Shaenon Garrity has a new article up on the Comics Journal reminiscing about Modern Tales, the webcomic collective I was a part of back in the early 2000’s. Her memories of working with Joey Manley and the reason why we all joined together are pretty spot-on. It was nice strolling a bit down memory lane. Give it a read.
Stone Skin Press’ prose anthology The Lion and the Aardvark- Aesop’s Modern Fables has been released.
I illustrated the cover and have a short story inside called ‘The Backwards-Bent Badger and the Forward-Facing Frog‘. It was a fun collection to be a part of and I’m proud to be one of over 70 writers included in the book.
Thanks especially to Robin Laws, who invited me to be a part of it.
My dear friend and fellow writer Andrew Wheeler has just released two ebook novels back-to-back. Here’s why you should buy them.
Valentin & The Widow is a pulp-tinged adventure series set in the 1920’s filled to the brim with compelling characters and atmospheric action. The books are wonderfully written, engaging, and well worth your support.
As difficult and tumultuous as creator-owned comics can be, self-published fiction is an even more difficult uphill battle. The prose publishing business has acted as gatekeepers of quality/legitimacy for a long time but, with the advent of e-publishing and digital readers, that system is finally changing for the better. Writers can directly interact with readers by putting out their work digitally before risking expensive print publishing. An author can slowly build an audience based on the quality of their written work rather than on the whims of publishing fads, media tie-ins or shelf placement at a bookstore.
The big difference with prose versus comics is, of course, the lack of the visual component to grab your eye. It’s hard to quickly sample a novel and know if buying it will be worth the investment of time and money. Good word of mouth is absolutely crucial when it comes to e-published fiction like this.
Consider this a glowing recommendation.
Sample them first in audio format as a radio-style serial:
and then buy them online in your chosen ebook format right HERE. You won’t be disappointed.
Jason Anarchy included me in a little cameo in his “Welcome to the Tabletop” rap video. I pop up at the 49 second mark.
Kobolds Ate My Baby is a beer & pretzel-style RPG game where players take on the role of ridiculously inept kobolds on a quest to find food and fame. Over the past 15 years it’s earned a special place in fantasy gaming as a comedy cult classic.
The gang at 9th Level Games, along with artist John Kovalic (Munchkin, Apple To Apples), have launched a new Kickstarter project to release a full color deluxe 4th edition version of the rules and I couldn’t be happier. I was so happy, in fact, that I got in touch with them and offered to throw my hat in the ring. They’ve already passed their base funding goal but now, if they hit their $35k stretch goal, I’ll be contributing a special new game section on kobold magic words to add to the chaos.
If you love gaming and want to add a hilarious and easy to play game to your collection, I recommend you give it a look. Good times ahead.
After a hiatus focused on art book publishing and client projects, UDON is finally back to the comics that helped make them famous. In a couple weeks you’ll be able to pick up a copy of Super Street Fighter Volume 1, a 140+ page over-sized hardcover graphic novel packed with brand new stories and killer artwork.
I have two short stories in there as well- a 7 page Juri origin story with artwork by Omar Dogan and a 6 page Ibuki VS Guy brawl story with artwork by Sean ‘Cheeks’ Galloway.
Comics Alliance has an exclusive preview of the lead story by Ken Siu-Chong and Joe Ng you can check out by clicking the cover below:
Pathfinder #4 arrives in comic shops Wednesday January 16th. Comic Book Resources has an exclusive 5 page preview. Click on through and check it out!
I just wanted to give everyone a heads up on things happening here so there was no confusion when the DC April 2013 solicitations went public.
Obviously I’m disappointed, but I also know this isn’t any kind of personal judgement about me, it’s a business and creative decision that came late in the process. I’ve been working in and around the comic industry for the past ten years and know it can be a wild ride. This is still a step forward for my career, just not as big of one as I’d hoped.
I want to thank the DC editorial staff who worked with me over the past few months as we developed stories, characters and plot lines: Mike Marts, Rachel Gluckstern and Rickey Purdin. I want to give a special thank you to Bobbie Chase for asking me to pitch on Birds of Prey and championing my approach. I knew I was a bit of a dark horse going into the race and she gave me a chance to show what I could do.
Thank you also to the writers who helped make me feel a part of the DC creative family: Ray Fawkes, Scott Snyder, Justin Jordan, Gail Simone, James Tynion IV and Charles Soule.
Even though this didn’t work out the way I planned, I feel fortunate I was able to put my best foot forward. I’m hopeful about other writing opportunities to come in 2013 and am optimistic about comics as a whole.
Thank you for your support and encouragement. It means everything and keeps me plugging away looking to the next goal.
Jim
It’s time again for my year in review post. I’ve been doing this for the past three years, looking backwards and forwards, trying to gauge where things have been, where they are now and where I’d like them to be in the year ahead.
2012
Last year I said 2011 was one of the “busiest and most intense years I’ve ever had”. I thought 2012 would calm down but I was wrong. Without a doubt, 2012 was the busiest year I’ve ever experienced. Invigorating and exhausting at the same time, it was a year of big milestones.
Marriage. Two years married and Stacy and I are doing very well. Our schedules can get sideswiped with responsibilities and last minute deadlines, but we’re still able to come together and provide love and stability to each other. My marriage is so incredibly precious to me. I have a hard time expressing that without falling into cloy prose that’ll send you all into sugar-shock. In short – it rocks.
Career. Um, yeah. I put my nose to the grindstone and wrote more this year than every other year combined. 2012 was a tornado of productivity writing and lettering over 150 comic strips, writing 16 issues, 14 tutorials, and a graphic novel, attending 15 conventions, running a comic talent contest with 300+ submissions and helping create a booster pack of game cards for Munchkin. This was the year I really pushed to get my work out to a wider audience and it looks like it’s working.
Travel. In late 2011 I said that I tapped myself out on travel, but 2012 was my most intense travel year yet. England (London), USA (Albany, Anaheim, Boston, Indianapolis, London, Los Angeles, New York x2, Northampton, Oakland, San Diego, Seattle x2) and Canada (Calgary and Halifax x2). I don’t want to make any predictions for 2013 based on how bonkers this year was, but I’m planning on being home more often.
Looking Ahead to 2013:
With ongoing commitments to Skullkickers, Birds of Prey and Pathfinder along with Klonoa and Wonder Momo for ShiftyLook and Makeshift Miracle Volume 2 as well, it looks like 2013 will be just as busy as 2012 on the writing front. Add that to my coordinating and teaching responsibilities at Seneca along with UDON projects popping up from time to time and things are looking decidedly work-heavy.
In 2013 I need to make sure I don’t miss all the social stuff. Family and friends need to be a priority in the coming year. I did a great job focusing on getting projects done in 2012 but a balance needs to be struck. I can already see that making time for rest and fun times will be a challenge, but I have to make sure that happens or else I’m going to burn out.
Things I’ve learned/mantras on my mind for 2013:
Communication is invaluable. If you can impart your message with confidence and clarity you’re ahead of the game.
Self motivation is a renewable resource. A short break, a nice meal or a good night’s rest can make all the difference when you need to pick yourself up and take another crack at something.
Hard work is more valuable than luck. Don’t expect something to happen just because you ‘hope’ it will. You have to build it yourself. Any help you get from outside is a bonus, not an expectation.
It’s incredibly difficult for me to sum up the experiences and emotions this time out. Picking a few key moments from the year doesn’t seem to do it justice but I don’t want to ramble endlessly either.
Okay, how’s this:
2012 was the year I felt like I could actually call myself a ‘writer’.
In 2013 I’m working hard to get good at it. 🙂
THE LAUNCH OF SOMETHING “SAVAGE”
SAVAGE SKULLKICKERS #1 Is A First Issue
This March Image Comics invites readers to jump on board action and adventure, newly reinvigorated with a very special adjective—THE SAVAGE SKULLKICKERS!
“The response to Uncanny Skullkickers was so tremendous that we knew we couldn’t just let something that was working remain unchanged,” said Image PR and Marketing Director Jennifer de Guzman. “Relaunching Skullkickers was a total game-changer! For a whole month, it wasn’t just plain Skullkickers. It was Uncanny! And now it’s going to be Savage! Game. Changer.”
SAVAGE SKULLKICKERS continues the epic SKULLKICKERS storyline and is a perfect jumping on point for new readers. Even more perfect than last month.
“With over 180 issues released over the past 20 years, Erik Larsen’s Savage Dragon is one of the most compelling and consistent creator-owned comics ever made,” said creator Zub. “In order to commemorate Erik’s hard work and strident ‘no relaunching, no renumbering’ approach to his series, we thought we’d relaunch and renumber Skullkickers, stealing his precious ‘Savage’ adjective while we’re at it. Thanks, Erik!”
And if you’re a diehard collector of SKULLKICKERS sad that you won’t have a SKULLKICKERS #20 to add to your collection? Don’t worry, we’ve thought of everything. In addition to the regular “Savage” cover we’re offering a special “issue #20 variant” B cover to make sure your collector streak is unbroken.
It’s new. It’s classic. It’s a modern reinterpretation that gets back to the roots of these timeless characters. SAVAGE SKULLKICKERS #1 is available wherever kick ass comics are sold starting this March.
Zub on Amazon
Zub on BlueSky
Zub on deviantART
Zub on Facebook
Zub on GoodReads
Zub on Instagram
Zub on Patreon
Zub on Substack
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Zub on Twitter
Zub on YouTube
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