Vicious Shivers (Cullen Bunn's Official Newsletter), Issue 105
This is the 105th issue of Vicious Shivers, a (mostly) weekly newsletter for fans of my work. Thank you for subscribing. Please share it with others if you think they might be interested!
Well, I got almost no sleep last night. How about you?
Yesterday was a crazy, busy, (mostly) fun day, from early morning to late at night. Here’s how it shook out:
I woke up (after a late night) around 7:00 and I wrote a few pages of comic script before I hopped out out bed. This particular script was for a couple of pages of one of the Outland Universe comics.
By 10, I was at a Track Director meeting for Tremendicon, a convention that’s coming up in June of this year. You’ll be hearing a lot more about it in the days to come. This particular meeting was to discuss possible panel and event programming. I’m heading up the Writer Track and helping with the tracks on Comics, Games, Media, etc. I came prepared with 30+ possible events, more than could ever fit into a three-day convention. Now, the task will be narrowing them down to the best topics for the guests of the convention.
Around 3, Cindy and I took our son to one of his orchestra rehearsals. Since the rehearsal lasts a couple of hours, Cindy and I had some time to kill, first at a pub that was a little too lively for my tastes on a Saturday afternoon, then at the speakeasy.
Should have been a relaxing time, but this is when my migraine kicked in.
This particular headache felt like someone ramming an icepick through my left eye. Loads of fun. And it didn’t pass for several hours.
Around 7, while still battling the stupid migraine, I played a few rounds of THE THING board game with Cindy, our son, and a handful of friends. The headache finally subsided, just in time for humanity to survive one game and the Things to conquer humanity in another.
The games wrapped up around midnight and, even though I was exhausted, I couldn’t get to sleep until close to 4. The lingering ghost of the migraine haunted me and I suppose I just had too much on my mind. So I watched a few episodes of DR. WHO until I finally called it a night.
Around 7 this morning, the dogs woke me up to go outside, and I realized I had not put this newsletter together.
And that brings us back to Do.
Or “Doh!” as I exclaimed this morning.
What does today hold? Well, after I hit send on this newsletter, I’m going to do a little more work on my Tremendicon tracks, write a few more pages of comic script, and hope that migraine doesn’t return.
***
Writing-wise, this was one of those weeks where I didn’t get as many script pages written, but I managed to knock out a few pitches for different projects. One was a horror project that I’m helping a studio develop. The other was really less of a proposal and more of a bible for a new comic project Brian Hurtt and I are developing. I also managed a few pages of script for a television pilot my pal Josh Roberts and I are writing. All fun stuff. The coming week, though, will be heavily scripting-focused.
I think.
***
Want to see a cool sneak peek at the upcoming GODZILLA VS. THE MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS comic? IDW posted this glimpse at some of Freddie Williams III’s art for the book!
***
Now, I know I’ve said this before, but this time I really mean it. Starting this week, I really have to get control of my health. And not just because of the migraine (although I think it is connected). My blood pressure and cholesterol and weight are out of control, so I’ll be putting some additional focus on all of that starting… now. I’m on medication now for blood pressure and cholesterol. Hopefully that helps. I’ll be hitting the gym and walking a little more diligently. And I’ll be watching what I eat. In terms of food management, the only thing that has ever really worked for me is Weight Watchers, so I’m back on that train.
I’ll let you know how it goes!
***
Now… on to new book releases, interviews, weekly obsessions, and the like—->
NEW COMICS THIS WEEK…
PARASOMNIA Volume 1
After his son disappears, a broken-down man braves a nightmarish dreamscape in order to find him-and battle the ruthless cult that seeks to rule the land of dreams as the barrier between realities starts to collapse.
Collects the four-issue miniseries.
INTERVIEWS…
Shadowman's Cullen Bunn Teases Valiant Comics' Deadside War (Interview) — www.cbr.com In an exclusive interview with CBR, comic writer Cullen Bunn discussed the challenges of writing Shadowman and teases Valiant's upcoming Deadside War.
AIPT Comics podcast episode 156: Guest Cullen Bunn talks new 'Shadowman' and future plans at Valiant • AIPT — aiptcomics.com Writer Cullen Bunn joins the AIPT Comics podcast to talk Shadowman, plus we recap the week in comics!
THIS WEEK’S OBSESSIONS...
Right now, I’m still reading a bit of Charles L. Grant’s work and I’m still fascinated by his grasp of imagery and description.
I’ve been watching ARCHIVE 81, which has been really great. I love that they just take their time with this story. They don’t try to rush anything, and it really works.
Also, of course, PEACEMAKER, which is just an amazing show.
As noted above, I’ve continued to play THE THING board game. Such a terrific game, especially if you have a full 8 players.
EVENTS…
Here are the events I have finalized for the coming days. Keep in mind, these days, "finalized" doesn't mean as much as it once did. All events are subject to change.
APRIL 22 - 24, 2022 - Planet Comicon, Kansas City
JUNE, 17 - 19, 2022 - Tremendicon, Springfield MO
WORK UPDATE…
So far this year, I wrote:
128 pages of comic book scripts (938 in 2021)
0 feature length screenplay (1 in 2021)
0 short stories (13 in 2021)
0 novellas (0 in 2021)
3 new comic book series proposals (25 in 2021)
0 podcast proposals (5 in 2021)
1 forewords for upcoming graphic novels (0 in 2021)
0 television series proposals (0 in 2021)
THINGS TO COME...
Here is a quick and dirty list of upcoming projects. In most cases, I'm only listing projects that are definitely on the schedule with a published. Oftentimes, I will not be able to share much information, but I can at least tease the future! Everything here is, of course, subject to change.
February 2, 2022 - MANOR BLACK: FIRE IN THE BLOOD, a return to the world of magicians and wild magic.
March 2022 - GODZILLA VS. THE MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS, a big crossover comic that no one will be expecting but that makes complete sense.
A sequel to a story about dreams and loss and adventure.
A sequel to a story of robotic mischief.
A sequel to THE GHOUL NEXT DOOR.
A horror maxi-series about a mysterious town and mysterious experiments that have played out there.
A horror OGN where reality and surreality clash in a murderous way.
An action/comedy thrill-ride. unlike anything else I've ever written.
An apocalyptic horror/fantasy maxi-series.
A horror one-shot about loss and grief and guilt.
A new action/horror series I can’t tell you much about just yet.
OTHER NEWSLETTERS AND BLOGS...
STRANGE ANIMALS - A newsletter from comics letterer and writer Aditya Bidikar that covers lettering, comics, and life.
FINAL THOUGHTS…
Thanks for joining me again. If you liked this newsletter, please share it with your friends! If you want to keep the conversation going throughout the week, follow me on Twitter or join my Discord server (see below)! See you next time!
WHERE TO FIND ME ONLINE...
WEBSITE - If you haven’t been there lately, you should check it out. I’ve started posting a lot more content and news on the site.
TWITTER - This is the best place to interact with me online. My handle is @cullenbunn
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.