Issue 254: Take the Rackin’ Frackin’ Note, Hemingway!
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I was talking to a friend about working on a new project this week. Like everyone else, he’s busy and overwhelmed. If he adds anything more to his To-Do List, he’s likely to fold like a paper plate in those (Dixie? Coronet?) commercials from when I was a kid.* He said, though, that he was interested in the project because it might distract him from his near-constant doomscrolling.
That took me aback… because I’ve most certainly been spending more time doomscrolling in the last couple of weeks, and I know it’s been terrible for my mental and physical health.
There’s a lot to be worried about. I don’t think anyone would deny that. Even though I’m trying to be a barrier against the crashing waves for my friends and family, I’d be a fool to not be stressed. But doomscrolling is a trap, a nasty patch of virtual quicksand that will drown out rational thought. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by ALL OF IT and lose sight of the things (good, bad, paradisal, hellish, broken, in need of fixin’, and everything in between) that matter most.
For me anyhow.
Your mileage is your mileage.
So, I’m using writing to keep me away from doomscrolling. I’m creating. Whenever I feel the urge to melt my noodle with awfulness… which, thanks to my self-destructive nature, is often… I work on a little side project. The very side project that I was talking to my friend about.
It’s silly. It might be a waste of time. But I have been quietly working on my own role-playing system. THE BUNN RPG. It’s almost finished up. Almost ready to be shared with the world. I’ll be sharing the game soon… more for fun than anything else. The more I’ve been working on it, the more I like it, the more utility and fun I see connected with it. And, let me tell you, falling down this rabbit hole is much more entertaining than falling down the rabbit hole of doom.
*On a semi-ironic side note… I actually tried to research those old paper plate commercials. As I did so, I stumbled onto a much more recent advertisement for paper plates. It, too, featured a cheap plate crumbling and spilling spaghetti on the floor. Whatever. What I also stumbled onto—and this is why you must never, ever explore ye olde forbidden places, my childe—a thread of people complaining about the commercial, ranting about it, analyzing it in an introspective way. I know I shouldn’t care how people waste their precious moments here in the earthly realm, know I shouldn’t care how just practice my “Mind Your Business” doctrine, know it should not matter that a paper plate ad troubles anyone enough that they would ever mention it in public, but…
…I c-can’t…
…I just…
…this is doom…
…isn’t it…
…stars in m-my eyes…
… For the love of God, Montresor…
…gibber…
…gooba gabba…
…bbleeeerrgghhh…
As you know, I’ve been pulling away from social media over the last several months. I do post occasionally on Bluesky, but the best places to stay in touch with me are this newsletter, my Discord, and my Patreon.
I’ve been working on a new plan for my Patreon that’s going to make it even more cool for supporters. I’ll unveil that in the weeks to come, but it will feature more fiction, more comics, more essays, more how-to articles, more behind-the-scenes content.
I even have a FREE Patron level that gets you daily insight into what I’m working on!
Something I’ll give you a heads up on, though, is this…
This is the creator-exclusive variant cover for JUMPSCARE #1. This cover is by Leila Leiz and Bill Crabtree. You can only get it from me (and, I suppose, any retailer who buys copies from me). I will be making these limited edition comics available soon. My Patreon Supporters will get first crack at ordering them. In addition, Patrons who are supporting me at the $5.00 level will be able to order this book (and future creator-exclusives) and deep discounts.
What I’m saying is…
Now is a great time to pledge some support.
As I write this newsletter, we have a bout 40 hours to go on the WINTERMOURNE campaign. WINTERMOURNE is a system agnostic role-playing supplement presenting our first glimpse into a godless world trapped in an undead-haunted winter. The zine will be printed in VERY limited quantities. Outland Entertainment has big plans for the setting, so this is a great time to get in on the ground floor!
Speaking of Outland Entertainment, this week will see the publication of OUTLAND WORLDS, a free digital magazine featuring new fiction, comics, role-playing content, interviews and more. Outland will be releasing several issues of the magazine each year, always bringing new content, always free. The absolute best way to keep track of when it comes out is to subscribe to the Outland Entertainment Newsletter. The OUTLAND WORLDS initiative is something I’m really excited about… and you’ve gotta check it out!
I’ll admit, I’ve been a little busy this week.
Lots—and I mean LOTS—of work to get done.
My son played in the Missouri All-State Orchestra this week. Cindy and I traveled to watch his performance. I listened to some DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL audio books. I’m enjoying the ridiculousness of that series. Cindy, who was napping on the trip, woke up while the foot fetishist AI that guides Carl was drooling over Carl’s feet. She muttered, “What the fuck are you listening to?” and went back to sleep. I think that’s a pretty positive review.
I watched a flick on Shudder called LAST STRAW on Shudder which I enjoyed, even though it was not in any way, shape, or form what I expected from the movie description, the trailer, or the first half hour of the movie. It was endearing how well it played with my expectations, which made me like the movie a little more than I might have liked it otherwise.
I bought a new bottle of Rye called Hemingway Rye. Though I haven’t opened it, I’ve been chuckling about it ever since.
Years ago, an editor sent me a note about dialogue in a comic. Wasn’t a bad note, but I didn’t really agree with it. I told her I’d rather keep that line unchanged. Within minutes, the editors husband posted on Twitter—TAKE THE FUCKING NOTE, HEMINGWAY. I must’ve been watching as it popped up. I immediately called the publisher and asked if there was a problem with me that I needed to know about. The publisher told me, “No, no, no. That was about something else!” Remember how I said a lot of colleagues act like I’m a monster but I usually just let things slide? Well, I let that slide without yelling or anything. I told them something to the effect of, “Don’t bullshit a bullshitter” and dropped it. The Tweet vanished shortly thereafter. I don’t think I worked with that editor again… because she didn’t love a line of dialogue. Anyhow… YEARS later, I casually (and jokingly) sent this to my publisher:
We laughed about it.
But soon after the editor messaged me to say, “It was years ago. You should drop it.” To which, I replied that (1) in all those years no one had ever admitted that was about my politely disagreeing with a note and (2) I never drop anything.
And now I’ve decided to found the Take the Fucking Note Hemingway Drinking Society.
I’ll let you know how the rye holds up!
Here’s a quick rundown of convention appearances, signings, and other events. Keep in mind, all appearances are subject to changes and cancellations.
February 20 - 22 - ComicsPro Comic Book Industry Meeting, Los Angeles CA
March 6 - 9 - Emerald City Comic Con, Seattle WA
March 21 - 23 - Planet Comicon, Kansas City MO
May 3 - Free Comic Book Day, Krypton Comics, Omaha NE
May 30 - June 1 - Tremendicon, Springfield MO
June 21 - Route 66 Toy and Comic Convention, Lebanon MO
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!
Do you anticipate any small press publishers cutting their future slates given Diamond's collapse and the tariff situation? Will these increases affect Outland's plans for the immediate future?