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Empty Man That’s Full Of Fury

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by Vince Brusio

Tragedies happen every day, but few tragedies are on a par with a disease that renders people a mere shadow of their former selves…and turns them into murderers. One might think aloud, “What could be worse than Alzheimer’s?” The answer is a disease that not only takes away who you were, but any sense of common decency. A disease made worse by some people who think it’s somehow…hip. Craziness? Yes. It’s something from Cullen Bunn’s head, and you’ll read about it in The Empty Man #1 (SEP181295), which we talk about in this PREVIEWSworld Exclusive interview.

The Empty Man #1 (SEP181295) is in comic shops November 7.

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Vince Brusio: The solicitation for this book says that you are returning to the world of Empty Man. That “world” is where a plague has decimated the world with rage, murder, and suicides. So where do we “come in” as this series begins? What are the facts on the ground? How much time has elapsed since the plague’s outbreak?

Cullen Bunn: When this series starts, a few months have passed since the original series. The Empty Man virus has continued to spread. Perhaps worse, though, is the government’s response to the disease. Quarantines have been instituted. Tests are administered in public schools to help identify early onset of the disease. Families are being torn apart (figuratively and literally). It is a very frightening time. And still the disease has this almost cult-like following. In the first series we saw this primarily through cult-like groups. Now, though, we’re seeing the Empty Man infiltrating pop culture, too. 

Vince Brusio: Melissa Kerry is the central character for this story. Who was she? Who is she now? Will we see into her collapsed psyche? Why did you pick her as your guinea pig for the beginning of this ongoing series?

Cullen Bunn: Melissa was a typical suburbanite before she became infected by the Empty Man. Now, her world is crumbling around her. She is losing touch with reality. She is losing touch with her family. She is struggling to remain who she is. Her husband and teenage daughter are struggling to ground her and bring her back to them. We will certainly be looking into her mental state and see the torment she is going through. 

In the original series, I did not focus on the impact the virus might have on a family. I wanted to do that first and foremost here. We still have the criminal procedural element. We still have the cults. We still have the surreal moments of terror and the notion of insanity made flesh. But the personal side of this supernatural event is here, too. 

Vince Brusio: Who are the other actors in this theater of pain? Are they archetypal personalities that we’ll recognize, or has fear bent these people into something unrecognizable?

Cullen Bunn: We will be meeting Melissa’s family as they struggle to come to terms with her illness. We will meet an all-new, all-insidious cult leader who wants to send a big message to the world. But we’ll have some familiar faces, too. Agents Monica Jensen and Owen Marsh play big roles in this story. Jensen lost her partner to the Empty Man, in a way, and she has started experiencing symptoms herself. Her goals have changed slightly, but she’s still out there fighting the good fight. 

Vince Brusio: Is this story in any way personal to you? Does it mirror anything you’ve gone through in life?

Cullen Bunn: My father suffered from dementia in his final years, and it was awful for him and for my entire family. To see him losing himself... to see how it frightened him during his lucid moments... and to know there was nothing I could do to help him... it haunts me on a daily basis. To some degree, I wanted to explore that and deal with the heartbreak I still experience when I think of those days.

Vince Brusio: What are you taking from the outside world to fuel your imagination for this story? Or are you writing it more in a vacuum? Losing sleep over it? Looping a certain playlist? What’s keeping Cullen Bunn’s brain alive and kicking as he attempts to show the cranial craziness of others which jeopardizes civilization?

Cullen Bunn: A lot of what’s going on in the world inspires this book, maybe not on a conscious level, but I notice little things here and there after I’ve written pages. I don’t know if anyone else will notice. Probably not. And that’s AOK with me. Obviously, a lot of my own guilt, sadness, and fear manifests on the pages. That will be a little more visible, I think. 

I lose sleep over every book I write. This one, though, benefits from nightmares I have on the fringes of waking. 

As for playlists, I’ve been listening to a lot of “Azathoth” by Cryo Chamber. Weird, horrific ambience music. It’s perfect for this story. 

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THE EMPTY MAN #2 (OCT181249)

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Vince Brusio writes about comics, and writes comics. He is the long-serving Editor of PREVIEWSworld.com, the creator of PUSSYCATS, and encourages everyone to keep the faith...and keep reading comics.

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