I announced last week that I am heading to Howard Days this year, though not as Guest of Honor. See you there?

www.jimzub.com/zubby-newsle...

Wanting to contact me is fine. Asking me questions about comics I've worked on is fine.

Sending me the same message on every social media platform I use and my email is...a bit much

Calm down. A comic book question is not a five alarm fire emergency.

See you at the show!

Why yes, @stacyking.com is the best.

Out for a little date night, enjoying Spring weather finally arriving in Toronto.

Stacy just helped me get my handle properly verified via my website here on BlueSky, so we are now:

@jimzub.com
and
@stacyking.com

Yay!

LOOK INSIDE | CONAN THE BARBARIAN VOL. 7: CONQUERING CROWN YouTube video by Titan Comics

CONAN THE BARBARIAN Vol. 7: THE CONQUERING CROWN
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjiO...
Author: Jim Zub
Artist: Fernando Dagnino and Alex Horley
Publisher: Titan Comics
SC, 128 pp, FC, $17.99
ISBN: 9781787746084
On sale: May 19, 2026

Tonight at Chez Zub's:
Grilled BBQ Pork Ribs, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Mixed Vegetables

Some story ideas come from reading/watching and thinking "Wait, why didn't they-" over and over again and it starts driving you mad...

...Until you realize they've dropped the ball on this damn thing and you could just pick it up and do your own far better version.

The constant ticking timebomb is that you are replaceable and people who are not creative and have no respect for the work decide who gets replaced.

I am so sorry for my friends enduring this, those being laid off and the rest who will now be expected to work even harder to fill the gap.

Booster separation confirmed

Are You Ready to Start Your Webcomic? YouTube video by TheStarfishface

"Readiness isn't a state of being, it's a mindset of being willing and able to adapt to learn as you go and continue to move forward even if you're scared." - Star Prichard
( @thestarfishface.bsky.social )

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bK-z...

Treat others the way you wish to be treated.

Value great team members and remember them wherever you are in your journey. If you can help them, do so. If you need help, reach out to them.

Work hard, but don't let corporate targets for success define your personal integrity.

I've tried to maintain both creator-owned and corporate work throughout my career (which is much easier as a writer compared to being a comic artist), but realize it's been too long since I've had a new creator-owned series and am actively working to fix that imbalance.

The difference now seems to be that creators used to do their own thing to prove themselves to Marvel/DC and then settle in there for the long haul.

Now many start independant, expand their rep on IP characters, then go back to creating original work because they know there's no long term loyalty.

Image was a seismic change and did a ton for creator rights and visibility, but also left a giant corporate scar and taught the Big Two to avoid building up superstars because they could become more important than the IP.

And yet, superstars still happen because people engage with their work.

Before I returned to full-time freelance I built a financial bulwark to ensure I couldn't be pulled under easily by these kinds of brutal delays or last second changes in work, but it's still the kind of thing that'll keep you up at night.

Current heads of state and leaders of industry are a constant reminder that greed and cruelty are rewarded not punished.

We can want a better world, but that pervasive corruption and manipulation permeates how we view and interact with everything and everyone.

The overriding topdown mentality of the 2020's has become-

"Take whatever you can grab because if you don't someone else will."

Money, fame, power at all costs. Shared humanity and integrity be damned.

Endless staff cuts while output rises is unsustainable. It disintegrates quality and decimates loyalty amongst those who remain.

It's hard to complain when you know the person who was organizing all this was let go and everyone else at the publisher is reeling from layoffs.

But I also need to get paid and make sure this project doesn't go completely off the rails.

In the past couple weeks my editor on a new project (not at Marvel) was let go. Now the Editor In Chief is trying to reassign the book and get paperwork settled because I have approved scripts and the artist just finished issue #1, but no contract or payment info on file.

A really rough start.

The constant ticking timebomb is that you are replaceable and people who are not creative and have no respect for the work decide who gets replaced.

I am so sorry for my friends enduring this, those being laid off and the rest who will now be expected to work even harder to fill the gap.

I am so, so sorry to hear it, Alanna.
Wishing everyone at the office strength this week.

I'm genuinely honored.

Also, I need to stay at your place again for crazy cocktails and cooking.

Tonight at Chez Zub's:
Japanese-style Beef Curry

My buddy Andrew saw a box of books being given away in the lobby of his apartment and snagged a little pile of gold for me.

Zubby Newsletter #153: Tides of War
www.jimzub.com/zubby-newsle...
• Scourge of the Serpent tpb Final Orders
• Tides of the Tyrant-King Teasers
• Megacon Chatter with the Comic Book Guy
• Talking with G33K HQ
• Sometimes Messy
and more!

Zubscribe here to stay up to date:
jimzub.substack.com

Nice! I'll put that on my wishlist and snag it at some point.

I actually haven't had a chance to try it yet.

Calling all creators, reviewers, and pop culture enthusiasts!

Join the TITAN CREATOR PROGRAM for early access to the hottest new titles in manga, graphic novels, comics, video games, horror, and sci-fi! ✨

Sign up via the link in our bio or here:
forms.gle/3vQkmnDpegk2...