The following is an interview with writer Cullen Bunn and artist Andrea Mutti regarding the upcoming release of their comic book series, A Legacy of Violence, through Mad Cave Studios. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Bunn and Mutti about their shared creative process in bringing the story to life, what they hope that readers may take away from the story, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the upcoming release of A Legacy of Violence! What inspired you to bring this horror / mystery to life?
Cullen Bunn: The initial concept, in very, very high terms, actually came from Mad Cave. They discussed the idea with me and asked if I could help them turn it into something readers would love. I took the idea and played around with it a bit, tweaked some of the core concepts, and came up with something I’m pretty excited about. It’s very different from a lot of my other work in a very twisted way. I was really inspired by the challenge of bringing this story to life.
BD: The series weaves elements of horror and mystery across a sweeping narrative, but I would imagine that staying 3 steps ahead of your reader is quite the challenge. How would you describe your shared creative process in crafting this mystery?
CB: One of things I always try to do is surprise Andrea first. If I can keep him guessing, if he can’t figure out where the story is heading, then my hope is that keeps him interested and keeps him in the mood to surprise readers with startling visuals. And, with that in mind, he often surprises me with his designs and horrifying imagery.
Andrea Mutti: I believe that the secret is to keep the tension always high. close a page with ????? .. and open it with !!!!… make reading stimulating, engaging, and scary!
BD: Andrea, did you have a specific art style in mind when you first read the concept for A Legacy of Violence, or do you feel that your design evolved over time after working through the script with Cullen?
AM: The styles are always evolving. I always try to find new graphic solutions, without forcing the writing to inspire me. I never want to promote an exercise in style, but I always try to promote a sign and a coherent environment, story, and characters….
BD: Cullen, what makes Made Cave Studios the perfect home for this story?
CB: I like that Mad Cave was willing to take a chance on twelve issues for a story like this. A lot of publishers would fight for this to be a 4-issue story, but we really wanted to play with the setting, the pacing, and the characters, and Mad Cave gave us a lot of breathing room to do just that.
BD: Are there any upcoming projects on which you are currently working that you would like to share with our readers?
CB: Well, Andrea and I are currently releasing Parasomnia: The Dreaming God through Dark Horse, and I’m hoping that rolls into the third series in that story. We’re also working on something top secret together. It hasn’t been announced yet, but it’s going to be a lot of fun. And very bloody.
AM: We have a bunch of stuff together, and is pretty amazing! We have just finished Parasomnia Vol. 2 with Dark Horse, and we are cooking [up] another really cool thing together…from my side, I wrote a graphic novel and…I am almost ready to start the pages!
BD: Lastly, what is the best way for our readers to find more information about A Legacy of Violence and your other work?
CB: I’m all over social media (Twitter, Tiktok, Facebook, Instagram, and Patreon) as cullenbunn. One of the best ways to keep up with my work is to subscribe to my e-newsletter, which comes out pretty much every Sunday and offers an insight into upcoming work, my writing life, and my personal life. I also run a Discord channel that you can also find from my other social media. Most of my stuff can be found here.
AM: They can follow us on Twitter & co. and, of course, [it’s] always amazing go in a book store and take a look on the shelves… I LOVE comics store, don’t you??
