic Con is being held April 21–22 at the Hynes Convention Center, in the Back Bay area of Boston, Massachusetts. With a nurses convention, the Yankees playing the Red Sox, and the 100th anniversary celebration of the Red Sox’ baseball home, Fenway Park, all going on at the same time, it’s gonna be one insanely busy weekend in Beantown!

Regardless, you’ll find me in the BCC Artists’ Alley at Table 106 (AA106), manning the StarWarp Concepts post; just look for the Pandora Zwieback banner. On sale will be copies of Blood Feud, Carmilla, A Princess of Mars, and The Bob Larkin Sketchbook, as well as the Official Pandora Zwieback T-shirt. I’ll also be handing out Pandora Zwieback bookmarks—while supplies last, of course.

Boston Comic Con runs from 10 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The Hynes Convention Center is located at 900 Boylston Street.

For more information, head over to the Boston Comic Con Web site. Just click on the logo up top. Hope to see you at the show!

Latest Convention Reports for Your Reading Pleasure

Posted on by

So, you’ve seen the notices here of the conventions I’ve been attending recently, but where, you might ask, can you find the reports on my first two con appearances of 2012? Why, over at the StarWarp Concepts blog, that’s where!

You’ll find the write-up of the March 24th Institute of Horror, Fantasy & Science Fiction gathering (hosted by Blood Moon Rising magazine) here, and the report on the March 31st New York Comic Book Marketplace is here.

Next stop on the SWC 2012 Promotional Tour is the Boston Comic Con, being held April 21–22 at the Hynes Convention Center, in the Back Bay area of Beantown. I’ll be manning the SWC table in Artists’ Alley—just look for the distinctive Pandora Zwieback banner.

Cry Havoc!

Posted on by

New York Comic Con 2011—being held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center here in New York City—is this week, October 13–16. I’ll be manning the StarWarp Concepts location: BOOTH 2539 in the Small Press Publishers Area.

Helping me out at the booth (as he did last year) will be my good friend Richard C. White—bestselling author of the fantasy novel Gauntlet: Dark Legacy, Book 1: Paths of Evil and the e-book Star Trek: Echoes of Coventry.

We’re located in Level 3, Hall 3A, near Artists Alley—and against the wall of the construction area that’s slowly been moving across the building since last year. Those of you who attended the 2010 show may remember that the construction site breaks the show’s main exhibition hall into two parts: the larger, more mainstream exhibitors on one side, the smaller publishers on the other. So please don’t forget that we’re on the other side of that wall!

Here’s a map so it’ll be easier to find us:

 

On sale will be:

• Copies of BLOOD FEUD: THE SAGA OF PANDORA ZWIEBACK, Book 1, CARMILLA, and THE BOB LARKIN SKETCHBOOK

• 11″ x 17″ full-color prints of Bob Larkin’s cover art for Blood Feud. It’s a limited-edition print, though, so be sure to pick up one while supplies last.

 

 

 

 

• THE OFFICIAL PANDORA ZWIEBACK T-SHIRT! Now you can dress like our favorite Goth girl, and proudly show off your monster-hunting skills while wearing the same T that Pan models on the cover of Blood Feud. The shirt makes its debut at NYCC; after the con, it’ll be available exclusively through the StarWarp Concepts webstore.

 

I’ll also be handing out free print copies of the Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0 promotional comic book and Pandora Zwieback bookmarks—while supplies last, of course. (And that comic supply is getting pretty thin.)

And wait until you see the one-of-a-kind, not-for-sale Pan Zwieback leather jacket that we’ll have on display—painted by Bob, who’ll be on hand Saturday to sign the sketchbook and prints, as well as copies of his much-sought-after art book, The Savage Art of Bob Larkin.

You’ll find it all at booth 2539—just look for the Pandora Zwieback and StarWarp Concepts banners. So spread the word:

Of course, that depends on whether I can still get Hell a ticket this close to the show…