StarWarp Concepts Heroines Assemble!

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As all fans of comic-based movies are aware, today’s the U.S. premiere date for Avengers: Endgame, the payoff to last year’s blockbuster, Avengers: Infinity War, and the culmination of a storyline that’s run through ten years of Marvel flicks. Reviews are positive, fan excitement is at a fever pitch, the Internet broke in half when everyone in North America attempted to log on to Fandango to buy tickets, it’s already on track to make a bazillion dollars…in short, it’s a good time to be Marvel Films.

The question is, who’s going to survive the final battle with Thanos, the Mad Titan who used the Infinity Gauntlet to wipe out half of all life in the universe in the final moments of Infinity War? There’s a chance the team might have some open slots in their roster by the time the war’s over, and that reminded me of an old Avengers comic cover during one of their recruitment drives—and who might be perfect candidates for reserve members…

Avengers221-Pan-Lori

I know who I’m voting for: Goth Girl and Temptress! 😀

“Goth Girl,” of course, is our very own Pandora Zwieback, teenaged Goth monster fighter and star of my Saga of Pandora Zwieback books and comics. Pan made her debut in the novels Blood Feud and Blood Reign, before starring in her own comic book special, The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1.

“Temptress” is Lorelei, SWC’s first lady of horror who’s celebrating her 30th anniversary this year. You can find her supernatural adventures in the Mature Readers graphic novel Lorelei: Sects and the City and the anthology comic Lorelei Presents: House Macabre.

Smart, funny, talented women who protect the world from monsters—who wouldn’t want them on their team?

Who will you vote for?

A Day and Night of World Books

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Uriel_PanArtLGToday is a double event for book lovers, as it’s the annual celebration of both World Book Day and Work Book Night!

Run by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), World Book Day (aka World Book and Copyright Day, and the International Day of the Book) is, to quote their website:

“World Book Day is a celebration! It’s a celebration of authors, illustrators, books and (most importantly) it’s a celebration of reading. In fact, it’s the biggest celebration of its kind, designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and marked in over 100 countries all over the world.”

To explain this event further, let’s turn to Wikipedia for its origin story:

“The original idea was of the Valencian writer Vicente Clavel Andrés as a way to honour the author Miguel de Cervantes [author of Don Quixote], first on October 7, his birth date, then on April 23, his death date. In 1995 UNESCO decided that the World Book and Copyright Day would be celebrated on 23 April, as the date is also the anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare and [16th-century Spanish author] Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, as well as that of the birth or death of several other prominent authors.”

So then it’s really World Book Death Day? Hey, as long as it gets people to read…

Around the world (except for Ireland and the United Kingdom), World Book Day is held every April 23—so if you live in that part of the world, visit the World Book Day site for all the latest news and events listings.

But the celebration doesn’t end at sundown, because April 23 is also World Book Night!

Run by The Reading Agency, this annual gathering of book lovers is, to quote theirwebsite:

“World Book Night is a national celebration of reading and books which takes place on 23 April every year. Books are given out across the UK with a focus on reaching those who don’t regularly read, and are gifted through organisations including prisons, libraries, colleges, hospitals, care homes and homeless shelters, as well as by passionate individuals who give out their own books within their communities.”

For more information, visit the World Book Night site.

Now get to reading!

It’s National Library Week 2019!

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National-Library-2019Hey, book lovers! It’s time to recognize another annual reading event, because if there’s one thing I think we all enjoy around here, it’s reading. Today, it’s National Library Week that we’re celebrating!

According to the American Library Association (ALA), the organization that runs the event:

“First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support. All types of libraries—school, public, academic and special—participate.”

This year’s theme is “Libraries = Strong Communities” and stresses the importance of libraries as “the heart of our cities, towns, schools and campuses, providing critical resources, programs and expertise.”

National Library Week runs through April 13, so be sure to see if your local library has any special events planned for the celebration.

And Yet Another Roadstop…for Next Year!

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pow-con-logoSo far, the StarWarp Concepts list of 2019 convention appearances has included comic shows, horror cons, and even a library. Well, add one more to the list—but this one doesn’t happen until 2020!

January 25–26, 2020: Pow! Con 2: This Brooklyn-based comic show debuted this past January in the neighborhood of Bay Ridge, and was apparently received so well that it needed to expand to a larger venue. In 2020, it’ll be held at the Brooklyn Expo Center in Greenpoint.

I’ll admit there was a slight hesitation before we signed on: The Expo Center was also the location for BoroughCon 2018 last June, and the reports on that were extremely discouraging—poorly run, no promotion, practically no attendees other than the vendors and artists, the fact that security doesn’t lock the doors at night when more than one event is being held there. Things turned out so badly that the BC showrunners decided they needed to take a year off to take stock of their situation.

But Pow! Con creator and showrunner Salvatore Lo Medico has assured me that the doors will be locked at night for this show, and hopefully they’ll do some heavy promotion as 2019 progresses for peak fan attendance. Considering how expensive it’s become to exhibit at conventions these days, especially in Manhattan, it’d be nice to have a moderately priced, successful outer-borough show to go to.

More news to come on other SWC convention appearances as information becomes available!

There’s More Than One Cosmic Superheroine…

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Sure, everybody’s talking about Captain Marvel, the new Marvel Studios film that stars Brie Larson as Carol Danvers, aka the titular cosmically powered heroine, but StarWarp Concepts has a superheroine of our very own, as evidenced by this illustration by artist Chris Malgrain, creator/writer/artist of the superhero-team indie comic The Formidables (which I also happen to co-script and edit).

Say hello to…Green Pantern!

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It’s Will Eisner Week 2019!

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Will-Eisner-Week-2019Yes, it’s time again for Will Eisner Week: an annual celebration—held this week from March 1 to March 7—run by the Will and Ann Eisner Family Foundation, to promote literacy, graphic novels, free speech, and the legacy of the late Will Eisner, 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. (Also, click on the poster here to see it at full size.)

StarWarp Concepts, of course, has its share of graphic novels and comics that might pique your interest. Here are just a couple:

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, anda 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 (Harbinger of Darkness, Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination) 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!

pan_annual_lgThe 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. 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 #1is a 56-page, full-color special that contains stories by Steven A. Roman (yep, that’s me) and Sholly Fisch (Scooby-Doo Team-Up), 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).

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

Happy reading!

It’s the Spring Training of Reading!

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mets-ya-gotta-readIf there’s one thing Pandora Zwieback loves—other than her boyfriend, her skill at painting, and…oh, yeah, monster fighting—it’s reading. And when it’s a literacy program that involves her favorite baseball team, well, she’s just all over it!

A partnership between the New York Mets and Delta Air Lines that launched last year, Ya Gotta Read (a playful twist on the old Mets saying, “Ya Gotta Believe!”) is, according to the press release:

…a program to help foster a love of reading in students. More than 5,000 students at nine elementary schools in Queens are participating in the program. The goal is for students to read one book a week for a total of six books. Students will write a book review for each book and hand it in to their teachers. The more books students read, the more prizes they will earn!

The student from each school that reads the most books will be awarded four field level tickets a Mets game at Citi Field and be invited participate in an on-field pregame ceremony. The student who reads the most books in the overall program will win four Delta Club tickets behind home plate.

The class that reads the most books will win a visit by a Mets player and Mr. Met and memberships to Mr. Met’s Kids Club. The top class from each school will receive additional Mets premium merchandise.

Ya Gotta Read runs from today (the start of Mets spring training—the day pitchers and catchers report for duty!), to March 25. For more information, and to follow the schools’ progress, visit the Ya Gotta Read page at the Mets website.

Panapalooza 2019 Continues!

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monster-mania-logoBack on January 30, I told you about two conventions stops I’d set up for 2019—MinCon in July and CT Horrorfest in September. Well, you can add one more to the tally, coming this fall:

October 4–6: Monster-Mania Con: Held at the Delta Hotel Marriott in Hunt Valley, Maryland, this horror con has been growing in attendance every year—and no wonder, considering the caliber of genre guests they always manage to bring in. So far they’ve already got Mr. “Evil Dead” himself, Bruce Campbell, on board, as well as Tony Todd and Virginia Madsen—stars of the original Candyman (there’s a remake currently in development)—and Danielle Harris of Halloween fame.

With CT Horrorfest in September, that now means StarWarp Concepts will be exhibiting at two major terror fests this year, so if you’re attending either show (or both!), be sure to stop by the dealers’ rooms to pick up all the SWC titles you’re missing.

More news to come on other SWC convention appearances as information becomes available!