Cullen Bunn's Blog, page 39
June 3, 2011
First Look at Fear Itself: Black Widow
What's that you say? You love sexy super spies? Well, you're in luck! Marvel has posted a sneak peek at my upcoming Black Widow one-shot, FEAR ITSELF: BLACK WIDOW #1!
As Fear Itself's grip tightens around the globe, a maniacal group of extremists hold Marseilles under hostage. The clock is ticking as Marvel's deadliest super spy must infiltrate the group's base before nuclear destruction hits! But Black Widow must overcome not just deadly mercenaries, but the fear-stricken citizens of Marseilles! Writer Cullen Bunn and artist Peter Nguyen take Natasha Romanova on her deadliest mission yet in FEAR ITSELF: BLACK WIDOW #1!
Make sure you check the book out when it hits the shelves in a couple of weeks!
FEAR ITSELF: BLACK WIDOW #1 (APR110537)
Written by CULLEN BUNN
Penciled by PETER NGUYEN
Cover by MICHAEL RYAN
Rated T+…$3.99
FOC—6/6/11, ON SALE 7/12/11
June 1, 2011
Crooked Hills Update
There's been a bit of movement around my middle reader horror novel Crooked Hills. Last week, ARCs of the first book went out to reviewers, and another big batch of review copies are shipping in the next week or so. Whenever a new project hits the street (even in the early stages), I grow tense with worry over what people will think. A couple of early reviews have come in, though, and so far they've been positive.
"Crooked Hills combines all the best aspects of classic children's mystery books with paranormal chills and adventure. Think "The Hardy Boys meet Supernatural". The characters are well-drawn and sympathetic and the action is fast-paced and fun. Charlie's voice is spot on, mixing a sense of fear and trepidation with youthful excitement and an old-fashioned "gee whiz" factor. Even more impressive is Bunn's ability to depict genuinely scary antagonists while still keeping the book readable by a young audience. This book really is the total package."
— FROM SERIAL DISTRACTIONS
"Let's get one thing perfectly clear from the get-go: This is not a "kiddie" book. Author Cullen Bunn doesn't talk down to the readers, doesn't dumb thing down for lower grade levels. To the contrary, he tells a tight story with good detail, excellent plot, and does it without pandering. Sure, the characters are easily relatable to the nine-to-fourteen market, but that's because that's who they are. Far from mollycoddling, Bunn puts the readers in the dark and leaves them there without so much as a match for light, then he pounds on the door to give them a thrill. And it works well enough that even the parents of the children who read this book (and the ones that come after it) will enjoy them."
— FROM DREAD CENTRAL
In addition, the Earwig Press website just went through a major redesign, and it now features a ton of information on the series. Please give it a look when you have a chance.
It's been a long road to this book's publication, and I couldn't be happier that it ended up with Earwig Press. They've been nothing but enthusiastic and supportive, and that's exactly what I wanted from a publisher. I'm already busily plotting out the next book in the series, and I'm really ratcheting up the fright factor on this one!
May 24, 2011
The Tooth Hurts!
I've long said that my graphic novel, The Tooth, is cursed. Since I came up with the idea years ago, there have been numerous problems, snafus, and just plain ill luck surrounding the release of the book. The latest problem is that while the book has long been scheduled for a release this week, I was told this morning that it will not hit store shelves until next week! Despite the cloud of misfortune that looms over this title, I still drool over how gorgeous the book turned out to be, and I can't wait for others to get a gander at it.
While I was at Mo*Con this past weekend, I mentioned The Tooth, and it created quite a buzz (and more puns than you could shake a pointy stick at). More than anything else I'm working on, folks wanted to hear more about the wild story about (my elevator pitch):
"A guy who finds a magic tooth… which nests in his mouth like an inverted sabertooth tiger fang… and occasionally leaps out, grows to the size of a gorilla, and fights demons."
Let's hope that excitement translates to other readers once the graphic novel explodes onto the street next week!
In the meantime, a massive preview has hit the net. You can quench your thirst for The Tooth by checking out 17 pages of the story at CBR.
You can also read an advance review of the book on io9!
Do not let anything so trivial as a curse stop you! Make sure to head to your local bookseller and demand that they order The Tooth for you!
May 17, 2011
And Now… Tiger Shark!
It's funny. I don't read too many comments about my work on the Internet any more. It's just too stressful for me. But I did happen to see a few comments reagarding Fear Itself: The Deep in which readers lamented that I didn't use Tiger Shark in the series. I just had to smile to myself and wait for this cover (for issue 3) to be revealed. Here's your freakin' Tiger shark, folks!
FEAR ITSELF: THE DEEP #3 (of 4)
Written by CULLEN BUNN
Pencils & Cover by LEE GARBETT
In the midst of FEAR ITSELF, anything goes! Just as the unlikely team of Namor, Dr. Strange, the Silver Surfer, the Savage She-Hulk, and Loa band together, they're torn apart by a nightmare from the depths. And now each of these heroes must face an almost unstoppable enemy–and crushing fear–alone!
May 16, 2011
Superman/Batman #84 Comes Out This Week
The final issue of my Sorcerer Kings arc comes out this Wednesday, and CBR has an exclusive preview!
I loved working on this arc. I was able to write a few characters that I genuinely love… including a few more obscure heroes and villains. In particular, this issue features a beast that I'm pretty sure hasn't seen a comic book page since 70s! You can start placing your bets for the monster I dredged up!
May 12, 2011
The Sixth Gun Goes Digital!
Oni Press has announced its schedule to release two of their high-acclaimed titles The Sixth Gun and Ghost Projekt digitally on the comiXology platform. The first of the digital releases will hit the market starting this week and continue over the coming weeks to complete the Ghost Projekt series and a large portion of the available Sixth Gun. The remaining Sixth Gun comic will be released over the next few months shortly after they come out in print. The first issues of both series will be free with the subsequent issues priced at $1.99. The digital release schedule will be as follows:
May 11: Sixth Gun #1 and #2
May 18: Ghost Projekt #1 and #2
May 25: Sixth Gun #3 and Ghost Projekt #3
June 1: Sixth Gun #4 and Ghost Projekt #4
June 8: Sixth Gun #5 and Ghost Projekt #5
June 15: Sixth Gun #6
The first free issue of The Sixth Gun can be found at https://comics.comixology.com/issue/9675/The-Sixth-Gun-1
May 6, 2011
Fear Itself: The Deep Preview
Marvel has released 7 big preview pages for my upcoming limited series, Fear Itself: The Deep!
Marvel is pleased to present your first look at Fear Itself: The Deep #1 (of 4), as rising stars Cullen Bunn and Lee Garbett batter the fury of the Worthy against the shores of the Marvel Universe! It's up to Namor, Dr. Strange, the Savage She-Hulk and Loa to band together to go head to head against, the newly empowered Attuma. Is Namor and his team strong enough to defeat the Breaker of Oceans before the nightmare of Fear Itself comes spilling to the surface or will an old ally be their champion? Find out this June in Fear Itself: The Deep #1 (of 4)!
FEAR ITSELF: THE DEEP #1 (of 4) (APR110544)
Written by CULLEN BUNN
Pencils & Cover by LEE GARBETT
Rated T+ …$2.99
On Sale – 6/1/11
Happy Birthday, Sixth Gun!
Free Comic Book Day is this weekend, and Brian and I will be signing all day Saturday at Elite Comics in Overland Park, Kansas. If you're in the area, we hope you'll stop by and see us! No matter where you live, make sure to get out to your local comic shop and pick up some free books!
Free Comic Book Day also marks the anniversary of the release of the first issue of The Sixth Gun! This seems like a great time to thank all the readers who have supported the book. We've been having a blast with this story, and without you guys, we wouldn't get the chance to tell the tale!
I just finished the script to issue 15 a few minutes ago, and there's still many more issues to come! I hope you'll stick with us to the end!
And if you've never read The Sixth Gun, you can still check out the entire first issue online right here.
May 3, 2011
Interview Round-Up 5/3/2011!
Everything you ever wanted to know about me but were afraid (or too titillated) to ask! Here are some links to the most recent interviews I've done. Topics range from Fear Itself to The Sixth Gun to replacement body parts!
Tuesday Q&A With Marvel- Water covers 71% of the world's surface, but when an undersea dweller becomes one of The Serpent's Worthy, Namor finds out even the ocean's not big enough for the two of them. Read this short piece to get some juicy tidbits on my Defenders story!
Multiversity Comics Spoiler Alert - Topics of this podcast interview include The Sixth Gun, Superman/Batman (and who would win in a fight), Fear Itself: Black Widow, and Fear Itself: The Deep!
WarRocket Ajax – Halfway Through, Set Someone on Fire! - A rare podcast appearance by both Brian Hurtt and myself! We talk about The Sixth Gun and everything else under the sun, then field some questions via Twitter!
April 29, 2011
Upcoming Projects
What the Hell's been keeping me busy? Well, let me show you.
It's going to be a busy summer, and I wanted to take a few minutes to share the cover art for a few new projects I have coming out. I'm very excited about each and every one of these, and I hope you'll rush to your comic shop and pick them up when they hit the stands.
I've placed the books in a rough release schedule. The dates, of course, are always subject to change.
May 18
The final issue of my Superman/Batman arc comes out on the 18th of May. I'm a little blue to see this one come to an end. I would have liked to expand that story to as many issues as they would have given me!
May 25
The Tooth, which I've mentioned numerous times, comes out on May 25th!
June 1
In early June, the first issue of Fear Itself: The Deep comes out, as I've mentioned before.
June 15
The second trade paperback collection of The Sixth Gun hits the shelves in June! It collects issues 7 – 11, presenting a story of New Orleans, voodoo, spirits, and the revelation of the true power of The Six! It will be a weird feeling to finally have a second volume of my work!
Collecting issues #7 – #11 of the hit new series by Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt! General Hume has been defeated and the six mystical guns are now in the possession of our heroes. But Hume is too evil to stay dead for long, and the power of the guns come at a terrible price. In the haunted bayous around New Orleans, Drake, Becky, and Gord hunt for a way to rid themselves of the cursed weapons while evil forces conspire all around them.
June 29
In addition to the previously mentioned Fear Itself: Black Widow, I have a couple of other projects dropping on the 29th! Looks like it'll be a big day for me!
First up is Fear Itself: The Deep #2. The first of two books with a super-secret blacked-out image! There have been spoilers posted around the net regarding the Worthy, who will be wreaking havoc on the heroes of the Marvel Universe. I, however, refuse to spoil anything about the books here. Suffice it to say, this issue has some big, crazy action. I wrote a scene featuring the Silver Surfer that I'm really excited about. Working on this title has given me a lot of love for Loa and Lyra (the Savage She-Hulk), and I now dream of doing a book featuring the two of them teaming up.
FEAR ITSELF TIE-IN! The Sub-Mariner's kingdom has fallen! Namor and his allies–Dr. Strange, the Silver Surfer, the Savage She-Hulk, and Loa–must invade New Atlantis and wrest control from the sinister forces that have claimed the city. With Namor still shaken by the crushing defeat he has suffered, our heroes may be no match for the frightening opposition they're set to encounter as the Worthy's lieutenants summon dark forces that spill into the oceans…and one team member may be forever changed as fear takes over.
Of course there's a new issue of The Sixth Gun coming out in June. This one kicks off a new story arc that I've titled "Bound." The first two issues are action-packed to say the least. They were also, for various reasons, extremely hard for me to write. I shake up the pacing and the story in the last four issues of the arc.
Drake, Becky, and a host of armed priests travel by rail as they escort the dead-but-dreaming corpse of General Hume to his final resting place. But this is the Old West, so you can be sure a train robbery is in the cards… and it's The Sixth Gun, so you can be sure this is a robbery like no other!
July 20
Here's the second top secret cover (and secret solicit text), this time for Fear Itself: FF. What can I say about this issue? It's big and action-packed and violent… and there's plenty of collateral damage. I used some elements of the character design in the story in a way I'm pretty geeked out about. Hope you'll like what I did here!
FEAR ITSELF TIE-IN! XXXX XXXXX…one of the most beloved heroes in the Marvel Universe…is now the willing avatar of the Serpent's malice–an engine of discord cutting an unstoppable path of destruction through the heart of New York City! How did the Serpent's Hammer seduce him so easily? Can the rest of the XXXXXXX stop him before he levels the entire city in the name of his dark master?
July 27
The next issue of The Sixth Gun drops in late July. This one was a bear to write, but I think it turned out pretty well. The story's pretty action-packed from the first to last page. It ends with a bit of a shocker, too. It also features a character who had a cameo in the very first issue of the series… but who has not been seen since.
As if a group of undead robbers wasn't bad enough—there's a mummy loose on the train! Drake and Becky fight their way through revenants, necromancers, and—yes—mummies as they barrel towards a shocking fate. This robbery ends in a way no one will be expecting!
August 31
The third issue of the "Bound" story arc hits in August, and–yes–that's Abe Lincoln and a mummy on the cover. For this issue, we have a special guest artist–Tyler Crook–who is an absolutely amazing talent.
Drake has faced strange enemies, but none more enigmatic than Asher Cobb! What's the secret of his powers? How did he become the living dead? And what did he pass on to Drake at the end of last issue? Cullen Bunn and special guest artist Tyler Crook (B.P.R.D., Petrograd) answer these questions and more!
