Issue 20(1): Welcome to NIGHTMARE FUEL
Nightmare Fuel is the official newsletter for fans of my work. Thank you for subscribing. Please share it with others if you think they might be interested!
While working off-site recently, I pulled a batch of index cards out of my trusty bag. The cards were labeled “Nightmare Fuel.” They were associated with an outline for project that has moved waaaaay past the index card phase (and one that has changed titles) but they linger with my gear like gum wrappers and crumpled receipts. I tossed the cards on the table as I continued to dig through my bag. A pen! I only needed a pen! One lone pen amidst the aforementioned trash! Another customer strolled past and noticed the cards.
“Nightmare fuel?” he said. “Why on earth do you want to fuel nightmares? And why do you need so many cards to do it?”
That got me thinking. Just how much nightmare fuel do I need in my life? In my line of work? Quite a bit, actually. I’m an idea machine, after all, and a machine needs fuel. I mean, I’ve got plenty of projects lined up for the coming months. I’ve got a good supply of pitches ready to go if I need them. But I’m also always thinking about what’s next. What am I going to be working on once all my current projects are wrapped up?
And so… the Nightmare Fuel Box was born.
Think of it as a Rolodex of insidious ideas, some nothing more than seeds, some a little more fleshed out, some two-sentence horror yarns, some are questions I ask myself or ideas for titles, but all waiting, right there at my fingertips. The plan is to keep the box fed, to keep ideas pouring into it. Every day, I’m adding a card to the file. Of course that means that some of the ideas will be trash. Most of them will be half-baked. A lot of them will be downright weird. Like nightmares. But they’ll be there to, if nothing else, give my imagination a jolt when I need it.
I’ll share bits and pieces of the collection from time to time, some here and on Discord, some on Patreon. We can all ponder the oddity of the Nightmare Fuel Box together.
Here are a couple of examples from the box so far:
“The machine is diseased, so the organs it spits out are diseased.”
“Three people went into the abandoned house. Four came out. The fourth was accepted by the rest, as if they had always been with them.”
“Flooded forest… Bodies start washing up.”
“Our shadows are always with us…. They see and hear everything we do…. But what if everyone’s shadows spontaneously developed voices and started sharing our secrets?”
Now I’m sitting here regretting not buying that old library card catalogue I saw at a yard sale. I didn’t have the money then, but it was certainly cheaper than they are now! Would have been a cool way to store the inevitably massive collection of cards.
I also got the urge to decorate an index card box in a nightmarish fashion. I used to be kind of crafty in a “make something creepy out of junk found in your garage kind of way” but maybe not anymore. Maybe I’ll give it a shot, though.
This also reminds me of the Zone Box, which was a centerpiece of a horror anthology film my friends and I wanted to make when we were in 6th grade.
Maybe I’ll talk about that next time.
Welcome to the first issue of the new era!
I’ve changed the newsletter title to reflect my new attitude, my new projects, and my new approach over the next few years. In terms of content, you’ll still be getting NEWS and WEEKLY OBSESSIONS and THINGS TO COME and updates on NEW BOOKS. I’ll be sharing the aforementioned BOX OF NIGHTMARE FUEL and some of my thoughts on the horror genre. I’ve also added a FLASHBACK section featuring some old photos snapped over the course of my writing career.
I’m glad you’re here.
Let’s keep on keeping on!
I’ve been doing a lot of interviews about INVASIVE, the new horror comic that launches this week (see below). There should be quite a few of them dropping in the next few days.
One of the first just dropped at Dynamic Forces.
Time to brag a little bit.
My son, along with hundreds of other kids, just auditioned for the Missouri All-State Orchestra. To say audition day is nerve-wracking is an understatement, but these kids give it their all in an inspiring way. My son’s been practicing for several weeks.
He auditioned last year and made the cut, the only student… and a freshman, no less… to make the cut.
This year, he came back and nailed the audition again!
So, he’s heading back to All-State!
Even though he made it through the audition, he’s pretty hard on himself about how he did. I wish he could appreciate his own talent and dedication and drive.
Anyhow… he doesn't read my newsletter, but I’m proud of you, kid!
Over on Patreon, I’ve been posting a few things, including two new installments of DEEPEST CATACOMBS. They’re free for folks to read, so check them out!
Dare I dream?
I got the wild idea yesterday that maybe I’d take the week after Christmas off work. I haven’t taken that much time off in… well… ever. Like my old man before me, I’ve always worked on trips and vacations, finding meetings to take, signings or conventions to attend, or… simply… spending a good chunk of time writing.
I’m gonna try, though, to make that happen this year.
I just want to try it on for size.
Of course, that means working three times as hard for the next couple of weeks.
INVASIVE #1
Beyond excess, beyond ethics, beyond science . . . Enter a terrifying new experiment in pain from Eisner Award nominee Cullen Bunn (The Sixth Gun, Basilisk) and acclaimed illustrator Jes s Hervás (The Empty Man)! Dr. Carrie Reynolds was a veteran trauma surgeon with a godlike mastery of muscle and bone. But outside the operating room, her rigidly ordered life spiraled into chaos when her daughter, Heather-a recovering plastic surgery addict-suddenly disappeared, only to mysteriously reemerge in a catatonic state, her vocal cords removed . . . the latest in a series of victims scarred by a battery of brazenly cruel medical procedures that have baffled police and left an alarming number of once-ordinary citizens maimed, mutilated, or dead on arrival. Deep beneath the streets of Carrie's city, a new kind of underground hospital has just opened its doors . . . and, once inside, there are no rules, no oaths, and no taboos too deep to not to be broken. Together, a new class of surgeon has sworn to pierce the final threshold of accepted medical orthodoxy one incision at a time. The scalpel is their tool. The alleys are their operating theater. Murder is their medicine. And only Carrie can stop what they're planning next
That’s a mouthful, huh? I think we could have left this one at—MURDER SURGEONS—and watched what happened! This is a dark one, folks.
GHOSTLORE #7
The family harboring Harmony may be in danger and she's determined to do anything she can to save them. However, when she receives another ghost story, it's unclear whether she's been successful...
If you’ve been following GHOSTLORE, hopefully you’ve seen that it is going somewhere, building toward something much bigger than a simple “anthology engine”. We’re taking more steps along that path with this issue.
THE MIDNITE SHOW #3
As the terrifying cinematic monsters wreak havoc on the town of Cedar Bluffs, our heroes meet up with legendary vampire slayer Van Helsing while trying to survive and put an end to this madness once and for all. Cullen Bunn, Brian Hurtt, Bill Crabtree, and Jim Campbell unleash this tale of terror. Popcorn not included.
Who doesn’t love a huge monster brawl? This issue features a scene that—as I was writing it—made me giddy imagining what Brian and Bill would do with it. They did not disappoint.
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 MYSTERIOUS FUTURE…
PROJECT: JUMP - a new comic book series in the Beyond Mortal Universe.
PROJECT: HEX - a supernatural/horror thriller.
PROJECT: HORROR- a licensed horror miniseries.
PROJECT: GARDEN - a horror novella.
PROJECT: NINE - a horror one-shot.
PROJECT: CURSE - a horror one-shot.
PROJECT: ED - a licensed horror miniseries.
PROJECT: AUTUMN - a horror/fantasy miniseries.
PROJECT: YELLOW - a book I don’t think readers will expect from me.
THE SIXTH GUN NEW SERIES - awwww, yeah!
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.
THE FARAWAY - a dark fantasy series.
CULLEN’S TRIPLE THREAT OF TERROR - three gruesome one-shots.
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
I’ve been watching SLAYERS and BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and ULTRAMAN this week. And I’ve been loving every second of it.
I also had the chance to watch GODZILLA MINUS ONE. No spoilers, of course, but it’s great, like an epic period piece with Godzilla. Possibly the most human of all the Godzilla movies. Certainly one of the most moving on a human level. Loved it.
In the world of gaming, my D&D campaign, which I’ve been calling “the last D&D game I’ll ever run” has been rolling along. It’s kind of a kitchen sink game, a celebration of 45 years of playing the game, so it’s got some of my favorite hits from the past. Right now, the party has found itself in Gamma World.
‘Tis the season, because I’ve been listening to A LOT of Christmas music, especially on long, early morning road trips.
I have a bunch of old pictures from conventions, signings, and other events long past. I’ll share a few of them every issue, trying to build a kid of visual history.
All events are subject to change at a moment’s notice, but here is where I’ll be appearing in the next several months!
February 3, 2024 - ARTCON, Neosho, Missouri
March 8 - 10, 2024 - PLANET COMICON, Kansas City, Missouri
May 31 - June 2, 2024 - TREMENDICON, Springfield, Missouri
All Year Long - KICKING ASS AND TAKING NAMES, Worldwide
THE SHOCK SHOP - My online store, where you can find exclusive covers you can only get directly from me!
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.
MY AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE - Listen. You should always shop at your local comic and bookstore first, but if they don’t carry the books you want, you might be able to get them here. And, if nothing else, leave some reviews of the books you love!
Now I want an idea box!
Idea files are such a necessity! Thanks for sharing about yours, I hope to hear more about the Zone Box. :) Congratulations to your son!