Issue 155: I am (Apparently) Chaos…
Vicious Shivers 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!
Delving into the Trove…
This week, I started the first leg of a very, very long project of going through my collections… of comics, graphic novels, board games, role-playing games, and books… and organizing them into something that makes a bit more sense. Cindy and my pal Josh are helping me, because the state of my horde illustrates nothing more clearly than I have no organization skills whatsoever.
Josh, who has now been around me while I’m writing and while I’m “assisting” on a project like this, says that I am an embodiment of disorder and chaos.
I’ll allow it.
We’ve made a lot of progress. I found some real treasures… some comics I didn’t know I had… some series I’m close to finishing up… some stories I loved and need to re-read…
…a near complete run of Conan…
…a near complete run of X-Men…
…numerous terrific oddball series that I’m probably going to have bound…
…and this amazing Cthulhu poster by Toren Atkinson…
This is an item I thought was lost forever. In years past, it adorned the wall of my office, but I have memories of it getting destroyed when the Bunns moved. Time and time again, I’ve searched for a replacement to no avail. Well, apparently, it didn’t get destroyed. Instead, it had been placed in a poster tube that we uncovered while hauling boxes of comics! I’m happy to say it has been returned to a place of honor in my office.
In just a few short days, I have already focused the collections in a major way. I have set aside 26 short boxes of comics (roughly 4,000 books), a hundred or so trade paperbacks, and a bunch of odds and ends that I no longer need or want. Mostly, this includes series I know I’ll never finish collecting… or games I’ll never play… or books I’m not sure how I got them in the first place… or paperbacks I have replaced in hardcover.
What am I gonna do with all these treasures?
Well, I had an idea.
I’m going to sell them, yes, but I’m going to do so with the express purpose of using any funds I bring in to fund one of my next creator-owned comics. There are many instances when a publisher does not pay an up-front page rate. All money earned from such a comic materializes on the back-end based on royalties. And that works just fine… if you can get the book produced for nothing at the beginning. I have paid for the creation of new comics out of my own pocket many times. Paying illustrators, colorists, letterers, designers, and editors adds up. These days, I simply can’t afford it. But I have stories to tell… and comics to sell… so that’s what I’m going to do.
I’ll be selling these comics (and trades and games) on Whatnot and on my Discord and other social media outlets… and I’ll use the money to make a new comic book.
There’s a little… well, a lot… more organization to do before launching this endeavor. Stay tuned, though. I’ll be posting about it in this newsletter for sure!
Even while working on the reorganization project, I got a bunch of writing-related work done.
I started off by finishing the script for PROJECT: CROSSROADS. Art for this is already coming in, and it is going to be a lot of spooky fun, I think.
My focus for the rest of the week was BEYOND MORTAL and PROJECT: ARCANA. I haven’t had BEYOND MORTAL listed in the “Things to Come” section. I think that was just an oversight. Danny and I have been working on it, though, and I hope we’ll be able to announce where that will be released soon. For PROJECT: ARCANA, I wrote the first issue of the project.
Lots of calls and meetings, as per usual. The Hustle and Heart team had some pretty awesome calls this week, the results of which will be announced shortly… and is awesome. In particular, it will add a new codenamed project—PROJECT: HOAX—to the mix.
I received some awesome emails this week. Several greenlighting outlines I submitted. Some from conventions offering invites. Some from artists wanting to work together.
All this means the next week or two is going to be crazy busy.
And I think there’s going to be a really cool, really big announcement in the next week! So keep your eyes peeled for that!
Patreon…
Here’s a list of the cool stuff I’ve posted on Patreon in the past week!
The funding from Patreon helps me create new comics and prose. Sometimes, it is the last line of defense when it comes to paying my bills. I use the platform to post stories, novels, comics, how-to essays, scripts, sneak peaks of upcoming projects, and behind-the-scenes details you can’t find anywhere else.
If you are not a patron, please consider signing up.
Reader Questions…
Here are some questions for this week! If you have questions you’d like to see answered in the newsletter, please send them my way!
David asks:
When your planning a new project or in the midst of a project, do you plan every twist and turn and then fill in the details or do you freestyle the first few drafts and then nail down your really big moments, fill in any holes, etc. just curious, as I have friends who sit down and write beginning to end, with little planning, and others, like myself, for me, writing is rewriting. The characters take on their own lives, shape themselves, and sometimes demand a rewrite...to a certain degree anyway! Hope this was concise enough of a question! Respect!
Typically, I plan all the major goal posts along the way, but I leave plenty of room for surprises along the way. For THE SIXTH GUN, for example, I knew how the story began. I knew how it would end. I knew several key beats along the way, including that we were going to do a silent issue. But a lot of things… the Winter Wolf… the Ghost Walk… were created as we went along. With HARROW COUNTY, it was similar. I knew the beginning and end, I knew Kammi was going to be a big part of the story, but some elements—Bernice’s role, the Family—were developments that came out along the way.
Alic writes:
Is there really any fight Godzilla doesn’t come back from at some point? I mean, really.
He didn’t make it out of that battle with Destroyah.
And… in ATTACK OF THE MONSTERS, the comic I wrote and drew when I was in kindergarten, he didn’t survive having a giant sword dropped on his head from a helicopter.
Also, are you a fan of the Pacific Rim movies, animated series, and comics? If so, when you watched them, was your mind flooded with story ideas? I’d love to see you write for that world.
I loved the original movie. Loved, loved, loved it. It definitely stirred a lot of ideas. I never watched the animated series or read the comics. I did play the miniatures game a bit. I’d love to do something in that world… or in a world like it.
Any more upcoming West Coast plans? LA, San Diego, etc.?
There’s nothing on the books right now, but that could—and I’m sure it will—change at any time.
Sean asks:
What's the fastest you've from idea to outline based solely on "Damn this idea is good"?
To outline?
Hmm.
There are a couple that I’ve taken from idea to outline in the matter of an hour or less.
Scripting might take a little longer.
I remember coming up with the idea for THE SIXTH GUN and writing the first issue script over the course of a couple of hours.
New Comics This Week…
Trust me, folks. You DO NOT want to miss this one. Run… don’t walk… to your local comic shop to grab a copy. If they don’t have it on the shelf, they can order it. And make sure you subscribe to the rest of the series.
NIGHT WALKERS #1
Seren is an addict in recovery at a rehabilitation center secluded in the mountains, COMPLETELY ISOLATED from the outside world. When Seren and the other patients wake to find themselves locked inside and abandoned by the center's staff, they must decide whether to wait or break out. The decision is made for them when a blood thirsty monster enters the center, and begins to tear through them to satiate its lust for blood.
In a collaboration with Hustle & Heart Films and Vertigo Entertainment (IT, DOCTOR SLEEP), Source Point Press is proud to bring you Cullen Bunn's Night Walkers, a new comic book series with a terrifying, fresh take on a timeless horror sub-genre.
Things to Come…
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.
A FOULNESS IN THE WALLS - A horror one-shot about loss and grief and guilt
NIGHTWALKERS - A survival horror series that sets up a whole world of apocalyptic nightmares
RED ZONE - An action/comedy thrill-ride. unlike anything else I’ve ever written
PROJECT: GHOST - A horror maxi-series exploring a side of horror you might not expect
BLOODBLADE - An action/horror story of destiny and demonic blood
BEYOND MORTAL - Finishing up the horror/superhero epic
PROJECT: BOT - A sequel to a story of robotic mischief
PROJECT: MASK - A horror OGN where reality and surreality clash in a murderous way
PROJECT: WATER HEATER - An apocalyptic horror/fantasy maxi-series
PROJECT: DUNGEON - A new licensed horror comic series
PROJECT: CONVOY - A horror/thriller I’m co-writing
PROJECT: MATINEE - A horror limited series I’m working on with one of my best friends and long-standing collaborator
PROJECT: SWORD - A horror prose anthology I’m editing
PROJECT: V - A return to a fan-favorite character I haven't written in quite a while
PROJECT: PREHISTORY - More kaiju craziness
PROJECT: MEGA-BATTLE - Even More kaiju craziness
PROJECT: LAST - A horror prose anthology I’m editing.
PROJECT: RUSH - A horror prose anthology I’m editing
PROJECT: GALLERY - An RPG project I’ve been quietly developing
PROJECT: CARD - A magical one-shot
PROJECT: CROSSROADS - A horror one-shot
PROJECT: ARCANA - a dark fantasy series
PROJECT: BUSINESS - a new horror/action/comedy series
PROJECT: HOAX - a horror limited series
Work Update…
I’m starting over once again! Let’s see how I do this year!
60 pages of comic book scripts (1710 in 2022)
0 feature length screenplay (0 in 2022)
0 half-hour comedy pilot (1 in 2022)
0 short film script (1 in 2022)
0 short stories (9 in 2022)
0 novellas (0 in 2022)
2 two-sentence horror stories (10 in 2022)
0 new comic book series proposals (29 in 2022)
0 podcast proposals (0 in 2022)
0 essay (0 in 2022)
0 foreword for upcoming graphic novels (0 in 2022)
0 television series proposal (0 in 2022)
Events…
Keep in mind, these days, "finalized" doesn't mean as much as it once did. All events are subject to change. I hope to be adding more conventions in the near future! Stay tuned!
FEBRUARY 4, 2023 - ArtCon, Neosho, MO
MARCH 17 - 19, 2023 - Planet Comicon, Kansas City MO
JUNE 24, 2023 - Route 66 Toy and Comic Convention, Lebanon MO
JULY 7 - 9, 2023 - Tremendicon, Springfield MO
Weekly Obsessions…
Trapped in a prison of collectibles of my own making, I’ve not had as much time to really dig into many specific obsessions this week. I guess the obsession has been all my obsessions!
I took the family to see M3GAN and I thought it was great gateway horror.
I watched POSSESSOR, though, and that movie was pretty great. It messed with my head. But in a good way.
Where to Find Me Online…
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.
How can I get dibs on some of the cool stuff you’re getting rid of? I need it to aid in my curation of The Cullen Bunn aka The All-Scribe /Greatest Writer of all Time and Best Horror Stuffs Too Museum.
Great to see someone else’s out-of-control comics collection 😂 Mine needs a makeover. 🤦♂️