Prolific writer Cullen Bunn enters a different kind of dark forest with artist Christopher Mitten in Oni Press’ dark-fantasy comic series The Autumn Kingdom.
The story begins when two sisters find their parents missing after an encounter with a strange statue on the edge of a Scandinavian forest, forcing the girls to cross the threshold into a dark fantasy world.
We spoke to Bunn about the new series and how a dark fantasy tale compares to some of his horror work in this exclusive interview.
What was the genesis of The Autumn Kingdom?
Cullen Bunn: The Autumn Kingdom is born of my love of dark fantasy, stories of goblins and tricky fairies in the night; stories of hidden goblin kingdoms; and movies like The Neverending Story and Labyrinth. I simply love the idea of a dark and twisted fairy kingdom, and it is something I return to again and again.
You have worked in just about every genre, so how do you approach a dark fantasy differently than a horror or sci-fi story?
Bunn: Well, it’s all about pacing and tone and mood. For every story I write, I focus a good deal of time and energy on how I want the tale to feel, what emotions I want to stir. It’s different for every story, really, regardless of genre. For this one, for example, I wanted the story to feel very mundane… until it’s not, until the supernatural world spills into our own reality. At that point, I wanted it to feel dangerous, breathless. I wanted readers to realize that the world is not as it seems, nor is it safe.
What does artist Christopher Mitten bring to the story and how does his art serve the fantasy elements?
Bunn: I’m not sure how well this story would work without Chris. He does such a masterful job of making the “real” world seem realistic and lived in. Then, when the fantasy elements spill into the tale, he just holds nothing back. The monsters are monstrous indeed.
What one fantasy creature/character type did you have to include in Autumn Kingdom (your favorite)?
Bunn: I don’t know if there were a lot of “traditional” fantasy creatures that feature in a big way in the story. There are goblins and elves, yes, but I didn’t want them to seem like the goblins and elves you might be accustomed to. We created new versions of these creatures. There are some pretty crazy bigger monsters that show up throughout the series, but they are more inspired by fairy legends than actual interpretations of those legends.
Many fans have great memories of your work on Harrow County with Tyler Crook. What are your memories of pitching the story and the reaction to it?
Bunn: I remember pacing around my yard while talking to Tyler on the phone about working together. We knew we wanted to do something, but we weren’t sure what it was going to be. I had written several chapters of a proposed novel that I thought might make an interesting comic, and I shared the general idea with Tyler on the call. He liked it, and we kicked around a bunch of ideas for changing it up. That brought us to the story that would become Harrow County.
Upcoming projects?
Bunn: I have a few that are on the horizon. Dark Horse Comics just released my cosmic horror superhero book Beyond Mortal, and next year will see the release of the next book in that universe called Jumpscare. I’ve got a new Deadpool series, Venom War: Deadpool, that is coming up. And in October, a new horror series, The Hexiles comes out from Mad Cave.
The Autumn Kingdom #1 will be available at your local comic book store on September 4.
