Issue 242: Beware—Dr. Doomscroll!
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Well… that happened.
I’m not going to dwell on the election results in this newsletter. In real life I’ve been dwelling on them pretty much non-stop. I need a break. You probably do, too.
I have friends and family who are angry and worried and anxious and outright terrified by what the next four years will bring. I’ll be damned if I’m going to discount that. They have every right to those feelings. If, in fact, you’re one of those people who might say something like, “Aw, you’re sad? That’s all right. I’m gonna just keep on dancing!” you might want to stop recreationally sniffing your own shit and try being a real human being.
I dunno.
That’s just me.
This might surprise you (though not if you’ve ever spent half a minute in my presence), but I’m full of fear my own self. I just crush it down as much as I can. Lately, it’s was occasionally bursting out in Yellowstone super-eruption panic attacks. Those, I think, are leveling out a bit, though, and I’m strangely keeping it together about this. I have to, because I want to be there for the folks who need me.
Here’s what I know I can do:
Be there for others when they need me.
Be nice… until, as Dalton would say, it is time to not be nice.
Smile at the people who are really just jonesing to see me sweat. I’ll starve them before I give them the pleasure.
Survive.
When I was a kid, I printed out a single sheet of paper on my clunky dot matrix printer. I taped it to my wall. It had a skull and crossbones in each corner, surrounding the words “SURVIVE OR DIE TRYING.”
I wish I still had that print-out.
(I know, I know, I could just re-print something similar. I think, though, the artifact might have a little more power.)
After fighting it for a while, I finally made my final post on Twitter/X and deleted the app from my iPad and iPhone, and removed the tabs from my computer. I didn’t delete the account. I left it there like a Bigfoot footprint in the mud of Willow Creek, California. I would like people to know I was once there. But I doubt I’ll ever be back.
My exit was gradual but I haven’t been posting anything important there for a while. I couldn’t let go because I had built a fairly decent audience and I had some really great experiences on the app. That all changed, of course, when Dollar Tree Lex Luthor took over. My verified status—which I worked to establish—was gone. My messages were going unread. I couldn’t block the new flood of dumbassery quickly enough. My interest in the platform—and in most social media—swirled right down the drain. I had the slightest glimmer of hope, but that finally fizzled and winked out.
Then all I had left was doomscrolling.
Hell… “Dr. Doomscroll” may be better than “Dollar Tree Lex Luthor”.
I met a lot of folks I consider friends through Twitter. That was awesome. In 2010, I got my first job at DC Comics through Twitter. That was amazing. Once, I was able to share jokes or thoughts or news about my work and people would actually see it. That was pretty sweet. But whatever Twitter/X is now, it’s not awesome or amazing or sweet.
And so it’s gone for me.
I’m scraping it off.
If you want to find me on social media (and I AM trying to be more active on other platforms) here ya go:
Discord and Patreon are the best places to interact with me, by the way. I try to stay engaged there as much as possible. You can even follow the Patreon for free. And this newsletter, of course, isn’t gong anywhere.
Did you know that this is my birthday week? Well, it is! And a terrific way to wish me a good’n would be to support CULLEN BUNN’S TRIPLE THREAT OF TERROR! The campaign is underway right now! We’re really close to our funding goal, too!
I have done a couple of interviews about the books.
First up, I talked with Dynamic Forces about Kickstarter, horror, and my three collaborators on the project.
Then, I spoke with The Beat about my inspirations for these three comics!
MONSTERS ARE MY BUSINESS Volume 1 TPB
From the co-creator of The Sixth Gun and Harrow County comes a new action horror comedy graphic novel!
Meet Tanner "Griz" Grisholm. Along with a shrewd necromancer who wants him dead and a chainsaw-wielding koala bear named Cuddles, as he wages a bloody war against nightmares from beyond time and space.
It's thankless work, but someone has to do it. And when a group of government contractors go missing in the nightmare landscape of the Flooded Zone, Griz stumbles into a mystery he may not be able to carve his way out of. His old biker pals, the Howling Gargoyles, are up to no good, and the memories might be too much for Griz to handle.
Collects the series Monsters are my Business #1–#4.
If you missed this story—and I know so, so many of you did—you need to fix that straight away. It’s action-packed and fun. It’s full of monsters and badasses. It features Cuddles the chainsaw-wielding koala. And Patrick Piazzalunga is absolutely firing on all cylinders art-wise.
VENOM WAR: DEADPOOL #3
THE MERC IN THE MOUTH?! With the zombiote scourge overwhelming everything and everyone, Deadpool's back is against the wall. There's just one thing left to try... giving in to the symbiotes?!
Well, there you have it! My triumphant return to Deadpool is over and done!
Or is it?
Stay tuned. ;)
A visual representation of some of the things that I’ve been geeking out over of late.
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!
Dr. Doomscroll sounds like a Howard the Duck villain for a more modern era.
I also very much like Dollar Tree Lex Luthor.
I met Clive Barker earlier this month.