Vicious Shivers (Cullen Bunn's Official Newsletter), Issue 131
This is the 131st 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!
It’s been another sleepless night for your pal Cullen! That makes five nights this week where I spent more time tossing, turning, and staring at the ceiling than I did snoozing. I have no trouble falling asleep initially, but if I wake up, even for a second, I’m up for a huge chunk of the night.
What’s keeping me up? It’s a mix of things, really, some of which might be familiar to readers of this newsletter, some of which will be new, and some of which I’m going to be discussing in depth in future editions.
First up, stress. Here comes stress! Good old stress! How I hate it! Stress over work. I’m behind and I can’t seem to catch up. Stress over money. There’s never enough of it, is there? Stress over a mound of looming projects (both work and non-work) that keep getting put off and are now teetering above me with crushing potential. Stress over a terrible meat grinder of a schedule representing the rest of the year. You know who else is stressed out, though? Everyone! I know this. I know I’m not unique in this regard. I’m just letting you know why I’m not sleeping!
Next up (and perhaps closely related to stress) is the state of the comic book industry and my place in it. I usually stay pretty quiet about these things, and I’m not delving deeply into it today. An in-depth observation (which is coming, friends) requires a bit more thought and deliberation. But this is something that several of my creator friends, several agents, several managers and I have been talking a lot about for the last few years. It just seems to be coming to more and more of a head of late. I’m lucky enough to be working with several terrific publishers these days, but the field of publishers I’m willing to work with (and or those who are willing to work with me) is getting more and more narrow.
Just this week, another publisher fell into the file of “company I’m not going to work with anymore,” leading me to cancel upcoming work I have with them. There are several in this category, and they’ve been put there for various reasons. In some cases, it’s bad policy, bad creator relations, and bad contracts. In others, it’s lack of communication or poor communication or outright rude communication. And in others still, it’s bad editorial, bad blood, and bad faith.
And, by the way, when a publisher falls into one of these categories, they know it. I tend to let them know when they’re even hedging close to such a position. In some cases, that honesty with them has burned bridges. Frankly, though, there are more than a few publishers out there who could benefit from a little more straightforward communication.
But—yes—the list of publishers I want to work with his getting shorter and shorter, and there are moments when it looks pretty grim out there. The only thing I can do is stick with working with the publishers that are supportive, responsive, interested, and reliable… and there are several of those I’m proud to call partners. But, of course, it keeps me up wondering what’s next.
After the last two items, the next thing that’s keeping me up might seem a little odd.
It’s gremlins.
Little bastards make screeching noise, like dying baby birds begging for acid-laced worms, right outside my bedroom window every night.
I’m kidding, but it’s still weird.
It’s excitement. Maybe the stress and anxiety is fueling that. I do tend to get most jazzed about new projects and new ventures when stress is at its peak. But I have so many cool new endeavors on the horizon.
New books? You know it! I’ve got new comics coming with Brian Hurtt and Joe Bocardo and Heath Amodio and Andrea Mutti—projects that haven’t been officially announced yet! I’ve got projects with publishers I haven’t worked with before! I’ve got prose work and comic work and game work and TV work—all on the horizon.
New offerings? Oh, yes! In the next week or two, my online store will be re-opening with new books and a new attitude! My friend Josh is taking over all mail order operations for me as soon as the bulk of the Beyond Mortal Kickstarter is fulfilled (which he’s also helping me finish up). And there’s more! We’re going to offering books you can’t get anywhere else. We have several creator-exclusive variant covers planned. The first of which will be a Baldemar Rivas variant for SHOCK SHOP #1!
When the cover is to be revealed, subscribers to this newsletter will see it first. Subscribers will also have first chance to order these very limited covers, so be ready!
Oh, and you’ll be getting a discount code to use in the store if you subscribe to this newsletter, too!
Josh and I have big, big plans for this endeavor, something that we’re hoping changes both our lives. We’ve been working on it, setting action items, establishing 12-month goals. You’ll be kept in the loop every step of the way.
And there you have it! That’s why I’m not sleeping!
More on all of this (well… maybe not the stress) soon.
After typing all that, I need a nap!
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Outland Entertainment’s next WARLOCK 5 Kickstarter will be starting soon! You can be notified about their launch here! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/outlandent/warlock-5-the-revenge-issue-1-by-cullen-bunn-and-jimmy-z
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I know this has been announced HERE already, but I’ve been seeing posts about it, so I might as well share them again! A LEGACY OF VIOLENCE is coming soon from Mad Cave!
Mad Cave Studios Announces ‘A Legacy Of Violence’ For October 2022 – COMICON — www.comicon.com In time for Halloween, Mad Cave Studios has announced A Legacy of Violence, by masters of horror Cullen Bunn and Andrea Mutti, with letters by Rus Wooton. ‘Dr. Nick Shaw is an honest doctor just trying to help people. But one day, when a patient gets out of control, Nick suddenly begins recalling past memories…
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You know I love process tweets! Check out this awesome comparison of Piotr Kowalksi’s line work and Brad Simpson’s colors for BLOODBORNE: THE LADY OF THE LANTERN #1! The book is on the shelf now, by the way.
NEW COMICS THIS WEEK…
BASILISK continues this week, and we’re moving ever closer—EVER CLOSER—to the bitter end of the series!
BASILISK #10
The unspeakable horrors of the commune's past are finally revealed, while Hannah and Regan flee from dangerous men in pursuit. Will Hannah manage to reach Vanessa? And will she even agree with what it will cost her?
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.
SEPTEMBER 10, 2022 - Free State Comicon, Lawrence, KS
SEPTEMBER 24 - 25, 2022 - Memphis Comic Expo, Memphis TN
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.
August - UP TO NO GHOUL, a sequel to THE GHOUL NEXT DOOR.
August - PARASOMNIA: THE DREAMING GOD, a story about dreams and loss and adventure.
September - SHOCK SHOP, A new series that will allow me to spin many, many horror stories.
A LEGACY OF VIOLENCE - A horror maxi-series about a mysterious town and mysterious experiments that have played out there.
THE CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SALEM - A one shot following Sabrina's mischievous cat on a wild adventure.
A sequel to a story of robotic mischief.
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.
A new licensed horror comic series
Another new licensed horror comic series
A horror maxi-series exploring a side of horror you might not expect
A horror/thriller I’m co-writing
A horror limited series I’m working on with one of my best friends and long-standing collaborator
WORK UPDATE…
So far this year, I wrote:
1036 pages of comic book scripts (938 in 2021)
0 feature length screenplay (1 in 2021)
1 half-hour comedy pilot (0 in 2021)
1 short film script (0 in 2021)
6 short stories (13 in 2021)
0 novellas (0 in 2021)
25 new comic book series proposals (25 in 2021)
0 podcast proposals (5 in 2021)
1 essay (0 in 2021)
1 foreword for upcoming graphic novels (0 in 2021)
1 television series proposal (0 in 2021)
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.