Jim Zub's Blog, page 108

Zub on Geek Top Five Talking Thunderbolts

I was a guest on Geek Top Five, a countdown-themed podcast that focuses on different parts of pop culture. In this episode I countdown the Top Five Members of the Thunderbolts in anticipation of the new comic series launching on May 4th.

My interview starts at the 33:23 mark of the podcast. Give it a listen!

Zub at the Calgary Expo 2016!

Hard to believe 2016 is the 11th anniversary of the incredible Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo. Once again, I’m proud to let everyone that I’ll be there promoting my comics! It’s one of my favorite shows of the year.

I’ll be set up at Artist Alley Table X-14 and will have trade paperbacks, sketch covers, and other variants on hand.

I have a new pin-up piece in the Calgary Expo Artbook this year:

And on Friday Charles Soule and I will be chatting about writing comic stories:

Friday April 29

7pm Writers Unite: Writing and Pitching Comic Stories

Listen close as Charles Soule (Letter 44, Daredevil) and Jim Zub (Wayward, Samurai Jack) discuss writing comics and pitching their work to publishers, along with writing advice and amusing anecdotes. – Palamino Room H

Zub Calgary Expo Pin-Up 2016 – Step By Step

As part of the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo each year there’s a special artbook that includes pin-up illustrations from many of their guests. This is the show’s 11th anniversary and I’m proud to say I’ve attended each and every show and have a pin-up in every artbook they’ve produced so far.

Thankfully, this year is no exception.

The theme for 2016 was “Fairy Tales & Classic Monsters”, so I put together a piece using a Jack and the Beanstalk as my inspiration. Here’s a walkthrough of the process for my piece. Click on each one to see a larger version:

STEP 1: Thumbnail – Sometimes it can be helpful to start really small and think only in terms of broad shapes and forms to create a strong composition. I thumbnailed out this quick sketch with a Col-Erase blue pencil and liked the possibilities it presented.

STEP 2: Rough – Scanning the thumbnail and working over top of it digitally in Photoshop, I added structure and gesture to the base shapes and it’s starting to come together.

STEP 3: Work Up – Fading back the other layers, I digitally draw over top of it again and add in character expression and details while trying to keep the energy from the earlier steps intact.

STEP 4: Final Lines – Opening up the work up version in Manga Studio, I digitally ink the final lines bit by bit, clarifying some of the looser forms and using thicker or thinner lines to help visually separate major areas and indicate depth.

STEP 5: Final – Bringing the lines back into Photoshop, I add color to give the whole thing mood and texture. I keep the rendering pretty simple to give it an animated appearance.

Close Up – Here’s a zoom in of Jack happily climbing the beanstalk. I’m pretty happy with how his gleeful expression turned out.

D&D: Shadows of the Vampire #4 in July!

Arriving in July…

Dungeons & Dragons: Shadows of the Vampire #4

Jim Zub (w)

Nelson Daniel (a)

Max Dunbar (c)

Trapped in the menacing lands of Ravenloft, our heroes are hunted by the minions of Count Strahd. With nowhere left to hide, it’s time for battle!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

•Jim Zub (Wayward, Samurai Jack) delivers an action-packed D&D story set in the fan-favorite Ravenloft setting.

•Featuring characters from the “Curse of Strahd” Ravenloft adventure for Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition.

•Misc and Boo are cult favorite characters from the best-selling Baldur’s Gate video game series which has sold millions of copies around the world.

Zub on Patreon!

I decided to take the plunge and start a Patreon page:

www.patreon.com/jimzub

Patreon is a fundraising site where you can become a patron of the arts, donating a bit of money each month to show your support for online content you value.

Quite a few people I’ve met at conventions or interacted with online have told me that they’ve enjoyed the comic writing tutorials I’ve made and that they’d “buy me a beer” if they could. Well, with this site you can kind of do that and get access to comic scripts, pitch documents, and sneak peeks at my upcoming work while helping fund my future creator-owned comic projects.

The first post, with the full scripts for SKULLKICKERS #1 and WAYWARD #1, is already up and absolutely FREE so you can get a feel for the kind of content I’ll be sending to supporters each month:

http://www.patreon.com/posts/full-scripts-1-1-5175839

If you join now at the $3+ level you’ll already have access to the original pitch document and full script for the first issue of SAMURAI JACK.

If you’ve found my articles helpful in your own creative process or just want a look behind the curtain at how comics are written, I’d be thrilled to have you on board. The tutorial articles I write will always be free and available on my site, this is just a way for me to give a focused look at the writing process and help fund my future creator-owned projects at the same time.

Whether you donate here on Patreon, read my work in print/digital, or share my comics and articles with others, THANK YOU for your continued support!

Thunderbolts #3 In July!

Arriving in July. Pre-order now!

THUNDERBOLTS #3

JIM ZUB (W) • JON MALIN (A/C)

Variant Cover by Art Adams

The new Thunderbolts vs. the All-New Inhumans! Who needs diplomacy when there are faces that need punching?

32 PGS./Parental Advisory $3.99

Street Fighter Legends: Ibuki Back in Print With a New Hardcover!

UDON Entertainment has just released a spiffy new edition of the Street Fighter Legends: Ibuki mini-series Omar Dogan and I created back in 2010. Now in a full size hardcover and including a brand new six page story, this volume is a perfect mix of street fighting action and high school hijinks. You can get a copy from your local comic shop or through the outlets listed below:

Street Fighter Legends: Ibuki
(Full size hardcover) All Ibuki wants is a normal Japanese high school experience, but her secret ninja life follows her everywhere she goes! With deadly ninja assassins, a crazy karate girl named Makoto, and the mysterious hermit Oro all on her case, she’ll be lucky if she even makes it to lunch hour in one piece! Street Fighter Legends: Ibuki is one part ninja action, one part high school antics, and 100% non-stop excitement! Also includes an all-new 6-page Ibuki story created exclusively for this volume!

Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

Book Depository

Chapters-Indigo

comiXology

Forbidden Planet

In Stock Trades

Midtown Comics

RightStuf

TFAW

Zub’s Next Creator-Owned Comic: GLITTERBOMB!

Announced at Image Expo today in Seattle, I’m thrilled to let everyone know about my new creator-owned comic arriving later this summer from Image Comics – Glitterbomb!

The AV Club has an exclusive look at the interior artwork and an interview:

Image Expo exclusive: Glitterbomb explores the deadly cost of fame

And here’s the official announcement:

—

GLITTERBOMB by Jim Zub, Djibril Morissette-Phan, K. Michael Russell, and Marshall Dillon.

Fan-favorite writer Jim Zub and newcomer Djibril Morissette-Phan come together with colorist K. Michael Russell and letterer Marshall Dillon for GLITTERBOMB.

“Probably the only thing I love more than comics is cinema,” said Morissette-Phan. “Which makes Glitterbomb a dream project since it’s a perfect blend of both.”

Set in Hollywood, GLITTERBOMB is a horror story about failed fame and blood-soaked revenge.

“The entertainment industry feeds on our insecurities, desires, and fears,” said Zub. “You can’t toy with those kinds of primal emotions without them biting back.”

GLITTERBOMB is set to launch in late Summer 2016.

—

Although Wayward has some creepy moments, Glitterbomb is the first full-on horror comic I’ve put together. Working with Djibril, Michael, and Marshall on this series has been a wonderfully twisted ride. Djibril’s brushwork inks are incredible. Check out these sample pages:

As you’d expect, I’ll have a lot more to say about Glitterbomb in the days ahead. So happy to finally have this secret project revealed!

Wayward #15 Reviews

Wayward’s third story arc wrapped up with the release of issue 15. How did reviewers like our latest action-packed chapter? Read on and find out…

• All-Comic: 8/10 “Jim Zub and the rest of the creative team have been able to build this story well and develop intricate, identifiable characters. Readers who haven’t tried or picked up this book are doing themselves a serious disservice.”

• Big Glasgow: “This is the end of another fantastic story arc for Wayward, in which Jim Zub changes everything.” “Wayward is good. I mean, really good.”

• Comixalaxy: 9/10 “Wayward #15 is a solid and satisfying conclusion to the third story arc of one of the best indie comics in publication. “

• Fandom Post: “There are a lot of tantalizing bits to this issue in terms of story, but it really wins out best with the pacing and the dynamic action and designs that Cummings brings to the page throughout.”

• Flip Geeks: “The artistic team lead by Steven Cummings never rests its laurel in delivering excellent artistic approach in every panel it draws and colors.”

• Geeked Out Nation: 9.3/10 “If you thought you knew what to expect from Wayward from the events that take place in Japan? Boy does this end get the wheels turning in your head wondering where we go from here.”

• Omni Jer Bear: “Really well done and I can’t wait until the next arc.”

• Outright Geekery: 10/10 “…this story arc has simply been great and issue #15 is the cherry on top! What a great issue, it ties up several loose ends neatly, but certainly opens up Wayward to a much wider world.”

• Pulp Media: “Wayward remains an action filled, character motivated story about finding your place in a changing world. Zub, Cummings, and Bonvillain make great comics, really great comics.”

• TM Stash: 10/10 “This has been and continues to be one of the most amazing series in comics today, beautifully written and equally beautifully illustrated by Steven Cummings with colors by Tamra Bonvaillain”

• Under the Comic Covers: “What a great end to the arc. I can’t wait to see what happens next.”

Zub at Emerald City Comic Con This Weekend!

I’m thrilled to be returning to Seattle once again for Emerald City Comic Con! I’ll be set up in the North Hall at ARTIST ALLEY TABLE X-04 and can’t wait to see friends and readers aplenty.

Quite a few of my other collaborators will also be at ECCC, so make sure you track down them as well:

ADAM WARREN (Skullkickers Tavern Tales Writer) Y-01

ANDY SURIANO (Artist-Samurai Jack) X-03

MAX DUNBAR (Artist-D&D: Legends of Baldur’s Gate) CC-10

TAMRA BONVILLAIN (Color Artist-Wayward) U-12

ZACK DAVISSON (Lore Writer-Wayward) X-05B

In addition, I’ll be on a few panels over the weekend:

Thursday April 7

5:00pm – Signing at Image Comics – BOOTH 316

Friday April 8

1:30pm – Image Comics: Where Creators Own Drama – ROOM T305

You scream when your favorite character moves off the page and you cheer when they finally get their way. Drama works! Join us as Joshua Williamson (NAILBITER), Steve Orlando (VIRGIL), Meredith McClaren (HINGES), Nick Barber (RINGSIDE), Jim Zub (WAYWARD), and a few special guests dig into just why drama is so crucial to storytelling.

Saturday April 9

11:00am – Signing at Image Comics – BOOTH 316

2:45pm – Convention Horror Stories: An ECCC Tradition – T303

Join Katie Cook (My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic) and Jim Zub (Thunderbolts) for their fan-favorite con horror stories panel! What’s it like working as a pro in the business on the convention ‘circuit’? Ridiculous, embarrassing, always entertaining. Some stories will make you laugh out loud, some will make you cringe! This panel is recommended for those 18+.

Sunday April 10

1:15pm – Gods, Cats, and Yokai – The Way Forward With Wayward – ROOM W3A

Yokai; New gods and old; Real Japan and fantasy; And lots and lots of cats. The hit series Wayward from Image Comics combines authentic Japanese folklore with new characters in the clash of modernism and tradition. Now into its second year, come see what lies ahead and behind with series writer Jim Zub, colorist Tamra Bonvillain, and essayist and yokai expert Zack Davisson.