Zub Tales

On Friday, a package arrived with the first volume of the new SKULLKICKERS Compact Attack Edition being reprinted by Oni Press! Each compact-sized volume collects two of the previous Image Comics trade paperbacks at a value-packed price, introducing a whole new generation of readers to the swords & sassery story that kicked off my comic writing career.

Skullkickers Compact Attack vol 1 is in stores February 17th.
Skullkickers Compact Attack vol 2 arrives March 17th.
Skullkickers Compact Attack vol 3 concludes the trilogy on April 21st.

I sent all the signed and sketched items to Zoop, so the special crowdfounded editions should be shipping to backers soon as well. Deep thanks again to everyone who supported that campaign.

It’s wild to think how much changed for me 16 years ago. I distinctly remember the chaos of planning my wedding at the same time as preparing to launch this creator-owned comic, while also teaching and managing creative projects at the UDON studio. I genuinely have no idea how I had the energy to juggle all that, but obviously I’m glad I did.

Omar at Near Mint Condition has a rundown of how this first volume turned out and, as you can see, it’s a beauty:

(Omar also recently put together a review of Conan the Barbarian vol. 5 + 6, which was great to see.)

Zubdarsky Live!

Making it a Near Mint Condition hat trick here, Chip Zdarsky and I chatted up a storm with Omar, Melanie and livestream viewers who asked us questions:

Here are some timecode-linked highlights:
• Talk show anecdotes
• The community of comic creators in Toronto
• Writing iconic characters
• The Sex Criminals TV show
• E.C. Comics and MAD Magazine
• Publisher contracts: exclusivity or not
• Long term story building
• Writing Spider-Man
• Writing Deadpool
• John Hickman’s story skills
• Robert E. Howard’s shared universe of characters
• Teaching students the fundamentals of art + storytelling
• Other comics or books we’re enjoying right now
• Tabletop roleplaying games
• Chip has never played D&D
• Gaming at an all-star table with Deborah Ann Woll
• Vertigo comics and why they were so great
• Banned books/Censorship
• Chip’s favorite Wu-Tang track
• Writing Wolverine
• Page count and writing ahead
• Meeting fans at conventions
• The infamous Mexican Spider-Man comics
• What we’re working on right now
• Letterers are the unsung heroes of comics
• Chip fluffs the Marvel Universe

So, yeah – We covered a LOT. Make sure you check it out!

Current + Upcoming Releases

• Conan: Scourge of the Serpent #4 – released Jan 7.
• Conan the Barbarian vol. 6: A Nest of Serpents – released Jan 7.
• Conan the Barbarian #28 – releases Jan 28.
• Conan the Barbarian #29 – releases Feb 11.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 1 – releases Feb 17.
• Conan the Barbarian #30 – releases Mar 11.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 2 – releases Mar 17.
• Mad About DC – releases Apr 1.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 3 – releases Apr 21.
• Conan the Barbarian #31 – releases Apr 22.

Upcoming Appearances

This weekend I’m on the west coast for Fan Expo Vancouver.

Other Links

• Reasons To Stay is a website designed to reach people at difficult moments through anonymous letters written by volunteers. Every letter is written by a real person and delivered at random to someone visiting the site. The intent is simple but profound: to remind people that they are not alone, even when it feels that way.

• Keith Lehtinen from We Have Issues talks all about Wayward vol. 1: String Theory and how much the series meant to him when it first came out.

• Dave Bell‘s latest article on The Howard-Verse is an exhaustive rundown of the current CONAN comics (and related titles) being published by Titan Comics. Beyond the praises he gives our creative teams, it’s a solid overview of what’s coming out and where to start reading.

Jim