Long before he became the Ancient Warrior and led mankind on its first exodus from earth into the Wild Stars, he was abandoned as a babe on a dying barbarian world.
Miraculously found and raised by a powerful warlord, Strazis finds himself at the center of intrigues and wars involving both his found family and the mysterious race that left him to die.
Orphan of the Shadowy Moons is a story of action, romance, betrayal and daring!
This tale from the classic pulp revival era is the perfect jumping on point for readers new to the Wild Stars while sure to delight long-time fans.
We’ve got a HUGE year in store for everyone, with some returning favorites and fresh faces!
Some big things:
Wild Stars 8: The Superior Griefs! We’re on the downhill stretch of Wild Stars, now, as Part 7 wraps up this Winter and Part 8 begins in Spring. Michael has things fully planned out as a 12 book cycle. The ending is written, as are outlines of the remaining 4 books of the series, and he’ll have things stitched up fairly soon. This next installment will see the return of several classic characters to the forefront, including Atlanta and Rosetta Stonewolf. [Don’t forget, there’s only a little time left to back Orphan of the Shadowy Moons!]
Comics! We’re dipping our toes back into comics once again and will be reprinting the prologue of Yakov Merkin’s Amaranth Angels series and Otis Stein #1 from Matthew Vealey!
The Protectors! While we’ve run a couple of stories in Rodica Bretin’s Protectors universe in the past [The Sound of Silence and The Angel Hanna], starting next year in our Summer issue, we’re going to be regularly serializing her strange gothic scifi superhero tales.
Full lineup below:
Spring The Superior Griefs (Part One) – Michael Tierney Caf-fiend – Julie Frost The Titan of Zhorn – Richard Rubin A Quick Laugh With Death – William Drell Cargo Cult – Jed Jaleco Del Rosario Jewel of the Joltunwyrm – Kevan Larson On the Eve of Xerkhet-Buul – Howie K. Bentley Computer Games – Louise Sorensen The Screamers – Andrew Reichard Joe vs. the Mad Wizard of Druun – W.E. Wertenberger The Codex of Naku-Lanka – Frank Sawielijew The Weather Maker – J. Comer My Name is John Carter – James Hutchings
Summer The Superior Griefs (Part 2) The Creek Tumors – Mark Pellegrini No-Rooms at a Kellogg Inn – Andrew Majors Range of Deceit – Joseph W. Knowles Songs of Loss and Love – Jim Breyfogle The Death of Robespierre – Daniel J. Minucci Flyboy – Blake Carpenter A Most Exquisite Specimen – J. Manfred Weichsel The Twilight Delve Home Owners Association – Misha Burnett Mystery in Egyptian Blue – Jeffery Scott Sims Midnight Caller – J. Ishiro Finney Requiem for a Revolver – Rodica Bretin Amaranth Angels: Wilted Flower – Yakov Merkin & Philip San Gaspar
Fall The Superior Griefs (Part 3) The Short Unhappy Immortality of Owen McKinty – Bill Willingham Beneath the Samite Shroud of the Grave Sphinx – Matthew Pungitore In the Thrall of Tessa Nyx – Michael Gallagher The Ragged Red Masque at Carter’s Hall – Caroline Furlong Necromancing the Stone – Teel James Glenn Qarinah – Mohsin Mirage Carousal – J.D. Cowan In the Garden of Madness – Declan Finn Melkart on the Isle of the Damned – Mark Mellon A Vested Interest – Michael Reyes Dancing With the Indians – Rodica Bretin Otis Stein #1 – Matthew Vealey & Carlos F. Rodriguez
Winter The Superior Griefs (Part 4) Black Eyes – David Breitenbeck Bones – Aaron Onyon Webs – Donald Jacob Uitvlugt Fixing the Turtle – Tais Teng An Unexpected Voyage – Joyce Frohn The Red Hat – Ken Lizzi Swords in the Tomb – Harold R. Thompson Tokens of Moonlight and Mist – Stanley Wheeler The Work of Other Wolves – Frederick Gero Heimbach Son of Sinbad and the Roc of Ages – Owen G. Tabard The Rune of Blodeuwedd – Matthew Knight What of the Mountains? – Joseph Bernstein A Game With the Gods – Rodica Bretin
Following the successful conversion of Wild Stars: The Book of Circles into a Kindle eBook and massive giveaway last week during which over 200 people downloaded a copy to check out, Michael has agreed that going forward we should pursue digital editions of ALL installments of Wild Stars.
We’ll be converting the previous installments which do not yet have digital versions to ebook formats.
These eBooks have been made available as a digital Add-On through the Kickstarter.
While we aren’t directly involved with these releases, we’re thrilled to be able to shine a spotlight on a couple of releases from our contributors.
Into the Bush by J. Manfred Weichsel
Most people don’t realize that before he was America’s premier writer of subversive fiction, J. Manfred Weichsel had his roots in Hollywood, where he wrote screenplays for the Action Girls, a trio of starlets who produced and acted in their own indie movies throughout the 2010’s.
In this behind-the-scenes memoire, J. Manfred Weichsel dishes out the most salacious details of the making of their most notorious film, Into the Bush. After the overwhelmingly successful premier of Jungle Jitters, Jennifer, the leader of the Action Girls, is eager to make another movie, and she asks her regular scribe, J. Manfred Weichsel, to write it.
His pitch? A three-hundred-mile-tall giantess named Patty McGloop resides in the Mojave Desert, with a public hair region spanning seven miles from below her navel to between her thighs. Just as the Gargantua ray made Patty McGloop very tall, it also enlarged the microscopic animals that live on her skin and hair. Wouldn’t it be fun to go exploring inside her pubic hair jungle in order to document all the interesting flora and fauna?
The Action girls excitedly make all the preparations needed to shoot such a bizarre motion picture, and take a helicopter to Patty McGloop’s navel, the gateway to her colossal realm. But the girls are quickly captured by the savage creatures inhabiting McGloop’s lush bush. Now, it is up to J. Manfred Weichsel, humble screenwriter, to go on a daring mission into the bush to rescue them.
Into the Bush is a semi-sequel to J. Manfred Weichsel’s most controversial novel, Jungle Jitters, and will be released early 2024. To be notified when it comes out, subscribe to Weichsel’s Substack.
Quantillion Quill, the adventurer whose reputation proceeds him … usually leaving him far behind!
Join the professional adventurer Quantillion Quill and his acerbic mystical monkey doll companion Chaba on their quests throughout the world of Plemora and beyond as they rescue princesses, obtain valuable treasures, explore uncharted worlds, thwart evil sorcerers, encounter monsters, strange phenomena, gods and magical powers, and generally, save the world. And hopefully, get paid in the end for their troubles! A comedy fantasy adventure series of epic proportions!
Now that we’re on the verge of serializing the 8th installment of Wild Stars, we want an opportunity to not only offer a good jumping on point for the series but also be able to give it away for free or deep discounts when possible to grow the series’ readership.
Speaking of good jumping on points, Wild Stars: Orphan of the Shadowy Moons may be one of the best we can offer. Discounting the book-ending sections which were written much more recently, Orphan of the Shadowy Moons is chronologically the first Wild Stars story (telling the origins of the Ancient Warrior who became the patriarch of the Wild Stars) AND it was one of the first Wild Stars novels written, originally written and conceived as “Moonshadow” in the mid 1970s.
In fact, in the 1978 art portfolio “Across the Distance”, Michael included a few illustration plates for the then-unsold Moonshadow novel. We will be reprinting some [but not all!] of the plates included in an appendix of our collected edition of Orphan of the Shadowy Moons.
We’d especially like to take a moment to thank Wistmoor for his help in making sure that the Book of Circles graphic novel looked good on eReader devices!
Subsequent volumes of Wild Stars will be made available as eBooks as we’re able to get them converted. 3 & 4 should be easy, but 2 could be something else…
He led Mankind on its first exodus to the stars when Atlantis fell 75,000 years ago, but who is the Ancient Warrior? Old beyond reckoning, his true identity has been forgotten by all, on Earth and in the Wild Stars—including himself!
While on the run from the fleet of Artomique Dreadnoughts, Daestar and Bully Bravo take the Ancient Warrior to one of the Extragalactic worlds where his memories can be unsealed. At last, the origins of the Ancient Warrior can be told!
Abandoned on a savage flooded planet as an infant to die of exposure, a young golden child is found and adopted by a powerful warlord and raised to be his heir. The orphan boy is given the name Strazis—same as the Shadowy Moon under which he was found.
Growing up in the household of the most powerful man on the planet, Strazis finds himself at the center of countless intrigues and machinations of both the Worldlord’s biological children and a mysterious faction of assassins who are somehow connected to the strange appearance of abandoned golden children, including Phaedra: the most beautiful girl young Strazis has ever seen.
When Strazis narrowly escapes raiders who murder many of the Worldlord’s other heirs, he must quickly grow and learn what it means not only to be the Worldlord’s son but be a Worldlord himself.
Originally written in the 1970s but serialized in Cirsova Magazine for the first time in 2022, Michael Tierney’s epic sword and planet adventure novel has been decades in the making.
Art of Orphan of the Shadowy Moons
Orphan of the Shadowy Moons was originally illustrated by Jesse White with cover art by Anton Oxenuk.
This edition features all new covers by Anton (softcover trade) and Michael Tierney (hardcover dust jacket), as well as the original magazine artwork on the reverse.
Clockwise: Anton Oxenuk Softcover, Michael Tierney Hardcover, Anton Oxenuk original Cirsova Magazine coverWorldlord Eagal Ir Radin finds a golden child abandoned in sunken ruins.Strazis lives and hunts like a wild animal, having washed up on a distant shore following his narrow escape from the Black AssassinsForlorn, Phaedra languishes in captivityStrazis slays a deadly gatakmo
Each of these fantastic original illustrations is available for sale through this Kickstarter.
In addition, as bonus in the volume, we will be reprinting for the first time materials from the Across the Distance: The Multiversal Scribe Volume 2 art portfolio, including some of the earliest Wild Stars illustrations. [See the Short History of Wild Stars below!]
Catch Up on the Wild Stars!
All previous installments of Michael Tierney’s epic Wild Stars saga are available through this Kickstarter!
The Wild Stars Omnibus Volume 1 (Anton Oxenuk cover), collecting Wild Stars 1-4 + the individual volumes of 1-4 shown below (Mark Wheatley Covers).Interlocking back covers of the 35th Anniversary editions of Wild Stars 1-4 featuring art from Mark Wheatley
Wild Stars 1: The Book of Circles – Earth is caught in a massive conflict when the Artomiques, fascist refugees from an alternate timeline, ally with the Brothan, a race of wolf-like aliens, and Carthage, a renegade Wild Star who seeks control of the cradle of humanity!
Wild Stars 2: Force Majeure – Seeking revenge for his defeat, Carthage kidnaps the First Marker’s infant daughter and absconds with her through time! Erlik and Daestar aid Mark Mackavicka and Akara in their search through time for their missing daughter. Except to preserve the future and prevent a resurgence of the Brothan empire, they can’t rescue Mark and Akara’s daughter until she’s already a grown woman!
Wild Stars 3: Time Warmageddon – While pursuing the mystery of the Wild Stars, President Bully Bravo and a group of unlikely companions become stranded on a terraformer colony world. They uncover a massive web of conspiracy, all while pursued by an evil pirate queen and a rogue time-traveler trying to create a god.
Wild Stars 4: Wild Star Rising – A sailor from earth’s distant past must join with the Ancient Warrior’s Wild Stars companions to help them navigate the great gulfs of space, free Phaedra from her black-hole prison!
Wild Stars 5: The Artomique Paradigm – Against the backdrop of the first formal galactic peace summit between Earth, the Wild Stars, and the unaligned worlds, a secret alliance between the Artomique Corporation and space pirates led by the notorious Red Queen threatens to turn the balance of power in the galaxy upside down!
Wild Stars 5 [Genzoman hardcover, Virgin Dark Filly Softcover (limited; nearly sold out), Anton Oxenuk softcover]
Add-0ns
The Multiversal Scribe – $10
Wild Stars 1: The Book of Circles – $15
Wild Stars 2: Force Majeure – $15
Wild Stars 3: Time Warmageddon (Retail edition)- $15
Wild Stars 3: Time Warmageddon – (1st Edition Tim Lim Softcover) LIMITED! ONLY 20 REMAINING – $30
Wild Stars 3: Time Warmageddon – (1st Edition Mark Wheatley Softcover) LIMITED! ONLY 20 REMAINING – $30
Wild Stars 3: Time Warmageddon – (1st Edition Mark Wheatley Hardcover) LIMITED! ONLY 20 REMAINING – $60
Wild Stars 4: Wild Star Rising – $15
Wild Stars 5: The Artomique Paradigm (Softcover) – $20
Wild Stars 5: The Artomique Paradigm (Virgin Softcover)LIMITED! ONLY 10 REMAINING – $50
Wild Stars 5: The Artomique Paradigm (Hardcover) – $35
Wild Stars Hardcover “Catch-up Pack” (Wild Stars Omnibus + The Artomique Paradigm Hardcover) – $100
Original Art of the Worldlord finding Strazis – $300
Original Art of Strazis Hunting in the Wild – $300
Original Art of Phaedra in Captivity – $300
Original Art of Strazis Slaying the Gatakmo – $300
StretchGoals
$5500 – Additional Illustrations
If we hit this goal, we can have an additional 2 illustrations from Jesse White!
$7000 – Even More Illustrations
We’ll get a total of 4 additional illustrations from Jesse White for the collected Orphan of the Shadowy Moons.
Short History of Wild Stars
One of the first publications to contain materials that would eventually form the Wild Stars was Michael Tierney’s self-published 1977 zine, The Multiversal Scribe, which contained several pieces of his short fiction accompanied by his art and illustrations for them. One short story in this zine, The Boundaries of Decision, was recently reprinted as bonus material for The Artomique Paradigm and serves as a prelude to The Gold Exigency (being serialized now in Cirsova Magazine).
Michael followed this up in 1978 with a multiplate art portfolio entitled Across the Distance: The Multiversal Scribe Volume 2. This portfolio featured original artwork by both Michael Tierney and Bruce Conklin, including pieces illustrating scenes from the unpublished novels First Marker (which Michael later adapted into a comic) and Moonshadow (which eventually became Orphan of the Shadowy Moons).
One of the plates for Moonshadow was adapted by Anton Oxenuk for the cover of the Spring 2022 issue of Cirsova.
The Wild Stars debuted properly as a series of comic books created, written, rendered, sometimes illustrated, and once even printed by Michael Tierney, first published in 1984.
1984’s Erlik and 1988’s First Marker
The complete comic book novel took 20 years to tell, and in 2004 all three volumes of the comic book series and the Wild Stars portfolio from 1985 were combined into the trade paperback, The Book of Circles.
Frank Brunner covers of the 2001 Wild Stars comicsCollected 1st edition featuring Frank Brunner’s Gathering of the Chiefs cover
In 2014, Michael Tierney published Force Majeure, an 83,000 word novel wrapping 38 pages of comics, including the 2002 Force Majeure: Prairie Bay one-shot comic.
Armando Gil cover of Force Majeure
In 2018, Michael teamed up with Cirsova Publishing, releasing the third major installment in the Wild Stars series, the prose novella Time Warmageddon.
The Tim Lim cover of Time Warmageddon
From this point forward, Wild Stars kicked into high gear, with the 35th Anniversary Set and Omnibus in 2019, which included a 4th installment, Wild Star Rising.
In 2021, Cirsova Magazine serialized Wild Stars 5: The Artomique Paradigm and released a collected edition the following year.
At the time of this Kickstarter, Cirsova Magazine is serializing Wild Stars 7: The Gold Exigency and will be serializing Wild Stars 8: The SuperiorGriefs beginning in 2024 in Cirsova Volume 2 #18.
Cover by Stefani Rennee
What People Are Saying About Wild Stars
“Wild Stars one of my favorites.” – Fiannawolf
“Michael Tierney is a master of tone and intent and the sense of foreboding that lies over this whole episode makes me want to read the next. Thrilling and heroic.” – John Gradoville
“I mainly buy (Cirsova) for the Wild Stars series by Michael Tierney. This amazing series gets better with each installment.” – Charles Reed
“(Wild Stars) reads like Dune with the introspection on tyranny and freedom replaced with … action.” – Dave Higgins
“The seamless merger of sci-fi and fantasy… crackles, and the adventures leap… with a relentless pace that’s a joy to follow along.” – Jon Mollison
Michael’s Bio
Michael Tierney has been involved in comics and the publishing industry since the 70s. As owner and proprietor of both The Comic Book Store and Collector’s Edition, Michael was a Finalist for both the Star*Reach Comics Retailer of the Year Award in 1985 and the Will Eisner Spirit of the Comics Retailer of the Year Award in 1999. Since COVID, Michael converted his brick-and-mortar stores to an eBay store and his subscription services to mail order, giving him more time to focus on his writing and work as a city councilman.
He has been an Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide Advisor since the 1990s, and is a staple of Central Arkansas’ comic scene.
A former journeyman printer and printing division manager, he’s written, published, and at times even penciled, inked, and printed his own comics. He does writing, lettering, and (for the first 100 strips) coloring for the Edgar Rice Burroughs® Beyond the Farthest StarTM weekly web strip.
His best-selling four volume Edgar Rice Burroughs 100 Year Art Chronology published by Chenault & Gray was released in 2018, and his follow-up Robert E. Howard Art Chronology was released in 2023, both to critical acclaim.
Michael has been a regular contributor to Cirsova Magazine which published “Young Tarzan and the Mysterious She,” expanded from a previously “lost” fragment by Edgar Rice Burroughs, as well as several other original short stories and Wild Stars novels.
Also, since there’s no other good place to really announce this (I probably should’ve posted it yesterday), Relics of tha Kangsta is back in print for a limited time only! This hardcover volume collects all of the rap battles of Kangsta Wrapper as well as an appendix containing things like troop dispositions, spells, and unit organization.
There were men who travelled the world, seeking adventure, fighting injustice, defending the weak and the helpless, looking to right wrongs wherever they are found:
These were the Mighty Sons of Hercules!
Cirsova Publishing invites you to join eight of the Mighty Sons of Hercules on their daring adventures!
You’ll be amazed by their impressive feats of superhuman strength. You’ll be dazzled by the exotic and dangerous beauties who would seek their downfall. You’ll cheer as they save the innocent from peril and mete out justice to dastardly villains.
Wherever righteousness must have a champion, there you will find the Mighty Sons of Hercules! Whenever there is need and no mortal man can suffice, a Mighty Son of Hercules shall appear!
Cirsova 