USC grad writes graphic novel
Eleni Romanias had been tossing the idea around for a while.
Romanias, a 2013 Penn State theater graduate currently living in Burbank, Calif., wrote a screenplay called “Greek Goddess,” which tells the story of a high school senior who turns out to be the reincarnation of the ancient warrior goddess, Athena. The story chronicles her transformation from marching band flag twirler to a spear-wielding heroine.
“I wanted to play the role and make the film,” said Romanias, now 23, the daughter of Emmanuel and Stacey Romanias of Upper St. Clair. “I always wanted to play an action hero. I was in the marching band at Upper St. Clair as a flag twirler. I started looking at different Greek myths. There was Athena, the goddess of wisdom and the spear was her weapon of choice. I could be the awkward band geek heroine.”
She showed the script to her brother, Willy, a fan of graphic novels and Japanese animation called anime. He suggested turning the screenplay into a graphic novel. Romanias said her brother’s idea made a lot of sense.
“From a production standpoint, it made sense to release the graphic novel first,” Romanias said, explaining the two projects could piggyback off each other.
So, she began researching how graphic novels and comics were written.
“You have to be very specific in each panel,” said Romanias, adding that it took about a month to convert the script into comic book form.
Half way through the process, she said, she found an anime artist she liked online, Bryan Golden, who is based in Orlando. She also began looking for a publisher for “Greek Goddess.”
“I mailed out five copies and contacted 12 publishers,” Romanias said.
Because this was her first book, she found it made more sense to self publish.
“There was no guarantee they (publishers) would like it,” she said.
The 88-page “Greek Goddess” graphic novel has been available since late January. Under her arrangement with the publisher, the book can be ordered from Amazon for $14.99. The book will then be printed and shipped, she said.
“Print on demand,” said Romanias, who has some copies of the book that she will be signing from 2-4 p.m. May 28 at Nerds Cards and Comics in Bridgeville. Romanias will be back in Western Pennsylvania for several weeks to begin casting parts for the film version of “Greek Goddess.”
“Pittsburgh is where the filming will take place,” said Romanias, who has no plans at this time to permanently return to the Pittsburgh area. “When I was writing the script, I was thinking of Upper St. Clair.”
There are five main roles and 12 minor ones in the film version of Greek Goddess, which Eleni will direct, produce and star in. She is also hoping to line up investors while home.
“My production company is called Little Pudd Productions LLC,” she said. “Dad called me Little Pudd.”