Comics vet Cullen Bunn is bringing the horror with his new Outer Shadows imprint

Cullen Bunn, co-creator of Harrow County, The Sixth Gun, and The Last Book You’ll Ever Read, has a new home… and a new mission. He’s curating Outer Shadows, a new horror imprint from Outland Entertainment that will be responsible for comics, prose, games, and more.

In a statement from the Kansas City-based publisher, editor in chief Alana Joli Abbott said, “Although Outland dabbles in horror with comics like Night of the Vegan and Santa vs. Zombies, we’ve really been lacking an expert voice in that genre. Not only does Cullen bring his vast experience in horror to the table, but he’s incredibly fun to work with! We can’t wait to see what he brings us.”

“Over the years, I’ve come to be associated with horror in comics, but I love the genre in all its many forms,” Bunn added. “Early on in my career as a creator, I founded a small press publishing house and edited a horror zine. Horror writers and horror fans are some of the most kind, welcoming, and inspiring people I’ve ever met. Those were very exciting and creative days for me, and I wanted to rekindle those feelings.”

Accompanying the announcement of the imprint was the announcement of the first two projects from Outer Shadows: Swords in the Shadows, a prose anthology of fantasy stories with a horror twist, with contributors including Joe R. Landsdale, Brian Keene, and Mary SanGiovanni, and Raze: Mother, Maiden, Crone, a novella by Bunn himself.

“For our first publication, I wanted to showcase the broad scope of what a horror tale can be,” Bunn said of the Swords in the Shadows collection. “Sword and sorcery has always been near and dear to me, and some of my favorite stories in the genre feature significant horror elements. I wanted to bring that to the forefront. So, this is an S&S&H anthology—sword and sorcery and horror. It’s a book that I think will have significant crossover appeal.”

Future projects include a complete collection of Bunn’s short fiction, as well as an anthology of horror stories set in the world of 1980s action movies titled I’ll Kill You Last.

Those interested in more about the imprint can sign up to the Outer Shadows newsletter.

Another indie publisher making moves lately >is Mad Cave Studios, which recently hired Mike Marts as its editor-in-chief.