Vicious Shivers (Cullen Bunn's Official Newsletter), Issue 134
Vicious Shivers is 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!
ISSUE 134…
Tomorrow, my son starts high school—HIGH SCHOOL—as a freshman! It’s shocking to me how quickly time has slipped away. It’s also shocking to think about how many mistakes I’ve made along the way. Despite my failings, he’s grown up to be a bright, caring, and amazingly talented young man. Yes, he’s a moody teenager 90% of the time, but I’m so proud of him.
The next few days will be a time of adjustment and confusion for me. Figuring out school drop-off and pick-up, coordinating the many extracurricular activities (which have already started), and trying to balance work with it all.
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Speaking of work and extracurricular activities, my son has one of his first performances with the Missouri Philharmonic Orchestra this week. Before the show and during intermission, they want to show off local creatives, and they’ve asked me to set up a booth to sell some books. I’m not bringing much… a few HARROW COUNTY trades and the GHOUL NEXT DOOR… but let’s see if I can turn music lovers into comic lovers!
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I still haven’t been able to dedicate the time I needed to Scriptpocalypse just yet, but it’s looming ever closer.
I worked on a few scripts this week. In particular, I wrote some new material for an AWA series I’ve been writing. See if you can figure out which one in “Things to Come” below. Hint: there are two AWA books in that list. I also wrote the first chunk of pages for a new project I haven’t talked much about yet. It’s early stages, but the artist is going to be getting started soon. I’ve added it to the list of upcoming projects, too. I worked on another unannounced project, too. I know it will be announced by NYCC.
The week ahead (starting today) includes the completion of a new prose short story as well as pages of another unannounced comic; a new issue of DOOR-TO-DOOR, NIGHT BY NIGHT; content for the HARROW COUNTY board game; and a few other projects.
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Hustle & Heart, the production company I’m part of with Heath Amodio, has really been cooking up some amazing projects. I’ve been a little quiet about that side of the business for a bit, but we’ve been living up to the “hustle” part of the name for sure, especially in the last week or so! I can’t tell you much about what’s happening just yet, but there is some big, big news on the horizon. If everything shakes out the way I think it will, we’re going to have the chance to tell so many great stories!
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I’ve spent more time than I thought I would re-arranging my office. Well… really just updating my desk and then fixing up the rest of the office to coincide with the changes. My back has been killing me lately from all the sitting. While I was in California, I spent a lot of time scripting at a standing desk and I loved it. So… I now have a standing desk in my office. I really think it’s going to change things for me in big ways. Of course, putting the desk together and taking my old desk apart means I’ve been in some rough pain the past few days, but that seems to be easing up now.
Ah—getting older!
So much fun!
I’ll post some pics and such of the new set-up once I have the office cleaned up a bit.
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I resisted it for a long, long time, but I have started a Tiktok account. I’ve only been active for a couple of days, but I’ve posted a few videos. I’ll admit, I find Tiktok more entertaining than I thought I would.
Here’s where you’ll find it—https://www.tiktok.com/@cullenbunn
I’ve got a few more social media endeavors I’m going to be trying out soon.
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Thanks for joining me for this issue! Last week, I asked a bunch of questions that will, hopefully, help me market books a little better. I got a lot of really great answers and I really appreciate it. I’m still planning on sharing the results. I just need time to compile everything. One of the things that came through loud and clear, though, was that readers want to know about the books, movies, shows, and games I’m reading, watching, and playing, so I’ve added the “Weekly Obsessions” section back to the end of the newsletter.
For now, though, how about we roll into a couple of new book announcements?
DOOR-TO-DOOR, NIGHT BY NIGHT...
A couple of new comics were announced this week. First up, DOOR-TO-DOOR, NIGHT BY NIGHT, an action/horror/comedy series about a group of misfit door-to-door salespeople who moonlight as monster hunters!
I just finished the outline for a future issue that is one of my favorite scripts ever!
Bunn and Cantirino Explore the Terrifying World of Door-To-Door Sales in Vault's New Horror Series — www.cbr.com Door to Door, Night by Night, an upcoming Vault series, stars a cast of door-to-door salespeople investigating the strange and the paranormal.
A FOULNESS IN THE WALLS...
Next up is an Aftershock “One-Shock” titled A FOULNESS IN THE WALLS. It’s a very personal horror tale about grief and guilt and something rotting in the walls.
AfterShock to Publish “A Foulness in the Walls” – Multiversity Comics — www.multiversitycomics.com Cullen Bunn and Rodrigo Zayas will unite for A Foulness in the Walls, a new one-shot from AfterShock following a man struggling to process the death of his mother.
INTERVIEWS…
I feel like I’ve been doing a lot of interviews lately, and I’m certain they’re gonna start popping up soon! In the meantime, here’s a recent discussion of the upcoming SHOCK SHOP series!
Cullen Bunn unlocks the horrors in 'Shock Shop' • AIPT — aiptcomics.com Issue #1 of the intense horror anthology debuts September 7.
WARLOCK 5: THE REVENGE…
You only have about 3 days to support WARLOCK 5: THE REVENGE, Issue 1 from Outland Entertainment! Don’t miss out on this! Jimmy and I have big plans for the world of WARLOCK 5. Big, fun plans. The project has reached its funding goal, but we can always use more support!
Here’s where you can find the campaign!
HARROW COUNTY: THE BOARD GAME…
Off the Page Games is still out there running demos of the HARROW COUNTY board game. They just posted a tweet including the most recent reaction videos from ECCC.
The Kickstarter for the game is scheduled to launch October 4th, and you can sign up to be alerted when the campaign is live here…
Harrow County: The Game of Gothic Conflict by Jay — Kickstarter — www.kickstarter.com Jay is raising funds for Harrow County: The Game of Gothic Conflict on Kickstarter! An asymmetric game where 1 faction wants to destroy Harrow County, another wants to protect it, and a 3rd wants to rule it.
SHOCK SHOP #1 CREATOR-EXCLUSIVE...
Just a reminder, my online store is now open and updated, and we’ve been adding new items to the shop at a pretty good clip. Among offerings on the store is a creator-exclusive SHOCK SHOP #1 that you can only get from me!
I hope you’ll check out the store, grab a copy or two (or ten) of this exclusive variant, and look around at some of the other items up for grabs. And, as a way of thanking you for your continued support, here’s a discount code that will get you 10% off any orders you make!
The code is BUNNHEAD
You can find my shop HERE!
NEW BOOKS THIS WEEK...
Two new comics come out this week! I hope you’ll check ‘em out!
BLOODBORNE: THE LADY OF THE LANTERN #2
NEW COMIC SERIES BASED ON THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED GOTHIC GAMING HIT, BLOODBORNE!
Enter the city of Yharnam through the eyes of its citizens, when new hunters take to the streets to fight against the cruel and unusual epidemic that has gripped the city. In the black of the night, families and faith will be tested...
BOOK OF SHADOWS #2
Shadowman, Punk Mambo, Doctor Mirage, Eternal Warrior, and Shadowman's new ward, Persephone, confront a villain from the Veil. Exarch Fane has broken through to Earth, bringing with him the Book of Shadows, which is more than just your average tome. Death and destruction follow in Fane's wake. Can our heroes save the day or will they run away to lick their wounds?
WEEKLY OBSESSIONS…
Here are some of the new things I’ve been obsessed with this week.
Between re-working my office, working on the web store, and trying to get some script pages written, I haven’t really been too distracted from my distractions!
I watched THE BLACK PHONE and really enjoyed it. I actually watched it twice, once alone, once with Cindy and Roman. I’m not sure what I expected going into it. Something much darker, maybe. But it was actually the picture of one of the things I like about the horror genre—fighting like Hell in the face of something awful. Hope in the face of hopelessness.
Game-wise, I played the new edition BETRAYAL AT THE HOUSE ON THE HILL last night. As always, the game is a great deal of fun. The new design was top notch. Play has been streamlined a bit. And, to me, it seemed like the haunts start much more quickly. We played twice, and both of the haunts were really unique, clever, and entertaining.
EVENTS…
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
FEBRUARY 4, 2023 - ArtCon, Neosho, MO
MARCH 17 - 19, 2023 - Planet Comicon, Kansas City MO
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.
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.
DOOR TO DOOR, NIGHT BY NIGHT - A horror/comedy series about a door-to-door sales team that moonlights as monster hunters.
A FOULNESS IN THE WALLS - A horror one-shot about loss and grief and guilt.
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 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.
An action/horror story of destiny and demonic blood.
A horror prose anthology I’m editing.
WORK UPDATE…
So far this year, I wrote:
1207 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.