DF Interview: Cullen Bunn marries folklore to sword & sorcery for a horrific fantasy in ‘The Autumn Kingdom’

By Byron Brewer

Bestselling author Andrew Kier found the perfect place to finish his latest dark-fantasy novel – an idyllic, remote cabin on the edge of a lush Swedish forest. His young daughters, Sommer and Winter, gleefully explore . . . until they happen upon a strange clearing of ancient statues: goblins, dwarves, elves, and a warrior queen mysteriously missing her swordhand and weapon. When something sinister follows the girls home and viciously snatches their parents in the night, the sisters' only hope may be that ancient relic, lost in the forest underbrush, waiting for a new champion to take it up.

In the borderlands between imagination and reality, horror and fantasy, master storyteller Cullen Bunn (The Sixth Gun, Harrow County) and artist Christopher Mitten (Hellboy & the B.P.R.D.) in The Autumn Kingdom begin one family's labyrinthine descent through a perilous forest where the local folklore is anything but a myth. I spoke with Cullen about this coming sojourn into the unknown.

Byron Brewer: Cullen, my friend, let’s start our discussion on your coming four-part horrific fantasy series by the epic story you tell about its title, The Autumn Kingdom. Would you tell readers that story please?

Cullen Bunn: Well, the title itself—The Autumn Kingdom—is something I’ve been kicking around for decades. I had it written in my notebooks, probably in multiple places, long before I was working in comics full-time. I’m not 100% sure, but it might pre-date The Sixth Gun. Now, the story is, well, another story. There were attempts to create something around the Autumn Kingdom title, but they never really came together. The tale that readers will see here is something relatively new. When I started conceptualizing it, I realized that finally, at long last, I was writing the story I’ve been meaning to write for so long.

Byron: Introduce readers to the Kier family and their roles in this book, especially sisters Sommer and Winter.

Cullen Bunn: The Kier family is taking a bit of a working vacation. Andrew Kier is a writer of a popular fantasy series, and he needs to clear his mind in order to complete his next book. He’s not going to get the peace and quiet he desires. His daughters, Sommer and Winter, are precocious adventurers, and they’re excited by the legends that surround their home away from home… until those legends seem to come to life with murderous intent… until the two girls find a huge sword with which they are going to need to fight for their lives.

Byron: Do any of the statues discovered in the forest clearing by Sommer and Winter have connections to actual ancient Scandinavian lore? And particularly the missing sword of the one-handed warrior queen statue?

Cullen Bunn: Inspired by, yes. Firm connections? No. That’s not my style. I have my own sort of fairy world/fey realm mythology that I’ve dabbled in for years. It was in Harrow County. It was glimpsed in The Sixth Gun. It is in my novella series Goblinville. The inspirations are there, for sure, but I have always been one to take those inspirations and run with them, creating my own mythology. It's always more fun for me. The one-handed warrior queen? Oh, she has a story, though. One that Sommer and Winter are (literally) picking up and carrying forward.

Byron: No spoilers being requested, natch… BUT since we know “something sinister” has been spying on the girls from which dread chaos ensues, can you hint to readers if that something sinister may have a connection to either the statues, particularly the missing sword of the warrior queen OR perhaps to the latest dark-fantasy novel being written by Andrew Kier (which seems a MacGuffin but may actually be much more)?

Cullen Bunn: The sinister forces the Kier family encounter are definitely connected to the statues and the sword. To the novels Andrew Kier is writing? Maybe. At least in the minds of Sommer and Winter. Let me be honest. I love the Wraithbound Queen, the protagonist of Kier’s novels. I would love to explore her story, and I’ll find a way to do so.

Byron: Talk about your collaboration on The Autumn Kingdom with artist Christopher Mitten.

Cullen Bunn: Well, as with the title of this book, Chris Mitten is someone I’ve wanted to work with since before I was writing comics as a job. I’ve always been a huge fan of his work… and of Chris as a person… and I couldn’t be more excited to finally—FINALLY—be working with him to create something really cool. His style is just perfect for this book, whether he’s drawing epic fantasy settings and adventures, quiet family moments, or insane horror-fueled action.

Byron: Cullen, what other projects in which you are involved can you tell readers about at this point?

Cullen Bunn: Right now, I’m developing a few other creator-owned projects. The return to the world of The Sixth Gun is imminent. I have a couple of projects for other publishers that will be announced soon. I’m scripting a few work-for-hire projects, too, so stay tuned!

Dynamic Forces would like to thank Cullen Bunn for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. The Autumn Kingdom #1 from Oni Press is slated to be on sale September 4!

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