Jim Zub's Blog, page 109
March 27, 2016
Ray, Tim, and Rob Podcast
I was a guest on the Ray, Tim, and Rob Presents podcast. We chat about comics, conventions, and pop culture. Give it a listen.
March 22, 2016
Thunderbolts #2 in June!
Arriving in June…
THUNDERBOLTS #2
JIM ZUB (W) • JON MALIN (A/C)
Variant Cover by Steve Epting
• A group of reformed (are they reformed?) super criminals protect a facet of immense power while hunting down and destroying bizarre, mind-bending threats to the world — What could go wrong?
• A gut-wrenching battle for leadership; an alien threat; and the Thunderbolts caught red-handed by…well, read our pulse-pounding second issue and find out!
32 PGS./Parental Advisory $3.99
March 21, 2016
Zub at Salt Lake Fan Xperience This Weekend!
This weekend (March 24-26) I’ll be in Salt Lake City for Fan Xperience!. It’s my first time going to Utah and I’m really excited to meet readers there.
I’ll be set-up at Artist Alley Table BERRY-5 and my dear friend Howard Tayler (Schlock Mercenary) will be right beside me at BERRY-6. If you’re headed to the show please come on by and say “Hi!”
I’m also on four panels over the weekend:
Thursday March 24
Why Webcomics Matter – 1:00pm – Room 255E
Funny Books Can Actually Be Funny – 3:00pm – Room 255E
Friday March 25
Writing and Pitching Comic Stories – 5:00pm – Room 255C
Saturday March 26
Spotlight on Jim Zub – 2:00pm – Room 255C
March 14, 2016
Zub at C2E2 2016!
This weekend I’ll be at C2E2, Chicago’s biggest pop culture and comic event. It’s been five years since I attended the show and I’m excited to see how it’s grown and see readers and friends. I’ll be set up at ARTIST ALLEY TABLE L-1.
In addition, I’ll be on 2 panels on Friday:
Friday March 18
4:00pm – Budgeting Your Comic – ROOM S503A
Andy Schmidt, former Marvel and IDW editor and Comics Experience founder won’t just tell you how to budget a comic, he’s going to SHOW YOU! On Screen! He’ll walk you through the very real costs of creating a comic book, publishing it, and distributing it through certain channels. It’s eye opening and fear inducing—but then he’ll give you some serious tips on how to save money and get back to black! And you’ll hear from creators Ryan Browne (Manhattan Projects) and Jim Zub (Skullkickers) as well!
6:45pm – How To Get Press For Your Comic – ROOM S405A
You can’t be successful in comics without being talked about, and in the right way. Three accomplished comic creators discuss getting coverage for your comic. Learn how to create an effective press release, contact the right outlets, and get your message out from Kel McDonald (Sorcery 101, Misfits of Avalon), Amy Chu (Girls Night Out, Poison Ivy), Chris Arrant (Editor-Newsarama), and Jim Zub (Wayward, Thunderbolts).
March 11, 2016
TMNT 100 For the Hero Initiative
It was a pleasure to be invited to do a sketch cover for the Hero Initiative TMNT 100!
Once the Hero Initiative has the piece they’ll be putting it up on ebay to help support creators in need. Keep an eye out for the auction in the weeks ahead.
Nerd For A Living Interview
Had a nice chat with the crew at Nerd For A Living about working in comics (Wayward, Dungeons & Dragons, Thunderbolts, and more), teaching/coordinating Seneca College’s Animation program and the importance of being social in the entertainment field.
March 10, 2016
D&D Podcast Interview
It was a ton of fun chatting with Greg Tito and Trevor Kidd from Wizards of the Coast all about the new Dungeons & Dragons comic series I’m writing and tons of nostalgia for playing the tabletop role-playing game as well. Join us as we talk gaming, storytelling, and a whole lot more!
March 5, 2016
Arriving in July- Street Fighter Legends: Cammy!
Announced during the In-Store Convention Kick Off livestream today, I’m thrilled to let people know that Omar Dogan and I are teaming up for a new Street Fighter Legends: Cammy mini-series! Working with Omar on Street Fighter Legends: Ibuki in 2010 was an absolute blast and I’m pumped to enrich the story of Cammy as part of the Street Fighter V celebration happening this year.
Here’s the advanced solicit info:
STREET FIGHTER LEGENDS: CAMMY
Story: Jim Zub
Art: Omar Dogan
Cover Art: Omar Dogan (A cvrs) and Rob “Robaato” Porter (B cvrs)
4-issue miniseries, launches July 2016
It’s Cammy White, the stinging bee of Street Fighter, in her own action-packed comic series! Cammy now leads the all-new special ops team “Delta Blue”, as they keep England and the world safe from destructive forces. Whether its art thieves, cyber threats, or would-be world conquerors, Cammy and Delta Blue are ready to face the enemies of freedom and justice everywhere!
And here’s a sneak peek at Omar’s fantastic art in this two-page spread from issue #1!
March 1, 2016
Thunderbolts Interview on CBR
I spoke to Dave Richards at Comic Book Resources about the new Thunderbolts series launching in May. Lots of teasers of upcoming plot lines, team tensions, and an exclusive first look at Jon Malin’s new costume designs for some of the cast. Check it out!
Promotion: Building Retailer Trust
I’ve spoken before about how important it is for independent creators to reach out to retailers even if they have a publisher. Building a healthy dialogue with the people who are on the ground selling your work can make a huge difference to finding an enthusiastic readership and, of course, future sales of your book.
Comic retailers in the direct market have an incredibly difficult job. Each month they comb through the Diamond Previews catalogue and decide how many copies of HUNDREDS of different line items they’re going to purchase for their store. The key word there is “purchase”. The vast majority of items ordered by comic shops are bought on a non-returnable basis. Essentially, the comic store is your actual customer and they’re selling comics to their customers at a mark-up to cover the items that don’t sell, pay their rent/bills, and ideally actually make some kind of profit on their investment.
Think about that for a minute. Put yourself in their shoes. You invest thousands of dollars buying comics based on a postage stamp cover image and brief description of the contents from a catalogue, multiplied by several hundred times every single month. Order too little, your customers are annoyed and you lose out on important purchases. Order too much you’re stuck with product that takes up space and loses you money.
Here’s all retailers have to go on when they decide how many copies to order of WAYWARD #15.
Imagine trying to accurately order like this for hundreds of different comics per month.
When you realize how difficult ordering non-returnable comics are, a lot of retail behavior that may seem obtuse suddenly makes perfect sense. That’s why pre-orders and pull files are so important. That’s why books coming out when they’re solicited is so crucial. That’s why well known publishers, characters, and creators are such a priority. At every turn a retailer is trying to minimize variables to make sure they can sell through on what they order. The more inventory they’re unable to move, the harder it is for them to stay afloat.
If you want to increase your orders through the direct market, you have to prove your work is something a retailer can count on. One of the ways I do that is by sending my retail email list a complete PDF of my creator-owned comics before Final Order Cut-Off (the final date where retailers can adjust their order numbers before we set our print run).
I want retailers to know exactly what they’re ordering and feel confident in terms of who they can sell it to. I remove the unknown about the contents from their ordering equation so they can make a more accurate assessment of its worth to their store.
Here’s an example of the retail preview email I send out through Mail Chimp (a great web-based email list organizer), with the download link redacted:
Some common questions I get from other creators about this practice:
Q: Do you send the entire issue or just a preview?
A: The whole thing. Like I said above, I want retailers to know exactly what they’re ordering and to be informed so they can bring their customers on board the work I’m doing.
Q: How do you add retailers to your email list?
A: Whenever I meet a retailer at a convention and I get their card, I ask if it’s okay to add them to my list. Same with any retailer contact I have online. It’s a slow build but works a lot better than spamming random retailers hoping they respond.
Q: Aren’t you worried retailers might reduce their orders when they read the whole issue?
A: It’s possible, but I’d rather have a shop order what they can sell than have unsold copies hanging around for months and months on end making me look bad. I think the quality of what I’m producing is worthwhile, but either way I respect the stores who are ordering my comics and want them to be fully informed about what they’re getting when they place that order.
Q: Aren’t you worried about someone pirating the PDF you send out to retailers?
A: I’m sending this advance PDF out about a month before release, so it’s possible they could pirate the work, but that would also cannibalize their possible sales as well, which seems counter-intuitive. I respect the fact that they’re my retail partner and have to trust that they’re not trying to hurt the comic industry. So far no one has screwed me over on this, and my fingers are crossed that it remains that way moving forward.
Q: What if they ignore the email and don’t read it?
A: Then I’m in the exact same boat I was before, but at least it’s there if they ever want to dig in and see what I’m producing.
When publishers try to pull a fast one on retailers by artificially inflating sales or not delivering what they promise, it breaks trust and leaves retailers in a difficult spot. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely want to sell as many copies as possible because that enables me to keep creating, but I also want to make sure those copies are reaching excited readers. When retailers know they can rely on my work, they’ll order more copies, promote it better, and help me build an audience that comes back for each new project I announce.
If you’re a retailer who isn’t already receiving advance PDFs from me, please contact me with your store site and contact info so I can make sure you’re on my retail email list. I want to work with you and keep making great comics.
If you found the above tutorial helpful, feel free to let me know here (or on Twitter), share the post with your friends and consider buying some of my comics to show your support.
