Jim Zub

Jim Zub
BornJim Zubkavich
OccupationComic book writer
LanguageEnglish
GenresFantasy, action, superhero
Years active2001–present
Notable awardsFull list
Website
jimzub.com

Jim Zubkavich, known professionally as Jim Zub, is a Canadian comic book writer, artist, and art instructor best known for creating comics Skullkickers (2010), Wayward (2014), and Glitterbomb (2016) for Image Comics, writing on the series Thunderbolts (2016), Uncanny Avengers (2017), Avengers: No Surrender (2018), and Champions (2018) for Marvel Comics, and creating Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons (2018–2022) and Rick and Morty vs. Cthulhu (2022–2023) for Oni Press. As well as writing and creating comics, Zub is the former program co-ordinator and a current art professor at Toronto's Seneca College.

Early life

Jim Zub is Canadian.[1] He grew up watching Spider-Man cartoons as a kid, and soon after fell in love with comics. He has stated that Stan Lee was a big influence on him, specifically by giving his superheroes flaws.[2]

Career

Jim Zub created his first comic, Makeshift Miracle, in 2001, followed by a nine-year stint at UDON Entertainment as a colorist, illustrator, project manager, writer and editor[3] where he wrote various Street Fighter comic books.[4]

In 2010, Zub launched Skullkickers at Image Comics.[5] A creator-owned sword & sorcery action-comedy, Skullkickers ran for thirty-three issues completing six volumes. The series came to an end in 2015.[6]

In 2013, Zub wrote Samurai Jack comics for IDW and Cartoon Network.[7] Initially intended as one five-issue arc, the comic ran twenty issues, ending in 2015.[8]

In 2014, Zub launched Wayward at Image Comics with art by co-creator Steven Cummings.[5] His first creator-owned book since Skullkickers, Wayward is described as Buffy The Vampire Slayer set in Japan."[9] A teen coming-of-age story injected with Japanese myth and the supernatural.[5] The series spanned 30 issues and six trade paperback volumes before coming to an end on October 31, 2018.[9]

Zub and IDW partnered up for Dungeons & Dragons: Legends of Baldur's Gate #1-5 in 2014,[10] followed up by Dungeons & Dragons: Shadows of the Vampire #1-5 in 2016, Dungeons & Dragons: Frost Giant’s Fury #1-5 in 2017,[11] and Dungeons & Dragons: Evil At Baldur’s Gate #1-5 in 2018.[12]

In 2016, Zub and French-Canadian artist Djibril Morissette-Phan launched Glitterbomb at Image Comics, a four-part mini-series about a struggling actress trying to regain fame in a sexist, abusive industry.[13] A second four-part mini-series, Glitterbomb: The Fame Game, launched in 2017.[14]

Zub started writing for Marvel in 2016 with Thunderbolts,[15] followed by Uncanny Avengers in 2017.[16] He created a new hero, villains, and new backstories in the 16-part Avengers: No Surrender in 2018,[17] as well as taking over Champions with #19, and creating a new Canadian Hero, Snowguard.[18][1][19] Also in 2018, Zub wrote the four-part Wolverine miniseries, Mystery in Madripoor.[20]

In August of 2018, Zub teamed up with writer Patrick Rothfuss and artist Troy Little to write a Dungeons & Dragons/Rick & Morty crossover mini-series, titled Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons #1-4.[21][22] Zub co-wrote, with Sarah Stern and with art by Little, Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons: Chapter II: Painscape; the follow-up series was published from September to December 2019.[23] The Rick and Morty vs Dungeons and Dragons Deluxe Edition, by Rothfuss, Zub, and Little, was nominated for the 2022 "Best Graphic Album—Reprint" Eisner Award.[24]

In late 2018, it was announced that Zub, along with writers Mark Waid and Al Ewing, would reunite for Avengers: No Road Home, being called a "spiritual successor" to their previous collaboration, Avengers: No Surrender." Art will be done by Paco Medina and Sean Izaakse. The series began in February 2019.[25]

From December 2022 to March 2023, Zub returned to Oni Press to write the Cthulhu Mythos crossover mini-series Rick and Morty vs. Cthulhu #1-4.[26]

Personal life

Zub and his wife, Stacy King[27] live in Toronto. As well as writing comics, Zub is also a professor at Toronto's Seneca College and teaches classes in layout and design, character animation and animation history.[28]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result
2002 Web Cartoonists’ Choice Awards Best Newcomer NA Won
2011 YALSA[29] Great Graphic Novels Skullkickers Vol. 1 Won
Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Award Outstanding Writer NA Nominated
2012 Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Award Outstanding Writer NA Nominated
2013 Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Award[30] Outstanding Writer NA Nominated
Animex Animex Honorary Award ? Won
Harvey Awards[31] Special Award for Humor Skullkickers Nominated
2014 Harvey Awards[32] Special Award for Humor Skullkickers Nominated
2016 YALSA[33] Great Graphic Novels for Teens Wayward Vol. 1 Won
2018 Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Award[34] Outstanding Writer NA Won
2022 Eisner Awards[24] Best Graphic Album—Reprint Rick and Morty vs Dungeons and Dragons Deluxe Edition Nominated

Bibliography

IDW

  • Samurai Jack #1-20 collected as:
    • Volume 1 (collects #1-4, TPB, 120 pages, 2014, ISBN 978-1613778944)
    • Volume 2 (collects #5-10, TPB, 120 pages, 2014, ISBN 978-1631401312)
    • Volume 3 (collects #11-15, TPB, 120 pages, 2015, ISBN 978-1631402456)
    • Volume 4 (collects #16-20, TPB, 120 pages, 2015, ISBN 978-1631403804)
  • Dungeons & Dragons limited series:
    • Dungeons & Dragons: Legends of Baldur's Gate #1-5 collected in Volume 1 (collects #1-5, TPB, 124 pages, 2015, ISBN 978-1631402500)
    • Dungeons & Dragons: Shadows of the Vampire #1-5 collected in Volume 1 (collects #1-5, TPB, 120 pages, 2016, ISBN 978-1631407666)
    • Dungeons & Dragons: Frost Giant's Fury #1-5 collected in Volume 1 (collects #1-5, TPB, 128 pages, 2017, ISBN 978-1631409288)
    • Dungeons & Dragons: Evil At Baldur's Gate #1-5 collected in Volume 1 (collects #1-5, TPB, 120 pages, 2018, ISBN 978-1684053353)
    • Dungeons & Dragons: Mindbreaker #1-5 collected in Volume 1 (collects #1-5, TPB, 2022, ISBN 978-1-68405-888-4)
  • Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons #1-4 (co-written with Jody Houser) collected as
  • Other collected editions:
    • Dungeons & Dragons: Days of Endless Adventure (March 2020, ISBN 978-1-68405-275-2) which collects Legends of Baldur's Gate, Shadows of the Vampire and Frost Giant's Fury
    • Dungeons & Dragons: Best of Minsc & Boo (April 2022) which collects Legends of Baldur's Gate #1, Shadows of the Vampire #2, Evil at Baldur's Gate #1, and Evil at Baldur's Gate #5[35]

Image

Marvel

  • Thunderbolts (2016-2017) #1-12 collected as:
  • Uncanny Avengers #26-30 collected as:
  • Avengers #675-690 collected as:
  • Champions Vol. 2 (2016-2019) #19-27, Vol. 3 (2019) #1-10 collected as:
    • Champions Volume 4: Northern Lights (collects #19-21 and Infinity Countdown: Champions #1-2, TPB, 112 pages, 2018, ISBN 978-1302909826)
    • Champions Volume 5: Weird War One (collects #22-27, TPB, 176 pages, 2019, ISBN 978-1302915056)
    • Champions by Jim Zub Volume 1: Beat the Devil (collects #1-5, TPB, 136 Pages, 2019, ISBN 1302916718)
    • Champions by Jim Zub Volume 2: Give and Take (collects #7-10, TPB, 112 Pages, 2019, ISBN 1302916726)

Oni Press

Rick and Morty limited series:

Other collected editions:

  • Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons: Deluxe Edition (September 2021, ISBN 978-1-62010-875-8) which collects Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons #1-4 & Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons: Chapter II: Painscape #1-4, and Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons: The Meeseeks Adventure
  • Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons: The Complete Adventures (October 2022, ISBN 9781684056491) which collects Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons #1-4 & Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons: Chapter II: Painscape #1-4, and Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons: The Meeseeks Adventure

References

  1. ^ a b "INTERVIEW: Jim Zub On Champions' Changes, Infinity Countdown Role & More". CBR. 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
  2. ^ "Jim Zub on Stan Lee's legacy in comics and storytelling". CBC. November 13, 2018. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
  3. ^ Widen, Alex (2018-04-17). "Champions #19 review: A new era with Ironheart and Wasp". Bam Smack Pow. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  4. ^ Parungo, Nicolo Josef V. (2015-07-14). "UDON Entertainment Announces 'Street Fighter Unlimited' Comic Series". International Business Times. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  5. ^ a b c Sims, Chris. "Jim Zub On Wayward And The Pressures Of Being A Magical Teen". ComicsAlliance. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
  6. ^ "Skullkickers". imagecomics.com. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  7. ^ Goellner, Caleb. "'Samurai Jack' #1 Comic Book Preview". ComicsAlliance. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
  8. ^ O'Keefe, Matt (2015-06-09). "MATT CHATS: Samurai Jack Exit Interview with Jim Zub". The Beat. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
  9. ^ a b "Interview: Jim Zub on the Evolution of 'Wayward' and What He's Learned Along the Way". Comics. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
  10. ^ Struan, John. "New Baldur's Gate Comic Series Featuring Minsc And His Hamster". Kotaku. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
  11. ^ "FROST GIANTS Take On DUNGEONS & DRAGONS". Newsarama. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
  12. ^ "Jim Zub Pens More D&D Comic Book Adventures With Evil At Baldur's Gate". Geek and Sundry. 2018-01-18. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
  13. ^ Shiach, Kieran. "'Glitterbomb' And The Dark Side Of Hollywood [Interview]". ComicsAlliance. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
  14. ^ Nevin, Will (7 September 2017). "TBT #7: 'Glitterbomb' returns for more blood, while 'Wolfenstein' is here for your fascists". OregonLive.com. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
  15. ^ Schedeen, Jesse (2016-01-19). "Marvel Teases a New Thunderbolts Team for 2016". IGN. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
  16. ^ "INTERVIEW: Jim Zub On How Beast & Wonder Man Fit Into Uncanny Avengers". CBR. 2017-10-12. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
  17. ^ "Avengers: No Surrender Finale Hides a Defenders Easter Egg". CBR. 2018-04-12. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
  18. ^ van Koeverden, Jane (April 25, 2018). "Meet Snowguard: Marvel Comics' new Inuk teen superhero". CBC. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
  19. ^ "CHAMPIONS #24 Tackles School Gun Violence: 'I Don't Want to Tell People They Must Feel This Certain Way'". Newsarama. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
  20. ^ "INTERVIEW: Zub, Silas & Cebulski On Hunt for Wolverine's Madripoor Mystery". CBR. 2018-03-13. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
  21. ^ "Rick & Morty are Taking On Dungeons & Dragons". ScreenRant. 2018-07-30. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
  22. ^ Mufson, Beckett; Messman, Lauren (2018-04-09). "Rick and Morty Are Going on a 'Dungeons & Dragons' Adventure". Vice. Retrieved 2019-06-14.
  23. ^ "Rick and Morty D&D Chapter 2 Comic Unveiled at D&D Live 2019". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  24. ^ a b MacDonald, Heidi (2022-05-18). "2022 Eisner Awards Nominations Announced, led by DC and Image". The Beat. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
  25. ^ "AVENGERS' VOYAGER Returns With a New Team for NO ROAD HOME". Newsarama. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
  26. ^ Spry, Jeff (December 24, 2022). "Rick and Morty plunge into pit of Lovecraftian horror in new comic miniseries". Space.com. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  27. ^ "TCAF 2017: Jim Zub - How He Measures Success And Image Comics At 25". GNN. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
  28. ^ Nevin, Will (March 2018). "Interview | Writer Jim Zub on fame, failure and his Image Comics series 'Glitterbomb'". OregonLive.com. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
  29. ^ "Great Graphic Novels 2012". Young Adult Library Services Association. 2012-01-24. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  30. ^ "July | 2013 | THE JOE SHUSTER AWARDS". Retrieved 2019-01-26.
  31. ^ Esposito, Joey (2013-07-15). "The 2013 Harvey Award Nominees". IGN. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
  32. ^ Schedeen, Jesse (2014-07-16). "The 2014 Harvey Award Nominations Are Revealed". IGN. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
  33. ^ "2016 Great Graphic Novels for Teens". Young Adult Library Services Association. 2016-01-13. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  34. ^ Boyd, Kevin A. (2018-09-05). "The 2018 Joe Shuster Award Winners". The Joe Shuster Awards. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
  35. ^ "Arriving in April – Best of Minsc & Boo | Zub Tales". Retrieved 2022-02-05.