Heroines and Heroes

Stories and art by STEVEN A. ROMAN

1 FREE NOT FOR RESALE ™

THIS IS... THE LAST TIME | AUDITION...FOR A...TOP COW COMIC... www.starwarpconcepts.com Stories and art by STEVEN A. ROMAN WHAT, YOU DO THAT CONTENTS DRAWIN’ STUFF, TOO? “V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N (In the ey, there. I’m Steve Roman. You may Summertime)” remember me from the Saga of Pan- Previously dora Zwieback novels, X-Men: The unpublished ChaosH Engine Trilogy, and Final Destination: “Dirty Laundry” Dead Man’s Hand, or as the writer of the graph- Originally published ic novels Lorelei: Sects and the City, Sunn, and in Snowbuni Blizzard #6 Stan Lee’s Alexa (yeah, that one issue—but™ it was (1991) big in France!). I’m also the owner/publisher of Motorbike StarWarp Concepts, home of Pandora Zwieback Puppies excerpt and Lorelei and a growing backlist of titles you Originally published should definitely check out. And, from time to in Motorbike Puppies #2 time, I’ve dabbled in drawing comics art. (1992) Which brings us to this very publication, Heroines and Heroes, in “I Was a which I’ve pulled together a collection of small-press comic stories Super-Powered I’ve drawn or written over the years, along with a few pin-ups. And if you’ve ever read my many posts at the StarWarp Concepts blog, Vampire Slayer!” you know I’ve probably got a story behind the creation of each entry Originally published in this comic. in Blonde Addiction #3 (1995) So pull up a chair and I’ll tell you a tale or four about how they came to be…

“V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N (in the Summertime)” was the result of a 1995 Cover colors by lunch meeting with a couple of DC Comics editors, held at an Ital- ELISEU GOUVEIA ian restaurant around the corner from DC’s (now former) New York City offices—one of those restaurants that has paper tablecloths and Publication design by a glass of Crayola crayons so your kids have something to do other than kick their chairs while they’re waiting for their meals. MIKE RIVILIS Continued on page 23

HEROINES AND HEROES published by STARWARP CONCEPTS, OFFICE OF PUBLICATION: P.O. BOX 4667, SUNNYSIDE, NY 11104. All characters copyright their respective owners. No similarity between any of the names, characters, persons, and/or institutions in this magazine with those of any living or dead person or institution is intended, and any such similarity that may exist is purely coincidental.

CLOAK &DAGGER

MOTORBIKE PUPPIES

SCRIPT: NABILE HAGE

CLOAK &DAGGER ANIME STYLE

VAMPIRELLA

THE LITTLE MERMAID

WHAT, YOU DO THAT DRAWIN’ STUFF, TOO? (cont.)

So, we’re sitting at the table, know what you’re thinking: to get in making his publishing and I’m doodling a sketch of You’ve done furries? Well, dreams come true. Wonder Woman’s head while technically speaking, Jeff we talk. One of the editors Woods’s Snowbuni isn’t really “I Was a Super-powered takes notice and says, “Hey, a rabbit girl; if I remember Vampire Hunter!” came about that’s really good! Can I have correctly she’s a humanoid aft er I’d met Cindy Johns, that?” I nod and tear off that alien or something like that publisher of and spokesmodel part of the tablecloth. He looks (sorry, Jeff ) with long ears for the adult superheroine at it again and says, “Y’know, and a fl uff y tail. Whatever her comic Th e Blonde Avenger this looks like the same kinda pedigree, a leggy secret agent (ahh, those thrilling days of the style our artists use in Batman who happened to have rabbity 1990s Bad Girl Era!). Adventures. Do you have any accessories was good enough Th e idea for the four-pager samples?” for me to volunteer this story came during the 1995 Dallas Well, no, because I’ve always for Jeff ’s anthology comic Fantasy Fair, where Cindy concentrated more on my series, Snowbuni Blizzard— told me of her confusion in writing than my art; the last even with my odd (and discerning one half-naked thing I’d ever expect would be hopelessly outdated) shout-out spokesmodel from another— an invitation to audition for to the Dick Tracy cartoon series back then, booth babes were Batman Adventures just ’cause I watched as a kid. multiplying more than rabbits! I can doodle a cute Amazon She also mentioned that she’d head. But then I hit on an idea. Th e three-page junkyard brawl started publishing Blonde I whipped up a three-pager and was a sequence from Motorbike Addiction, a fan magazine sent it in; a week later, I got the Puppies #2, published in 1992 spin-off detailing her real- rejection phone call. by the short-lived Dark Zulu life adventures in the comics “It’s really good,” the editor Lies—and counts as my fi rst industry, and said she’d be said hesitantly, “but we could (and only) professional comic- happy to run anything I gave never publish it. It’s too art job. It’s also my sole venture her. Th e resulting “masterpiece” satirical. I showed it to some into drawing anthropomorphic was the result. of the other editors and they characters (in other words, thought it was really funny, but human bodies with animal And that covers everything. there’s nothing we can do with heads), but that’s okay with me. So, how about that stuff, it. But thanks for showing it to Drawing dog heads was hard! huh? Not too bad for a guy m e .” Puppies was the brainchild of who spends most of his Translation? I made fun of writer/publisher Nabile Hage, creative time pecking away their characters (Harley calling who imagined himself the at a computer keyboard, WW Wonder Bra and Princess Stan Lee of indie comics— right? Does this mean there’ll Piehole?!) and they weren’t all only without the bankable be a Heroines and Heroes II that amused. Th us ended my characters. Poor sales on down the line? Who knows? shot at the big leagues. No big Puppies #1–2, and a one-shot In the meantime, you can loss, really. Hey, at least I got a titled Zwanna, Son of Zulu check out my latest projects story to tell out of it. (which I lettered and colored), at StarwarpConcepts.com guaranteed that three comics and PandoraZwieback.com. “Dirty Laundry”: Yeah, I was as far as Nabile was going Hope to see ya there! MEET THE WRITER/ARTIST

STEVEN A. ROMAN is the bestselling author of the Saga of Pandora Zwieback series of novels, X-Men: The Chaos Engine Trilogy, and Final Destination: Dead Man’s Hand. His writing has garnered praise from such authors as World Fantasy Award–winner Charles de Lint, Bram Stoker Award–winner Elizabeth Massie, and Science Fiction Writers of America Author Emeritus Neal Barrett Jr.

His short fiction has appeared in the anthologiesBest New Zombie Tales 2, The Dead Walk Again!, Doctor Who: Short Trips: Farewells, Untold Tales of Spider-Man, The Ultimate Hulk, If I Were an Evil Overlord, Lorelei Presents: House Macabre, The Vampire Almanac 2, Tales of the Shadowmen 4: Lords of Terror, and Urban Temples of Cthulhu. His comic book credits include The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1, Heartstopper: The Legend of La Bella Tenebrosa, and Stan Lee’s Alexa; the graphic novels Lorelei: Sects and the City, Lorelei: Building the Perfect Beast, and Sunn. He also co-wrote the Marvel Comics animated short film X-Men: Darktide. For the BEST in comics entertainment

www.starwarpconcepts.com lorelei’s first graphic novel adventure!

The soul-stealing succubus battles to ™ save the world from destruction at the hands of Elder Gods summoned by a fanatical cult. Will she succeed...or become their latest blood offering?

Written by STEVEN A. SECTS ROMAN AND THE STEVEN A. CITY Art by ROMAN ELISEU GOUVEIA ELISEU (Vengeance of the Mummy) GOUVEIA STEVE GEIGER (Web of Spider-Man) STEVE and GEIGER NEIL VOKES (Fright Night) NEIL VOKES

Cover painting by ESTEBAN MAROTO “The art is solid, the story is full of lots of the (Vampirella, Lady Rawhide) things that make the horror genre so great, and the overall quality is top notch. I can honestly say that I enjoyed the hell out of this book.” —Die-Screaming

Trade Paperback • B&W • 152 pages ISBN: 978-0-9841741-3-3 $12.95 U.S.