DF Interview: Cullen Bunn brings real horror, real dread dripping from the pages of ‘The Hexiles’

By Byron Brewer

Jamison Kreel is dead. Six of his children from six mothers are attending the funeral of a father they never met. Each of the children possesses a different infernal power. These powers, though, come at a terrible price… a price Jamison Kreel has placed upon the heads of his offspring. And the demonic debtors have come to collect.

From master horror writer Cullen Bunn (Harrow County, The Sixth Gun, Night Walkers) and artist Joe Bocardo (Night Walkers) comes The Hexiles, a new tale of hellish familial horror. I see Cullen’s name with “horror” attached, I am down! Here is what my friend, the scribe, told me about this new miniseries.

Byron Brewer: Cullen, I have said it before but I never cease to marvel at how all your haunts and horrors are infinitely different from one another in many ways but sojourns into the sinister they all are. What was the muse that brought forth The Hexiles from your writer’s mind?

Cullen Bunn: Thank you! It means a lot! The Hexiles comes from many different places. My love of infernal horror. The alluring idea of lost souls. The idea of dysfunctional family dynamics. The notion of never knowing the truth about your parents, of learning your parents aren’t perfect. It is all of those concepts, taken to the ultimate level. And there’s more than a little bit of my love for misfit “superhero” stories, like Uncanny X-Men.

Byron: You’ve said The Hexiles “is a dark story. Real horror… drips off these pages. But it is also a story of hope...” Can you elucidate for the readers?

Cullen Bunn: On the surface, The Hexiles may seem like an occult hero book, but that’s not really what it is. It is one of the darker books I’ve written. The trials and tribulations our main characters go through are fiendish in every sense of the word. They will not get through this story without a few scars—literal and figurative. At the same time, this is a story about these kids standing up for themselves, even against impossibly powerful forces, and claiming their combined destinies as their own.

Byron: Before we get to the kids, what can you tell us about the patriarch of this dysfunctional family, Jamison Kreel? I know he is dead in the tale, but actions before that passing seem to guide the narrative. Without giving away story, without spoilers, who was Jamison Kreel?

Cullen Bunn: Jamison Kreel was the best there was… at being the worst. He was an occultist who made a number of dangerous pacts with dangerous beings… and now his children will pay the price. We’ll actually get to see quite a bit of Kreel in the book. He may be dead, but his legend lives on.

Byron: OK, six fiend: Can you spotlight Jamison’s six offspring attending his funeral – all from six different mothers, all until recently unknowing of their paternity? If it is doable, can you also indicate the infernal power of each?

Cullen Bunn: I want to leave some surprises about the powers of our main characters, but I’ll tell you what. I’ll give you the names of the characters and the name of the infernal power they possess.

Madison possesses the Healing Blood of Deztiox.

Argyle possesses the Form of Vaelgroth the Brute.

Luna possesses the Damnation Roots.

Britton possesses the Servitor of Xerxriuz.

Dominic possesses the Gift of One Thousand Masks.

Romy possesses the Fathomless Despair.

Jerold possesses the Flames of Inferno.

Byron: Possibly a “C’mon, read the book!” question, but are the IDs of the six mothers at all important to the tale being told?

Cullen Bunn: Our focus in this first storyline will be the kids, but—yes—the mothers are important. It’s less “c’mon, read the book” and more “wait and see”.

Byron: OK, fair enough!… Any hints at all about the demonic debtors coming to collect… something … from the Kreel kids? ANY hints?

Cullen Bunn: They’re terrible, I can tell you that. We’ll be seeing devilish creatures who simply don’t think in human terms, which makes them very dangerous. And, if the demons weren’t bad enough, their high priestess is a real piece of work.

Byron: Talk about Joe Bocardo and his gorgeously sinister art!

Cullen Bunn: I love working with Joe. We did a book called Night Walkers together, and he was simply a delight. An amazing collaborator. So talented, especially when it comes the horrific. Joe is one of those artists I really hope to work with again and again.

Byron: Cullen, which of your other projects can you tell readers about?

Cullen Bunn: Currently, I’ve got Gatchaman coming out from Mad Cave, The Autumn Kingdom from Oni Press, The Nine Lives of Salem from Archie, and The Faraway from Outland Entertainment. I’m also working on the new Sixth Gunn series. Right now, I’m cooking up several new projects, both licensed and creator-owned. Stay tuned, because I’m really hoping to announce some soon!

Dynamic Forces would like to thank Cullen Bunn for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. The Hexiles #1 from Mad Cave Studios is slated to be on sale October 30!

For my DF interview with Cullen Bunn on The Autumn Kingdom, click here: https://www.dynamicforces.com/htmlfiles/interviews.html?showinterview=IN08052462120

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