Issue 197: Practice Like You’ve Never Won
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First up, a quick update on CROOKED HILLS. The campaign funded! that means we’re moving forward with printing and it should be surging forward rather quickly. I’m extremely grateful to everyone who backed the project. Did I want the campaign to do a little better? Of course! But I knew we had some obstacles before us on this one.
Kickstarter will continue to be part of my publishing plan going forward, both in terms of comics and prose, and I’ll be doing a lot of deep thinking on how to make all the campaigns I have planned as successful as possible.
What kind of projects will you be seeing? Well, there are horror comics on the horizon! CULLEN’S TRIPLE THREAT OF TERROR is still in the works! Comics are being drawn as we speak. I have also been sharing some really amazing emails with an artist I’ve worked with a few times, and the KAIJU project we’re cooking up seems perfect for crowdfunding! In addition, there is a novella series, an anthology, and much more coming your way!
So… I’m sad… because Halloween is over. No trivia for another year. No haunted garages. No spooky decorations in my house.
Who am I kidding?
There are always spooky decorations in my house.
Now, we enter the season of celebration. First up, my birthday is coming up. I am the ancient, and my sorrow is great. As I approach my fifty-third birthday, I realize I only have—what?—another 80 or 90 years left on this world, and I haven’t accomplished NEARLY enough.
So… there’s that.
Then, Thanksgiving! Which, just after Halloween, is my FAVORITE holiday. In the past, I’ve always been a reclusive hermit on Thanksgiving. Last year, though, for the first time in… over a decade… I had friends over. And we’re doing it again, by God!
And, of course, Christmas. That’s Cindy’s most magical time of the year, and I like it quite a bit myself.
New Years comes right on its heels. While I don’t love New Year’s Eve, I like that this year is almost over, because it has been a MONSTER for the Bunns.
Anyhow, I did manage to get one more haunted house in a couple of nights ago. We thought we had missed Field of Screams this year because of rain, but they extended the event by one week. So, we got to wander through the woods and get jumped by Michael Myers, Jason Vorhees, Pennywise, Ghostface, Chucky, and a bunch of other freaks. It was a great time.
On the day after Halloween, my pal Timmy Flipflops and I attended the Grady Hendrix Q&A at a local donut shop. I’m a huge fan of Grady’s work, but I’ve never had the chance to meet him. I was one of the first people to arrive, so I went up and introduced myself. “Oh, the comic guy!” he exclaimed, and we talked for a bit before he had to go on. He was an absolute gem of a human being. If you haven’t read his work, you need to fix that—fast. And if you ever have the chance to see one of his presentations, do THAT! He has such a great energy.
While we there, some of the hosts (from our library) asked a few attendees who they would like to see present next. One of the guests told a librarian that they’d love to meet some jerk named Cullen Bunn. When the librarian told her, “Oh, really? Well, he’s sitting right over there,” they didn’t believe them. That was nice and, I’ll admit, a nice boost to my ego. And I got to meet someone awesome who likes my work.
I also found out, after the the fact, that several members of the local chapter of the Horror Writers Association were there. I really—REALLY—need to work on getting local creators together to network and make magic happen. I’ve already taken some steps in that direction.
While driving through town recently, I saw a sign that kind of spoke to me. It read:
PRACTICE LIKE YOU’VE NEVER WON. PERFORM LIKE YOU’VE NEVER LOST.
I’d bet money that I have seen that message at some time in the past, but it jumped out at me this time around. Maybe because my kid practices non-stop. He works for his passion! And, these days, whether he knows it or not, he’s my biggest inspiration.
A couple of days ago, Cindy and I drove our son to a violin competition. Prior to setting out, I made a list of things to discuss on the 2.5-hour drive. Among the items listed was “How the HELL am I gonna do this?” The question was in regard to the several new projects I have on my list for the next few weeks.
Let me be clear…
The things I’m working on could 100% change my life. In many more ways than you might expect. A couple of them are big challenges. A couple of them are big risks. But it is becoming more and more clear to me that I have to shake things up if I’m going to move forward. I promise to keep you in the loop as soon as I can, but just know that I’m about to enter a time in my life far, far beyond a Scriptpocalypse.
Hang with me.
Wish me luck.
I need it.
THE MIDNITE SHOW #2
The most infamous cinematic monsters are manifesting in the sleepy town of Cedar Bluffs. As the world changes, becoming more and more like the gothic settings of classic horror films, a group of would-be victims struggles to survive. It's the most fun you can have getting scared!
Cullen Bunn, Brian Hurtt, Bill Crabtree, and Jim Campbell unleash this tale of terror. Popcorn not included.
This one actually came out last week, and I somehow missed it! So, here’s your reminder that there’s a KICKASS book coming out that you SHOULD be picking up!
GHOSTLORE Volume 1
What ghost stories do ghosts tell, and what can they tell us about ourselves?
An estranged daughter and her father wander a haunted land; they only have the restless spirits, each with its own story to tell, as company along the way.
After a deadly accident of which they are the only survivors, Lucas and Harmony Agate can see the dead-an overwhelming amount of the deceased, all with their own warnings, cries for help, and malevolence alike.
But Lucas and Harmony aren't the only ones with this ability; there are other nearly-deads, some of which have malicious motivations...
Right now, I’m working on the final arc of this series, and I’m already hating that it is coming to a close. If you haven’t given this one a shot, here’s the first arc!
I watched MAYHEM on Shudder, and I thought it was great.
I also re-watched THE CRAZIES and THE DOMESTICS, and I enjoyed the Hell out of both of them.
I’ve been listening to a lot of Gunship and Tiki music.
I’ve been reading an ARC of Stephen Graham Jones’ amazing THE ANGEL OF INDIAN LAKE.
I also got the chance to check out SHE’S RUNNING ON FUMES from Dennis Hopeless before it comes out, and it is terrific.
Here is a quick and dirty list of upcoming projects. In most cases, I’m only listing projects that are definitely on the schedule with a published. Oftentimes, I will not be able to share much information, but I can at least tease the future! Everything here is, of course, subject to change.
THE UNKNOWN FUTURE…
PROJECT: JUMP, a new comic book series in the Beyond Mortal Universe.
PROJECT: HEX, a supernatural/horror thriller.
PROJECT: HORROR, a licensed horror comic.
I’LL KILL YOU LAST - An 80s action/horror fiction anthology I’m editing.
GALLERY OF WHISPERS - An RPG project I’ve been quietly developing.
PROJECT: PREHISTORY - More kaiju craziness
PROJECT: MEGA-BATTLE - Even More kaiju craziness
PROJECT: BOT - A sequel to a story of robotic mischief
PROJECT: WATER HEATER - An apocalyptic horror/fantasy maxi-series
PROJECT: ARCANA - a dark fantasy series
PROJECT: MONSTER - a new horror/action/comedy series
PROJECT: HOAX - a horror limited series
THE SHOCK SHOP - My online store, where you can find exclusive covers you can only get directly from me!
TWITTER - This is the best place to interact with me online. My handle is @cullenbunn
TIKTOK - A fun spot for quick videos about writing, comics, and collecting
PATREON - Here, I post a serialized novel, a serialized comic book, short stories, and other cool materials.
THE CULLEN BUNN DISCORD SERVER - A place for fans to hang out and talk about comics, books, movies, games, collecting, and whatever else strikes their fancy.
THE BUNNGALOW - Cindy and I talk about life, hot button topics, pop culture, being married to a comic book writer and EVERYTHING in between.