Issue 20(2): A Box Full of Nightmare
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Waaaaaay back in middle school, my friend Jamie and I had this crazy idea that we would make a horror movie. Not just a horror movie. An anthology horror movie. We scripted all six segments. We storyboarded the action and horror sequences. We drew mock movie posters. We talked to other kids about playing parts in the movie. The plan was to film it on a VHS camera (which neither of us had, so I’m assuming there were elements of a heist in our grand designs) and show it to our friends and classmates come Halloween season.
I don’t remember much about the individual stories. One of them focused on a jar of Miracle Whip that, when it was scraped empty, rolled around looking for victims it could consume and convert to new dressing. I’m pretty sure the plan was for the jar to talk in an ominous, hollow, echoing voice.
We never filmed a single frame, but—my God!—we spent hours and hours and hours working on this movie. We were giddy with the thrill of telling these stories. We were having a blast.
We called the project, originally enough, THE ZONE. The framing story centered around a clear treasure chest called The Zone Box. It would appear in different places, always bringing chaos and horror with it. The Zone Box was inspired by a little trinket I had picked up at a garage sale somewhere down the line. It was a plastic box, clear, framed with faux metal brackets and crowned with a red gemstone. I’m sure I used it for storing dice at some point.
I still have the box, though it lost its red gemstone (and I’m guessing much of its reality-warping power) long ago. It sits on my bookcase as a reminder of the pure magic and fun of creativity and storytelling.
When I started thinking about my Nightmare Box—the index card file full of nightmarish ideas—I couldn’t help but consider the influence of the Zone Box.
Once upon a time, I was kind of crafty. Yes, most of my crafts were associated with role-playing games in one way or another. I customized and painted miniatures. I created faux tomes of infinite darkness for intrepid adventurers to find. I sculpted ancient artifacts to use as props. I haven’t done anything like that in a long while, but I was thinking that my collection of horrible prompts and ideas needed a cool looking home, so I set out to create something unusual.
I liked the way it turned out. At least visually. It’s not the most sturdy “prop” I’ve ever created. The plastic index card box I used as a starting point has had a little too much give and take to hold the sculpting in place. I think the metric ton of superglue I have used to piece the box back together every time it collapsed may help.
Anyhow…
Maybe the Zone Box has been reborn!
Welcome to Snake Mountain, Nightmare Box. Hope you survive the experience!
And, as promised, a couple of samples from the box this week:
The Dust King feeds on tears.
Celestial vultures are circling the earth.
“In Revenge and in Love…”
How about a new comic book announcement?
Fact: there are over 700 missing people along America’s interstate highways, hunted, taken, and killed by more than 300 active serial killers.
When Sarah Blake went missing on her way to work, it was too much for her sickly father to handle. His passing, coupled with Sarah’s disappearance, left her older brothers Danny and Carl filled with rage and loss. With nothing and no one left to lose, the two men decide to spend whatever time they have left hunting down long haul serial killers, uncovering the truth about Sarah, and taking the murderers out in brutal fashion.
During their mission for revenge, they learn about a convoy of sociopathic killers known only as The Nine. One of them stole Sarah from beside her broken down car, and the Blake brothers must violently work their way through the Nine and their protectors until they come to the member who took her.
This is the story of LONG HAUL, which comes out in February from Storm King Comics. LONG HAUL is written by Heath Amodio and myself and drawn by Andrea Mutti. It’s a gritty, grim, violent tale, and it hits the shelves as an original graphic novel in February.
Now is your last chance to support gHosts on Zoop and get an artifact copy of the Halloween Special. There’s just three days left on the campaign. The book’s full of ghosts and monsters and horror hosts and a lot of fun!
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!
I’ve been pretty busy this week. Same as every week, I guess. I’ve been forging ahead on numerous projects, working on scripts every day. I’ve also been pitching several new books. In the last couple of weeks, I’ve pitched a couple of new projects and a dozen short story projects. I’m still trying to fill out next year (and even the year beyond) in a nice way. I’ve also received two new media options on comics I’ve written. That’s a nice way to close out the year.
Of course, I want more.
In one of my phone calls this week, someone said, “You know, in the ten years I’ve know you, with all the media stuff going on, you’ve never said, ‘That’s enough.”
To which I replied:
And now you have that song stuck in your head.
You’re welcome.
Seriously, though. It’s not that I’m unappreciative of things that have happened. It’s not that I’m unhappy. It’s that I know myself. And if I ever let myself feel satisfied, I just stop moving forward.
It’s a lot like how I am with eating Big Macs.
Lots of phone calls last week and a bunch more this week. Cindy asked me, “When do you have time to write around all these phone calls?” The truth is, it’s getting more and more difficult. Going into next year (the first several months of which I’m dubbing, not Scriptpocalypse but Mega-Writepocalypse, I’ll need to really limit those calls and meetings.
In a few days, I’m heading out to a marketing seminar with a number of comic creators. We’re going to be discussing how to expand our reach, strengthen our brands, identify our communication strategies. Marketing, my friends, is tough when it comes to comics right now. I have some specific goals in mind, and I’m really looking forward to the session. It’s a 2 week session crammed into the weekend, so it’ll be hectic. Not sure how it will impact next issue. I might be a day or so late.
I’m still looking forward to the idea of taking the week after Christmas off.
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
With the end of the year rapidly approaching, I realized I have been missing out on more than a few movies from the last year. So… I tried to do a little catch-up this week when I could. Two new flicks were added to the list. I didn’t know much about either one beforehand and I dug them both.
INFINITY POOL is a worthy successor to Brandon Cronenberg’s POSSESSOR. I just love this style of movie, the kind of strange acceptance of… well… the strange.
NO ONE WILL SAVE you was an excellent alien invasion movie with amazing visuals and a gimmick that I didn’t THINK would work for me. I was wrong. Loved it.
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!
How do you not allow dissatisfaction to wreck your joy? Thanks.
Re: “And if I ever let myself feel satisfied, I just stop moving forward.”
Thanks for the Nightmare Fuel! (I promise not to start every comment with that. Lol) The Zone Box and the Nightmare Box look really cool! Definitely more badass and practical than my method of a half dozen notebooks scattered about my apartment. XD