Issue 318: Practice, Man, Practice
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Deepest Catacombs II, Page 1 | Carnegie Hall | Bones of Our Stars Excerpt | New Books | Weekly Obsessions (It’s Back!) | Events
Welcome to Nightmare Fuel! Let’s start this issue off with a bang! Here’s our first installment of Deepest Catacombs II!
This arc is heavily inspired by my love of classic role-playing modules like Ravenloft and Castle Amber and The Lost Caverns of Tsojanth!
I’ll be posting a new installment every week until this arc is completed!
I hope you dig it! I hope you’ll share it with your friends!
And if you want to catch up on the previous arc of Deepest Catacombs comics, you can do so HERE!
You’re probably gonna get a lot of posts about my kid this month.
As Sparkly Lobo would say, “Sorry. Not sorry.”
Roman’s eighteenth birthday and high school graduation take place on the same day, just a couple of weeks from now, and this is going to be one helluva whirlwind. The tempest started last week when he took to the stage at Carnegie Hall in New York City as part of the Harmony Honors Invitational. He performed as concertmaster of the Springfield Youth Symphony, and he killed it.
That kind of event chews up sleep schedules and runs nerves through obstacle courses. Long trips. Early mornings. Late nights. Rehearsals stacked on rehearsals. And he handled it all with a quiet, unbothered steadiness.
Poise. Grace. Focus.
No hesitation. No flinching. No second-guessing.
Just showing up and doing the work.
And there’s no way he got it from me.
Poise? I’ve never met him. Grace? Pffft! Focus? Not for me, at least not without pharmaceutical-grade enhancement.
I show up and do the work. Always have, always will. But poise, grace, and focus were sacrificed on the altar of “making it happen” a looooong time ago. What’s left is the broken, shell of a man who types these words right now.
I don’t think Roman fully understands that he makes me want to makes me want to work harder. Try harder. Be better. Not in some grand, sweeping, mid-life kind of way. Just in the real ways. The daily ways. The ways that matter. Showing up when it’s easier not to. Staying steady when things get messy. Pushing through when I’d rather tap out.
In the symphony, the concertmaster helps guide the other musicians to sound unified. Through breathing, body movement, small nods, quick glances, and bow articulation, they offer cues as to timing, phrasing, and emotional tone.
I felt that leadership, too.
Roman’s not trying to inspire me. He’s not looking over at me to see if I’m watching. He’s just out there, chasing his own dreams. He’s building something that belongs entirely to him. And he’s doing it with determination and discipline and understated confidence.
He’s a musician. I’m a writer. He’s the kid. I’m the father.
But I’m taking notes.
Proud doesn’t quite cover it.
Not even close.
Must I bleed for you?
If you still need a little nudge to get you to buy a copy of Bones of Our Stars, Blood of Our World, Daily Dead has shared an excerpt of the book. You can read the first few chapters, then grab a copy of the book!
As a reminder— As of this publication on Monday morning (and I have no idea how long it will last), the paperback of my novel Bones of Our Stars, Blood of Our World is on Amazon for a 51% discount! You can get the book for less than $10! Like I said, I have no clue if this will last much longer, but now is a great time to head over there and order… I dunno… a few dozen copies.
Here’s the link - https://a.co/d/07AkuyVy
THE AUTUMN KINGDOM #4
From master storytellers Cullen Bunn (The Sixth Gun) and Christopher Mitten (Hellboy & The BPRD), two sisters’ excursion into the twilight borderlands of fable and fantasy reaches its unforgettable turning point...
At last, Sommer and Winter have finally found their kidnapped father in the blood fields, where fae goblins drain the life from humans to pay a millenia-old debt for the destruction of their lands. With victory within their reach but home a fading concept immensely far from their grasp, the girls have to muster the strength of the prisoners and themselves to end this battle at last. But what will come of the Autumn Kingdom? Can the sisters simply turn their backs and return to their lives after everything they’ve seen and learned?
DOOR TO DOOR, NIGHT BY NIGHT TPB, Vol. 3
The last time our sales crew met the dreaded Lamashtu, their lives were changed forever. Now the demon is back, nesting in another small town, abducting children. When the crew runs afoul of the monster this time, there’s a good chance none of them will survive. Will this be the last door they knock on?
It’s been a while since I posted about the books, comics, music, games, and more that I’m currently enjoying. I know a lot of readers like that. I get the messages! I see it! I’ve just been a little unfocused (see above). I’m going to get back into it, so here we go.
I’ve been watching the current season of Survivor. It’s the 50th season, and I’ve been watching the show since the beginning. I’m not obsessive about it. I can’t name every player from every season. But I enjoy the antics. This season has been pretty good so far, with the episode I watched last week being one of the most delightfully chaotic episodes ever.
In terms of music, I’ve really been enjoying Castle Rat. It’s dungeon-crawl, sword and sorcery metal, and I’m here for it.
As noted in a previous issue, I’m re-reading all of Skipp and Spector’s novels. Just wrapped up Animals. I had forgotten a lot of that book. I remembered a bunch of scenes vividly, but a lot of key elements surprised me again.
Through his Cthulhuville Comics initiative, my pal JimmyZ is running a Kickstarter for Wanderers. This is a fantasy that he’s creating alongside his son. While this is the campaign for the second issue, you can catch up and get the first right now! Here’s the link - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cthulhuville/wanderers-issue-2/description
Here’s a quick rundown of upcoming convention appearances, signings, and other events. Keep in mind, all appearances are subject to changes and cancellations.
May 12, 2026 - Live Interview with Pop Culture Squad Cast
May 29 - 31, 2026 - Tremendicon, Springfield MO
June 5 - 7, 2026 - Indiana Comic Con, Indianapolis, IN
June 10, 2026 - Store Signing TBA
June 12 - 14, 2026 - Heroes Con, Charlotte, NC
June 13, 2026 - Route 66 Comic and Toy Convention, Lebanon MO (Cullen will not be in attendance, but The Midnight Lantern will be!)
July 18 - 19, 2026 - Heroes For Kids Comic Con, Perryville MO
September 11 - 13 - Convention TBA
September 24 - 26, 2026 - FanX Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City UT.
October 7, 2026 - Store Signing TBA
October 10 - 11, 2026 - Nightmare Weekend, Raleigh, NC
October 23 - 25, 2026 - GalaxyCon St. Louis, St. Louis MO
LINKTREE - Links! Links! Links! This will get you everywhere worth visiting!
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!
Big deal! Glad your son has found his passion many people never do!