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Happy 30th Anniversary, StarWarp Concepts!
It might seem hard to believe, but 2023 is the year that Pan’s publisher, StarWarp Concepts, celebrates its 30th anniversary!
After a trial run publishing a handful of small-press (in other words, digest-sized, photocopied, and hand-stapled) comics from 1989 to 1992, it was in the spring of 1993 that I officially launched SWC as an indie publisher, with the release of Lorelei #0, a 24-page black-and-white comic about a soul-stealing succubus, written by me and drawn by fellow small-presser David C. Matthews (Satin Steele, Maxwell Madd and His Wrestling Women), with cover art by Louis Small, Jr. (Vampirella, Batman). The debut issue sold well enough, back in those long-ago days of the black-and-white comics explosion in the 1990s—#1 sold even better—and the legend of the horror company with the science-fictiony name began!
The whole story of my adventures in self-publishing will be told in installments over at the SWC blog, so if you’re interested in learning the origins of Lorelei, monster hunter Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin, and (of course) Pandora Zwieback, along with various tales of my publishing adventures, then be sure to bookmark the SWC blog and follow along.
SWC will be celebrating all year long in a number of ways, and this-here Pan blog will be occasionally joining in the festivities, so get ready for some fun!
Talking StarWarp Concepts and Indy Comics with J.D. Calderon
As you might be aware from my recent post at the Pan Facebook page, this past Sunday night I appeared on J.D. Calderon’s YouTube series Indy Comics Explained, mainly to promote my latest book from StarWarp Concepts, From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures. It’s a non-fiction comics history of the swimsuit-wearing vampire from outer space created by James Warren and Forrest J Ackerman who debuted in 1969 through the Warren Publishing Company, and who celebrated her 50th anniversary last year.
(J.D., by the way, is the writer/creator of the fantasy series The Oswald Chronicles and the anthropomorphic fantasy comic series Tall Tails, both published through his Dream Weaver Press company. He’s also been a friend of mine since we met back in the 1990s’ days of the indie comics explosion.)
Well, don’t worry if you missed it: since the interview was on YouTube you can still watch the episode, in which I talk about my time as a professional book editor (and the troubles associated with such work, especially in licensed publishing), my history as a writer and as a self-publisher, the Saga of Pandora Zwieback series, and if I were offered the chance to write comics for Marvel and/or DC, which characters I’d want to work on.
When it came to Pan, J.D. was interested in two things specifically: the availability of the print-comic version of The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0 (spoiler alert: there aren’t any, except for a few I kept—that’s why it’s just a free download now); and the status of the third Pan novel, Blood & Iron (yes, I’m still working on it; sorry).
“Talking to Steve A. Roman” is available for viewing right now at Indy Comics Explained. If you’ve got an hour, click on the link and head on over to check it out.
Publishing Industry Shakeup Doesn’t Affect SWC
A note to indie bookstore owners, or anyone who knows an indie bookstore owner:
As you probably know by now, Baker & Taylor announced last week the closing of its retail wholesale business to focus solely on the educational market—a decision that’s affecting indie bookstores just about everywhere. It will leave Ingram Content Group as the one major wholesale distributor.
Does this affect Pan’s publisher, StarWarp Concepts? Not in the least. Her books and the rest of the SWC titles are already handled by Ingram, and are always ready for order. In addition, if you’d rather not deal with Ingram you can always order directly from us; the information can be found at the “About Us” page at the SWC website.
So don’t worry, we’re not going anywhere! 😁
Happy 25th Anniversary, StarWarp Concepts!
Two days in and 2018 is already turning out to be a special year for anniversaries. Yesterday was the 200th “birthday” of the first-edition publication of Mary Shelley’s seminal novel, Frankenstein, and today Pan’s publisher, StarWarp Concepts, kicks off its 25th anniversary celebration as an independent publisher!
They’ve got some exciting things lined up this year, so be sure to visit the SWC blog during 2018 to find out the latest news!
Pandora Zwieback: Blood & Iron a Real Treat for Halloween
The wait is almost over!
She’s been shot at by vampires, killed by a fallen angel, come back from the dead, and nearly trampled in a zombie stampede for sweets, she’s maybe started to fall in love with a boy named Javier, and her mother’s been turned into a vampire, but teenaged Goth Pandora Zwieback has a whole new set of challenges facing her in the latest volume of her adventures: Blood & Iron: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 3!
When we last saw Pan, she, Javier, and their friend, the immortal, shape-shifting monster hunter named Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin, were trapped on a remote South Pacific island, and the fallen angel Zaqiel—not just Annie’s former lover, but the creature who had killed Pan and turned her mother vampiric—was leading an army of monsters to free his fellow bad angels. Could things possibly get any worse? Well, if you asked Pan, she’d probably say that’s a rhetorical question when it comes to her increasingly complicated life—and she’d be right!
Blood & Iron: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 3 is scheduled for release in late October, during the Halloween Countdown celebration we’ll be hosting all month long at this blog. Hey, what better treat for All Hallows’ Eve than curling up with the conclusion of Pan’s first literary adventure—the vampire war begun in the novels Blood Feud and Blood Reign?
Stay tuned for further information!
SWC Horror Bites: Something You’ll Want to Devour
“Short tales to appease your monstrous hunger for suspense” is how we describe SWC Horror Bites, a chapbook series that will be available in print and e-book formats exclusively from the StarWarp Concepts webstore, and at the conventions we attend. The series, which launches in February (during the annual celebration of Women in Horror Month), will be a mix of new and classic horror stories.
And if you head over to today’s post at the StarWarp Concepts blog, you’ll see my explanation of what this program holds in store for fans of literary horror this year. A feminist werewolf tale, a classic ghost story from Charles Dickens (but not starring Ebenezer Scrooge), and an anthology of spooky stories that first appeared in 1950s horror comics are just the start of the menu for SWC Horror Bites. Go check them out!
Happy 2017, Panatics!
Believe it, skeleton man—that’s what you get for sleeping through Christmas! Still, I hope Santa and the Krampus brought you—and you Panatics—everything you wished for (or wished on others…mu-ha-ha).
Two thousand seventeen promises to be a busy year for Pan’s publisher, StarWarp Concepts, whose plans include—you guessed it!—the much-anticipated release of Blood & Iron: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 3 this October. It’s the conclusion of Pan’s first literary adventure, which began in the first novel, Blood Feud, and continued into Blood Reign, and pits Pan, her family, and her friends—including immortal monster hunter Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin—against the forces of monsterdom, who are led by the fallen angel Zaqiel—who’s also a former lover of Annie’s!
But starring in a new novel isn’t all that’s in store for Pan this year, and if you check out today’s post at the StarWarp Concepts blog, you’ll learn what SWC has in mind for our favorite Goth adventuress, as well as its other publishing plans. Head over there now and give it a read!
Start Your Summer Reading Early
Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1 is the critically acclaimed novel that starts Pan’s story, explaining how she, her parents and friends, and her monster-hunting mentor, Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin, are drawn into a conflict among warring vampire clans searching for the key to an ultimate weapon (or so the legend goes)—a key that just so happens to have been delivered to the horror-themed museum owned by Pan’s father!
Visit the Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1 product page at Pan’s publisher, StarWarp Concepts, for ordering information, as well as a free downloadable sample chapter.
Looking for a Different Kind of Comic?
It’s Comic Book Wednesday! Sure, you could head to your local comic shop and pick up the latest superhero slugfest, but why not check out a one-shot special of a different variety that critics loved?
The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1 is a spinoff from the novel series, and this 56-page, full-color comic special finds the teenaged Goth adventuress battling vampires and a jealous, man-stealing siren. Behind that striking cover by award-winning artist Henar Torinos (Mala Estrella), it features:
* “Song of the Siren,” written by me, with art and color by Eliseu Gouveia (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0), in which Pan and her boyfriend Javier attend one of his family’s picnics in Central Park, and run into Javi’s ex-girlfriend, Sophia—who turns out to be a mythological siren!
* “After Hours,” written by Sholly Fisch (Scooby-Doo Team-Up) and illustrated by comic-art legend Ernie Colon (Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld). It tells the tale of a most unusual New York City bar—and the demon who walks into it after a hard day on the job.
* And “Shopping Maul,” a short story by me, with title page art and color by Elizabeth Watasin (Charm School), in which Pan and her friends run afoul of a group of Elegant & Gothic Lolita vampires in a shopping maul.
And like I said, critics sure loved this comic:
“Roman demonstrates yet again his ability to write in the voice of a teenage girl without resorting to the petty whining and needless angst that seem to plague a lot of the female teenage characters in books today… I would readily and heartily recommend this comic to anybody.”—Word of the Nerd
“Roman mixes young adult fantasy with themes like ‘young love’ but also with equal parts of ‘female empowerment’ and lets Pandora be a real and true voice. The art by Eliseu Gouveia is just stellar and makes a perfect match for the main story.”—Comics For Sinners
“Pandora is so three-dimensional that you feel you’ve known her your entire life.”—Krypto Dies!
Visit the Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1 product page for ordering information and sample pages.