Vicious Shivers, Issue 148
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!
I did something last week I haven’t done in… well… ever.
For me, Thanksgiving has always been a favorite holiday. It’s also been the day on which I slam the doors shut and keep to myself. I cook a turkey every year. Cindy prepares a whole spread of food. But we never invite guests. It’s just Cindy, Roman, and myself. This year, I guess my old age and sentimentality got to me a bit, and we invited a handful of dear friends over the share the day with us. It was definitely a bit more stressful. What if I had a major turkey fail? What if they didn’t like the food? What if, during pleasant conversation, I discovered they held horrid beliefs… such as the belief that larva form Battra is not the coolest looking Godzilla monster?
The event, though, went off without a hitch. Not one cross word was spoken about Battra. And I had a wonderful time. I think everyone else had a pretty good time, too.
Every year, during dinner, I ask my family (and this year my guests) what they were thankful for. I won’t share everyone else’s thoughts of gratitude, but mine went something like this:
I’m thankful for the health and happiness of my family and friends. I’m thankful for the company for Thanksgiving dinner. And I’m thankful, for the first time in a long while, that I’m hopeful for what next year will bring.
I say the same thing almost every year… except for that last part. Look at me, breaking traditions left and right. It’s true, though. I haven’t felt hopeful for success in the coming year in a long, long while. I feel it now, though. I don’t know why. I can’t pinpoint a reason. But I’m excited for 2023, and I’m thankful that YOU will be here with me on the adventure!
Last night, Roman and Cindy and I drove the Branson to see Shoji Tabuchi’s Christmas show. If you’re not familiar with Shoji, well, you might not know fiddling and you definitely know nothing about Branson. Shoji has been performing in Branson since 1980 or so. He has become one of those iconic performers in town. Of course, one of the reasons we like him is because my son plays the violin and he likes any kind of violin performance.
Now, Shoji had a massive theater in Branson for many years. A bunch of years back, though, there was a fire in the theater that did so much damage they had to close for a while. They rebuilt the theater and opened again. At which time, I think, all the pipes froze in a winter storm and the entire place flooded. The theater has stood empty ever since. Shoji started to perform his show at other theaters in Branson… and which time Covid hit. He didn’t perform again for a few years, and the show we saw last night was a much, much smaller production.
As I watched it, though, I thought of these words, which are written on the bulletin board above my desk: “Aut inveniam viam aut faciam.” Which means, “I will find a way or I will make one.” It’s an important reminder for me. Sometimes, the path is full of obstacles. But I’m a Bunn, dammit. I ain’t gonna let a few obstacles stand in my way.
Thanks for the reminder, Shoji.
I shared this on Twitter, and it got some laughs.
A few days ago, I received an email from one of my all-time favorite horror writers. It was in response to an issue of this newsletter.
An email from a favorite writer? Amazing! And he subscribes to my newsletter? Elation!
The content of the email was something like this:
“Hello! My name is ######. I am a writer, too! But I don’t read email newsletters and I don’t remember subscribing to this one. Would you please remove me from this list?”
I have to laugh to prevent weeping.
Whatnot…
Speaking of finding new paths…
Tonight, at 7:00 CST, I will be launching my very first Whatnot livestream. Whatnot, if you’re unfamiliar, is a streaming social media and selling platform. I’m going to be talking comics, answering questions, and selling some rarities and exclusives from the collection. My pal Josh is swinging by this afternoon to help me get things set up. I’m very nervous about this. I hope I get a decent turnout, but I also know it takes a good amount of time to build up an audience. If the first couple of these are in any way successful, I’ll be doing more and more of them, more and more regularly, in the future.
I hope you’ll mark your calendar and join me. I think it will be fun and I’ll have some great deals available. I might even be giving away some comics!
I also have a link that gives folks who sign up for Whatnot a $10 credit that you can use anywhere on the site. I think I get some credit, too, if you sign up. Here’s that link:
https://whatnot.com/invite/cullenbunn
And here’s the link to my upcoming livestream:
https://www.whatnot.com/live/8f8c944a-88c8-4ca8-a8d9-c12e26f1909c
Please join me if you can!
Democritus Brand…
The Kickstarter for DEMOCRITUS BRAND AND THE ENDLESS MACHINE issues 1 through 4 is currently live! We’re about halfway through the campaign. We’re in the infamous “dead zone” in terms of funding. Campaigns typically do well the first couple of days and the last couple of days. The middle, well, is a little slow. If you haven’t checked it out yet, now is a great time!
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 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.
Work Update…
So far this year, I wrote:
1595 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)
8 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)
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
Weekly Obsessions…
For whatever reason, around Thanksgiving and Christmas, I get really into watching DR. WHO. Old episodes. New episodes. Episodes I’ve seen many times. Episodes I’ve never seen. Right now, I’m deep into watching the Peter Capaldi seasons, many of which I haven’t seen yet.
I also watched A CHRISTMAS STORY CHRISTMAS. For me, this sequel to the holiday classic couldn’t possibly capture the joy of the original. That was an impossible task. I had a surprising emotional reaction to the end of the movie, though. So, thanks for making me cry, Ralphie.
The GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY CHRISTMAS SPECIAL was pure holiday joy, though, and I loved it!
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.