I was interviewed on Inside the Magic, a Disney fan podcast all about Disney Theme Park news. We chat at length about my love of animation, the Disney mythology, and writing the Figment comic series. Give it a listen!

Arriving in October. Pre-order now!

FIGMENT 2 #2 (of 5)
JIM ZUB (w) • RAMON BACHS (a)
Cover by JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
Action Figure Variant Cover by JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER

FIGMENT AND DREAMFINDER’S LEGACY CATCHES UP TO THEM!

• As Figment and Dreamfinder adapt to their new time period, a shadowy threat emerges… and you’ll never guess its origin!
• Steampunk adventure and modern technology clash with unexpected results!
• Don’t miss the next installment of the sequel to the fan-favorite, sell-out miniseries!

32 PGS./All Ages $3.99
Elements based on Figment © Disney

The announcement of the new Figment mini-series created a nice ripple in the comic and Disney press this week. Here are links to a few of the articles and interviews:

I’m thrilled to announce that I’m writing a new Disney mini-series starting in September!

FIGMENT 2: Legacy of Imagination picks up right where the previous hit mini-series left off as Dreamfinder and Figment embark on new and exciting adventures. The new series was unveiling officially on the Disney Parks Blog and you can read an exclusive interview with me all about it over on the site.

In addition, check out the fun action figure variant illustrated by cover artist John-Tyler Christopher:

Needless to say, I’m excited for readers to see what we have planned. 🙂

The collected Disney Kingdoms: Figment arrives in comic shops this Wednesday and will be in major bookstores and Amazon a week or two after that. It’s a beautiful hardcover collection with a special introduction by Disney Imagineer Tony Baxter.

It was an absolute thrill creating the adventurous back story for Dreamfinder and Figment and creating new Disney characters and worlds. If you haven’t explored our whimsical all ages adventure, now’s your chance!

Disney Kingdoms: Figment (issues #1-5) The next great Disney adventure is here — starring one of Disney’s most popular characters! Dive into a steampunk fantasy story revealing the origin of the inventor known as Dreamfinder, and learn how one little spark of inspiration created a purple dragon called Figment!

Amazon Barnes & Noble Chapters-Indigo Cheap GNs comiXology Midtown Comics TFAW

The gang from the Enchanted Tiki Talk Podcast met me in person at NYCC and we did a follow-up interview all about the Figment comic mini-series.

Give it a listen here. The interview section starts at 10:09.

Today sees the release of FIGMENT #5, the final issue of our mini-series. From last December when Bill Rosemann first approached me about writing the story through to now, it’s hard to believe how quickly it all went.

I’m really proud of the work our team put together and I’m so happy that fans of Journey Into Imagination have enjoyed it so much.

Here’s the little note I wrote in the back of the issue for our readers:

—

I know it’s a groan-worthy cliché, but I can’t help it – Working on Figment has been a dream come true!

-Jim Zub

Teacher Paul Hart dropped me a line to let me know how much his kindergarten class loves the Figment comic series, along with photos of class artwork and some questions his kids asked me to answer. Needless to say, I was delighted!

“Our kindergarten class loves the Figment comic and Figment is our favorite character!”

Question: Sarhenitie wants to know how did you and Mr. Andrade get the book to be so colorful?

Answer: The comic is made by several different people. I write the story, Filipe draws the pictures, and our colorist Jean-Francois Beaulieu adds the beautiful colors like how you would in a coloring book, only he uses a computer.

Filipe and Jean-Francois are a really good team and they’ve been working together for quite a while, so he chooses colors that work very well with Filipe’s imaginative line art. In my story I sometimes recommend color choices, but the final colors are decided by Filipe and Jean-Francois.

Question: How were you able to match the words to the pictures? Did you and the illustrator talk about it before writing?

Answer: The book publisher, Marvel Comics, asked me to come up with the story of Dreamfinder and Figment, so I had to explain my ideas to them for approval before I started the actual writing.

Writing a comic is a bit different than writing a storybook. For the comic I write something called a “script” that has descriptions of the pictures the artist will draw, dialogue the characters will say in the word balloons, and the sound effects on the page too. Filipe reads the script and imagines what that would look like in his mind, then illustrates that on the page. At each stage we send ideas and notes back and forth to make sure the whole team knows how it will look when it’s finished. It takes a lot of time and teamwork to make Figment, but we’re very proud of the final result.

Question: Zariyah wants to know if Figment needs anything special to fly super high and fast?

Answer: Even though Figment’s wings are small, he’s also very light so it’s easy for him to fly really high and very quick. That’s just part of his nature as an inspiration dragon.

Question: Room 101 wants to know if only Illocrant and Blair can use the thinking cap, or can Figment, Chimera and Fye use it too?

Answer: Good question! I think anyone could use the Mesmonic Convertor Helmet, though it might be tough to fit it on their head if they’re extra-big or extra-small. The helmet creates things they deeply wish for, but not always how they expect.

Question: Marvin wants to know what made you think or inspired you when writing Figment?

Answer: When I was 12 years old I went to Walt Disney World and it was a really exciting trip. There’s an attraction there called Journey Into Imagination that’s all about Figment and how each one of us has wonderful ideas deep inside. I’ve always remembered that, so when I was asked to make a new Figment story I used that idea, that we can all make new things if we dream big enough, as my inspiration.

Question: Tyroneccia loves Figment and her question is how do I make a comic book like Jim Zub?

Answer: I’m so happy to hear you want to make comics! If you like to draw then you can make your own stories and pictures at the same time. If not, then you should team up with one of your friends to make it together. Come up with a fun idea, draw each picture panel, and then add dialogue coming from the characters with word balloons. Comics are all about art and words working together so it’s a great way to tell all kinds of fun stories.

“Our weekly literacy bulletin board.”

“Made by Kamren during free writing! He is flying!”

“Sarhenitie made a picture of her camping with Figment during free writing! They love Figment!”

“This is from Tremayne. It’s Blair and Figment getting away from a sprite! He used word bubbles!”

“Armani made Figment’s grandpa, ‘Faffi’! The little green friend is ‘Disney’!”