In the almost 5 years I have been writing for GVN, I have made it pretty clear about my passions. Comics? It goes without question. Sci-Fi with Star Trek, Star Wars and even Lost in Space leading the way but still encompassing so much more. I admit to a love of westerns, and war films, and if either one includes John Wayne, all the better. But let’s not forget the supernatural/ horror genre with films like Nightmare on Elm Street (the original) and Halloween. I like to consider myself well-rounded.
So, imagine a concept that combines two of my preferred elements into one. That is what Oni Press did when it brought writer Cullen Bunn and artist Brian Hurtt together for The Sixth Gun. The perfect marriage of western and supernatural elements in a 50-issue wrapper. And while that seemed to be the end, apparently creators Bunn and Hurtt had other ideas.
Stage one of this master plan involves collaborating with Oni Press and Kickstarter in a recently started campaign that includes a collection of the entire 50 issue saga in 4 luxurious hardcover tomes. The campaign also includes the possibility of 3 original Sixth Gun prelude comics to set up the main event: the return of The Sixth Gun starting in 2025. Fortunately for us, we were able to “wrangle” the creative team behind The Sixth Gun to give us a little insight into their beginnings, their partnership, and of course the return of The Sixth Gun. So, let us welcome to GVN’s Talking Comics, the talented creative team of writer Cullen Bunn and artist Brian Hurtt. Starting with Cullen:
Writer Cullen Bunn
GVN: Thanks for sharing some of your time, Cullen. I have been a big fan of many of your books but for some reason, this is the first time we have had the chance to talk. Surely a problem on MY end. So, since we haven’t talked before, let me start with a little of your background. When did you take an interest in writing comics and whose work made you feel that it was a journey you wanted to take?
CB: Well, I’m glad we finally get to chat! In one way or another, I’ve always wanted to write comics. Comic books have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. And I’ve always had the storytelling itch. So, it was a natural fit. I was writing and drawing comics at a very young age. In fifth grade, I was publishing a weekly comic book series that I gave to all my classmates. A few years later, I was setting up at minicons at selling minicomics. And now, after all those years, I’m still telling comic book stories.
I think my love of comics and the desire to tell stories in the medium comes from writers like Bill Mantlo and Jim Starlin and Chris Claremont. They were world builders. They crafted long soap operas that I just loved. Those were the kind of stories I always wanted to tell myself.
Licensed Properties VS Creator Owned
GVN: You have done projects using established characters such as Deadpool, Magneto and the Uncanny X-Men as well as writing on creator owned projects. Do you have a preference between the two or does it matter to you if your work is valued and challenging?
CB: I love writing for licensed properties, especially for those that I have a great deal of love for and that I think I can make significant, interesting contributions to. But, for me, there really is no comparison. Writing my own stories, playing in my own worlds, telling the tales I want to tell in exactly the way I want to tell them, is much more satisfying and enjoyable. I’d even go so far as to say that the licensed work I’ve enjoyed most—and the material that is the most successful on critical and financial fronts—is the work where the publishers, editors, and licensors let me run with the material and treat it as creator-owned.
Mixing Genres
GVN: Your earliest creator owned works involve the supernatural, mixed with some fun genre backgrounds. In books like The Damned with Brian Hurtt for Oni Press (way back in 2007) and most pertinent to our conversation today, The Sixth Gun (also with Brian Hurtt) Coincidence? I think NOT!! 😊 So, after combining prohibition style gangsters with demonic elements with Brian what made you decide to tackle a western with supernatural flair for Oni?
CB: I am a huge Weird Western fan. My first professional prose sell was a Western/Horror story titled “Followers of the Serpent.” The Western genre has always been a favorite of mine, and to mix it with horror and fantasy? That’s the chef’s kiss for me! And, yes, I love mashing up different genres or playing with horror and fantasy in unexpected settings. I like how we can use the familiar tropes of those settings and turn them on their ears in exciting ways. I feel like we really did that with THE SIXTH GUN. I think, starting that series, readers had no idea where we were going to take the adventure.
Considering The Sixth Gun Future
GVN: The Sixth Gun initially ran for 6 years from 2010 to 2016. When you came close to its conclusion in 2016, did you feel there was more you wanted to tell, or did you feel that you were in a good place to move on to other things at that time?
CB: The world of THE SIXTH GUN is vast, and there were many stories that Brian and I wanted to tell. But we knew where we wanted to end the series, and we knew that it felt right to do so when we reached issue 50. After the series ended, though, we were still talking about what we wanted to do next, the stories we wanted to tell. We didn’t want to rush into a true sequel series, though, because we didn’t want to cheapen the tale we had already told. It took us a few years, but we finally stumbled onto a story that will thrill readers and honor what has come before.
GVN: Of course, I ask that because you have recently started a Kickstarter campaign for The Sixth Gun Deluxe Omnibus Library which collects your previous Sixth Gun works into four deluxe hardcover volumes. All leading to the return to The Sixth Gun with your creative partner Brian Hurtt in a new series in 2025. Just in time for the series 15th Anniversary. How did the idea for the Omnibus come about what might fans who visit your campaign find there?
CB: Brian and I both wanted to do a new version of the book, a meaty omnibus edition that might attract the eyes of readers who hadn’t given the book a chance yet. When we talked to the folks at Oni, they got really excited about doing something big for the new release, and that’s how this Kickstarter was born! The campaign is for some beautiful hardcover editions of the book, and there are some amazing extras, add-ons, and stretch goals. The stretch goals I’m most excited about include brand new stories by Brian and myself that serve as a prelude and bridge to the new comics we’re bringing to life in 2025!
The Secrets of the Gun
GVN: So, as I and now you have mentioned, this all sets the stage for the return of The Sixth Gun in 2025. Before I let you go, and I do appreciate the time you have sliced out for us, would you care to give our fans a small glimpse into what they will be getting into for this beloved series. If you can?
CB: I have to keep a lot of this stuff secret for now, so please forgive me. I will say that the new series fuses the lore of THE SIXTH GUN and the lore of SHADOW ROADS into a much bigger story. The hints of what is to come are already out there. So… if you read or re-read those original series, you might get some clues about what we have in store.
I pretty much knew your answer, but I decided to give it a “shot”…so to speak. Now that we have delved into Cullen’s world, let’s get the insights of the man behind the great visuals of The Sixth Gun, Artist Brian Hurtt:
Artist Brian Hurtt
GVN: Thank YOU so much for giving us some of your time, Brian. So, since this will also be the first time I have had the pleasure of talking to you, let us start with YOUR creative background. When did you take an interest in comic art and whose work inspired and motivated you to put your talents to that goal?
BH: I can’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t drawing. I can remember being singled out and complimented for my “talent” in first and second grade. But it wasn’t until I was ten years old that it even crossed my mind that I could grow up to draw for a living. It was at that time that I fell in love with comics–specifically, the G.I. Joe comics of the 80’s, followed very shortly by Walt Simonson’s THOR, and all things X-MEN and SPIDER-MAN! I recognized that these stories were created by individuals and that if I kept practicing, maybe I could someday join their ranks. I also happened to be incredibly fortunate in that I had parents who encouraged me even at that early age. I don’t know where I would be without that support!
Working with Cullen
GVN: You had me at Walt Simonson. You have been working with writer Cullen Bunn for quite some time now. Co-creating both The Damned and The Sixth Gun for Oni Press. When did you first connect with Cullen and what was it originally that you feel made your collaborations work so well?
BH: Cullen and I can measure our friendship in decades. We first met when we were both working at a comic book chain in St. Louis and we hit it off immediately. We had shared sensibilities and were both big dreamers–driven to tell stories. We would talk about comic ideas and stories we’d love to tell if we had the opportunity. Several years later, I had started working in comics and had done a few mini-series when I reached out to Cullen and told him it was time we pitched something of our own. It was rejected. But we weren’t demoralized, we immediately followed that up with our pitch for THE DAMNED. That book put us on the map as a creative team and the rest has been history.
It helps that we have shared sensibilities and cultural touchstones but our success as a team stem from having a genuine, mutual respect for one another’s abilities. I have full faith in Cullen’s writing and storytelling chops, and I know he trusts me to do what I can to help tell the story in the best possible way. The longer I work in the industry, the more I appreciate what we have.
Putting Passion into His Projects
GVN: I asked this same question of Cullen, and it resonates with you as well. You have worked on mainstream comic characters as well as self-owned titles. Do you have a preference when it come to your visual storytelling, or does it come down to “a job is a job?”
BH: I try and give every project I work on my absolute all. I don’t have it in me to phone in my work. But there is still a gulf in the passion I can bring to a work-for-hire job and what I can bring to a creator-owned project. When you have a love for what you do, and a love for the project, that can propel you through the difficult panels or pages and also continually fuel your creativity. It’s the reason I try to work on almost exclusively creator-owned projects–they’ve probably been 80-90% of my career.
The Kickstarter
GVN: I mentioned The Sixth Gun, a brilliant mix of Western and the Supernatural. It had originally gone for 50 issues and is now being collected in four deluxe volumes for The Sixth Gun Deluxe Omnibus Library. A gorgeous hardcover set now on your Kickstarter campaign. How did this idea come about for the Kickstarter and what will your fans who love the series find there when they come a callin.’ Any special Brian Hurtt art goodness available in the campaign?
BH: The concept of the Omnibus has been part of the plan from the early days of the series but it was only recently that we landed on the idea of offering fans a premium hardcover version. Kickstarter gives us an avenue for connecting directly with those readers who are looking for exclusive editions like these.
Along with the hardcover editions, backers have the opportunity to get a bunch of fun merch and swag: enamel pins, prints, a SIXTH GUN branded hip flask, and even devotional candles! But the thing I’m most excited about are the stretch goals. Cullen and I are creating some original THE SIXTH GUN comics. And these are not just fun throw-away short stories but are comics that are going to bridge the gap between THE SIXTH GUN and what comes next! These stories are going to plant seeds and tease the direction of the new series!
The Return of the Sixth Gun in 2025
GVN: This all leads up to 2025 and a The Sixth Gun return. How long have you and Cullen had this in the works and out of curiosity, how much of a refresher do you require when you go back to a series you haven’t done in a while?
BH: Cullen and I have never stopped talking about THE SIXTH GUN and a possible return. We’ve had no shortage of story ideas, but we just never landed on something that could stand side-by-side with the original series. All of our ideas were good, and they were fun, but they just didn’t feel necessary. In recent months we started to have conversations with Oni about the Omnibus Kickstarter, and we told them we really wanted to offer something new in conjunction with it. At first, we thought we’d take some of these ideas we’d already batted around and do some fun short stories. But in the course of these conversations, we stumbled onto an idea we really liked–an idea we felt could stand next to THE SIXTH GUN, an idea we felt compelled to do. That was when we had to call Oni and tell them we might have exceeded the brief–we want to use this Kickstarter, in part, to launch a follow-up series. We didn’t have to hold our breath too long–thankfully they were just as excited as we were!
Secrets of the Future
GVN: I want to thank you once again for your time Brian. Before I let you go, I want to give you an opportunity to share any other projects you have going and where can fans follow you on social media or the web?
BH: I’m currently wrapping up a yet-to-be-announced mini-series with Cullen Bunn that will be coming out in October from Dark Horse. I’m following that with a longer format (maxiseries) that I also can’t talk about! I can say that it’s going to be fun and wild and I’m working with a well-known writer that I really respect. Then, of course, Cullen and I are returning to THE SIXTH GUN in a big way in 2025–the 15th anniversary of THE SIXTH GUN’s debut!
I’m not too active on the socials but I can be found as @brihurtt on bothe Instagram and Twitter.
The Kickstarter campaign for ‘The Sixth Gun’ Deluxe Omnibus Library is now active. You can check it out here.
Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 60 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove headfirst over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 21-year-old young man with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.
