Cullen Bunn's Blog, page 20

HELHEIM – The Original Proposal

No two proposals for comic book series are alike, and the original proposal for HELHEIM illustrates that quite well. I’m presenting the pitch here as it originally appeared.

If you’re familiar with the book, you’ll notice a few distinct differences between this concept document and the final product. Even the name of our hero was different at this stage of the game.

If you’re not familiar with the book, watch out! Spoilers abound.

Looking at this proposal, I think it’s actually a little too short. I think a little more detail might have served the idea a little better. But the end result–getting the publisher to ask for more information on the book–was achieved. So this one goes down as a success… even though I cringe a little when reading it now.

Here ya go!

HELHEIM

A Proposal for an OGN or Limited Series

By Cullen Bunn

–High Concept–

Beowulf meets Frankenstein in a horrific story of black magic and a warrior who is not allowed to die. A pair of witches has long feuded for dominion of the wild lands. As one of the witches makes a final, brutal play against the other, a fallen warrior is raised from the dead to stand against the minions of darkness. But the warrior himself longs for the reward of Valhalla, and his unstoppable rage grows as he is denied. Cut loose into the world, the warrior finds himself at odds with not one but two powerful witches, and he must recover his glory by protecting a defenseless village caught in the middle of their terrible war.

–The Set-Up–

We open on a desolated hall, where the warriors of a great chieftain, battle against vicious enemies who have been worked into a drug-enhanced rage by Groa. Their mission is to slay Bera, who is under the lust-filled protection of the chieftain. They are almost successful in their mission, but the sword of the chieftain’s greatest warrior, Nikulas, saves the day. Unfortunately, Nikulas suffers a mortal injury during the fight. His body is crushed in the battle.

At peace with his impending death, Nikulas is horrified to find that Bera intends to raise him from the dead, severing his head and attaching it to the body of another, more physically powerful warrior. Nikulas is set against the warriors, demons, and assassins in Groa’s service, and his body is changed over the course of his battles (his arms replaced by the monstrous arms of demons, etc.)

Eventually, Nikulas escapes Bera’s service, and he wanders near a populated village. As the war between the witches escalates, the village is caught in the crossfire. Nikulas makes a last stand against both witches in order to save the village and reclaim his right to enter Paradise.

–Characters–

Groa – A sinister, withered old hag who specializes in poisons and alchemy and demon-summoning. She is a hideous creature, and the reader will quickly identify her as a villain.

Bera – Opposed to Groa, Bera appears to be young and beautiful. She is charming and uses her sexuality to get what she wants as much as she uses magic. She is gifted in the art of necromancy.

Nikulas – Our hero, the greatest of Viking warriors. When he is raised, his head is placed upon the body of a stronger man. Throughout the story, new “additions” are stitched onto his body, replacing his arms, adding scaled plates as armor, etc. He longs for the death he deserves, and he must reclaim his honor in order to reach Valhalla.

Kadlin – A young girl from the village Nikulas protects. She becomes his connection to his lost humanity.

–The Mood–

This is a horrific tale of violence and bloodshed, Vikings and the blackest magic—a grim story showcasing the awfulness of battle, the power of superstition, and an honor that transcends death. This is a dark tale, and even after Groa and Bera are vanquished and Nikulas at final rest, we will end on a dark note—Kadlin is, herself, a third witch, and she is preparing to raise an army of abominations similar to Nikulas to help her conquer the land of men.

The End Is Near! (Fearless Defenders)

I’ll be talking more about this in the days to come, but rumor spread yesterday that FEARLESS DEFENDERS will not be returning to the shelves in January. Sadly, the rumors are true. Issue 12 will be the last for the series.

I can’t really describe how much this book… and these characters… meant to me. THE DEFENDERS have always been special for me. I just connected with the non-team and I’ve always wanted to write them. (In fact, I think it is common knowledge that one of my first Marvel minis, FEAR ITSELF: THE DEEP was originally titled FEAR ITSELF: THE DEFENDERS.) Over the past couple of years, I’ve come to love Valkyrie as more than just a really bad ass girl with a sword. And this book was the first concept I brought to Marvel… or at least the first concept I brought to them that they jumped on.

With this book, I was able to work with characters who don’t often (but should!) get the spotlight–Valkyrie, Misty Knight, Elsa Bloodstone, Dani Moonstar! All characters who mean a lot to me! I brought Clea and Hippolyta back into the Marvel Universe! And I introduced Annabelle Riggs and Ren Kimura, both characters who mean the absolute world to me! (It was such a thrill to see people cosplaying as Annabelle and the new Hippolyta and the rest of the cast. I can’t wait to see a Ren cosplayer!) Hell, I even like mean ol’ Caroline LeFay.

I worked with some of the best folks in the business of comics–Will Sliney, Ellie Pyle, Mark Brooks, Vero Gandini, Phil Jiminez, Stephanie Hans, Karl Kesel, Clayton Cowles. I couldn’t really ask for better co-conspirators!

And the fans! The reaction was amazing. There might not have been many of you, but those of you who read the book, loved it. I was overwhelmed by the response, and I’ll carry the love the fans felt for this book with me for the rest of my days. Thank you all so much! You made it all worthwhile! When we announced this book, many people said it wouldn’t last 6 issues. Female characters! The DEFENDERS title! Obscure characters! Well, I’m happy to say we lapped those expectations. Thirteen issues (if you count the Age of Ultron tie-in, which I do.) Part of the reason the book lasted as long as it did is the loyal core fan base.

Was it a perfect book? Nah… but I’m exceedingly proud of it just the same. There were haters. There always will be. If you’ll allow me a moment of bitterness, I think the people who are out there who are “thankful” the book is cancelled are mouth-breathers who suck the fun out of comics. They watch sales numbers more than they read comics. If you didn’t like the book, that’s okay. But to be “thankful” it’s over even when you weren’t reading it? We needed more sales, sure, but a lot of people really loved the book. I’m glad FEARLESS DEFENDERS meant so much to you that you had to obsess over how much you hated it. Don’t worry… you’re the kind of folks who will easily find something else to hate.

Like I said, bitter… but I have to get that out of my system.

Anyhow.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I was a fan, too, and I’m going to miss this book.

I’m lining up lots of interviews about the end of the book. Those discussions will, I’m sure, let you in on some behind-the-scenes fun and give you some ideas of where we might have gone with the title. This post is just my rambling way of sharing some of my thoughts.

In the meantime, we still have 2 issues waiting to hit the stands! More Annabelle! More Ren! Hippolyta and the Amazons! A Magma guest appearance! Defenders versus Doom Maidens! There is more fun on the way! You’ve stuck with us this far! You’re gonna want to see how the story shakes out!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the book… either here or on Twitter or Tumblr.

Stay fearless, folks!

First Look: NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEADPOOL!

 

DEADPOOL KILLS DEADPOOL may be drawing to a close, but my time with the Merc With a Mouth is not over! In January, a new four-issue series, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEADPOOL launches. As you can probably tell by the title (and the preview art) this time Deadpool goes head-to-head with a horde of flesh-eating zombies!

This January, Deadpool goes where no Deadpool has gone before – to the…dead? Marvel is proud to present your first look at NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEADPOOL #1 from Cullen Bunn, the writer behind the trilogy of DEADPOOL KILLS THE MARVEL UNIVERSE, DEADPOOL KILLUSTRATED, and DEADPOOL KILLS DEADPOOL and artist Ramon Rosanas!

After waking up from a pretty epic food coma, our hero finds himself in the middle of the zombie apocalypse! And Deadpool’s not the only one with a full belly – there’s plenty of brainless eating machines just looking for their next good meal! Nothing says “tasty meal” like a mutant who can re-grow his flesh! 

Don’t miss one of Deadpool’s darkest tales yet…and not just because it’s in black and white! Can the Merc with the Mouth avoid becoming the Merc in their Mouths? Find out this January when Deadpool takes on the undead in NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEADPOOL #1! 

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEADPOOL #1

Written by CULLEN BUNN

Art by RAMON ROSANAS

Cover by JAY SHAW

On Sale this January!

 

 

The Sixth Gun Limited Editions at NYCC!

Make no mistake… You do NOT want to miss out on this! Please note! Oni Press will have a VERY limited supply of these on hand at NYCC. They’ll be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. The rest of the print run will be made available on the Oni Press website as of 12/4/2013.

New York Comic Con 2013 Schedule

For those of you attending New York Comic Con, here is a schedule of where you can find me to get books signed and tell me how cute I look!

THURSDAY

5:00 – 6:00 — Panel (Room 1A14): You’ve Broken Into Comics. Now What?

FRIDAY

2:00 – 3:00 — Signing with Oni Press (Booth 1844)

SATURDAY

2:00 – 3:00 — Signing with Oni Press (Booth 1844) (I may have to leave a few minutes early to make it to the Oni Press Panel at 3:00.)

3:00 – 4:00 — Panel (Room 1A03): Oni Press Revolutionize Comics

5:00 – 6:00 — Signing with Marvel (Booth 1354)

 

In addition, you might find me signing along with Brian Hurtt in Artist’s Alley (Q11)… but those times will be random at best.

I hope to see you there!

HELHEIM TPB – March 2014

HELHEIM Volume 1: The Witch War will be collected into a snazzy new trade paperback come March 2014! Mark your calendars now… and check out that awesome (and gruesome) new cover by Joëlle Jones and Nick Filardi !

Rikard, an unstoppable viking killing machine, propelled by evil magic and hewn from the corpses of the fallen, takes center stage in HELHEIM. Miles of Nordic snow are stained crimson with the blood of transgressors as Rikard seeks unholy vengeance against a pair of powerful warring witches and their armies of gruesome, undead hellbeasts. All six issues of the acclaimed first series are collected in this trade paperback, laying waste to your local comic shop March 2014!

Stay Tuned For IN THE DARK!

More information will be made available on October 1st!

In Defense of Fearless Super Dude-Bros

Issue 9 of THE FEARLESS DEFENDERS comes out this week! You should already be planning to rush to the comic book store and grabbing multiple copies of the issue. This time around, guest stars include, among others, Venom, Dr. Strange, Hercules, Werewolf By Night, Cannonball, X-Man, the Headmen, and the Enchantress! It’s going to be a crazy issue, sort of like a wild episode of Ranma 1/2, packed with dozens of characters interacting in various ways. In preparation for the issue’s release, I spent a few minutes talking to Newsarama about Super Dude-Bros, dance-offs, and complicated superheroic relationship issues. Give it a read!

Venom’s Final Days

There have been a lot of questions about the end of VENOM. The comic book series will be coming to a close with issue 42. I recently spoke to Newsarama and Comic Book Resources to shed a little light on what I have planned for the book. What does the future hold for Venom and Mania? Get to reading to find out!

Comic Book Resources – Cullen Bunn Plans a Hellacious End For VENOM

Newsarama – VENOM’s Last Bite: Cullen Bunn’s Exciting Series Finale Plans

I hope you folks are enjoying reading the last few issues of VENOM as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them!

Free Stuff! This Week… HELHEIM!

My office has been taken over by comic books! For the next few weeks, I will be giving various comics away to random Twitter followers. This week, I’m giving away an autographed set of HELHEIM #1 – 6 (including the black and white variant of #1). Here’s how to get your chance to nab  these books!

First, you must follow me on Twitter. 
Then, you simply need to tweet something HELHEIM related… what you like about the book… a metal song you think would go well with the title… your favorite character… why you think I’m awesome… how much you love the art of Joelle Jones and Nick Filardi… why you love Vikingsteins… that you’re looking forward to checking out the book… whatever. You might want to point people to http://www.cullenbunn.com/my-books/helheim/ but that’s up to you.
Here’s the really important part! Add the hashtag #helheimrules!
And you’re all done.

I’ll be drawing a random name (maybe more than one) at the end of the day on New Comic Book Day (Wednesday, Aug 28th). Any tweets before the end of the day on Wednesday will count. Tweet more than once and you’ll increase your odds of winning!

Good luck! And stay tuned for more of these giveaways! I’ll probably do one once a week!