Q&A: Cullen Bunn Slices Into the Surgical Scares and Nightmarish Origin of New Comic Book Series INVASIVE

2023/12/12 19:37:05 +00:00 | Derek Anderson

It originally came to Cullen Bunn in a dream, and over time that surreal spark has become a living nightmare in the form of the new comic book series Invasive. Following a doctor and detective as they peel back the macabre mystery of the "murder surgeons" slicing their way through the city, Invasive reunites Cullen Bunn with renowned illustrator Jesús Hervás (The Empty Man) as they take readers on a disturbing descent into palpable terror and deadly obsessions, and with the first issue of Invasive coming out on December 13th from Oni Press, Daily Dead caught up with Bunn in a new Q&A feature to discuss the nightmarish origin behind one of his most unsettling stories yet.

You can read our full Q&A with Cullen Bunn below, and to stay up to date on all of Oni Press' exciting releases, visit their website! Also, be sure to check out our previous cover reveals of Invasive #2 and read our recent Q&A with Cullen Bunn about his new horror novel Crooked Hills!

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer questions for us, Cullen, and congratulations on your new comic book series Invasive! I understand that the idea for this story originally came to you in a nightmare, and that you continued to have nightmares while writing Invasive. What can you tell us about these nightmares, and how much of the story did you have to flesh out from those haunting dreamscapes?

Cullen Bunn: I can't say that these nightmares actually informed the plot or direction of the story. They were far too strange and surreal for anything like that. The initial dreams set me on the path of telling the tale, though, and the continued nightmares were like little reminders that I was on the right (or is it wrong?) path.

I really enjoyed how the first issue of Invasive starts to peel back the layers of obsessions—both surgical and otherwise. Did you have to do a lot of research into surgeons and their procedures while writing Invasive?

Cullen Bunn: As with most of my projects, I tend to do just enough research to make me dangerous. I definitely delved into the life and work of surgeons. I researched surgery addiction. I dug up stories of horrible malpractice. I didn't, though, want to do so much research that it stripped the surreal nature out of the book. I didn't want to run the risk of letting the research show.

For Invasive, you reunited with artist Jesús Hervás, whom you previously worked with on The Empty Man, and I love how Jesús brings this story to life with gorgeously gruesome artwork, along with great coloring by Dan Jackson and excellent lettering by Taylor Esposito. What was it about Jesús and his distinct art style that made him the perfect fit to team up with on Invasive?

Cullen Bunn: The world of Invasive isn't pretty. It's grim and dirty and a little sad. And Jesús just has a gift for rendering those kind of images—and rendering beautifully!

I love the ominous look of the “murder surgeons” as they lurk in the shadows with their respirators and glowing red goggles. How did you and Jesús Hervás come up with the creepy visuals for these characters?

Cullen Bunn: In the early documents I sent Jesús, my description of the Murder Surgeons ran as follows:

"Imagine a cross between plague doctors and modern surgeons, dressed all in black leather that frequently glistens with blood."

From those simple descriptors, he just ran wild. His first images for the characters were spot-on! I don't believe they changed much between his early renditions and the actual comic.

You’ve described Invasive as being one of your most disturbing stories, which is really saying something when you look at your entire bibliography. What is it about Invasive that brings it to that next level of horror that will get under readers’ skin?

Cullen Bunn: There's a sense of dread and doom and hopelessness that permeates every panel of Invasive. Maybe it's because it is, for the most part, a very real world and a situation that, while strange, could easily happen. Maybe it's the element of medical horror. Maybe it's the feeling that our characters—and by extension the readers—are heading toward something awful before the story ends.

Spoiler alert: they are.

The ending of this series is a shocker, to say the least.

The initial arc of Invasive is four issues, but do you have plans to expand this series beyond that if given the opportunity?

Cullen Bunn: I think there is room to expand on the story, for sure, but I'll make sure readers are left with a satisfying and haunting conclusion to this initial tale.

What has it been like to team up with Oni Press as you prepare to release Invasive into the world?

Cullen Bunn: I have a long history with Oni Press, and I'm thrilled to work with them on this project as well as several other projects we've been developing for the future. I'm very excited to continue to build the catalogue there.

Ultimately, what do you hope readers take away from Invasive?

Cullen Bunn: I want readers to have a good time with the story, for sure, but if they also get a chill the next time they walk into their doctor's office, well, I'll consider that a bonus.

With the holiday season upon us once again, do you have any favorite holiday movies, books, video games, or comic books—horror or otherwise—that you like to revisit this time of year?

Cullen Bunn: I'm pretty straightforward with the movies and shows I watch for the holiday season. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Scrooged. A Christmas Carol. A Christmas Story. The Christmas episodes of The Office. Charlie Brown. On the horror front, I do like Krampus quite a bit, and I thought Violent Night was pretty terrific. For some reason, around this time of year, I always get a hankering to watch a bunch of old anime, like Ranma 1/2 and The Slayers, as well as a bunch of Godzilla and Ultraman.

With the first issue of Invasive coming out on December 12th from Oni Press, do you have any other upcoming projects that you can tease for our readers?

Cullen Bunn: There is a lot more on the horizon, I promise. I have several new creator-owned projects—with Oni and with other publishers—that will be releasing in the year ahead. Some really exciting projects. One of the best ways to keep track of what I have going on is to subscribe to Nightmare Fuel, my weekly newsletter. It's a good time and can be found at https://cullenbunn.substack.com/.

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Press Release: Oni Press is proud to announce INVASIVE #1 (of 4) – a terrifying new experiment in pain from Eisner Award nominee Cullen Bunn (THE SIXTH GUN, BASILISK) and acclaimed illustrator Jesús Hervás (THE EMPTY MAN), beginning in December 2023!

"INVASIVE might very well go down as Cullen Bunn's ultimate statement on what the horror comic can and should be. As both a mystery and meditation on the addictive nature of power, INVASIVE is one of the most compelling, thought-provoking, and genuinely rattling projects that I have ever had the privilege to shepherd forward,” said Oni Press President & Publisher Hunter Gorinson. “We can't share too much for fear of spoiling what Cullen and Jesús have planned, except to say this: No matter what you think...you are not ready."

“INVASIVE is a thing of nightmare. For me, literally,” said Cullen Bunn. “The initial seed of the idea sprang from a terrifying nightmare that startled me awake in the dark. While developing the idea, I was beset by even more nightmares. And while writing it? You guessed it. Nightmares. It's a book that worries and haunts me, and I think it represents a bit of a signpost in the road of my approach to horror in general. I believe that in the years to come, it will be thought of as one of my most disturbing stories.”

Look for INVASIVE #1 (of 4) - coming in December, only from Oni Press!

INVASIVE #1 (of 4)

Written by Cullen Bunn

Illustrated by Jesús Hervás

Cover A by Jesús Hervás

Cover B by Luana Vecchio

Cover C by Brian Level

Cover D Full Art Variant (1:10) by Luana Vecchio

Cover E B&W Variant (1:15) by Brian Level

Cover F Inventive Variant (1:20) by Jae Lee

Cover G B&W Variant (1:50) by Jae Lee

$4.99 | 32 pgs. | DECEMBER 13, 2023

Beyond excess, beyond ethics, beyond science. . . . Enter a terrifying new experiment in pain from Eisner Award nominee Cullen Bunn (The Sixth Gun, Basilisk) and acclaimed illustrator Jesús Hervás (The Empty Man)!

Dr. Carrie Reynolds was a veteran trauma surgeon with a godlike mastery of muscle and bone. But outside the operating room, her rigidly ordered life spiraled into chaos when her daughter, Heather—a recovering plastic surgery addict—suddenly disappeared, only to mysteriously reemerge in a catatonic state, her vocal cords removed . . . the latest in a series of victims all scarred by a battery of brazenly cruel medical procedures that have baffled police and left an alarming number of once-ordinary citizens maimed, mutilated, or dead on arrival.

Because, deep beneath the streets of Carrie’s city, a new kind of underground hospital has just opened its doors . . . and, once inside, there are no rules, no oaths, and no taboos too deep to not to be broken. Together, a new class of surgeon has sworn to pierce the final threshold of accepted medical orthodoxy one incision at a time.

The scalpel is their tool. The alleys are their operating theater. Murder is their medicine. And only Carrie can stop what they're planning next...