Cullen Bunn's Blog, page 34

Countless Haints, Pt. 9

Faceless and silent, the ghosts stood behind the grave markers, one spirit for every stone.

They reminded Madi of schoolchildren waiting patiently for their teacher's instruction. Of course, Madi had never set foot in a real school. She'd been educated mainly by her Pa, who read to her from the Bible, and by Miss Cora, the teaching woman who used to visit her twice a week. Madi had liked Miss Cora, who always brought a bag full of books and old magazines and learning games. But Miss Cora had stopped visiting more than four years ago. Pa said she had met a fella, married him, and moved to West Virginia.

Now, with everything she thought she understood crashing down around her ears, Madi wondered if even that had been true. Maybe Miss Cora had run afoul of the congregation that had gathered under the branches of the twisted oak.

Or maybe Miss Cora had been among their number.

Madi had never seen a real classroom, although she could guess what one looked like. She had never had a real teacher, but she had learned just the same. She had never had a real father, and the man she thought was he Pa was chasing her through the woods, intent on killing her.

If the ghosts, lurking behind the weather- and time-worn headstones, sense Madi's growing confusion—her mounting panic—they showed no sign. They simply stood there, watching. They made no sound, and their faces were as barren as the grave markers behind which they stood. Madi wondered if the ghosts had once worn faces… faces with eyes and noses and ears and mouths… faces that friends or family might recognize… faces that had faded away and been forgotten as the epitaphs on the gravestones had dulled with unkind years.

"You don't want to hurt me, do you?"

Although little more than a whisper, Madi's words seemed to thunder in the darkness.

The grave-wights offered no answer.

"Way I figure it," Madi said, "if you wanted to do me harm, you would have gotten it over with already. There ain't much I could do—now is there?—to protect myself from ghosts."

In their silence, the spirits agreed.

"So maybe you just want to scare me." Madi felt her face flush with quickening anger. "Is that it? Now that you're dead, you ain't got nothing better to do than spook people?"

A ripple seemed to pass through the spirits, like a gust of wind through the mist, like the long-dead souls sensed Madi's anger.

And feared her.

And that might have chilled Madi's blood more than anything she'd seen or heard tonight.

"I…"

She started to speak, and as she did so, the spectral figures shifted again, a furrow of subtle movement passing through them, the way gooseflesh might spread across living skin.

"I'm going now."

Madi took a step to move around the tiny cemetery. But as she inched to the side, several of the featureless grave-wights swept out from behind stones to block her path. They didn't reach for her with icy, dead fingers. They didn't whisper of ill-tidings, curses, or doom. They stopped short of touching her. Instead, they simply barred her path so if she took another step forward, she would walk through their misty forms.

She moved to the left, and the spirits moved to block her. She ducked to the right, and the spirits darted that way as well.

"What do you want?" Madi asked.

The grave-wights said nothing.

Madi knew that she had to keep moving. Pa was out there—somewhere not far behind—looking for her. She couldn't go back the way she had come.

A growl formed in her throat.

"Move," she said.

And—just like that—the grave-wights recoiled from her, the mist rolling back like waves turned away by breakers. The ghosts flowed back to their positions behind the grave markers and simply…

Watched.

Madi looked back at the spirits as she took one slow, tentative step after another. As she cleared the cemetery, her pace quickened, and soon she was running again, not looking back.

Later, she would realize that the grave-wights were trying to protect her from what lay ahead.

But by that time, they wouldn't be there to help her.

The Sixth Gun, Volume 3: Bound

Like a runaway locomotive, the third trade paperback of The Sixth Gun rockets onto shelves in April. If you frequent a comic book shop, please ask them to order the book for you and their other customers. (They should stock up on the first two volumes, too.) You can also pre-order the book from Amazon and other online retailers! If you haven't checked out the first two volumes of this epic fantasy in the Old West, now's the time!

Traveling by secret railroad, Becky and Drake accompany an order of mysterious monks on a quest to bury General Hume's body on holy ground. But malevolent forces spurred by a sinister necromancer stage a terrifying attack on the train–and Drake vanishes without a trace. Alone, Becky continues her journey to a secluded mountain fortress where she discovers how deeply her fate is entwined with that of The Sixth Gun. Meanwhile, Gord revisits a haunted mansion from his past hoping to discover a means to destroy the Six, but the ghosts he stirs have no intention of letting his quest continue.

 

 

A Ready-Made Holiday Shopping List!

Picking the perfect gifts for the folks on your shopping list can be pretty daunting. And who needs the additional stress during an already hectic season? Well… here's a shopping list that should cover everyone on your list! Admittedly, the list is self-serving, but I'm proud of this stuff and I think your friends and family will dig it. I've provided links to Amazon so you can purchase the stuff online, but you have time to head to your local retailer to get (most of) these books, too.

For the Hard-Boiled Fan…

…Check out The Damned, my first collaboration with Brian Hurtt. This is the story of gangsters, demons, and a gumshoe who cannot die.

This book is perfect for fans of hard-boiled crime, noir, supernatural horror, demons with tommy guns (and who isn't?), The Walking Dead, Hellblazer, and Turf. Readers who want a departure from superheroes but like their crime with a supernatural flavor will get a kick out of this.

In terms of age-range, this book is probably a little too dark for most young readers. I'd give it an "R" rating.

If you want to get a taste of what it's all about, you can check out a 40-page preview!

For Superhero Fanatatics…

… Try Superman/Batman: Sorcerer Kings. This is a Superman/Batman team-up for the reader who doesn't want to worry about a lot of sticky continuity and just enjoy a fun romp through time and space. In this story, Superman is kidnapped by a Batman from a future where magicians have conquered the world. It's a crazy tale featuring some great magical and supernatural characters.

This book is perfect for casual and die-hard superhero enthusiasts. Fans of the Superman and Batman cartoons and movies, magical characters such as Shadowpact and Klarion the Witch Boy and Etrigan the Demon, action, time travel, Detective Chimp, and zombie-like hoards of Solomon Grundies will find something to like in this tome.

In terms of age-range, I think this book has a PG rating and can be enjoyed by a pretty wide audience.

For Fans of 70s-Style Monster Action…

…The Tooth is a safe bet. This is the story of an everyday average schmuck… who happens to have a large demon-fighting dragon's fang nesting in his mouth. Yes, it's as strange as it sounds. This is one part homage, one part parody, one part monster mania–a tribute to the great "horror hero" comics of the 70s.

This book is perfect for readers who fondly remember terrific horror heroes such as Werewolf By Night, Man-Thing, and Swamp Thing. Fans of Godzilla, Jason and the Argonauts, EC comics, old school horror, arm-ripping violence, and monster teeth will find what they've been looking for all their lives in the pages this book.

In terms of age-range, there is some monster violence in the book and a lot of people torn limb from limb. Still, I think it's depicted in a fun way, and I'd put the book in the PG category. Some of the in-jokes, though, may only be fully appreciated by an older audience who remembers the glory days of horror comics.

For the Young and Young at Heart…

…Crooked Hills makes a great stocking stuffer! This prose horror novel presents thrills, laughs, and plenty of chills for middle readers and adults who remember what it was like to be a kid. This is the tale of Charlie, who moves to the Ozarks town of Crooked Hills–the most haunted town in America–and runs afoul of a cruel witch!

This book is perfect for fans of Cirque Du Freak, Goosebumps, The Goonies, Monster Squad, and Super 8. If you have a kid in your life who loves to read… especially scary stuff… this is the book for them!

In terms of age-range, the book was written with a primary audience between the ages of 8 – 12. That said, some younger readers have enjoyed the book, and adults have gotten spooked by Charlie's adventures, too!

And the Whole Enchilada…

…would have to be The Sixth Gun. While the book can be boiled down into the "supernatural western" category, I believe there's something for everyone in the adventures of Becky Montcrief, Drake Sinclair, and Gord Cantrell. Fantasy, horror, gunslinging, adventure, action, swashbuckling, romance, humor, mystery–its all there. This is the tale of the Six, a set of mystic six-shooters that could doom the entire world. There are two trade paperback collections currently available.

This book is perfect for readers who simply enjoy great comics with a healthy dose of magic, ghosts, zombies, and monsters; loads of action; and a strong female lead.

In terms of age-range, this book fits into the PG13 category. Some younger readers might enjoy it. Basically, if they are old enough to watch Raiders of the Lost Arc, they're probably fine to read this.

In Case You Blinked – 11/26/2011

Here are a few items that have popped up around the web that might be of interest.

On the Fear Itself: The Fearless front, here's an interview about the series and where it's headed. It includes some preview pages from some of the upcoming issues. Basically, it's me talking about exploding sharks.
Speaking of Fearless, here's a sneak peek at things to come. Be warned. It's spoilery.
If young adult fiction is your thing, I spent a few minutes talking about writing for a younger audience and my YA horror novel, Crooked Hills, with Geeks Not Nerds.

The Sixth Gun 17 – Almanacs and Haunted Trails

The 17th issue of The Sixth Gun hits the stands today. At the same time, new features are being launched on a couple of terrific websites.

First up, new entries in The Sixth Gun Almanac (which has appeared on this site from time to time) will begin to appear on theouthousers.com. Their entries will be tied closely to artifacts, people, and places appearing in the latest issue of the book.

Also, Multiversity Comics is starting a feature called "Haunted Trails," which is basically a behind the scenes commentary on the latest issue of the book.

Both features will be running monthly for the foreseeable future. Check them out! And make sure to rush out and buy the new issue of the book today!

Hero Comics Presents… Captain Cosmo!

When I was 12 years old, my pal Doug and I founded HERO COMICS. This was not my first foray into the world of funny books. Years earlier, I had created MATTER MAN on several pages of onion skin paper. And not long after that I wrote and illustrated a 10-issue run of X-Lazer Nights (Yes, "Lazer" with a "Z" and "Nights" with an "N" although I later retconned it into "Knights"). Those books had been done for classroom friends. HERO COMICS was something different. We intended to sell these comics at conventions and make our fortune. We had four books in are line-up: Fatman, Chuck Frog, and Wise Wizard's Words (an advice comic–for real!). Our flagship character, though, was Captain Cosmo, a superheroic alien with big muscles, a big smile, and an even bigger heart. I still have a couple of copies of Captain Cosmo and Fatman left over from those good old days.

And so… throwing my own personal shame aside… I present for you the entire first issue of Captain Cosmo, written and illustrated by 12-year-old Cullen Bunn.

Publishers can start lining up now to have me relaunch the character… only in the new version he's much more extreme.

Cover of the first (and only) issue

Page 1 – Splash Page!

Page 2 – The power of sequential storytelling! Also, Jo-Jo is the greatest henchman name EVER!

Page 3 – Even back then, I was down with the page-flip reveals. Also… alas, poor Jo-Jo.

Page 4 – Witty banter!

Page 5 – Check out that dynamic action!

Page 6 – How's that for story compression? Also… a Gloom Gun! A Gloom Gun!

Back Cover – A tease of Mister Morbid, the arch-nemesis that never happened.

Fear Itself: The Fearless #3

This week, Fear Itself: The Fearless #3 hits the stands. In a chapter titled "Angels & Demons," the Secret Avengers battle a horde of vampires and Sin and Crossbones find a new home with a dark history of its own. Here's a preview of the issue.

Also, Marvel posted a teaser of some of the big revelations of the series. You may or may not want to check that out, depending on your feelings toward teasers.

Fear Itself: The Fearless #2

Wanna see a Norse demigoddess whoop up on some vampires? Today's your lucky day! Fear Itself: The Fearless #2 is now on sale! Here's a preview (but–trust me–you should just go out and buy the book).

Countless Haints, Pt. 8

The tombstones were so old that the epitaphs—if the graves had ever borne epitaphs—had been worn down to nothing by time and the elements. The pale markers looked like ancient bones only partially uncovered. Madi imagined that if she dug, she'd find that the cold stones stretched deep into the earth, like roots.

Tears burned in Madi's eyes.

This was a lonely place. Madi might have been the first living soul to set foot in the cemetery for decades. The people who were buried here were forgotten by their family and friends. Looking out across the bare gravestones, Madi felt a terrible sadness weighing her down, as if her bones were frozen and caked with ice.

Up until now, Madi had not noticed the mist. A cool, shifting cloud of vapor crawled between the twisted trees surrounding the clearing. It rolled in from all sides, as if moving with intent. Thick fingers of fog scrabbled silently along tree trunks and across the ground. The mist oozed slowly around the headstones, inching closer

"On certain nights," Madi remembered, "the mists roll in, thick as cotton, creeping into every crevice and corner, reeking like dead things." 

Phantom's breath.

The air grew suddenly colder, and as Madi gasped, mist erupted from her lips, uncurling into the night air to mix with the fog. She clasped her hands over her mouth. She feared that if the mist tasted her breath, it might try to draw more of it from her until it hungrily ripped it from her lungs, suffocating her.

She took a step, ready to bolt for the trees.

The fog seemed to react to her movement. It withdrew, pulling away from her for a second, then billowed out again, coming ever closer, closing in around the girl.

"Not alone."

The voice of the dead boy's skin hissed.

Something moved in the fog. At first Madi thought it might be a trick of the weak moonlight playing through mist. As she watched, though, figures started to take shape. The hazy outline of men and women and boys and girls materialized in the gloom. Their "flesh" was the color of the fog, and their bodies… their faces… were featureless. They moved silently and with an ease that told Madi that their feet did not touch the ground. The fog carried them, carried them out of the darkness, carried them into the graveyard. The faceless creatures drifted closer, and as they reached the graves, each one took a spot looming behind a tombstone.

These were their graves, Madi realized, and as the names and epitaphs had faded from the stones, so too had the faces of poor souls buried here faded away. Madi wondered if the spirits even remembered who they once were.

Although they had no eyes that could be seen, Madi knew that the ghosts were looking at her. She felt their fathomless gaze piercing her to the very core of her being. The faceless grave-wights watched her silently, their heads shifting slightly, curiously, as if waiting for the girl to speak.

"Not alone," the dead boy hissed.

Madi's took a breath, and she felt cold mist rushing down her throat.

"Never alone."

Happy Halloween From Crooked Hills!

As a special Halloween treat, Earwig Press has released a free 8-page comic presenting a brand new Crooked Hills adventure! "Raw Head & Bloody Bones" is the perfect way to spice up your day while waiting to head out trick-or-treating. Give it a read!

In addition, I spoke with the folks at The Outhousers about the series. To learn a little more about the the first book and our future plans, check it out!

And if you haven't bought the first prose novel yet, now's your chance! It's available digitally and in trade paperback here!