Issue 256: Welcome to... Fright... Night! For Real.
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Look at this nightmarish little nugget.
When I was a kid, this image absolutely terrified me. It showed up (in black-and-white, of course) in the Movies section of the newspaper, and it freaked me out so badly, I’m pretty sure I didn’t sleep that night. The claws. The snarl. The fangs. The mixture of fur and wrinkled, pinkish skin. The single, bulbous eye. The exposed brain tissue. And—most of all—the egg-like shape and the veiny, semi-transparent membranous skin surrounding it.
This was a horror waiting to be born… and, when it finally reached out with those talons, that beast would tear right through it with ease.
I bet I drew my own version of that embryonic creature a hundred times. (A few years earlier, another movie’s newspaper ad sent me into a similar drawing frenzy. That movie was JAWS.)
I’m almost certain I refused to eat eggs for weeks.
A couple of days ago, while I was talking with friends, someone asked the group, “Has there been a horror movie that’s really scared you recently?” The answers were interesting. Most of us agreed that sudden shocks weren’t necessarily truly scary as much as startling. The general feeling of “the creeps” was terrific but not necessarily scary. Someone suggested HEREDITARY might be the scariest movie in the last several years, and I’m hard-pressed to argue. I said that SESSION 9 was a movie that, at one point, got my heart racing so fast that I had to shut it off for a few minutes. Not really recent, though. THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT was brought up. Again, not recent. I put forth the idea that, for me, the fright didn’t always come from what was on the screen but from the ideas percolating under the surface, the bigger, scarier picture.
At least, I think I did.
I was a handful of whiskeys in at that point.
I did mention that when I was much younger, sometimes the trailers for movies and opening titles sequences for some shows were far, far more terrifying than the movies and shows themselves. When the trailer for THE SHINING (with Danny running through the snowy maze) came on TV, I had to cover my eyes. The opening titles sequences for sequence of THE DARKROOM (with the camera rapidly panning through an empty house) still makes me twitchy when I see it.
It was the anticipation of what might happen…
…the potential…
…that freaked me out.
The conversation made me think of the newspaper ads for PROPHECY. So, here we are. I didn’t see the movie itself for a few years after its release. When I did, I decided it was… fine… though nowhere near as terrifying as the image promised. That kind of terror is difficult to bottle.
I’m Cullen Bunn… this is part of my horror origin story… and I miss the days when the scariest thing I’d see was a creepy newspaper ad for an upcoming horror flick.
Don’t forget!
The creator exclusive variant of JUMPSCARE #1 is NOW AVAILABLE!
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). When these are gone, they’re gone.
Patrons who are supporting me at the $5.00 level will be able to order this book (and everything else in my shop) at a deep discount.
Also - Retailers… and I know there are a bunch of you who read this newsletter… message me if you want to by multiple copies of the book. I’m sure we can work something out.
Over the weekend, some friends and I paid a visit to Missouri Comic Con. I only went because Chris Sarandon was in attendance and, as FRIGHT NIGHT is one of my favorite movies, I wanted to meet him. Mission accomplished!
He was a delightful human being, and it was a real pleasure to meet him.
The convention was pretty busy. Lots of actors. Lots of clubs. Lots of toy vendors. Lots of Pop figure vendors. Lots of attendees, cosplay and otherwise. There WAS something missing from this Comic Con, though.
Hmm.
What was it?
What… was… it?
Oh, yeah. Comic creators. I only saw a couple in the mix.
This has been my problem with the convention from the get-go. “COMIC” appears in big letters on the posters that pop up all over town. The posters, though, only have a couple of comic book creators on them. And, as I suspected, that was reflected in the convention itself.
Oh well.
I had a good time hanging out with my friends for the day… more when it came to getting a beer in the afternoon than the convention itself… but I really wish these “comic” conventions would walk the walk. If you’re gonna call yourself a comic convention… if you’re going to have boatloads of guests… maybe add a couple of comic creator guests to the agenda.
If you missed the live Splash Pages interview last week, you can check it out here! I had a lot of fun chatting with these folks!
A couple of other interviews dropped, too!
IGN spoke with me about DEADPOOL KILLS THE MARVEL UNIVERSE… ONE LAST TIME. I have thrown down the gauntlet on Deadpool stories, by God!
I spoke with Dynamic Forces about JUMPSCARE and how much I love this new series and this new character!
This week, I’m supposed to be heading to LA for ComicsPro. I’ve really been looking forward to this event. I say I’m “supposed” to go because the weather is poised like a demon lord, ready to swoop in and crush my dreams. They’re talking about levels of snow we haven’t had in this area for 10 years. I’m still holding out hope, though. If the plane takes off for California, I’ll be on it!
THE NINE LIVES OF SALEM #1
Maybe? I feel like this one has been supposed to come out several times. Not sure what happened there. Maybe this time will be the winner!
Salem was once a powerful warlock whose misuse of powers led him to live the rest of his life in servitude, acting as a cat familiar to a family of witches. But even in feline form, he can’t escape the sins of his past. And when some familiar faces return seeking revenge, he might just use up all of his nine lives trying to save himself from their wrath.
SECRET WARS: BATTLEWORLD Omnibus
I have a limited series in this… If I do say so myself, the best limited series of the bunch. DEADPOOL’S SECRET SECRET WARS is less a Battleworld story and more a prequel to what has come before and it is 1000% cannon.
The massive event SECRET WARS brought about the end of the Marvel Multiverse - and the birth of a volatile patchwork of realities known as Battleworld, which replaced the standard comics Marvel was releasing at the time with a calvacade of wild alternate takes and universes!
The Marvel Multiverse as you know it is gone — and all that remains is Battleworld! Featuring rival domains torn from the fragments of destroyed realities all living under Doctor Doom’s iron fist, it’s the perfect setting for conflict — as depicted in these shocking tie-ins! Marvel’s mightiest women unite as A-Force! Peter Parker and Mary Jane are married with a daughter! In one realm, Captain America and Iron Man’s Civil War never ended — in another, neither did the Age of Apocalypse! Nobody wants to get caught in the middle of a border war between the Marvel Zombies and the Ultrons! And much more!
Collecting 1602: WITCH HUNTER ANGELA (2015) #1-4; 1872 (2015) #1-4; A-FORCE (2015) #1-5; AGE OF APOCALYPSE (2015) #1-5; AGE OF ULTRON VS. MARVEL ZOMBIES (2015) #1-4; AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: RENEW YOUR VOWS (2015) #1-5; ARMOR WARS (2015) #1/2, 1-5; CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND THE MIGHTY DEFENDERS (2015) #1-2; CAPTAIN MARVEL AND THE CAROL CORPS (2015) #1-4; CIVIL WAR (2015) #1-5; DEADPOOL’S SECRET SECRET WARS (2015)# 1-4; E IS FOR EXTINCTION (2015) #1-4
It’s been a little busy for me over the last week or so, so I haven’t really had time to enjoy many of the finer things. I continue to re-watch some episodes of PARKS AND RECREATION and I continue my re-read of THE REALM.
I did add some interesting LORD OF THE RINGS graphic novels to my collection. These are Danish editions that I’ve never encountered before. I’m not even sure if they were ever released in the US. The art, though, is very pretty.
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!
So jealous you met Chris Sarandon! Wish I could have made the trip and met both of you!
When will we get more The Damned? Love the omnibus