We’ve got some exclusive news to share with you today. Cullen Bunn (Sinestro, Magneto) has been given the reigns to an all new Vertigo series that will reimagine werewolf lore as we know it. Entitled “Wolf Moon” the series sees a man’s family slaughtered by the wolf. Sounds typical, but I assure you it’s anything but.

WOLF MOON is a horrific werewolf hunt unlike any other. When Dillon Chase’s family is slaughtered by the wolf, his life changes forever.  Dillon sets out to destroy the creature, but he soon learns that lycanthropy is far more insidious than the legends ever said. With each full moon, he draws closer to the monster—and with each full moon, he becomes more aware that in order to stop the wolf, he must kill a human being and become a fearful monster himself.

Written by Cullen Bunn with art by Jeremy Haun and covers by Jae Lee, WOLF MOON is a miniseries you’re not going to want to miss.

Cullen puts his on terrible spin on everything we know and love about the beasts. And Bloody-Disgusting sat down to exclusively talk about the nature of this new type of werewolf.

Bloody Disgusting: You’ve certainly created your own take on the werewolf mythology with the host moving between people with each night, what motivated you to make such sweeping changes to something considered so sacred in horror?

Cullen Bunn: I love a good werewolf story, but I knew that if I was going to write one of my own, it needed to be a little different.

When it comes to werewolves, one of the things that is most interesting to me is that when the moon is not full, the afflicted person has to live with the repercussions of the horror they have inflicted upon those around them. Imagine that. You wake up one morning, having been plagued by vivid nightmares of running wild, of butchering people, only to realize that the nightmares were true. That kind of realization would rattle you to the core. The memory of the event would, itself, be transformative.

So, I wanted to explore that, but I didn’t want to see it from the point of view of a single person. That led me to the idea that the Wolf might “jump” from host to host with each cycle of the moon. That opened the door to see how different people might be affected in different ways.

That idea also led me to the idea of tying some very cool folklore elements into the story. Those elements will become key as the series progresses.

Bloody Disgusting: Tell me a little bit about your main character Dillon Chase what motivates him other than revenge, and what is his fatal flaw?

Cullen Bunn: Dillon has a strong connection to the Wolf. The creature cost him everything he held dear. As much as he says he’s trying to put the creature down so it doesn’t hurt anyone else, he’s really on the hunt for revenge. His thirst for revenge, though, is tempered by all the people he has met whose lives were changed by the creature, both those who were afflicted and those who were victims in one way or another. To kill the Wolf, he has to kill the host, and he might not be willing to do so.

Bloody Disgusting: The idea of becoming a monster to defeat a monster is a common theme in horror, what makes “Wolf Moon” different?

Cullen Bunn: Dillon doesn’t want to become a monster. He has seen his world come crashing down around him, and he feels as if he might be able to regain his life and some semblance of humanity if he can rid the world of this creature. But he struggles with the drastic steps he might need to take to accomplish his goals. That is not to say there are not “monsters” in the book other than the werewolf. There are. You see one of them at the end of the first issue, but that is a mystery that will be built up over the course of the series.

Early inks for Jae Lee’s Wolf Moon #1 cover.

Bloody Disgusting: How did you and Jeremy Haun work to create the look of the lycanthrope for the comic? How involved was your collaboration, and what unique touches does Jeremy bring to the world you created?

Cullen Bunn: While writing the script, I sent Jeremy a ton of images of wolves. We both wanted the creature to be “realistic” in terms of its animalistic features. We also wanted the creature to be a nightmarish physical powerhouse, so it’s a huge, incredibly violent monster. I feel like Jeremy really brought out the inhuman and supernatural qualities of the creature, especially in its eyes.

Bloody Disgusting: You’ve become the go-to guy for darker characters and stories lately, what are your sources of inspiration? What intrigues you about anti-hero’s? And would you even use that term to describe them?

Cullen Bunn: I’ve used the term “anti-hero” plenty, although I’m not sure it’s exactly right. In the case of this story, Dillon is a deeply flawed, deeply troubled hero who has a very difficult task ahead of him.

I’ve always felt like these darker stories are the truest representation of me as a writer. I think these are the stories that can surprise you. These are the tales that might provoke the most visceral emotional reaction.

Bloody Disgusting: What is your favorite type of horror, and what type of horror are you trying to tap into with “Wolf Moon?”

Cullen Bunn: I’m a fan of all types of horror. I have been since I was very young and would sneak downstairs to watch Hammer movies on the late show.

If you want to talk werewolves in particular, some of my favorite movies include American Werewolf in London, The Howling, and Dog Soldiers. Favorite books include Animals by Skipp and Spektor and Winter Kill by Mike Oliveri. And, of course, I loved the Werewolf By Night comic when I was a kid.

My favorite stories, whether we’re talking a psychological horror story, a ghost story, or a slasher gorefest, are those that let me connect to the would-be victims on an emotional level. I want to care about the characters so that it hurts more when they meet their terrible fate. That’s what I want to tap into with this piece.

That said, this is a violent story, and I definitely channeled some of the more gruesome aspects of my favorite horror tales. This is not for the weak of heart.

Bloody Disgusting:  What is Dillon Chase most afraid of now that he’s lost his family?

Cullen Bunn: He’s afraid of failure, maybe. This monster is especially hard to track and kill, and with each passing month more people suffer. The closer he gets to making a killing blow, the more the pressure nearly crushes him.

As he learns that he is not the only person hunting the wolf, though, he realizes there is something more that he needs to be scared of.

Bloody Disgusting: Finally, what terrifies you most about “Wolf Moon?” 

Cullen Bunn: The Wolf basically moves from one person to the next, seemingly without connection. That’s pretty scary to me. This isn’t a matter of getting cursed by gypsies. This isn’t a situation where you get bit and infected. One minute, you’re going about your life, the next minute, you’re slaughtering everyone around you.

Wolf Moon #1 Hits This December From Vertigo Comics