Vicious Shivers (Cullen Bunn's Official Newsletter), Issue 95
This is the 95th 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!
”I’m a glass half empty guy, and the glass has spiders in it.”
Is that my brand?
I hope not but I think so.
I spoke those words just yesterday while speaking as a guest lecturer (via Zoom) to a comics writing class at UCLA. We were talking about positivity and passion and motivation in an industry where you must deal with constants of change and rejection. While I said it as a joke, I know deep down it’s funny because it’s true.
A few years ago, I figured my career was over. I had been cast aside, along with several other creators, by a publisher where I had dedicated a lot of time and energy. Suddenly, editors who had said they enjoyed working with me were silent when I reached out. Suddenly, a number of creators I considered friends were nowhere to be found. It’s too bad, really, because some kindness and friendship would have went a long way. Of course, I try to remind myself that everyone was confused and worried at that time, but… spiders in the glass, remember?
Was I angry? You bet. But I was also terrified.
“How do you deal with the rejection that come with working in the industry?”
That was one of the questions from the class yesterday.
And my answer pretty much sums up how I managed to keep fighting, keep swinging, and keep myself from swirling down the drain.
I create.
I come up with new ideas, new plans, new pitches. I develop characters. I create monsters and horrors to torment those characters. I spew forth ideas, some of them are downright terrible, some of them just all right, and some of them—a handful—really great and exciting for me. And when those exciting ideas come along, I grab hold and follow them to wherever they take me.
I take that half-full glass and I drink the spiders down.
***
Last week was awful.
Is that my brand?
I don’t want it to be. Lately, though… wow.
I was supposed to attend a lecture and event at the local library. I was going to talk to kids about creating comics. I was going to do a Q&A on THE GHOUL NEXT DOOR. I was really excited about it. But, a couple of hours before the event, everything just… went to Hell.
One of my son’s guinea pigs got very sick. My son loves those guinea pigs. He takes better care of them than I’ve ever seen anyone take with a guinea pig before. Sadly, though, guinea pigs are not hardy creatures, and when they get sick, they often don’t recover. In this case, after a trip to the emergency vet, my son’s pet didn’t make it. To make matters much, much worse, my son, my wife, and myself let the stress of the day just get to us. I should have been the rock for my family, but I wasn’t, and an already sad day just kept snowballing into a more and more hellish experience for us all.
So I thought it best to cancel the event and spend time with my family. I feel really bad about not being there, but I’m pretty sure no one would have enjoyed my company.
The Bunns are fine, by the way, and we greatly appreciate the outpouring of support and well wishes that we saw from friends last week.
***
Despite it all, I managed to get back to being a little more productive. Three comic scripts and a lengthy proposal/outline requested by a publisher. I’ve got a lot of work to do to get back to where I was (and where I need to be) productivity-wise, but it felt could to actually work.
I also went through a practice pitch for a TV show that we’re pitching to buyers soon. And I listened to another practice pitch for a TV show based on one of my comics.
***
On Thursdays, I’ve been spending some much-needed time with friends by entering a horror-themed trivia contest. We haven’t won the contest yet, which means the other teams are monsters, because we only missed a four questions out of fifty.
Here are the ones (I remember) we missed. See if you can get them without looking them up.
What is Nancy address in A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET?
In the remake of CHILD’S PLAY, the brand of the Good Guy dolls was changed. What were they called?
These three actors were in a horror movie. Name the movie. Bailee Madison, Lewis Pullman, Christina Hendricks.
***
Have a great week, folks.
Be good to each other.
Drink some spiders.
DRAGONRING IS LIVE ON KICKSTARTER
DRAGONRING is back! I am writing the revival of this comic series, through which we’re introducing an entirely new comic book multiverse! This is the first step on a path to something much, much bigger! I hope you’ll check out Outland’s Kickstarter project and help us make this a reality!
DRAGONRING by Cullen Bunn & Shannon Potratz by Outland Worlds — Kickstarter — www.kickstarter.com Outland Worlds is raising funds for DRAGONRING by Cullen Bunn & Shannon Potratz on Kickstarter! The return of DRAGONRING, a cult classic comic book series, and the launch of a new comic book multiverse, written by CULLEN BUNN.
NEW COMICS THIS WEEK
TALES FROM HARROW COUNTY 4
After confronting the underground cult of goblins beneath the streets of Harrow County, Bernice and friends escape their subterranean prison and take on the evil effigy of an old ally in an epic magic battle!
This is the final issue of this arc, but have no fear, the next arc is already written and art is being produced! And you’re going to love it!
HALLOWEEN STORIES
Over the next few weeks, I’m posting some short Halloween stories for free on Patreon! I hope you’ll check them out!
INTERVIEWS
The Comic Conspiracy: Episode 518 - Comic Conspiracy Podcast — comicconspiracypodcast.com This week, we're joined by Heath Amodio and Cullen Bunn to talk about their upcoming comic The Heathens from Aftershock Comics, Hustle & Heart Films, and lots more! Starring Ryan Higgins, Brock Sager, Charlie West, and special guests Heath Amodio and Cullen Bunn.
DYNAMIC FORCES® - Marvel, DC, Dynamite, Signed Comics, Sketch Covers, CGC Graded, Variants, Collectibles and more! — www.dynamicforces.com When evil men and women escape from the depths of the eternal abyss, the Pirate Queen Lady Shih is sent to retrieve them. But when one of history's most notorious killers breaks free, even she needs help. Enter the Heathens: Shih, Lucky Luciano, Bumpy Johnson, Sofia the Golden Hand, and Billy the Kid. From Hell they came to mete out a justice as dark as their own tormented souls.
Crack Open “The Last Book You’ll Ever Read” with Cullen Bunn – Multiversity Comics — www.multiversitycomics.com Curl up - - if you dare - - with The Last Book You'll Ever Read and this interview with writer Cullen Bunn about his new Vault Comics title.
IT’S GHOUL SEASON!
If you haven’t grabbed THE GHOUL NEXT DOOR for your kids or for yourself, now is the perfect time of year to do so! It’s creepy, fun, and full of spine-tingling hijinks. You can order it right here:
COMICS AND COCKTAILS
THINGS TO COME...
The Ghoul Next Door: Bunn, Cullen, Farris, Cat: 9780062896094: Amazon.com: Books The Ghoul Next Door [Bunn, Cullen, Farris, Cat] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Ghoul Next Door
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.
NOVEMBER 3, 2021 - HEATHENS, a story of history's worst anti-heroes chasing history's worst "monsters"
DRAGONRING - a new endeavor involving an indie comic that I’ve loved since I was a kid. A new shared universe that I have a stake in.
A 20-page horror one-shot inspired by one of Grimm’s fairy tales will appear in GRIMM TALES FROM THE CAVE.
A big crossover comic that no one will be expecting but that makes complete sense.
A horror maxi-series about a mysterious town and mysterious experiments that have played out there.
A return to a world of magicians and family intrigue.
A horror OGN where reality and surreality clash in a murderous way.
WORK UPDATE
This year, I wrote--
668 pages of comic book scripts (1468 in 2020)
1 feature length screenplay (0 in 2020)
10 short stories (15 in 2020)
0 novellas (2 in 2020)
23 new comic book series proposals (13 in 2020)
5 podcast proposals (0 in 2020)
0 forewords for upcoming graphic novels (2 in 2020)
0 television series proposals (5 in 2020)
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.