Vicious Shivers Issue 146…

Vicious Shivers is the official newsletter for fans of my work. Thank you for subscribing. Please share it with others if you think they might be interested!

For some reason, I decided it was time to clean out the bar in my studio. You know. Organize it a little. And that opened the door to cleaning out one of the supply closets. And that brought about the decision to clear off and rearrange a bunch of bookcases. And, of course, Christmas decorations needed to go up!

An avalanche of distractions, I tell ya!

All of this could potentially stand in the way of actually getting real writing done, but I still managed a good chunk of pages, both while wrapping up a series and starting a new one. I also revised a couple of outlines for upcoming series. I’ve spent the last couple of days working on some TV show material, all connected to the writer’s room I was part of over the summer. Things are moving ahead on that, which is exciting!

And… I did a heck of a lot of work on my upcoming short story, “The Doom That Came to Christmas,” a tale of Santa and Krampus battling Nyarlathotep for the fate of the world. I’m going to serialize it on my Patreon and here on this newsletter, starting next week.

I had roughly a dozen phone calls and Zoom meetings this week. During those discussions, new books were pitched, returns to older titles were planned, TV shows and movie proposals were hurled into the void, and new publishing endeavors were figured out.

The new publishing endeavor is something I’ve been hinting at for a bit, and I think we’ll have an announcement out by the end of the year… because it’s already in full swing and by March it will be really rolling right along!

To help me keep track of all the projects I’ve got going on, I’m trying out the project management app Monday. It’s very early in the “messing around with it” phase. It’s obviously a lot more detailed than my current method of Post-It Notes on a whiteboard.

As you’ll see below, lots of new books are coming out this week. Among them, DOOR TO DOOR, NIGHT BY NIGHT, inspired by the good ol’ days of my dad running door-to-door sales crews. A little while back, I dug up this picture of me (10 years old at the time, I think) and my old man getting ready to head out with the crew. Thought you might get a kick out of it.

All that hair… wasted on that haircut.

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Happy Birthday Discount…

This week, I’ll be celebrating another birthday. Yes, yes, despite my youthful appearance and vigor, my body is slowly giving way to entropy. In the spirit of not going gently into that good night, I’m setting up a Discount Code for my online shop. Use this code to access a 20% discount on your entire order.

The code is Oldmancullen.

The shop can be found at https://cullen-bunn.myshopify.com

I’ll keep the code active ‘til this time next week!

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Democritus Brand and the Endless Machine…

It’s been a minute since JimmyZ Johnston and I ran the Kickstarter campaign for DEMOCRITUS BRAND AND THE ENDLESS MACHINE Issues 1 and 2. Now, the time has come for us to launch the campaign for issues 3 and 4 (and 1 and 2 if missed the initial campaign)! If all goes well, the campaign launches later this week. I will be sending a special announcement email when it launches. I hope we can count on your support!

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Patreon…

These days, more than ever, I’m really trying to focus my efforts in terms of connecting with readers. There are a few spots on social media, but I’m not really interested in posting a ton of material there. I’m a little burned by how much effort I put into those platforms only to feel like it was all just snatched out from under me. There are some message boards, such as my Discord channel, and I need to bolster those efforts. There are some new message boards that are in the works (more on that soon). There’s this newsletter, of course, which I genuinely enjoy working on every week. And there is my Patreon. I rely on the support of patrons far more than you realize. The support on that platform goes a long way to helping me make new creator-owned material.

I’ve recently updated my Patreon, adding some pretty exciting new tiers.

Supporters on Patreon at the $5 level get access to:

• Serialized Comics

• Serialized Novels and Novellas

• Short Stories (Comics and Prose)

• Weekly Sneak Peeks at Upcoming Work

• Behind-the-Scenes Insight Into My Creative Process

• Commentary Tracks for My Published Comics

• Writing Advice and Essays

• Process Material (Proposals, Outlines, and Scripts)

• Livestreams

• Q&A

• And More...

But the three new tier levels include:

•  Creator-Exclusive Variant Covers ($20 per month) - This level will help me fund the creator-exclusive variant covers I've been doing. In addition to getting all of the content from previous levels, patrons at this level will be mailed copies of the creator-exclusive variant covers I have produced. 

• One-on-One Chats - Limited to 6 Patrons. We'll set up monthly chats via Zoom where we can talk about comics, writing, or (almost) anything else you want. 

• Comp Box - Limited to 3 Patrons. Patrons at this level will receive copies of the comp books I get from publishers, all autographed. 

If you haven’t checked out my Patreon page, I’d love it if you did. If there’s a level of support that makes sense for you, that would be awesome!

My Patreon can be found at - patreon.com/cullenbunn

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Reader Questions…

John Avina writes, “Is there a book on writing that you recommend?”

I love this question, because the answer is, “So many!” I’ll try to narrow it down to some of my absolute favorites, though. These are the books that have stuck with me for years… for decades… books that will always have a place of honor near my desk at all times.

ZEN AND THE ART OF WRITING by Ray Bradbury. If you know me, then you know this is on the list. It’s a short collection on essays on writing, the first couple being some of the most inspirational material I’ve ever read on the subject of creativity.

HOW TO WRITE TALES OF HORROR, FANTASY, AND SCIENCE FICTION, edited by J.N. Williamson. A collection of essays by masters of the horror genre. I bought this in 1989, I think, and I’ve read it over and over, until the pages have literally fallen out.

HOW TO WRITE HORROR FICTION by William F. Nolan. I borrowed this from a friend in the early 90s and loved it almost as much as HOW TO WRITE TALES OF HORROR, FANTASY, AND SCIENCE FICTION. I bought my own copy a few years later, and it has stayed near my desk ever since.

ON WRITING by Stephen King. As much memoir as writing guide, but it is simply full of great advice and inspirational stories.

WELCOME TO HELL by Tom Piccirilli. A short guide to the world of writing by an amazingly talented writer.

WRITING MOVIES FOR FUN AND PROFIT by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon. It’s a hilarious read, but it is also full of terrific advice I use almost every day in the world of writing. The section on how to handle criticism is worth the price of admission alone.

A WRITER’S TALE by Richard Laymon. I almost didn’t list this because it is hard to find and very expensive, but if you can get your hands on a copy, it’s terrific. It traces Laymon’s history in the industry with brutal honesty and plenty of terrific writing advice mixed in.

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Interviews…

Freddie Williams II and I joined Shortboxed to talk about all things Godzilla and Power Rangers. It was a lot of fun. And, thanks to Space Diamonds, the Bunniverse is expanding!

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New Books This Week…

It’s a big week, with a couple of new titles making their debut!

DOOR TO DOOR, NIGHT BY NIGHT #1

From all-star creators Cullen Bunn (Harrow County, The Last Book You'll Ever Read) and Sally Cantirino (I Walk With Monsters, Human Remains) comes the story of a motley crew going to battle against supernatural evil throughout the American South.

Perfect for fans of "The Boys," "B.P.R.D." and "Proctor Valley Road."

The Heritage Mills sales team travels from town to town, knocking on doors. They're the best at what they do... which also means they're the worst. They're broken, each and every one of them, haunted by closets so full of skeletons, they're bursting. When they discover a terrible secret behind one fateful door, it opens their eyes to a world full of real monsters hidden in every small town.

A FOULNESS IN THE WALLS

A Horror Prestige Format One-Shock from the mind of Cullen Bunn!

After a tragic loss, George hopes to rebuild his life. He moves to a new house. He gets a new job. He starts dating the girl of his dreams. Sometimes, though, guilt can be as malevolent as an evil spirit. Sometimes, ghosts follow you. Something is rotting in the walls of George's new house. Something hungry.  

Written by Cullen Bunn (DARK ARK, UNHOLY GRAIL, Basilisk, Bone Parish) and illustrated by Rodrigo Zayas (Cyber Force: Rebirth), comes a story of loss, rot and hunger.

A LEGACY OF VIOLENCE #2

As Nick continues to search for clarity on the meaning of Unit 731, the doctors do their best to forget the shock from the night before by letting loose at a local bar. Meanwhile, there is an even more gruesome surprise waiting for them courtesy of the mysterious masked serial killer terrorizing the small town of Disante.

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Weekly Obsessions…

I feel like between work, cleaning out/organizing my nightmarish storage closet, and family obligations, I haven’t had a lot of time for anything extra.

I have been playing the iPad game Darkest Dungeons quite a bit. It’s a fun but incredibly frustrating dungeon crawl. I’ll play it for a few weeks before I finally get too angry and I retire it for several months.

Music-wise, I’m on a Dropkick Murphys and Tito and Tarantula kick. I guess I’m really into fightin’ songs and songs that make me think of vampire strippers right now.

On a collecting front… check this out. When I was a kid, Presto Magix were all the rage. For those who are unfamiliar, Presto Magix were dry transfer sets where you got a large scene that you could design however you want with little pencil transfers. They were fun and creative. There were Batman sets and Indiana Jones sets and Star Wars sets. I loved them.

At some point, though, while walking through a toy store in (I think) Clinton NC, I stumbled onto a different kind of “action transfer” set. About the size of a record, the Galactic Task Force sets were not based on pre-existing properties. They introduced new sci-fi/fantasy characters that were just awesome. These characters were edgy and wild, and the scenes upon which their adventures played out were just as mind-blowing to me. (Later, I would discover they were commissioned to be in the style of the 2000AD comics. My parents bought me one set—Karl the Korrector in Rampant Reptoids!—and I loved it so much.

I mean… look at these things!

Pure imagination fuel!

You want to know the kind of thing that warped my mind into who I am today? Well, look no further!

I never saw another Galactic Task set as a kid, but they have haunted my memory. Last week, with the help of my pal Kyle Strahm, I found an almost complete, unopened set of ‘em and I snapped them up!

Oddly, the only one I don’t have now is Karl the Korrector.

But the hunt is on!

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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.

• 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.

• RED ZONE - An action/comedy thrill-ride. unlike anything else I’ve ever written.

• BLOODBLADE - An action/horror story of destiny and demonic blood

• PROJECT: BOT - A sequel to a story of robotic mischief.

• PROJECT: MASK - A horror OGN where reality and surreality clash in a murderous way.

• PROJECT: WATER HEATER - An apocalyptic horror/fantasy maxi-series.

• PROJECT: DUNGEON - A new licensed horror comic series

• PROJECT: GHOST - A horror maxi-series exploring a side of horror you might not expect

• PROJECT: CONVOY - A horror/thriller I’m co-writing

• PROJECT: MATINEE - A horror limited series I’m working on with one of my best friends and long-standing collaborator

• PROJECT: SWORD - A horror prose anthology I’m editing

• PROJECT: V - A return to a fan-favorite character I haven't written in quite a while.

• PROJECT: PREHISTORY - More kaiju craziness.

• PROJECT: MEGA-BATTLE - Even More kaiju craziness.

• PROJECT: LAST - A horror prose anthology I’m editing.

• PROJECT: RUSH - A horror prose anthology I’m editing.

• PROJECT: GALLERY - An RPG project I’ve been quietly developing.

• PROJECT: CARD - A magical one-shot.

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Work Update…

So far this year, I wrote:

• 1552 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)

• 7 short stories (13 in 2021)

• 0 novellas (0 in 2021)

• 8 two-sentence horror stories (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)

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Events…

Keep in mind, these days, "finalized" doesn't mean as much as it once did. All events are subject to change.1

FEBRUARY 4, 2023 - ArtCon, Neosho, MO

MARCH 17 - 19, 2023 - Planet Comicon, Kansas City MO

JULY 7 - 9, 2023 - Tremendicon, Springfield MO

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Where to Find Me Online…

THE SHOCK SHOP - My online store, where you can find exclusive covers you can only get directly from me!

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.