I spent a few minutes answering questions regarding THE FEARLESS DEFENDERS, DEADPOOL KILLS DEADPOOL, and ULTIMATE COMICS WOLVERINE. Give it a read here.

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about THE SIXTH GUN hardcover edition. Well, I’m happy to announce that the Deluxe Hardcover edition of Volume 1 has now been solicited. This beautiful mammoth edition collects the first 11 issues of the series!

From the solicit….

During the darkest days of the Civil War, wicked cutthroats came into possession of six pistols of otherworldly power. In time, the Sixth Gun. the most dangerous of the weapons, vanished. When the gun surfaces in the hands of an innocent girl, dark forces reawaken.

Vile men thought long dead set their sights on retrieving the gun and killing the girl. Only Drake Sinclair, a gunfighter with a shadowy past, stands in their way. But the guns have a power… and a destiny… more terrifying than anyone imagines.

Collecting the first 11 issues of the critically-acclaimed comic book series.

]]> http://www.cullenbunn.com/2013/05/18/the-sixth-gun-hardcover-coming-in-october/feed/ 0 http://www.cullenbunn.com/2013/05/17/if-i-knew-then/ http://www.cullenbunn.com/2013/05/17/if-i-knew-then/#comments Fri, 17 May 2013 14:29:12 +0000 cullenbunn http://www.cullenbunn.com/?p=3879 It’s no secret. It took me forever to break into writing comics professionally. And once I did manage to start writing comics for a living, the learning curve was pretty slippery for me. All along the way, I made more than my fair share of mistakes. I gave into frustration, anger, and fear. I mismanaged my schedule. I overestimated how much time I would have in a day. I overate and gained weight. I freaked out and panicked.

Now… I needed to go through all of those obstacles to get where I am now. I had to learn through experience. And every day brings a new batch of mistakes that will… hopefully make me a better creator in the future. But I often wonder… What could I have done differently? If I could go back in time and give myself one piece of advice about working in comics for a living, what would it be?

I figured most other creators have wondered the same thing, so I asked a few writers and artists to think about advice they wish they had been given when they were just starting out. Here is some of that advice. Some of it is thought-provoking. Some of it is funny. Some of it may not apply to you. And some of it will sting a bit.

Buckle up.

Don’t presume to know what your demographic will be.  You’re the least qualified person to guess who will like your stuff and who won’t.  In practical terms?  Never say anything that might alienate a segment of the readership, because that segment might be YOUR readership.

Chris Schweizer
Cartoonist, THE CROGAN ADVENTURES

The most important part is to always be having fun with comics. If you can do that, skill inevitability comes with time. 

Chris Roberson
Writer,  EDISON REX

Level out from internet comments, count the responses and then subtract them from the number of readers. The remainder is generally a ton of opinions you’ll never know.

Jason Latour
Writer, WINTER SOLDIER; artist, SLEDGEHAMMER ’44

You will spend more time doing the other stuff (marketing, editing, financial housekeeping, etc) than you will doing the actual writing. This is what makes it a job.

Justin Jordan
Writer,  THE STRANGE TALENT OF LUTHER STRODE

Do not trust other writers, or editors, with ideas you plan on using in the future. Keep it to yourself. People steal/take consciously and unconsciously all the time. Get used to it. 

Put everything in writing. EVERYTHING. Especially the money bits.

Mike Oliveri
Writer, DEADLIEST OF THE SPECIES, THE PACK: WINTER KILL

When I was a kid, the only place to find CREEPY and EERIE magazines in my home town was Eckherd’s Drugs. While my mom went shopping, I would sit on the floor in front of the magazine rack, paging through those black and white tales of terror. And if those stories didn’t grab my attention, the ads for CREEPY and EERIE in the back of my other favorite magazine–FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND–sealed the deal. Those covers! They told such awesome stories all on their own. (There was one, featuring a ghoulish baseball player throwing a live grenade, that I still think about often.) Needless to say, I was hooked!

So that’s why it is such a thrill for me to see my name listed in the credits for an upcoming issue of the Dark Horse iteration of the classic magazine!

My story, “Deer Crossing,” will appear in the 13th issue of the magazine. Lucky 13! This is a story of a crossroads encounter gone horribly weird and horribly wrong.

The issue goes on sale on August 14th! Make sure you order your copy now!

If you’re in the St. Louis area, I’ll be signing at Newcastle Comics & Games on May 29th! Hope to see you there!

The past few months have been pretty crazy, haven’t they? And the last week has been the nuttiest of all for me as I waited to hear whether or not NBC would green-light a television series based on THE SIXTH GUN. Well, as you may know if you follow me on Twitter, NBC has decided to pass on the show.

I don’t know everything that goes into such a decision. Hell, I’m just a poor country boy who likes to write comic books. If you’re one to read the comments sections of various “news” sites, you’ll see lots of opinions on the subject, most of which postulated by people who know even less about how Hollywood works than I do. The bottom line, the network made the decision they felt was best for them.

I’ll admit, it was a little bit of a surprise. I’ve seen things like this fall apart time and time again, so I try not to get my hopes up. I was doing pretty well with that, too. But then I started seeing footage from the pilot. I started talking to the folks involved in making the show. I visited the set, met the cast, director, and crew. I held both the Fourth Gun and the Sixth Gun in my hands, by God! And it started to feel very, very real. When I first arrived on set, I walked into the Emerald Palace (the brothel Missy Hume owns) and came face to face with a bunch of cowboys and saloon girls… and as far as I was concerned the show was already going full speed ahead. The pilot had a great script. Buzz was good (as it should have been because it was pretty terrific) and everyone involved was pretty optimistic.

So… yeah… I was taken aback and pretty disappointed.

People who know me realize I get depressed about things like this pretty easily. I tend to be crushed by bad news. But I actually took this remarkably well. It might have been because I was surrounded by my amigos, the Disheveled Dilettantes, when the news rolled in. It might have been the delicious margarita I was enjoying.  It might have been that I didn’t fully believe what I was hearing.

But what it really boils down to is this: I’m still doing a job that I never thought I’d be able to do. I write comic books for a living! More than that, I still get to focus on writing THE SIXTH GUN comic series. I just finished scripting issue 35, and there are 15 issues to go before the series reaches its conclusion.

And–let’s face it–a book I wrote got the attention of Carlton Cuse, someone I greatly admire. I got the chance to speak to Carlton Cuse about BRISCO COUNTY JR, LOST, and the freakin’ SIXTH GUN!

That’s pretty amazing for the aforementioned poor country boy.

The buzz about a pilot got a few more people to pick up the book. That’s a check for the “win” column. And I think we’ll continue to gather new readers to the fold. Those of you who love the book, keep spreading the word. If you haven’t tried the book, you can read the first issue here without spending a dime. And you can buy the trades at your local comic shop or on Amazon.

I’m very thankful to Oni Press, Closed on Mondays, Carlton Cuse, Ryan Condall, Jeffrey Reiner, the cast, the crew, and all the others who brought me along on this adventure! One thing I’ll say: everyone involved in making the show actually read and loved the book, and it was obvious in the amazing pilot they put together.

Keep in mind, just because NBC passed on the project doesn’t mean it is dead in the water. As Oni’s top dog Joe Nozemack said:

“NBC has passed on picking up THE SIXTH GUN  pilot for series. Universal Television, where we have our first look deal and who are our partners on the pilot, are still very much behind the property and series. In the coming weeks we’ll be exploring all the other possible homes and outlets for THE SIXTH GUN.  So just like General Hume, we’re not dead yet.”

And as Drake Sinclair said:

“The end of the world can’t stop me.”

 There’s a passionate, motivated group of people who still want to see this thing happen.

Stay tuned.

SIXTH GUN TRAILER from Adam Condal on Vimeo.

I’ll be setting up at table L-17, right next to Brian Hurtt, so it’ll be a cornerstone of Sixth Gun awesomeness.

I’ll also be participating in a number of panels and signings. Here’s where you’ll find me when I’m not at my table.

FRIDAY

6:00pm – 7:00pm – Panel: BREAKING INTO COMICS TH MARVEL WAY (Hall B)

SATURDAY

11:00am – 12:00pm – Panel: PINT O’ C.B. (Hall B)
3:00 – 4:45 – Signing at the Oni Press Booth (with Brian Hurtt, Bill Crabtree, and Brian Churilla)
6:00 – 7:00 – Panel – ONI PRESS REVOLUTIONIZE COMICS (Room 3AB)

SUNDAY

2:00 – 3:45 – Signing at the Oni Press Booth (with Bill Crabtree and Brian Churilla)