Vicious Shivers (Cullen Bunn's Official Newsletter), Issue 138
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 138…
I’ve never really late dates clutter my memory. Maybe I’m too self-absorbed (he writes as he puts together a newsletter about himself), but it’s a real problem. It’s weird, because so much of my time is spent thinking about the past. I remember all the important events. I can remember weird, sometimes trivial details about those events. Often, though, I can’t pin a specific date to those events, and I almost never remember how many years have passed since the event occurred. I think the inability to recognize the passage of time is some sort of defense mechanism to prevent me from weeping at my own progression toward oblivion.
Luckily, I have Cindy to keep me on my toes. She remembers every specific date, hour and day and year, the way she remembers every lyric to every Journey song.
She just reminded me that 13 years ago we were boarding a plane to China to bring our son home. The best trip we’ve ever been on, I’d say. At least, the result of the trip was pretty amazing. We had only seen a couple of pictures of our son before we arrived in China. We had to spend a couple of days in Beijng before hopping on another plane to Hohot. We occupied ourselves with sightseeing. We were exhausted, but I don’t think we slept until the evening they brought Squish to us in the lobby of our hotel.
We expected a lot of screaming and a lot of tears, but he took to us right away, and we had a lot of fun over that next week in that hotel. We were the only adopting family in Hohot, and we didn’t meet up with any others until we jumped on another plane to Guangzho to take care of final paperwork and such. But we most certainly weren’t lonely! That little kid had a lot of energy!
It was a wild adventure for the both of us, and it has been an adventure every day since.
Thirteen years, and I feel like it was just a few weeks ago, even though my kid told me recently, “You know, dad, I’m pretty much 90% a grown up now.”
I know.
Believe me, I know.
***
I’ve been walking in the mornings before I start my day. It’s a good time for me to gather my thoughts and mentally prepare for the work ahead. I power through a lot of plot and character points during those walks. A couple of days ago, I must’ve really been working through a tough story, because I zoned out and walked a long way from home before I realized it. And then, trying to find the speediest way back, I traveled down a lot of backroads only to find a lot of dead-ends. My phone has apparently decided that it cannot find me when I’m on-foot, so it was actually leading me astray. The weariness, the sense of being lost (even in my own neck of the woods) has given rise to the title of my eventual memoir:
Off the Grid and Out of My Mind.
***
Daily Dread has posted the covers for the upcoming fourth issue of SHOCK SHOP, and they’re all fantastic!
Exclusive Cover Reveals for Cullen Bunn's SHOCK SHOP #4 - Daily Dead — dailydead.com Due out on December 7th, we have an exclusive look at the covers for Cullen Bunn's Shock Shop #4 with art from Danny Luckert, Leila Leiz, Brian Hurttand, and Jill Thompson! "The terrifying anthology from horror maestro Cullen Bunn concludes with plenty of blood, beasts, and bodies that’s sure to want you to read this […]
I mean, I’m assuming you’ve already read the first issue, which just came out! I would, if I were you. I mean, based on some of the calls I’ve been having this week, I’d hoard those issues. I’d almost certainly grab one of the limited edition creator-exclusive variants.
***
As you know, I love role-playing games. Been playing them since I was knee high to a hobbit. It’s very exciting, then, that I’ve been having (or will be having) lots of conversations about some RPG scenarios. One is an adaptation of one of my comics. I’m not designing that one, but I’ve been very involved in the planning stages and I’m really excited about where it is heading. The other is an RPG supplement I’m coordinating and writing. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long while, and it introduces a world that I think will be perfect for expansion into prose and comics and more.
***
On Friday, Josh and I will be climbing into the Jeep and heading to Memphis for the Memphis Comic Expo. I’m really looking forward to this trip. It’s my last convention of the year (unless something really surprising changes that) and it is a very creator-friendly event. I hope to see you there!
If you’re in the Memphis area, I most certainly think it’ll be worth the trip!
***
Thanks for accompanying me on this rambling expedition! Forge ahead for some news, some exciting announcements, and some hidden hints of projects to come!
NIGHTWALKERS... AND SOURCE POINT...
A new series has been officially announced… as has a new partnership with Source Point Press. NIGHTWALKERS is the first book I’ll be doing with them, though I (along with Hustle & Heart Films) will be doing many more. NIGHTWALKERS won’t be out for a couple of months, but Source Point will have some ash can editions at NYCC! In fact, I’m signing a bunch of those to mail to them for the event!
Cullen Bunn Launches New, Apocalyptic Horror Series, Other Titles — www.cbr.com CBR can exclusively reveal Cullen Bunn's production company, Hustle & Heart Films, is working with Source Point Press for three new comics projects.
NEW VARIANT COVERS NOW AVAILABLE!
If you head over to my store, you can order Creator-Exclusive Variant Covers of THE CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SALEM and A FOULNESS IN THE WALLS (as well as SHOCK SHOP and many other variants). These new covers are very limited. Fewer than 250 of each cover. They are pre-orders. While they are on pre-order, though, there is no extra charge for signed copies. So, now is the time to grab them!
THE CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SALEM - Creator Exclusive Variant (Danny Luckert Cover) | Cullen Bunn's Shock Shop — cullenbunn.bigcartel.com This is a LIMITED EDITION This is a LIMITED EDITION variant cover for THE CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SALEM #1! This variant is only available directly...
A FOULNESS IN THE WALLS - Creator Exclusive Cover (Sami Kivela Variant) | Cullen Bunn's Shock Shop — cullenbunn.bigcartel.com This is a LIMITED EDITION This is a LIMITED EDITION variant cover for A FOULNESS IN THE WALLS! This variant is only available directly from Cullen...
INTERVIEWS…
Here’s another interview about SHOCK SHOP! I hope you enjoy it!
Exclusive Interview: Cullen Bunn on His New Dark Horse Series ‘Shock Shop’ — biffbampop.com In our exclusive interview, horror writer extraordinaire Cullen Bunn discusses his new Dark Horse series, Shock Shop.
NEW BOOKS THIS WEEK...
A new issue of PARASOMNIA and the trade collection of THE LAST BOOK YOU'LL EVER READ are on the way this week!
THE LAST BOOK YOU'LL EVER READ TPB
Civilization is a lie. Hidden deep in our genes is the truth. And it is slowly clawing its way to the surface. Olivia Kade knows the truth, and she has become the prophet of the coming collapse. Her book, SATYR, is an international bestseller, and it is being blamed for acts of senseless violence and bloodshed all over the world. Olivia's own life is in danger from those who have read her work. Determined to conduct a book tour, she hires security professional Connor Wilson to act as her bodyguard. She only has one requirement: he cannot read her work.
PARASOMNIA: THE DREAMNG GOD #2
Cullen Bunn (Harrow County) and Andrea Mutti (Bunny Mask) return with their hit adventure tale of two worlds split between dreams and reality.
Our hero continues to fall deeper into horrors of the cyberpunk metropolis on the hunt for his son while facing off against many futuristic nightmares.
WEEKLY OBSESSIONS…
Here are some of the new things I’ve been obsessed with this week.
Late Monday night, I watched BARBARIAN with my pal Josh. I enjoyed it when I watched it. I’ve thought about it a lot since. I really don’t want to say anything about it, because this is a movie best watched with little to no preparation and definitely no spoilers. It’s an unusual movie that is designed to keep you guessing. Don’t let anyone tell you anything else about it before you see it.
I’ve been watching the new season of COBRA KAI. If I had may way, I’d probably be watching every episode in one sitting. I like it that much. I still have two episodes left of this season. Even though this hasn’t been my favorite season (I mean, every season has been great), I like where it is going.
SURVIVOR starts this week! Alert! Alert! SURVIVOR starts this week! I’m so excited, I don’t know what to do.
Other than that, my other obsession this week has been with my Sodastream. I just got this thing, and I am all-in on making sodas here at home. No calorie. Low sodium. Delicious. The machine goes whoosh-whoosh-whoosh when you activate it. What’s not to love?
EVENTS…
Keep in mind, these days, "finalized" doesn't mean as much as it once did. All events are subject to change.1
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.
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.
NIGHTWALKERS - A survival horror series that sets up a whole world of apocalyptic nightmares.
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 return to a fan-favorite hero I haven’t written in a good long while.
WORK UPDATE…
So far this year, I wrote:
1320 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)
29 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
TIKTOK - A fun spot for quick videos about writing, comics, and collecting
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.
THE BUNNGALOW - Cindy and I talk about life, hot button topics, pop culture, being married to a comic book writer and EVERYTHING in between.