Vicious Shivers (Cullen Bunn's Official Newsletter), Issue 135
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!
WELCOME TO ISSUE 135…
There’s my kid warming up before his first performance with the Missouri Philharmonic Orchestra. Let’s just get it right out of the way, they were amazing. The theme for the night was art, and the orchestra invited a few local artists and creators to set up tables, which is why you also see a table of my books. I didn’t really expect to sell that many, but I got a chance to talk to some folks who have never even considered buying graphic novels. A few even purchased copies—in all cases HARROW COUNTY. The night wasn’t about my books, anyhow, but I’ll admit, I’d love it if my kid accompanied me to conventions and played at my table. I mean, HE wouldn’t want me accompanying him to all of his performances to peddle books, but maybe he’ll warm up to the idea over time.
***
In addition to the big MPO performance, this was my son’s first week of high school.
(Pardon me while I turn to dust.)
It was a bit crazy all the way around—for him and for Cindy and myself—learning the ropes of getting him to and from school, managing schedules, handling extracurriculars.
We all got through it, but I think we’re also all glad today is free and clear of… well… anything.
***
This week, I had a lot of phone and Zoom meetings. One of those calls was very unexpected. It will likely turn into something for next year, and I’ll share it with everyone as soon as possible. Just… not a call I ever thought I’d get again.
Despite the meetings, despite the general craziness of the week, I managed to get a few comic pages written, too. Not enough. But some. I wrote an issue of an unannounced series I’ve been working on for a while, as well as a new issue of DOOR TO DOOR, NIGHT BY NIGHT.
I’ve got 5 new issues slated for next week, which is probably unrealistic, but it’s good to have lofty goals.
***
I haven’t forgotten about the questions I asked a couple of newsletters back! I’m still pulling everything into an easily digestible summary. It’s been really enlightening and very helpful!
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Last night, Cindy and I recorded a new episode of The Bunngalow! This is the first new episode in a year and a half. We address that and why it has taken us so long, but I’m excited to give it another college try. The episode will likely be up and running sometime today, but you can check out the Nerdy Legion page and listen to some previous episodes while you’re waiting!
TIKTOK…
In my never-ending battle to connect with readers in different ways, I’ve started a TikTok account! I’ve been trying to post at least one new video every day. While I’m still just getting my feet wet, I think I’ve shared some cool stuff, including unboxing videos, looks at my workspace, and even some sneak peeks at unannounced books! I hope you’ll check it out! Here’s the link to my profile!
HAPPY HOUR: COMICS AND COCKTAILS…
Brendan and I are back! This time, we’re talking about alien-themed movies, books, comics, and such while mixing a few extraterrestrial cocktails! Enjoy!
INTERVIEWS…
As I’ve mentioned previously, I’ve been trying to do a few more interviews lately. Just trying to spread the word about all the cool books I’m working on! A couple more have popped up this week.
First up, I joined the TLDR podcast to talk about several different projects, including SHOCK SHOP; A FOULNESS IN THE WALLS; and DOOR TO DOOR, NIGHT BY NIGHT; among others!
TLDR Comic Book Club: Cullen Bunn talks Shock Shop and Door to Door, Night by Night on Apple Podcasts — podcasts.apple.com Cullen Bunn makes his return to TLDR to talk about his upcoming series with Dark Horse, Vault and Aftershock! Find the guys @TLDR_pod (IG/Twitter), @Fry_Guy1 (Twitter) and @BackCrackah (IG/Twitter) and with the rest of the #DORK shared GUniverse on Facebook. TLDR is now on YouTube and TikTok, too!
Next, artist Andrea Mutti and I spoke with GateCrashers about A LEGACY OF VIOLENCE
A Legacy of Violence: A Discussion of Trauma Horror - GateCrashers — gatecrashers.fan Writer Cullen Bunn and artist Andrea Mutti join GateCrashers to discuss their upcoming project: A Legacy of Violence.
And let’s not forget about SHOCK SHOP, which I discussed with Hollywood Soapbox…
INTERVIEW: Cullen Bunn welcomes you to his 'Shock Shop' - Hollywood Soapbox — www.hollywoodsoapbox.com Hollywood Soapbox interviews comic book writer Cullen Bunn about his new horror anthology, Shock Shop, coming Sept. 7 from Dark Horse.
…and Newsarama…
Cullen Bunn's Shock Shop horror anthology invokes DC's House of Mystery | GamesRadar+ — www.gamesradar.com Dark Horse launches Shock Shop in September for an extra creepy fall season
HARROW COUNTY: THE BOARD GAME…
How is the HARROW COUNTY board game best described? Well, I play a lot of board games, but the best person to describe this one is the designer, Jay Cormier. This video from GenCon offers up a great summary of the upcoming game!
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!
WEEKLY OBSESSIONS…
Here are some of the new things I’ve been obsessed with this week.
This week has been a little lean for me when it comes to anything outside of work, my kid’s school and musical activities, and such. It’s been busy. A good busy. But still.
I watched GLORIOUS on Shudder, and I really enjoyed it. It’s a darkly humorous story set in a roadside rest stop. Simple, taut, gory, and surprising. It’s a lot of fun, and I would definitely recommend it.
Other than that, my obsession this week was the Pancho and Lefty Tacos from the J.O.B. Public House. “You were obsessed with tacos?” you ask. Well, yes. I’m very obsessed with THESE tacos. I had them a couple of months back, and I’ve long thought they were the best tacos I’ve ever tasted. I knew I was going to have them again this week, but something kept getting in the way. The J.O.B. was closed. My plans changed. It was as if some force was keeping me from these tacos. I got them, though, just yesterday. Once again, the best tacos I’ve ever had.
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
A survival horror series that sets up a whole world of apocalyptic nightmares
WORK UPDATE…
So far this year, I wrote:
1241 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.