Our final issue arrived over the holidays. What did reviewers think?

• Graphic Policy: 8/10 “…a fine ending to the series. But, it leaves us wanting more. Gutsen Glory and Eegro deserve arcs of their own exploring their history and backgrounds. Hopefully we get more with Zub at the hub. The series has balanced mystery, action, humor, and a great team dynamic and deserves more to expand all of that and entertain readers more.”

• League of Comic Geeks: 10/10 “Honestly a great conclusion. I’m hoping for another mini or at least a Hawkeye mini to follow this.”

• Primary Ignition: “The way Zub balances the comedic and the dramatic is the key to the formula that makes his incarnation of Thunderbolts work. Here’s hoping we do, indeed, see more.”

• Super Powered Fancast: 8.6/10 “I like the conflict and how it is personal for the characters, especially Clint. The action is great and I love that the story still keeps its comedic edge throughout.”

• Weird Science Marvel Comics: “The pacing is smooth and brisk, the dialog is excellent, and the feel-good ending leaves the Thunderbolts on a hopeful note for the future.”‘

Part 2 of our Murderworld story arrived this week in comic shops to wrap up 2022.
What did reviewers think of it?

• Biff Bam Pop!: “Zub and Fawkes have an uncanny ability to make you quickly care about the new characters they’re introducing, a skill not every writer can lay claim to.”

• But Why Tho: “Whilst the barbarism remains and the creators seem to delight in murder, there are other elements being introduced that twist the horror of the book. As the group has been thinned, the games have started to come into effects that are more terrifying than the straight slaughter. It’s constantly energetic, and with the rest of the Marvel Universe starting to get involved, the potential for disaster has escalated. “

• Caped Joel: 8/10 “This is definitely unlike anything else I’ve read this year. Just a fun story with a good premise, interesting characters, and high stakes.”

• Comic Book Club: “I had a very fun time reading this and it works really well…A lot of great twists in here too.”

• Comic Book Resources: “Karami’s style really shines in his characters’ expressions, which are incredibly animated and emotive. He uses hatching and texture to tease out subtle nuance and make bold statements. His character design is very dynamic and well-considered, which comes to fruition in the brilliant final full-page spread.”

• Comic Book University: “Holy crap, this is really good…I don’t think I’ve ever seen this in the Big Two before, where heroes are cast aside, where the main villains aren’t the main thing…I’m reading this comic book and I’m entranced.”

• Comic Watch: 9.2/10 “…another fun and funny romp that highlights how gloriously insane Arcade is when he gets to actually do what he always wants to do: kill people in complicated and entertaining ways. Zub and Fawkes are doing an outstanding job telling this story, and the art teams haven’t missed yet.”

• Monkeys Fighting Robots: 8/10 “…a fun and entertaining issue. Jim Zub and Ray Fawkes continue to make this series an enjoyable one. No one knows what will happen next, and that’s the most exciting thing about this book.”

• One More Comic (Spanish): 10/10 “One of the most daring, intelligent and visually creative series that can be read right now…a chilling and amazing chapter.”

• Spider Cents: “Murderworld is a new series that came out of nowhere. It’s easily one of my surprise hits of 2022 and God I’d give anything for an MCU adaption using the actual actors as the LMDs.”

• Spider-Man Crawlspace: “…the art team does an excellent job in portraying a large portion of the different wall-crawlers from all sorts of universes.”

• Theron Reads Comics: “The big success of Murderworld: Spider-Man is in how it delivers another fantastic spectacle for Arcade fans. The homicidal redhead is only on panel a few times in this issue, but he has no shortage of quippy, pointed, and mocking dialogue on voiceover to the contestants.”

• Too Dangerous For a Girl: “…artist Farid Karami produces interesting compositions throughout, always in the service of the story. And the final image is a superb quiet cliffhanger, a tsunami of side-eye. I don’t know Karami at all, but I hope we see lots more from him.”

• We Have Issues: “That’s the coolest thing about this book. Arcade’s the main character and everyone else could die at any moment.”

What did reviewers think of the opening salvo of our Murderworld story? Read on and find out…

• AIPT: 8/10 “If you were ever interested in Arcade’s awful game and how it functions, give Murderworld: Avengers a shot. You’ll respect the story and its done-in-one arc, even if it’s dark and tragic.”

• AR Comics:“This first issue had no business being this good…This was so much better than I thought this was going to be…An action-packed awesome first issue.”

• Blerd Without Fear:“I like the fact that Jim Zub was able to come with a way to take the Squid Game formula and upgrade it in a very Marvel way. I think it’s really cool.”

• But Why Tho: 9/10 “Murderworld: Avengers is a surprising, unrelenting killing spree. It is jaw-dropping in its bravery, unleashing death on a devastating scale on ordinary people. The slow pace sucks you in before displaying the carnage in front of you.”

• Caped Joel: 9/10 “I love how topical it is, bringing in some of the best elements of Fortnite, Squid Game, and everything else in the big Battle Royale trend that we seem to be riding right now. I love its critiquing of internet and YouTube culture, and I appreciate it even more because, well, I am a YouTuber and content creator so this stuff was always going to strike a chord with me.”

• Chillmonger: “I recommend getting this comic just so you can go on the ride!”

• Comic Book.com: 8/10 “Murderworld: Avengers #1 winds up being one of the most pleasant surprises of the week in comics, and I look forward to seeing where this particular tale goes from here.”

• Comic Book Club: “The reason why they make it work is – Arcade is a fun character, Murderworld is fun, the twist they find by the end there is fun and, as usual, it’s well executed.”

• Comic Book Corner: “This is a great, great book. Anything that has Murderworld attached to it for the next few months, you’re going to want to check it out…Go to your shop. Pick it up. It’s absolutely phenomenal.”

• Comic Book Resources: “…the storytelling pivots in a surprising direction just when the reader presumes the outcome is a foregone conclusion. In fact, Murderworld: Avengers pulls out all the shocks and stops and lives up to its nefarious name, as it delivers more jaw-dropping moments than Squid Game.”

• Comic Book University: “This was a really good story. Can’t wait to see what happens next. The art was fantastic. I really loved this first issue.”

• Comic-Watch: 8.5/10 “The enjoyment here is found in watching contestants drop like flies in wonderfully violent ways and getting caught up in how Paul is managing to survive the contest. It’s also fun watching Arcade in full bloom, able to shine as the crazy killer he’s always billed as but rarely gets to be.”

• Cranky Comic Review: “I’m a sucker for Murder-Deathtrap books…I dug the ending. The ending was good enough to put it high on the list.”

• Geek’d-Out: “I’ve been a fan of Jim Zub’s Marvel work for a while and his script with co-writer Ray Fawkes is snappy fun, while artist Jethro Morales matches the tone perfectly, especially with Matt Milla’s candy-coated colors befitting that of a carnival-like theme park. If you’re someone who prefers small, self-contained storylines, then you can’t go wrong with this one.”

• Infinity Flux Comics: “This book is Teen+, but I would still be a little cautious because this is deceivingly adult with the amount of violence and shocking moments…It goes from one surprise to another surprise that’s just crazy.”

• League of Comic Geeks: “This book is essentially just Murderworld used to its full potential, none of that plot armor from being a superhero, just purely Murderworld as it should be, and that’s the draw, that’s exactly why it’s so good.”

• Monkeys Fighting Robots: 9/10 “Murderworld Avengers #1 offers readers a good script from Zub and Fawkes with a story that makes us believe no one is safe. The art elegantly brings to life the beautiful chaos that is Murderworld. There may not be a more exciting book on the shelves this week.”

• Next issue: “This is a really, really fun comic…It has some fun twists and turns and once you think you’re safe, then it comes at you even harder!”

• Pop Culture Philosophers: “I loved this book. I thought it was great…It takes unexpected turns and twists and then it has an ending and I’m like ‘whaa~aat?!’ I really liked this book.”

• Pros and Cons: “This was a pleasant surprise…It moves at a really fast clip. Call me dark and it is a bit horror-tinged for the superhero world, but I thought it was a blast! I strongly recommend this.”

• Theron Reads Comics: “Zub and Fawkes at last give Arcade the chance to do what every fan of the character always wants: kill, kill, and kill some more. Paired with Morales’s art and Milla’s expressive colors, this is a win.”

• We Have Issues: “Very cool story. Very cool concept. I really enjoyed it.”

MURDERWORLD: MOON KNIGHT #1
Story- Jim Zub & Ray Fawkes
Art- Luca Pizzari
Cover- Paco Medina
• Under the harsh light of the moon there is no escape, and with only a handful of contestants left, anything can happen!
• Murderworld is a life-or-death game of treachery and tragedy brought to you by Jim Zub (Conan the Barbarian, Avengers: No Surrender), Ray Fawkes (One Soul, Constantine) and, illustrated by Luca Pizzari!
• Arcade and his schemes have been a punchline in the past, but this contest is no joke. Each issue ups the ante, and this penultimate chapter has some of the biggest twists yet. Don’t miss it!
32 PGS./ONE-SHOT/Rated T+ …$3.99

RICK AND MORTY VS CTHULHU #3 (of 4)
Story- Jim Zub
Art- Troy Little, Leonardo Ito
Cover- Troy Little
Pnakotus, the glittering, triumphant city of the Yith, is populated by the greatest minds of all time, including some rude new guy who won’t get with the program. Who wouldn’t want to spend eternity in this idyllic, definitely-not-hiding-anything intellectual utopia?
In Shops: Feb 15, 2023
SRP: 3.99

THUNDERBOLTS: BACK ON TARGET – TPB
Story- Jim Zub
Art- Sean Izaakse, Netho Diaz
Cover- David Nakayama
Redeeming justice, like lightning!

Super-powered crooks take hostages in Staten Island? A dimensional rift tears open in Chinatown? Monsters running amok at the Met? Call in the Thunder! New York City’s finest are here to save the day: Hawkeye, Spectrum, America Chavez, Power Man, Persuasion and the all-new cyber-soldier called Gutsen Glory! You know ’em, you love ’em: They’re the Thunderbolts!

In the aftermath of DEVIL’S REIGN, the Big Apple has big problems, and it’s up to a new group of Thunderbolts to turn things around. But when Clint Barton is tasked with heading up this squad, the first opponent he’s going to have to face…is himself.

Collecting THUNDERBOLTS (2022) #1-5.
120 PGS./Rated T+ …$17.99
ISBN: 978-1-302-94711-8
Trim size: 6-5/8 x 10-3/16

UNBREAKABLE RED SONJA #5 (of 5)
Story- Jim Zub
Art- Giovanni Valletta
Cover- Lucio Parrillo
Past, present and potent futures collide and a sacrifice will be paid in blood! Is Red Sonja truly unbreakable or is this her final stand?

As we head toward 2023, the 50th anniversary of the She-Devil With a Sword, Dynamite’s newest sweeping story of sword & sorcery high adventure comes to a climactic conclusion from writer Jim Zub (Conan the Barbarian, Dungeons & Dragons, Avengers) and artist Giovanni Valletta (John Wick, James Bond)!
In Shops: Feb 22, 2023
SRP: 3.99

June 20, 2004: I teased on Livejournal that Ray Fawkes and I had a cool story idea we were cooking up-

18 years later: MURDERWORLD: AVENGERS launches TODAY at your favorite comic shop!

Some ideas take a bit longer than others to come to fruition.😜

If you didn’t pick up the new Thunderbolts mini-series in single issues, the collected trade, called Thunderbolts: Back On Target, arrives in March.

Here are some links for online pre-orders:

Thunderbolts (2022) Back On Target (Issues #1-5) Redeeming justice, like lightning! In the aftermath of Devil’s Reign, the Big Apple has big problems, and it’s up to a new group of Thunderbolts to turn things around. But when Clint Barton is tasked with heading up this squad, the first opponent he’s going to have to face…is himself.

PRE-ORDER Amazon.com Barnes & Noble Book Depository Bookshop Chapters-Indigo Indiebound