Panatic Fan Art!

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File this under The Things You Find on the Internet. Just for the hell of it, I was Google-image searching “Pandora Zwieback,” just to see what might come up that wasn’t officially released by Pan’s publisher, StarWarp Concepts. And what did I find? The first piece of Pandora Zwieback fan art I’ve ever seen!

Pandora-by-Rosario

Nice, huh? I think the artist—who goes by the single title Rosario—did a fine job of depicting Pan taking on a werewolf. And why wouldn’t she fight a lycan? Those rings she wears make for a great set of makeshift brass knuckles!

Thanks, Rosario! I appreciate the artistic compliment.

Given the date on the piece, it stands to reason that Rosario was probably one of the many people who checked out the freebie comic The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0, which I handed out in print form in 2010 and 2011 before making it a digital exclusive (still free, of course).

You can get your own copy, too. Just click on the “Download Free Comic” link you see over in the sidebar, and then save the PDF to your device. Who knows? Maybe it’ll inspire you to create your own fan art!

Big Apple Con 2016 is This Saturday

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big-apple-con2It’s been awhile since I’ve exhibited at a comic-book convention—our last appearance was at 2014’s Eternal Con, out on Long Island—but I figured if I was going to make one show this year, why not make it the first New York fan gathering of 2016, the Big Apple Con?

Due to the terrible winter weather last March, I missed out on the con’s twentieth celebration, but this Saturday, March 5, StarWarp Concepts (and therefore yours truly) has every intention of being at this year’s show—weather permitting! Run by noted art dealer Michael Carbonaro, this one-day gathering of geek culture has become quite the event to attend during its two decades, its aisles filled with comic book back issues, comic creators, and media guests.

You’ll find me in artists’ alley, promoting StarWarp Concepts in general and Pan’s adventures in particular. Where will I be, precisely? Well, that’s a good question, since they don’t hand out table assignments until you get there. I guess we’ll all find out on Saturday…

 The Big Apple Con is being held at the Penn Plaza Pavilion, located at 401 Seventh Avenue in Manhattan, directly across from Madison Square Garden and Pennsylvania Station. Show hours are 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. For more information, including a list of the comic creators and television actors scheduled to appear, head over to the Big Apple Con website.

Hope to see you at the show!

Happy Will Eisner Week 2016!

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EisnerWeek-2016Graphic novels: Who doesn’t love to read them, especially if they can be used to get adults, teens, and kids interested in reading? And if there’s one thing the staff at StarWarp Concepts believes in, it’s promoting literacy. And wouldn’t you know it, there’s a yearly literacy event that’s been set up to help get the ball rolling!

Will Eisner Week is an annual celebration—held this week from March 1 to March 7—and is run by the Will and Ann Eisner Family Foundation. It promotes literacy, graphic novels, free speech, and the legacy of the late Will Eisner, who would have turned 98 on March 6. Eisner, for those of you who might be unfamiliar with his work, was the creator of the 1940s masked crimefighter The Spirit, and one of the founding fathers of American graphic novels. A Contract with God, A Life Force, Dropsie Avenue, and The Dreamer are just some of the fascinating tales Eisner wrote and drew, featuring ordinary people in extraordinary (and sometimes not-so-extraordinary) situations. And even though he passed away in 2005, Eisner continues to inspire generations of writers and artists. Events are being held this week around the world; visit the Will Eisner Week site for more information.

StarWarp Concepts, of course, has its share of graphic novels, and the folks there would have absolutely no problem at all if you happened to order them as your reading material for this special week. Check out the following titles—there may be one (or more) that pique your interest:

pan_annualThe Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1: Although it may not be a graphic novel, at 56 pages it’s still a pretty thick comic book, with three stories of Pan and the monsters that live in her New York City hometown. As regular visitors to this site know well, The Saga of Pandora Zwieback chronicles the adventures of sixteen-year-old Pandora Zwieback, a Gothy horror fangirl who possesses amazing powers that she just learned about, including the ability to see past the human disguises worn by monsters to blend in with society. And The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1 is a 56-page, full-color special that contains stories by Steven A. Roman (that’s me) and Sholly Fisch (Scooby-Doo Team-Up, The All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold), and art by Eliseu Gouveia (Lorelei: Sects and the City, The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0) and comic-art legend Ernie Colon (Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld).

troubleshooters_lrg_coverTroubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings: Perfect for superhero fans, this graphic novel 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. Makes sense, right? Of course it does! 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!

Both titles are available in print and digital formats, so visit their respective product pages at StarWarp Concepts for all the ordering information, as well as sample pages.

Happy reading!

My Encounter with Art Legend Gahan Wilson

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wilson-eye-doctor

Today, legendary cartoonist and monster lover Gahan Wilson turns 86. If you’re unfamiliar with his work, I encourage you to at least do a Google image search and check out his macabre, occasionally disturbing but always outright funny one-panel cartoons (like the one above). I can’t recommend his work highly enough.

And if you head over to the StarWarp Concepts blog, today’s post is about the time when, as a book editor, I got to work with him on a pair of cartoon collections: Gahan Wilson’s Gravediggers’ Party and Gahan Wilson’s Monster Party.

Happy birthday, Mr. Wilson!

It’s Take Your Child to the Library Day 2016!

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library-something-wicked-5

Today is the fifth annual celebration of Take Your Child to the Library Day. Founded in 2011 by children’s librarian Nadine Lipman, the event is held the first Saturday in February and encourages librarians to reach out to their communities and show folks just how wonderful reading can be.

Before the Internet, libraries were the source for information and reading, and these days they can use our support. So head out tomorrow, introduce your children to that big brick building with all the free books to borrow, update the library card that’s been stuck in the back of your wallet for all these years, and renew your acquaintance with a vital partner in the ongoing literacy campaign.

For more information, including the list of participating libraries, visit the TYCLD Facebook page.

Happy Women in Horror Month 2016!

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WiHM2016Girl-WhiteOnBlack-mediumIt’s February, and that means it’s time again for Women in Horror Month, the annual celebration that shines the spotlight on the contributions of all the female creators—writers, artists, movie directors, producers, special makeup artists, special effects experts, etc.—who’ve brought thrills and chills to generations of fans around the world. And the Women in Horror Month website is the place to go to find out all about the events scheduled for this year. To quote the organization’s most recent press release:

Women in Horror Month (WiHM) is an international, grassroots initiative, which encourages supporters to learn about and showcase the underrepresented work of women in the horror industries. Whether they are on the screen, behind the scenes, or contributing in their other various artistic ways, it is clear that women love, appreciate, and contribute to the horror genre.

WiHM celebrates these contributions to horror throughout the year via the official WiHM blog, Ax Wound, The Ax Wound Film Festival, and with the official WiHM event/project database in February. This database—in conjunction with the WiHM social media fan base—actively promotes do-it-yourself annual film screenings, blogs/articles, podcasts, and any other form of creative media with the ultimate goal of helping works by and featuring women reach a wider audience.

This inclusive and positive movement is open to everyone, just as we believe the horror genre should be.

For more information, visit the WiHM site.

Happy New Year 2016!

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Hey, we’re back! I hope the holiday season was good to all you Panatics, and that Krampus brought you all the Goth-related gifts you asked for (hey, even “bad” kids deserve presents, too, y’know! 😀 ).

Blood-Reign-FinalCvrAnd I hope that among your many presents was a copy of the book that made 2015 an even more awesome year than you thought possible: Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2! If you’ve had time to read it, you know that Pan’s harrowing adventures have grown only more harrowing, with vampires, countless monsters, and even a sword-swinging angel all setting their sights on our favorite teenaged Goth. (And if you haven’t read it…well, click that highlighted link and head over to Pan’s publisher, StarWarp Concepts, to order a copy. It’s available in both print and digital formats.)

And her first literary adventure isn’t even over yet!

Coming later this year will be Blood & Iron: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 3, the exciting conclusion to the monster war begun in the novels Blood Feud and Blood Reign. Will Pan, her parents, and her friends survive the perils to come? I certainly hope so—I’ve got other tales to tell!

Stay tuned to this blog for updates as they become available, and maybe a surprise or two along the way, as we march toward Blood & Iron’s release.

big-apple-conAs for convention appearances, I’ve got a pretty short schedule lined up—one appearance planned, so far—but you’ll find me at the 2016 Big Apple Con on March 5. Due to god-awful weather conditions last year, I had to cancel my appearance at last year’s twentieth-anniversary celebration, so here’s hoping Old Man Winter eases back on the icy roads so I can actually get to the Penn Plaza Pavilion (in midtown Manhattan) this time. If you missed out on getting a copy of Blood Feud, Blood Reign, or The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1, this’ll be your chance to catch up on any Zwiebackian merchandise you’re missing.

And don’t forget to check out the StarWarp Concepts blog, to see what releases and other news items they’ve got in store for 2016. You might even find something in their webstore that’ll help you while away the time until you can get your hands on a copy of Blood & Iron.

Here’s to a goth-tastic 2016!

Darth Zwieback: The Vampire Strikes Back

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That’s right, Star Wars fans, today is the U.S. release date for Star Wars, Episode VII: The Force Awakens—the latest entry in the space-fantasy series that changed blockbuster movies forever. So, what’s an epic space opera got to do with Pandora Zwieback? Well, who better to be Dark Ladies of the Sith than a couple of Goth girls like Pan and her bestest friend, Sheena McCarthy—right? And with Marvel publishing blank “sketch covers” for its Star Wars titles, the Darth Vader #1 blank was, I thought, the perfect canvas for my latest “masterpiece”:

Goth-Vaders

 

Surprised I’d try to tie in Pan to the biggest sci-fi movie franchise of all time? As a wise Muppet once said, “There is no try. Only do…or do not.” 😀 Also, I was in a drawing kind of mood, and once the sketch idea popped into my head I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see how Pan and Sheena would look in the Star Wars universe.

So, hey, Marvel, when do the girls get their own spin-off series…?

It’s “Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day” Again!

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ChildBookstore-2015

Hey, book lovers, today marks the sixth annual Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day! Founded in 2010 by author Jessica Milchman, the event, according to its Web site, “is about instilling a love of bookstores in children so that they will value and support this most precious of resources as they go on to enter and create communities of their own.”

Kids + reading + brick-and-mortar bookstores? Always a great combination!

For more information, including a map of the bookstores that are celebrating with events of their own, visit the TYCBD site by clicking on the banner up top.