Issue 327: Going it Alone

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Going it Alone | Alone Against… The Deathlords of Daemonrot| Bone Parish | Tales from the Magician’s Skull | SDCC | Deepest Catacombs (I Screwed Up!) | Final Order Cutoffs | New Books | Events

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Solo gamebooks were a big, big part of my life for a long while. Am I saying I was a lonely kid? Maybe. It all started, of course, with Choose Your Own Adventure books. I loved them so much. When the Weekly Reader order forms came out, I’d grab up as many of them as my allowance would allow. A little while later, I discovered TSR’s Endless Quest books. From there, I graduated to Steve Jackson’s Sorcery books, which I stumbled upon in a Waldenbooks. The Fighting Fantasy and Lone Wolf series were close behind. I still own most of those books. I thought it might be cool (for reasons to be detailed below) to note some of my all-time favorites.

The Cave of Time (CYOA)
This one is, for me, the grandaddy of all Choose Your Own Adventure books. There were, apparently, other “pick-a-path” books before it, but this was the first of the CYOA series. I stumbled onto it while flipping through the aforementioned Weekly Reader, and I was hooked. A cave that sent you spiraling through time? Sign me up!

Space and Beyond (CYOA)

While The Cave of Time was the first, no other CYOA book left an impression like this one. I remember our English teacher reading this one to the class. At each choice, she would take a vote to determine the direction the story would head. This one has one of the most short, sweet, and chilling stopping points of all time. It’s stuck with me… and many others… for a long time.

Return to Brookmere (Endless Quest)

I couldn’t have been more excited when I found out TSR was putting out D&D-themed CYOA-style adventure books. Return to Brookmere was the first one I read… and read… and read. I loved the story. I loved the choices. And I loved the magic item called the Mouth of Mimulus (or something like that). That little dragon-headed artifact ended up appearing in many of my own D&D campaigns.

Dungeon of Dread (Endless Quest)

A pure dungeon crawl packed with monsters, traps, and dangerous choices. It embraces everything that made early fantasy gamebooks so addictive. And it featured a water weird, a D&D monster I never respected until I saw one on the cover of this book.

Villains of Volturnus (Endless Quest)

Most of the Endless Quest books were set in D&D worlds, but there were a handful of exceptions. I loved the Star Frontiers setting, so this sci-fi space adventure was a thrill for me.

The Shamutanti Hills (Steve Jackson’s Sorcery)

There was something about the format of these books that made them feel… I dunno… special. I found it in Waldenbooks, and I felt like I had discovered something special. The storytelling and setting and meaningful choices didn’t hurt, either. These books had a nasty trick, I admit. You basically had to have the companion spellbook to successfully complete the adventure. Or… at least… you had to be pretty good at guessing the spell you needed to cast. Still, that somehow made the book (and those that followed) even more interesting to me.

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain (Fighting Fantasy)

For me, the book that launched the Fighting Fantasy series remains one of its finest entries. This book about searching for and battling an evil wizard has rightfully inspired board games and RPG adventures over the years. I’m pretty sure I discovered the Sorcery books first, but this one was the first to hit the shelves.

Flight from the Dark (Lone Wolf)

This opening adventure introduces Lone Wolf in spectacular fashion, balancing survival, exploration, and heroic fantasy. It laid the foundation for one of the greatest solo RPG series ever published. I was able to meet the creator, Joe Dever, just a couple of years before he passed, and I made sure to tell him how much I loved this series.

House of Hell (Fighting Fantasy)

Brutal, atmospheric, and unforgiving, House of Hell lives up to its name. It throws you into a mansion overflowing with cultists and supernatural horrors. In this one, making it out alive feels like a real accomplishment.

Blizzard Pass (D&D Invisible Ink Module)

Did you ever go on a road trip and stop at a Stuckey’s? And, if so, did you ever buy one of those invisible ink gamebooks that was full of mazes and crosswords and such? Well, this D&D module combines solo adventuring with invisible-ink mechanics. Somehow, Blizzard Pass felt high-tech for its time.

Castle Arcana (TSR’s 1-on-1 Adventure)

Technically, I guess this wasn’t a solo game, but it was pretty similar. It came with two solo adventure books, one featuring the adventures of a paladin, the other a necromancer. You and a friend would read the books at the same time. As you made your choices, moving around a dungeon, you would sometimes enter the same areas… at which time you’d fight!

Alone on Halloween (Pagan Publishing, Call of Cthulhu)

This Call of Cthulhu solo adventure is simply superb. There are plenty of choices to make and paths to explore in a mysterious mansion. This one, though, let you follow a map to determine where the story took you. It was a pretty great mechanic. There was also a Doom Track element that elevated the tension. I’ve played through it several times and still think there is a lot I’ve missed.

Grimrock Isle (Triad Publishing, Call of Cthulhu)

This solo campaign (which could also be turned into a RPG campaign) came in a thick folder full of various booklets. As you investigated a mysterious community, you would pick up different solo books (for, say, the cemetery or the orchard or the lighthouse). Every section was full of pure terror. If you were running a Call of Cthulhu campaign, you could had the books off to your players as they went off on their own. I played this campaign so often (both solo and as part of a campaign) that the folder fell apart.

My collection of solo gamebooks now looms in a few precarious stacks in a closet. I love those books dearly. They represent a key era of my reading and gaming life. And, as you’ll see below, something I’ve put a little energy into myself.

Tell me about your favorite solo games!

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And now, as they say, for something… well… not completely different at all.

Alone Against… the Deathlords of Daemonrot is the first in a series of solo RPG adventures that I’ve written.

Despite the warnings…

…despite the horrifying legends…

…despite the night terrors that plagued your sleep…

…you and your brave band of compatriots ventured deep into the twisting tunnels of a forbidden and sinister cave system filled with fell creatures and fiendish traps. Your lust for fortune and glory drove you onward despite the dangers you met. You made it deeper into the catacombs than most. Maybe your early success brought about overconfidence.

And overconfidence brought about your downfall.

Creeping down a flight of natural, uneven stairs, you and your adventuring compatriots entered a vast, flooded cavern. Great, slime-covered stalagmites rose from the murk. Jagged, dripping stalactites cascaded from a ceiling lost to the dark. The stone features gave the cave the resemblance of a toothy maw, just waiting to chew you up.

And then… in a way… it did.

Your attackers surged shrieking from the darkness.

Ferrin the thief screamed as he was dragged into the black, never to be seen again.

Solworth the ranger felt the searing sting of a dozen barbed arrows before he fell, squirming and twitching, into the fetid water.

Aramel the sorcerer tried to utter a spell to turn your enemies away, but a blade across his throat silenced his incantations forever.

And you—staggering back, splashing through the muck, flailing about wildly with your sword—had but one thought before the fathomless emptiness swallowed you whole.

We were fools to ever set foot in the Daemonrot!

And, yet, this is just the beginning of your adventure.

The beginning of your nightmare.

In ALONE AGAINST THE DEATH LORDS OF DAEMONROT you play the lone surviving member of a party of adventurers that delved too deeply into a death-filled maze of torment and horror. Lost, alone, and faced with a fate worse than oblivion, you must muster every ounce of courage in order to challenge seemingly insurmountable odds stacked against you in your attempt to escape the dungeon with your life!

This will not be easy.

And it most certainly won’t be pleasant.

Good luck.

You’ll need it.

This game involves decision-making, dice rolling, collecting treasure, avoiding curses, and battling monsters in a quest to survive a deadly, terrifying dungeon!

One of the things I’m most excited about is the pledge levels. Even this basic element of the Kickstarter backing system is a CHOICE that you’re making. When you pledge your support, you’ll be voting on the next chapter in the series. Will you be delving into the Lich Warrens? Exploring the Silent Crypt? Braving the Troll Hive? You decide and that’s where we’re heading next!

The campaign will go live soon, but you can follow it now so you don’t miss out!

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Some exciting television news for ya!

It has been announced that Starz is re-teaming with Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson on a TV adaptation of my supernatural crime graphic novel Bone Parish.

Diane Ademu-John (Dune: Prophecy) and Declan de Barra (The Witcher: Blood Origin) will co-showrun the project and executive produce. Stephen Christy and Mette Norkjaer from BOOM! Studios, which published the graphic novel, will also executive produce.

I’m thrilled to see this moving along, and I can’t wait for this story to find an entirely new audience!

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As you may know, I am taking over as editor of Tales From the Magician’s Skull, a fantasy magazine dedicated to presenting all-new sword-and-sorcery fiction by the finest modern crafters in the genre. My “official” first issue is 15, but I edited much of issue 14 as well. You’ll see that this issue features “The Killer & the Killer of Killers” which I wrote. Normally, I would not print a story I wrote in a book I edited. In fact, I had a couple of stories accepted for future issues, which I have pulled. In this case, though, art was already done for my story, so I decided to include it. Order your digital or print editions now!

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I will be attending San Diego Comicon this year! I don’t have my final schedule just yet, but I’ll be spending a lot of time set up and signing at the Ignition Pavilion!

Outside the convention, Ignition Press will be transforming the San Diego Wine & Culinary Center (200 Harbor Drive, #120, San Diego) into the Ignition Pavilion, a gathering place for fans, creators, and press. Visitors can shop exclusive covers and meet creators including Tini Howard, Jeremy Haun, Cullen Bunn (that’s me!), Rob Guillory, Tim Seeley, Christian Ward, Leah Williams, Stephanie Williams, Olivia Dufault, Joe Eisma, and more, while shopping convention-exclusive comics and collected editions.

I’ll also be participating in a few panels over the weekend! I should have my final schedule posted soon, so stay tuned!

I hope to see you there!

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So… believe it or not… I screwed up. I thought I had the next several pages of Deepest Catacombs lettered already. That, however, is not the case. So, I’ve afraid I must skip the comic this issue, but it will be back soon! Honestly? This issue was already pretty overloaded! In the meantime, now is a great opportunity to catch up!

If you want to catch up on the FIRST arc of Deepest Catacombs comics, you can do so HERE!

If you want to catch up on the SECOND arc of Deepest Catacombs, you can do so HERE!

FOC ALERT! FOC ALERT! FOC ALERT!

Today is the last day to pre-order Cult-de-Sac #1. This is my latest horror epic, telling the story of a family who moves into a picturesque neighborhood… only to discover the HOA is a power-mad demonic cult. If you haven’t placed your order for this issue, now is a great time to call or visit your favorite comic book retailer and let them know that you don’t want to miss it! In fact, make sure they order the entire series for you!

Also coming up for FOC is the trade paperback of Deluge! This trade collects all five issues… and the Cold Open… in a beautiful edition.

Pre-ordering books with comic book shops helps everyone! It helps the comic shop. It helps the creators. It helps the publisher. And it helps you. Pre-orders can make a huge difference when it comes to the success of a series!

Here’s a quick rundown of upcoming convention appearances, signings, and other events. Keep in mind, all appearances are subject to changes and cancellations.

July 18 - 19, 2026 - Heroes For Kids Comic Con, Perryville MO

July 22 - 26, 2026 - San Diego Comicon, San Diego CA

August 26, 2026 - Store Signing, Bonesy Jonesy, Jonesboro AR

September 11 - 13 - Rose City Comic Con, Portland OR

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!