Issue 171: Ramen Money
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Let’s start things off with this sweet book trailer that debuted exclusively on Fangoria this week! Issue 1 comes out on Wednesday! I hope you’ll pick it up. I hope you’ve told your local comic shop that you want it!
This week has been the first half of a two-week Scriptpocalypse. I’ve been focused on almost nothing other than script-writing. So far, it has gone relatively well. I’d give myself a “B” letter grade. I’ve written 93 pages and will have written over 100 by the end of the day. Next week, I imagine, will be a little better.
Why Scriptpocalypse?
Am I behind on deadlines?
Am I overwhelmed with work?
Not this time.
This time, I’m afraid, I’m embarking on this harrowing journey because I simply need the money coming in a bit more quickly. I’ve been threatening to write up a detailed overview of the finances of comics for me right now. And I’m going to. I just have to wait until Scriptpocalypse is over.
I did hear one thing this week that gave me a bit of a pause. An agent was talking about writing comic scripts, and they said, “You’ll be doing prime rib work for ramen noodle money.”
And… ouch.
It’s true, but that one stings.
But I did eat some 12-cent Ramen this week… and it was delicious.
Now, more than ever, the funds generated by my Patreon are absolutely vital to me. I need to do a drive to gain my Patrons, and I’ll be trying some new things here in the immediate future.
I did (even with Scriptpocalypse going on) start writing a new novel this week. It’s a balls-to-the-wall horror novel I’m calling NIGHTMARE FUEL, and I’ll be serializing it on Patreon. It just popped into my head, almost fully-formed, just begging to be written. I’m pretty excited by my plans for it.
It’s a great chance to get in on the ground floor.
You may have heard the news that the WGA is on strike. Screenwriters have put their pencils down and are picking up picket signs as they fight for fair wages in Hollywood. What they’re asking for is a pittance in the face of the billions of dollars their work helps to bring in. I know they want to write. I know they want to work. But they deserve to be fairly compensated. I stand with the WGA here. I absolutely hate that strikes like this still have to take place when all that needs to happen is for a (relatively small) portion of the wealth to be shared.
LAMENTATION #1 came out last Wednesday. I’ve been very worried about how readers would react to it. It’s a weird book… and it only get weirder. But reviews have been coming in, and it looks like folks are really digging it! That makes me so damn happy! Here’s a quick video I did with Comicon.com about the book!
You might have heard the cat and kittens mewling in the background of that video. That signals that it is time for a kitten update. The kittens are doing great. Using their litter box, drinking water, starting to eat solid food… and getting into everything. They had figured out how to get lost in the labyrinthine interior of the couch of my office, so we moved them to the guest room. Yes… I have my office back now. Anyhow, I think we’ll be looking for forever homes for the little nuggets pretty soon. If you live near me… and you want a kitten… please let me know! We want them to be loved, but we cannot keep them all!
I spoke with my pal Brian Hurtt for a bit this week.
(First of all, I haven’t said anything because I wanted to make sure he announced it first, but huge, huge congratulations to him on his recent nuptials!)
We were discussing stuff to bring with us to Heroes Con (and, really, conventions in general). I know he should bring prints, because his art is amazing, but I’m starting to think I should bring prints as well. Just to try it out. First of all, they’re easy to pack and carry. Second of all, people love them.
At a recent convention, I bet six people stopped at my table, looked at single-issue comics, and said, “Oooooh! Prints!”
When I told them they were actually comics, they moved on.
Eventually, I started saying, “Yes! Those are prints! They come with a free comic book!”
What do you think?
Are you enticed by prints at a convention?
As you know, I maintain a Patreon page where I post writing advice, essays, work updates, serialized novels, short stories and comics. Support levels range from access to content to big ol’ boxes of comics to regular Zoom meetings. Patrons often get PDFs of comics that have yet to be published (two in the last couple of weeks). I use the funds generated from Patreon to fund new creator-owned comics (and sometimes to keep the lights on).
Recent posts include:
Work Update: Scriptpocalypse 1 - 5 - I’ll just link to one of them, but I’ve been posting very detailed daily breakdowns of what I’ve accomplished during Scriptpocalypse.
NIGHTMARE FUEL, Prelude - I’ve started writing a new horror novel and serializing it on Patreon. This is the very first installment, so now is the time to get in on the ground floor.
All I had to do if I wanted to join the cool kids’ club was step through the door and spend an hour exploring what waited on the other side.
I looked through the filth-caked, cracked window at the world beyond… and told the other ghosts that I simply wasn’t brave enough.
GHOSTLORE #1
We've all heard of ghost stories... but what stories do the ghosts themselves tell us?
An estranged daughter and her pastor 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 were 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...
Cullen Bunn of Basilisk and The Empty Man acclaim is joined by superstar artist Leomacs (Basketful of Heads) and guest artist Brian Hurtt (The Sixth Gun)-the first in a haunting lineup of artists featured in each issue-to bring readers the most eye-opening spectral story since The Sixth Sense!
A LEGACY OF VIOLENCE #5
As the situation in the small village of Disante begins to calm down, everything for the doctors at Hospital Roatan are about to witness true terror. Meanwhile, Nick makes contact with an old mysterious man that brings even more confusion to Nick's already muddled past.
A Legacy of Violence is 12 issue maxi-series by masters of horror Cullen Bunn and Andrea Mutti, with letters by Rus Wooton.
Scriptpocalypse doesn’t really lend itself to a lot of other reading, viewing, or gaming. During downtime, I managed to watch TORN HEARTS and PROJECT: WOLF HUNTING. Both were strange and surprising in their own way. I have also been reading DON’T FEAR THE REAPER by Stephen Graham Jones, and I’m loving it. I’ve been going slow with it, but damn it’s great!
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.
MAY 2023
LAMENTATION #1
GHOSTLORE #1
NIGHT WALKERS #5
DOOR TO DOOR, NIGHT BY NIGHT #6
JUNE 2023
LAMENTATION #2
GHOSTLORE #2
SWORDS IN THE SHADOWS
RAZE
REANIMATOR: THE ETERNAL LIE, Part 2
JULY 2023
LAMENTATION #3
GHOSTLORE #3
DOOR TO DOOR, NIGHT BY NIGHT #7
DOOR TO DOOR, NIGHT BY NIGHT TPB
AUGUST 2023
DEATH OF THE VENOMVERSE 1 - 5 (weekly)
GHOSTLORE #4
DOOR TO DOOR, NIGHT BY NIGHT #8
DISPLACEMENT - a horror novella, previously listed as PROJECT: PHOBIA
SEPTEMBER 2023
OCTOBER 2023
REGRESSION: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION
NOVEMBER 2023
LAMENTATION TPB
PROJECT: MATINEE #1
DECEMBER 2023
PROJECT: MATINEE #2
THE UNKNOWN FUTURE…
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.
PROJECT: GALLERY - An RPG project I’ve been quietly developing.
PROJECT: PREHISTORY - More kaiju craziness
PROJECT: MEGA-BATTLE - Even More kaiju craziness
PROJECT: SURGEON - a very dark horror tale
PROJECT: BOT - A sequel to a story of robotic mischief
PROJECT: WATER HEATER - An apocalyptic horror/fantasy maxi-series
PROJECT: RUSH - A horror prose anthology I’m editing
COPYCAT - A new limited series from Todd Garner, Heath Amodio, and myself.
BLOODBLADE - An action/horror story of destiny and demonic blood
BEYOND MORTAL - Finishing up the horror/superhero epic
PROJECT: DUNGEON - A new licensed horror comic series
PROJECT: CONVOY - A horror/thriller I’m co-writing
PROJECT: CARD - A magical one-shot
PROJECT: ARCANA - a dark fantasy series
PROJECT: MONSTER - a new horror/action/comedy series
PROJECT: HOAX - a horror limited series
671 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)
10 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)
1 foreword for upcoming graphic novels (0 in 2022)
0 television series proposal (0 in 2022)
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!
MAY 26 - 28 - Texas Frightmare Weekend, Irving TX (I’m not a guest at this one. This is the first convention in… decades… I’m attending purely for fun.)
JUNE 16 - 18, 2023 - Heroes Convention, Charlotte NC
JUNE 24, 2023 - Route 66 Toy and Comic Convention, Lebanon MO
JULY 7 - 9, 2023 - Tremendicon, Springfield MO
AUGUST 5 - 6, 2023 - Fountain City Con, New Century KS
SEPTEMBER 16 - 17, 2023 - Extremicon, St. Roberts MO
SEPTEMBER 30 - OCTOBER 1 - Cowtown Comic Convention, Fort Worth TX
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.
Bring on the prints!!!