Issue 203: It’s SKREEEEE-ONK… All Over… Again
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Remember back in 2022 when Godzilla and the Power Rangers brawled in a big way? Well, if you missed GODZILLA VS. MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS, you missed a spectacle!
Good news, of course! The book is still available!
Even better news—the sequel is on its way!
As announced on Godzilla.com:
It's SKREEONKin' time! Again! The kaiju comic book crossover event of 2022 is coming back, bigger and badder as the King of the Monsters gets a rematch with everyone's favorite teeangers with attitude in Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers II #1 from IDW Publishing in April.
Written by the returning Cullen Bunn (Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) with art by Baldemar Rivas (DC: Mech), colors by Andrew Dalhouse, and letters by Johanna Guzman, the five-issue Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers II miniseries will once again see the tokusatsu icons – and their beloved casts – antagonized by Rita Repulsa.
From IDW's official solicitation info:
Worlds collide a second time as everyone’s favorite kaiju meets up with Earth’s mightiest warriors once again to take on the most fearsome monsters from both sides of the multiverse, with Rita Repulsa egging them on!
This one has it all: SpaceGodzilla! Clawhammer! Tentacreep! But what exactly does Rita intend to do with their collective might, and how have her mysterious new allies, Astronema and the Alliance of Evil, given her added reach across worlds? The Power Rangers are on a mission to find out, but first…all roads lead back to Godzilla!
"The first Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was pure, unadulterated fun and mayhem on the page! How could it not be?" wrote Bunn. "I had such an amazing time working on that story, so I simply had to try my hand at it once again! If I was going to pit Godzilla against the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers again, though, I knew I needed to do something huge! Mayhem alone was not enough! And, believe me, what we're doing in this new series is something wild and unexpected and game-changing! If you're a Rangers fan... if you're a Godzilla fan... if you're a fan of bonkers fun... buckle up, because this series is going to knock you off your feet!"
Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers II #1 arrives April 3 with an "A" cover by artist Freddie Williams II (Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) and Dalhouse, a "B" cover by Alex Sanchez and colorist Matt Helms, and a retailer incentive cover by Hendry Prasetya and Dalhouse.
Now, some would say the original series was pretty wild… but I’m not satisfied with “pretty” wild. With this one, I’m going for something—a few things, in fact—that you would never expect. I can’t say more than that! Trust me, though… this book is among the craziest stories I’ve ever written!
Speaking of new books. You read INVASIVE, right? If not, it just came out and you should run to the comic shop and grab the first issue!
Check out some of the praise the book has received:
“Brilliant… It’ll make you think twice before putting your body on an operating table, no matter how much you trust your doctor.”—COMICS BEAT
“A disturbing descent into palpable terror and deadly obsessions… One of his most unsettling stories yet.”—DAILY DEAD
“Deliciously dark.”—NEWSARAMA
“'Invasive' is some of Bunn's best work in an opening series that is sure to thrill horror fans… 'Invasive' has the perfect blend of body horror, mystery, suspense, and tension. It'll raise the hair on your skin and ask questions through the end. An effective thriller that will have readers coming back.”—LOTUSLAND
“Invasive promises to be one of the most unsettling horror comics in recent memory”—IGN
“Writer Cullen Bunn and illustrator Jesús Hervás are reuniting to bring more nightmare fuel to readers with their new Oni Press comic book series Invasive, which peels back the grisly layers of a macabre mystery involving "murder surgeons."—DAILY DEAD
“When it comes to horror comics, writer Cullen Bunn has carved out a bloody and fascinating niche for himself. Now, he promises to cut to the bone in new and imaginatively cruel ways with his new series, Invasive.”—CBR
“The comic book medium's maestro of horror Cullen Bunn returns with another chilling tale.”—SCREENRANT
“As physically effective as it is a psychologically assaulting, Invasive is a truly gripping entry in the singular kind of horror that Bunn has been mastering and building toward for years. You’ve been warned.”—AIPT
“This variant cover from Brian Level…is deeply effective (and utterly horrifying) ... All of that together shows the dedication and nuance of this story, and how it’s the extra little bits and strings of energies that could make this a proper standout in Bunn’s robust bibliography of horror.”—AIPT
“Terrifying.”—DYNAMIC FORCES
I told you I wasn’t pulling punches in this one! And, by the time you reach the end, you’re gonna be in pants-wetting territory!
I simply don’t want you to miss out on the pants-wetting!
But enough about promotion and marketing…
Wait.
That’s not right, not after the last couple of days I had.
I spent the weekend in Kansas City, going through a seminar to help me develop a powerful marketing and promotion campaign for my personal brand in the new year. My classmates were all comic book creators who have exciting projects they need to promote. There was a lot of information, a lot of brainstorming, and a lot of inspiration packed into a couple of days.
I won’t go into too many details of the course (it was great!) or the plan I started putting together (it terrifies me!) but I will say my paradigm has officially shifted. Going into 2024, I’m approaching not only my marketing and promotion but my writing and work completely differently.
There were moments during the class where I felt a little overwhelmed by and worried about the strategy I was developing. But I also drove home feeling more excited about 2024, which is a feeling that is absolutely priceless.
We’re gonna have a good time.
I promise.
I spent a little time last week talking with my pal Aaron Conaway about horror, creativity, and independent comics. It was a good time, so definitely check it out.
Cracking open the old Nightmare Fuel Box from the past week, here are a couple of weird thoughts from the mix.
Every time he said his own name—his true name—a doppelgänger appeared, just like him in every way, but a little more cruel and vicious.
They rented the tuxedo to us cheap, but that’s because it still had a rotting corpse in it.
Next week’s newsletter would normally fall on Christmas day, so it will likely be delayed a day or two. Even though I’m planning to take the week after Christmas off work, I’ll definitely talk to you all again before the year is out. But—if you celebrate Christmas—this is my chance to wish you a great one! I hope you are surrounded by joy, cheer, and great family and friends!
Don’t forget to leave a glass of bourbon out for Jolly Ol’ St. Nick!
VENOM EPIC COLLECTION: THE SAVAGE SIX
Volume #5 in the Venom Modern Era Epic Collections
The Crime-Master unites a cadre of criminals to destroy Agent Venom! The villain's diabolical plan takes the war to the people closest to Flash Thompson — and forces Eddie Brock, the former Venom, to become a symbiote's host once more! But when Crime-Master's identity is revealed, Flash and Betty Brant’s lives will never be the same! Then, when the Avengers task Venom with bringing in Daimon Hellstrom, a Devil's pact comes full circle — and Hell-Venom is unleashed! Can Flash regain his soul, or will he remain in Daimon's thrall forever? Plus: Flash bids farewell to New York City and heads to Philadelphia! But is something toxic on the horizon?!
Collecting VENOM (2011) #17-35 and #27.1, MINIMUM CARNAGE: ALPHA, SCARLET SPIDER (2012) #10-11, and MINIMUM CARNAGE: OMEGA.
My Venom run starts here! This book includes my first Venom comics. It also includes what I imagine will be the only time I will ever have a chance to write Commander Rann, Marionette, and Bug from Marvel’s original MICRONAUTS run.
You can grab this book from your local comic shop or order it here.
Kill all Venoms! After being spurned by Cletus Kasady and remaking itself in Knull’s image, the Carnage symbiote has been building up its powers, extracting unique abilities from villains all across the Marvel Universe. Now, at last, it is ready to traverse the Multiverse with one goal in mind: kill any and all Venoms! But why? And who is the Agent Venom battling across realities to stop it?! As Carnage’s savage, symbiotic rampage through realities threatens to end the Venomverse, will Agent Venom manage to recruit enough allies to even stand a chance? Or could it be that Carnage is destined to win? Plus: Legendary creator David Michelinie brings you a classic tale in the vein of VENOM: LETHAL PROTECTOR — or is there more than meets the eye? And brace yourself for Kid Venom!
And a little more Venom to round out the week! Here’s the complete story of Carnage killing a bunch of Venom characters!
You can buy this book at your local comic shop or order it here!
Shadowman. Eternal Warrior. Punk Mambo. Doctor Mirage. The supernatural protectors of the Valiant Universe unite for the very first time to stand against a terrifying ancient threat: Exarch Fane. No one is safe as the fearsome foe has his cold hands on the Book of Shadows.
Valiant is proud to present BOOK OF SHADOWS, a supernatural event with master of horror Cullen Bunn (Venom) and bone-chilling artist Vicente Cifuentes (Justice League Dark) that's the perfect opportunity to join the Valiant Universe.
If Exarch Fane doesn't destroy the world first!
One day… maybe… MAYBE… I’ll tell you how this book almost didn’t happen and how I’m still amazed that it was ever finished.
You can get this book from your local comic shop or order it here!
Such a crazy week that I don’t feel like I engaged in a lot of books and comics and games. I did start a read/re-read of Eugene Thacker’s DUST OF THIS PLANET: HORROR OF PHILOSOPHY. I grabbed all three of the books in this series a while back. Admittedly, I tried to read them when I first got them and I just couldn’t get into them. I don’t think I was in the right mindset. This time around, I’m much more engaged with the books, and the interplay of horror and philosophical thought has me captivated.
I’m pretty sure I’ve shared this picture before, probably in an issue of this newsletter long past. But here it is again.
I’ve loved comics for a long time and I’ve wanted to be involved with comics just as long. This is the comic book club I founded when I was 13 or so. I printed up flyers and tacked them up in grocery stores to bring in members and we met at Tales Resold, the local comic and used book shop.
I see some of my best friends in that picture—Jamie, Doug, Marcus, Chris, Taylor. I see Eddie, whose mom and dad managed the shop and went on to open their own store. I see the guy who used to manage the Texaco and the guy who was the sports editor and photographer for the newspaper. I see a lot of people I don’t really remember. That’s me in the middle, sitting with my arms crossed like Darkseid with his minions. I’m wearing a John Byrne Phoenix button.
We only met a couple of times that I remember. We were never really focused. Still… ah, the memories.
After this picture was snapped, we hopped on our bikes and embarked on an adventure involving psychics, cthulhu-style monsters, and entities from an alternate world we called the Flippity-Flop.
Wha… Our life story has been stolen!
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!
I hope we get to hear more via Patreon about the marketing course. 😯