Pandora Zwieback Celebrates Free Comic Book Day

Posted on by

—Press Release

This Saturday, May 5, 2012, will be a cause for celebration as comic shops around the world mark the tenth annual Free Comic Book Day. Independent publishing house StarWarp Concepts joins the occasion with a pair of free e-comics that will be available for download from the SWC Web site that day—comics that tie directly to its critically acclaimed young adult, dark-urban-fantasy novel series The Saga of Pandora Zwieback.

The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0: Introducing 16-year-old Goth adventuress Pandora Zwieback! Pan is a girl with the ability to see the monsters that regular humans can’t, and with the help of a 400-year-old monster hunter named Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin, she’s going to protect the world from danger—and maybe even have some fun while doing it.

Written by series author Steven A. Roman (X-Men: The Chaos Engine Trilogy) and drawn by Eliseu Gouveia (The Phantom), this 16-page, full-color comic book is hosted by Pandora and includes two preview chapters from Book 1: Blood Feud, in which rival vampire clans search for the key to an ultimate weapon—a key that’s been delivered to the horror museum owned by Pan’s father!

(For those who can’t wait until Saturday, the comic is available right now here at the Pan site—just click on the “Download Free Comic” link in the sidebar and start reading today!)

Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1 (ISBN 978-0-9841741-0-2) is available in both print and e-book editions from such retailers as Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Kobo.com, Smashwords, and DriveThru Fiction.

Heartstopper: The Legend of La Bella Tenebrosa #1: In 1994, Sebastienne Mazarin made her debut in this short-lived Mature Readers series from Millennium Publications. Now, for the first time in almost two decades, StarWarp Concepts re-presents this long-lost comics adventure of the monster hunter known as La Bella Tenebrosa (“the beautiful dark one”).

A nefarious heavy metal band has arrived in New York City, and its lead singer is more than just a sex magnet for his female fans—he’s an incubus! Will Annie put an end to his plans for worldwide chaos, or fall prey to his supernatural charms?

Written by Roman, with art by co-creator Uriel Caton (JSA Annual 2000) and Alan Larsen, this 32-page, full-color comic offers a rare look into the past of the immortal shape-shifter, long before she became mentor to Pandora Zwieback.

After May 5, the comics will remain accessible on the StarWarp Concepts Web site’s “Free Comics” page. For more information on the company and its projects, please visit www.StarwarpConcepts.com and www.PandoraZwieback.com.

It’s a Global Pan-demic!

Posted on by

Chalk up another positive review of Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1, this one courtesy of newly minted Pan-atic Abby Flores and her review blog, Bookshelf Confessions:

“Blood Feud is packed with comedy, horror, romance, paranormal urban fantasy, gothic themes and lots of hunting adventure that would surely bury its story on your mind. One of the best books I’ve read in paranormal urban fantasy.”

Since Abby is based in the Philippines, this obviously means that the Power of Zwieback can now be felt clear across the world!  😉

Read the entire review by clicking on the Bookshelf Confessions logo.

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!

The 13.5 Days of Pan-demonium

Posted on by

Here’s the story of a hidden gem.

Last year, this site hosted “The 13 Days of Pan-demonium”: a promotional event used to help launch the first Pandora Zwieback novel, Blood Feud. It involved thirteen artists (including me) doing interpretations of Pan and her monster-hunting mentor, Annie. (As you can see from the navigation bar up top, there’s a separate page that warehouses all the images, for your viewing pleasure.)

One of those artists was Dave Hoover, an artist who’d worked for Marvel and DC Comics in the 1990s on superhero projects such as Starman, Fantastic Four Unlimited, and Captain America, and as an animator on films and TV shows including Fire and Ice, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, and Men in Black: The Series. In 2011, he’d just finished a run as the penciler of Zenescope Entertainment’s comic series Charmed, based on the popular TV show.

When I started making plans for the 13 Days, I contacted Dave through his DeviantArt page and asked if he’d be interested in drawing my teen Goth heroine. He was, we negotiated a price, and the result was a spectacular illustration of Pan and Annie that I used for Day Four.

The big surprise, however, was when I received the actual 11” x 17” art. I’d been dealing with so many digital artists by this point that I’d assumed his pinup existed only as a Photoshop file—but no! When I tore open the package—one Dave had never told me he was sending—I found the hand-colored final piece inside. I was thrilled beyond belief!

Sadly, Dave passed away on September 4, 2011, at the age of 56. When I heard the news, I pulled the illustration from the art drawer and just sat awhile, admiring it. Such a fantastic artist, and now I’d never have a chance to collaborate with him again. I started to put the drawing away and did something I’d never thought of doing in the three or four months I’d had the art: I turned it over.


What you’re looking at is Dave’s original blue-pencil sketch, before he came up with what he no doubt considered a better composition. Still, as great as the final art is, I think this one would’ve made a helluva pinup, too.

Thanks, Dave.

Mr. Blood Moon Riiiiisin’…

Posted on by

Posted today at Blood Moon Rising’s Web site is the latest issue of Queens County’s premier horror magazine, featuring news, reviews, a Special Features article on (and photos of) the April 24th Institute of Horror, Fantasy & Science Fiction gathering—and an interview with me!

“It wasn’t until 1993, when I launched Starwarp Concepts, that I became a professional writer; then my work started to get noticed. In fact, one of my earliest Lorelei fans was Charles de Lint, who’s an award-winning fantasy author; when I learned who he was, that blew me away!”

Read the entire interview, conducted by editor D. W. Jones, by clicking on the cover above. Be sure to check out the rest of the issue, as well!

And before you ask, no, that’s not me on the cover… 😉

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.

New York Comic Book Marketplace Tomorrow

Posted on by

The 2012 New York Comic Book Marketplace is being held this coming Saturday, March 31, at the Penn Plaza Pavilion at the Hotel Pennsylvania, in Manhattan (across 7th Avenue from Pennsylvania Station and Madison Square Garden). Stan “The Man” Lee is the guest of honor—but more important, StarWarp Concepts will be there, too!

You’ll find us in Artists’Alley; 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.

The New York Comic Book Marketplace runs from 10 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on March 31, and admission is $10. The Hotel Pennsylvania is located at 401 Seventh Avenue, between 32nd and 33rd Streets.

For more information, head over to the NYCBM Web site.

StarWarp Concepts’ 2012 Convention Season Starts This Weekend

Posted on by

The annual gathering of the Institute of Horror, Fantasy, and Science Fiction—hosted by Blood Moon Rising magazine—is being held this coming Saturday, March 24, at the main branch of the Queens Public Library, in Flushing (just a few blocks from Main Street—the final stop on the #7 train—and smack in the middle of the borough’s own Chinatown). Not only will I be manning the StarWarp Concepts table, but I’ll be doing my first public reading of Blood Feud. (Now that’s terrifying!)

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. The print version of the free Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0 introductory comic won’t be available, unfortunately—I’ve burned through its 3,000-copy run (so where are the sales?!). At the moment, I’m still debating whether or not to go back to press (three thousand 16-page, full-color freebies don’t come cheap, after all).

After this weekend, on March 31st The ’Warp will be appearing at the New York Comic Book Marketplace—more details on that next week—and then in April we’ll be heading back to Beantown for the Boston Comic Con. For us, the 2012 convention season has officially begun! Check out the Events listing for all our upcoming appearances and come out and see us, if you get the chance.

The Institute of Horror, Fantasy, and Science Fiction runs from noon to 5:00 p.m. on March 24, and admission is free. The Queens Library is located at 41-17 Main Street, in Flushing.

For more information, head over to the Blood Moon Rising Web site.

The Horror… The Horror…

Posted on by

Score yet another positive review for Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1, this time courtesy of Jeani Rector, founder/editor of the online magazine The Horror Zine:

“Blood Feud is an exciting read, and a page-turning adventure. Although intended for a teenage audience, many adults would enjoy it as well.”

Read the entire review by clicking on the logo above.