The Four Color Media Monitor

Sci-Fi Pulse interviewed writer Cullen Bunn, who's worked for both Marvel/DC, along with creator-owned titles, and he gushes over how wonder he thinks writing horror themes is:

SFP: I see that a lot of your work is in the horror genre. What is horror’s appeal for you?

Cullen Bunn: I write in a lot of different genres, but I definitely come back to horror again and again. Horror stories are cathartic for me, especially when the world around me and personal circumstances are layering on stress and anxiety and fear and worry and doubt and anger and nausea like a bowl of the world’s worst seven-layer dip. Since that seems to be all the time, I return to horror. Tales of terror can be, for me, tales of hope, too. In a great horror story, sure, the hero might not make it through to the end. They might meet a terrible fate. But they’re fighting to survive. Against overwhelming and terrifying odds. They fight. And that’s hopeful.

Sorry, but when this genre is as heavily emphasized as it's been for years already, right down to the hero perishing, it's not hopeful. Quite the opposite, it's hopeless. Surely the worst thing about this tunnelvisioned belief in working on horror stories is that it only grinds to a screeching halt when the subject is Islamic terrorism, and possibly even Communism. And only gets worse when Mr. Bunn reveals what kind of books he's writing for children:

SFP: You’ve also written books for younger readers. How does writing for children differ from writing for adults?

Cullen Bunn: There are obvious differences in terms of some content based on the age of the intended audience, but otherwise I approach the stories very similarly. If I were to try to “dumb down” my writing for kids, I’d get called out for it immediately. Kids do not forgive that sort of thing. Most of my kid-friendly books are more all-ages. Crooked Hills, for example, is a horror novel written with 8 to 12 year olds in mind. But I’ve had numerous adults who loved it and were scared by it. “All-ages” is sometimes seen as simply “a kids book” but it really means it’s for anyone!

Well, this is certainly troubling too. He actually believes horror is an inherently good theme for children? Definitely not if there's no valid moral lessons in it, nor if the theme is hammered away ad nauseum, as has been the problem for more than a decade now. If it matters, of course it wouldn't do any good to dumb down the storytelling. But sticking to the horror genre so routinely is another way to do just that, as is darkness. And does he think all children are fooled into believing the horror genre is the best way to tell a story, but not bright comedy? Well, that's not getting anywhere.

SFP: What do you think hasn’t been done yet in comics that could be done?

Cullen Bunn: It’ll never happen… but I’d love to see a clear, definitive ending to one of the great long-running superhero stories. And I’m not talking about a parallel universe or side story. I’d love to see one of these iconic characters find the natural end of their story. And… that’s it. That’s how the story wraps up. Take a year to get there. Take two or three. Plan it out and really lean into it. I think something epic could come from that. Something satisfying. There’s value in a solid ending. I’d love to see that embraced.

Very interesting he's stressing a belief almost similar to what I think at this point would have to be the case for practically all superherodom. But chances are he's just trying to virtue-signal and take credit for the position himself. There's unfortunately plenty of writers like him who could do that without showing any appreciation for all the rank and file readers out there who could come up with similar arguments. For now, there's regrettably only so many major and minor characters, iconic or not, who'll likely never see a decent ending to their story, and the Spider-marriage is but one of those. And Mr. Bunn is unlikely to ever call out Joe Quesada for petty grudges that he forced upon Mary Jane Watson, nor will he ever call out Dan DiDio for taking similar positions during the mid-2000s.

SFP: Following on from that question; when our colleague Patrick Hayes interviewed you in 2015, your comic Harrow County had been optioned by Fox for a TV series. What are your thoughts on the relationship between the comics industry and the film and TV industry?

Cullen Bunn: It’s no secret that comic books–especially creator-owned and independent comics–make great inspiration for movies and TV shows, and I think it’s great. I love adaptations of my favorite books and comics. I love the similarities. I love the differences. It’s just a lot of fun to see those stories come to life in other mediums. I enjoy working with producers and directors and actors and screenwriters. I like seeing other writers try to tackle my stories. I’ve also adapted some of my comics to different media, and it’s a great experience. My only word of caution, certainly for comic writers, is–don’t try to write for the adaptation. Just write the best comic you can. All the other stuff will come… or not. Never count on it. Never try to court it by crafting the perfect movie pitch as a comic. It’s madness… and most people see right through it.

It's admittedly flattering he realizes not everyone's fooled by the whole notion a comic book will automatically make a great cinematic adaptation. But then, not everyone's going to be fooled into believing the horror genre is the answer to everything either.

SFP: Who would be your dream character to write for?

Cullen Bunn: Oh, there are a few, for sure. John Constantine is one of the top, but I doubt that will happen. I’d also love to write a long Etrigan the Demon story. Swamp Thing. Man Thing. Werewolf by Night? Shadowpact. Really, any of the dark horror superheroes. I wouldn’t mind putting a horror spin on some traditionally non-horror characters, too. I’ve long had a dark Spider-Man series in mind. I sort of did that with my books Beyond Mortal and Jumpscare, only using heroes of my own creation.

I also dream of returning to write some more Magneto or X-Men stories.

I seriously hope he doesn't. But when he says he'd like to apply horror themes to series that didn't begin that way and usually didn't bear such an emphasis back in the day, that's certainly something to dread. Besides, if he never tried to convince any of Marvel/DC's editors to date to reverse the humiliations they forced upon their creations since the turn of the century, it only explains further what's wrong with his gushy view of the horror genre. Mr. Bunn, alas, is another example of the kind of writers who don't belong in comicdom.

Labels: dc comics, indie publishers, marvel comics, moonbat writers, msm propaganda, violence