Zub Tales

Thunderbolts #10 Arrives in February!

Posted by Jim Zub on November 22, 2016 No comments

Arriving in February…

THUNDERBOLTS #10
JIM ZUB & KURT BUSIEK (W) • JON MALIN & MARK BAGLEY (A)
Cover by JON MALIN
Variant Cover by MARK BAGLEY

20TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE!

• Once upon a time the Thunderbolts were the Masters of Evil…and if Baron Zemo has his way, their legacy will be reclaimed…with the infinite power of a Cosmic Cube!
• Captain America’s sinister plan for Bucky and Kobik begins to unfold.
• “Return of the Masters,” the Thunderbolts 20th anniversary event, begins here! Along with our pulse-pounding lead story, this special over-sized issue includes a brand-new Thunderbolts tale by series co-creators Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley!
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

Glitterbomb #3 Reviews!

Posted by Jim Zub on November 15, 2016 No comments

Glitterbomb #3 arrived in stores last week. What did reviewers think of it? Read on and find out…

• Newsarama: 10/10 “The body horror might be the hook, but the most resonant idea is that the industry itself is a living nightmare for many.”

• Adventures In Poor Taste: 8.5/10 “Glitterbomb continues to be intriguing as it captures the horror of Hollywood and the ‘monster inside you’ story well.”

• Fangirl Nation: “I’m pretty well hooked, and I’ll be danged if I don’t want to know what exactly she carries around inside her.”

• Nerdy Chatterbox: 5/5 “It does a great job of depicting the seedy underbelly of Hollywood…”

• Retcon Punch: “Glitterbomb isn’t holding my hand and allows me questions while telling a surprisingly snug, paced narrative.”

• Reading With a Flight Ring: “There’s an undeniable presence about this book that draws you in and leaves you with a desire to want more.”

FREELANCE Interview on Newsarama

Posted by Jim Zub on November 14, 2016 No comments

Read on to discover what Andrew Wheeler, Vaneda Vireak, and I have planned for the new version of FREELANCE, one of Canada’s oldest original comic book heroes. The first issue arrives in January. Pre-order now!

Making Comics Progression: Script to Final

Posted by Jim Zub on November 5, 2016 1 comment

Want to see how a comic is made? Here’s a step-by-step progression of the process using a two-page spread from WAYWARD #4 as an example:

Script:
Jim writes the story for Wayward, guiding the team through the major moments and visual beats along with dialogue, sound effects and other text.

Page Rough:
Steven roughs out the overall composition, checking positioning and making sure all the important visual information is conveyed. On pages with a lot more text he’ll also double check that there’s enough room for that text along with the visuals.

Pencils:
In the case of Wayward, the line art is scanned in straight from Steven’s pencils.

Final Linework:
Jim resizes the art for the final page format, digitally darkens the lines, cleans up any smudges or dirt from the scan and blocks in large areas of black indicated in the pencils.

Colors and Final Lettering:
Tamra digitally adds mood, texture, and light and shadow to finalize the page art.
Marshall adds word balloons, captions, and sound effects as needed and sends back a final print-ready file.

Want to read the full issue and see how it fits into the story? It’s included in WAYWARD Vol. 1: String Theory, available from your favorite local comic shop, Amazon, or available digitally on comiXology.

WAYWARD #17 Reviews

Posted by Jim Zub on November 1, 2016 No comments

Wayward #17, showing the aftermath our of third arc in Japan, arrived in comic shops last week. What did reviewers think of it?

• Big Glasgow: 9.6/10 “The art of Wayward is always top notch: every character and every environment, from the sweeping green fields of Ireland to dingy pubs, acquire a special depth in the hands of artist Steven Cummings and colourist Tamra Bonvillain.”

• Fandom Post: B+ “Cummings continues to just make this book look fantastic, especially with what Bonvillain brings to the page with the color design to give it some real pop and vibrancy.”

• Reading With a Flight Ring: “There’s a reason this is a 5 Star book time after time and that’s because it’s so incredibly well written with strong characters/characterization and some of the best artwork in the business.”

• TM Stash: 9/10 “Wayward continues to sweep us into the landscapes and folklore of Japan (and now Ireland) like no other series can.”

• Under the Comic Covers: “It had a great flow. The pacing of this issue was really well done.”

FREELANCE Arrives in January!

Posted by Jim Zub on October 28, 2016 No comments

In January Andrew Wheeler, Vaneda Vireak, and I are bringing back one of Canada’s oldest original comic heroes – Freelance!

Chapterhouse Comics is expanding their publishing line with the Chapterverse, a line of comics that work on their own as complete stories but also expand the shared setting from Captain Canuck.

Freelance is a globe-trotting action-packed adventure story set in the modern world but delivered with a pulpy flare. Andrew and I have been developing the characters and their story for several months now and we’re pumped for readers to see what we have in store. Below is a link to our first interview about the series and the order solicitation info:

FREELANCE #1
The CHAPTERVERSE launches with this brand new series!

Lance Valiant, John Cabot, and Tasha Kolchak are fearless explorers who delve into hidden secrets of our world and protect us from threats beyond imagination, but the greatest secret of all may be Lance’s own mysterious past…

Pulse-pounding action, wit, intrigue, and globe-trotting romance – One of Canada’s original heroes is reborn for the Chapterhouse era by writers Andrew Wheeler (Another Castle) and Jim Zub (Thunderbolts), and artist Vineda Vireak (51Hundred)!

Happy Anniversary, My Love

Posted by Jim Zub on October 22, 2016 No comments

It’s still Saturday in North America but, here in Japan where I am right now for a business trip, it’s Sunday so I’m putting this message out early.

Happy Anniversary, Stacy!

Marrying you and our time together has been the best part of an ongoing adventure I never want to end.

Your kindness, enthusiasm, and intelligence inspire me and give me the strength to never give up. Your beauty, in appearance but also the warmth you bring into our life together, engages and renews me day after day.

It’s you and me, lover, and I can’t imagine things any other way.

I’ll see you soon and we’ll celebrate another wonderful year of being ridiculously, delightfully together.

Arriving in January, D&D: Frost Giant’s Fury #2

Posted by Jim Zub on October 19, 2016 No comments

Arriving in January…
Dungeons & Dragons: Frost Giant’s Fury #2
Jim Zub (w) • Netho Diaz (a) • Max Dunbar (c)
The town of Fireshear is a safe haven for our adventurers, or, it would be if it wasn’t under attack by a frost giant raiding party! Get your hamsters ready, it’s time for battle!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

• Dungeons & Dragons is seeing a renaissance with the release of the fifth edition rules in late 2014. Hundreds of thousands of players are returning to D&D or embarking on their first adventures and they’re hungry for extra content.
• This new D&D story ties into the Storm King’s Thunder event that runs across multiple RPG products, novels, and video games.
• This series continues with the cast from the hit Legends of Baldur’s Gate and Shadows of the Vampire stories, but is also built as a perfect jumping on point for new readers, bringing them into D&D’s classic blend of sword & sorcery adventure.

Glitterbomb #2 Reviews

Posted by Jim Zub on October 19, 2016 No comments

• Adventures In Poor Taste: 10/10 “Right in time for Halloween, Glitterbomb #2 ramps up the horror and will give you food for thought and all kinds of tingles.”

• Comic Book Bin: “Djibril Morissette-Phan is surprisingly polished. He continues to assert control over this narrative with a mood of mystery and with a tense pace. His storytelling is sharp, efficient, and clear.”

• Fangirl Nation: “It’s an interesting look into the underbelly of such a glamorous world.”

• Heroes Direct: 9.2/10 “this is a hugely fascinating story. Horror fans shouldn’t miss this excellent story.”

• Newsarama: 10/10 “Everyone involved is crafting a tale that serves to show Hollywood isn’t as glamorous as the pictures make it out to be.”

• Reading With a Flight Ring: “With such strong writing, characterisation and visuals this issue got even stronger than the first for me.”

Arriving in January: Thunderbolts #9 and Avengers-Monsters Unleashed #1!

Posted by Jim Zub on October 18, 2016 No comments

I’ve got two Marvel super hero titles in January 2017, Thunderbolts #9 and the Avengers one-shot special for Monsters Unleashed, a new 2017 event! Writing an Avengers story has been an absolute thrill. Can’t wait for you to see what Sean and I are putting together for it.

Here are the solicits:

AVENGERS #1.MU
JIM ZUB (W) • SEAN IZAAKSE (A)
Cover by DAVID NAKAYAMA
GWENSTER UNLEASHED VARIANT COVER BY TBA
A MONSTERS UNLEASHED TIE-IN!
A seemingly straightforward mission for Spider-Man takes an unexpected turn when Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are caught off-guard by a monstrous invasion from the sky.
An all-star lineup of Avengers battling behemoths in this over-sized spectacular that’s a perfect jumping-on point for new readers and old.
40 PGS./ONE-SHOT/Rated T+ …$4.99

THUNDERBOLTS #9
JIM ZUB (W) • JON MALIN (A/C)
Sometimes you have to do the right thing with the team you’ve got, not the team you want…
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99