The Sixth Gun writer Cullen Bunn has returned to the dungeons for a new arc of Deepest Catacombs, his serialized fantasy-horror comic strip inspired by vintage Dungeons & Dragons advertisements that appeared in comics. The new strips debuted in his Nightmare Fuel newsletter this week.
“When I finished releasing the initial run of Deepest Catacombs, I knew I would return,” said Bunn, “I just loved the characters and the world. I loved how it made me feel like a kid again. And I loved working with so many talented artists! This was, of course, a labor of love, so it has taken me a bit of time to get the ball rolling again, but the story is going to be a ton of fun!”
The original run debuted in 2020 across 25 single-page installments, each illustrated by a different artist, and was released for free in the early days of Covid. The new arc picks up directly where that series ended, reuniting the party of adventurers — Randall, Annalynn, Kezira, Chops and Fingerbones — as they venture into a frozen, haunted castle filled with wyverns, ghosts, dragons and vampires.
“At the end of the last series, we saw a strange reptilian wyvern and undead rider in the sky,” Bunn said. “Our heroes will be adventuring into a dark, icy fortress. The setting is absolutely inspired by my love of old D&D modules like Ravenloft and Castle Amber.”
The new arc will span at least 22 installments and features artists like Danny Luckert, AC Zamudio, Nick Zamudio, Andres Cruz and Rich Woodall, among others. Cruz drew this week’s installment. Supporters of Bunn’s Patreon will receive early access to each installment along with scripts, behind-the-scenes material and additional RPG content. Pages will subsequently be made available free to Nightmare Fuel subscribers.
You can still read the original series on Bunn’s website.