The Quarter Bin

We got to meet a ton of our favorite creators at NYCC last weekend, and we even got to speak with a few of them. Case in point, Damned co-creator and writer, Cullen Bunn. Hit the jump to see what Cullen had to share with us about the future of The Damned, and what else he has in store for us in 2009.

Now that Prodigal Sons has finished up, when can we expect the next chapter in Damned?

I’ve already started scripting it, so I’ll be done with the scripts very soon. Then it’s a matter of when Brian [Hurtt] can get to it to do the artwork. Brian’s got a couple other projects on deck right now, so as soon as he’s finished with those, the next story arc, “Daughter’s Dance,” will be a big focus for him. We’ve already started thumbnailing pages out, and things like that, so hopefully soon. I don’t really have a firm date for you.

As long as we know it’s coming.

It is definitely coming. The Damned is really near and dear for both Brian and I.

So the Damned is this prohibition era, demon infested, mafia story. Where did you guys come up with the concept?

When we first started talking about it, Brian called me and said, “Hey, I wanna work on something dark. Can we work on something dark together?” Immediately, I pitched him some idea, and he was like, “Whoa, not that dark.” So from there, we both started talking about things we both like. Both of us like period pieces, stuff like the Universal monsters, and we just started talking about ideas that we could mesh together. We wanted to do a crime book, but we also wanted to do something where Brian could draw these big, curvy-like monsters.

Since you guys are collaborating on the book, how much of the design aspect is left up to Brian? Is there ever a time where you say, “I need this guy to look like this?”

If there’s something very specific I’m trying to pull off with a character, I’ll say something. There’s a character in the first story arc that’s this big water buffalo, and I remember being very clear that I wanted him to look like this water buffalo, and Brian was like, “Oh, now I gotta draw a water buffalo.” A lot of times what happens, if you look at the issues, you’ll see that Brian draws all these different characters in the background. I’ll see one I like, and I’ll want that character that was just standing in the background to play a major role now because I like the way he looked. For the most part, Brian has a lot of leeway with the design of the characters.

Aside from another installment of the Damned coming out, I know you have a couple of other things you’re working on. Can you tell us a bit about the other irons in the fire?

There are a few things, but technically I’m not supposed to talk about them yet. I’ve got another book coming out from Oni, besides the Damned, this year. It’ll be sort of a tribute to the horror heroes of the 70s, like Swamp Thing, Man Thing, Werewolf by Night… it’s very much in that vein. I’m excited about that book. I have some other books with another publisher, and I hear the contracts are at home, but I haven’t gotten home to sign them yet.

Eventually we’ll be able to find out what these projects are.

Yeah, I’m getting real sick of telling people “I can’t say anything,” but I don’t want to jinx it, you know?

So with “Daughter’s Dance” coming up, what can fans of the Damned expect from this next series?

The first story arc, “Three Days Dead,” was sort of a mystery, and with “Prodigal Sons,” we took it and made a pulp action story. “Daughter’s Dance” is going to be a lot darker than either of the previous two. Morgan will play a role in it, but it’s really focused on the daughter of Bruno Roarke. She will come up to be the lead player in this story.

So when that comes out, it would make three parts in the Damned saga. How many more stories do you guys have planned to tell in the Damned universe?

Brian and I planned out about 50 issues worth of stories. We know where it’s going, and how it ends. Hopefully, we’ll continue to get to tell this big story in these series of mini-series.

We want to thank Cullen for speaking with us at NYCC, but our Comic Con coverage doesn’t end here friends. Look for even more interviews and recaps later this week.