Nightmare Fuel, Issue 227

ISSUE 227 - FAIRIES, ZOMBIOTES, AND WATCHING THE APOCALYPSE 

As I write this, Cindy and I are in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and we’re getting ready to head out to a cabin in the woods somewhere. My son is at a violin intensive camp for the next few days, and we’re just killing some time and relaxing a bit until we pick him back up. I’ll be doing quite a bit of writing from the cabin, too. At least, that’s the hope.

Writing at the cabin is a bit of a test. If it goes well, I might try heading out to a cabin a little later in the summer or in early fall. I’d love to have a chance to get way ahead on work during a few days of solitude. That’s relaxing in its own way.

I have been having quite a few weird dreams and nightmares on this trip.

Dreams of freak storms. (This one because on a good portion of the drive to Michigan I was just barely outrunning a nasty storm.)

Dreams of hamster-eating spiders. (No idea where this one came from.)

Dreams of JimmyZ and Heath Amodio getting me arrested—and embroiled in a daring jailbreak. (This one because, well, of course, JimmyZ and Heath are gonna get me arrested at some point.)

I woke up several times a couple of nights ago convinced that the hotel room was haunted and that a shadow-figure was pacing back and forth, waiting for me to make some sort of momentous decision. (This one came from, I’m assuming, the looming feeling that things are about to change in significant ways for me.)

With that in mind, I’m also going to spend some time at the cabin organizing projects and planning the days to come. I imagine I’ll do another big work update here in the newsletter at some point soon.

In the meantime, a couple of new book announcements recently dropped, and I released a short horror film that I wrote. So… lots of cool stuff in this issue.

Let’s start, though, with a dumpster fire.

Last night, Cindy and I walked out of a tavern to see this down the street.

An actual dumpster fire.

Was this a sign?

Was Leviathan telling me that I need to work harder at getting my life in order?

Or had someone just thrown a cigarette into the trash?

As we watched the fire burn, a guy in the gathering crowd showed us this sign… that he JUST HAPPENED to be carrying with him.

I told him the sign, despite its charming message, seemed like an admission of guilt, and if I were him, I would keep it hidden when the fire department arrived.

Oni Press has announced THE AUTUMN KINGDOM, a new dark fantasy/horror series from Chris Mitten and myself. 

Working with Chris has been a long time coming… only outdistanced by the amount of time I’ve been waiting to bring this story to life. 

Here’s the solicit—

Bestselling author Andrew Kier found the perfect place to finish his latest dark-fantasy novel—an idyllic, remote cabin on the edge of a lush Swedish forest. His young daughters, Sommer and Winter, gleefully explore . . . until they happen upon a strange clearing of ancient statues: goblins, dwarves, elves, and a warrior queen mysteriously missing her swordhand and weapon. When something sinister follows the girls home and viciously snatches their parents in the night, the sisters’ only hope may be that ancient relic, lost in the forest underbrush, waiting for a new champion to take it up . . .

As I mentioned in the Smash Pages announcement:

The words ‘The Autumn Kingdom’ have been written in one of my oldest journals for decades. Over the years, I’ve returned to them again and again. I knew I wanted to tell a dark fantasy tale about the fairy realms. I just wasn’t sure what that story might be until I stumbled onto the idea of Sommer and Winter, a pair of young sisters who find themselves alone, facing the forces of a supernatural realm. Their lives—and the lives of their parents—are on the line. Thank goodness they’ve discovered a nasty, death-dealing blade that seems to hunger for the blood of elves and trolls and goblins. Sommer and Winter are thrown down a violent path from which there may be no escape. No matter what, they won’t get through this journey unscathe and unchanged.

I’ve been writing a lot about the fairy realm. TALES FROM HARROW COUNTY, the upcoming GOBLINVILLE novella series from Outland Entertainment, and now THE AUTUMN KINGDOM.

If you liked LABYRINTH or THE NEVERENDING STORY, you’ll like this book, especially if you just wanted the heroes of those books to pick up a sword and start hacking. 

The first issue will release on September 4th.

And here’s a look at some of Chris Mitten’s fantastic work on the project!

In other news, Marvel has announced the upcoming VENOM WAR: DEADPOOL, which I’m writing and Rob Di Salvo is drawing. 

Marvel’s description of the series reads as follows:

Marvel's description of #1 reads, "DEADPOOL KILLS… A SYMBIOTE PLAGUE?! The Merc with a Mouth bit off more than he can chew – a horde full of ravening ZOMBIOTES! Who has Wade not @#$'d off badly enough to actually lend him a hand? Fan-favorite DEADPOOL scribe CULLEN BUNN is back for more mercenary mayhem!"

And, even though this is part of the VENOM WAR event, you can read this all by its lonesome if you wanna.

It’s been fun jumping into writing some more Deadpool stories again… and this one has a few very special guest stars—a few I’ve got quite a history with.

Place your bets on who they might be.

I’ve released a new horror short film—WATCHING—over on YouTube. I hope you’ll go check it out. The folks at Yellow Bike Films did a helluva job on it, and I’m really proud of how it turned out. 

I’ve got another short horror flick—THE BLEED—that I’ll be releasing soon!

Writer Dave Richards interviewed me about BEYOND MORTAL, which is coming out in July. The interview is posted on his Patreon, but it is free and open to the public!

Here it is!

And if you haven’t told your local comic shop that you want BEYOND MORTAL yet… you REALLY need to do so. You do not want to miss this!

THE MIDNITE SHOW TPB

From the creators of The Sixth Gun and Manor Black comes this new supernatural horror series about monsters of the silver screen coming to life and wreaking havoc on a small town.

Basil Saxon is a legend among horror fans. Over fifty years ago, he vanished during a freak accident on the set of the film that would have been his masterpiece. The cursed film — God of Monsters — was never completed and has never been seen. But when a film festival shows footage from the long-lost movie, classic horror monsters manifest to wreak havoc and terror on the unsuspecting populace. A ragtag group of misfits must band together to stop the most famous creatures of all time and send them back to the realm of celluloid nightmares.

Cullen Bunn, Brian Hurtt, Bill Crabtree, and Jim Campbell unleash this tale of terror. Popcorn not included.

Collects issues #1–#4 of The Midnite Show comic book series, along with a sketchbook section, and pinup artwork by Dan Brereton, Francesco Francavilla, Kelley Jones, and more!

This was a FUN book to write. I know Brian and Bill had a great time with the art. I am certain you will have a terrific time with it, too!

All events are subject to change at a moment’s notice, but here is where I’ll be appearing in the next several months!I 

August 1, 2024 - Whiskey and Words, Best of Luck Beer Hall, Springfield, Missouri

September 7, 2024 - Cursed City Con, San Antonio, Texas

October 4 - 6, 2024 - AuthorCon 4, St. Louis, Missouri

October 26 - 27, 2024 - Cowtown Comic Convention, Fort Worth, Texas

All Year Long - KICKING ASS AND TAKING NAMES, Worldwide

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

PATREON - Here, I post a serialized novel, a serialized comic book, short stories, and other cool materials.

CULLEN'S AMAZON STORE - Listen! If you have a local comic shop or bookshop, PLEASE visit them and order your books from them. If you don't have a shop, though, or if you can't get my books from your local bookseller for some reason, this Amazon shop has tons of options.