Jim Zub

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.

Jim Zub
At MCM Comic Con London, May 2025
Born	Jim Zubkavich
Occupation	Comic book writer
Language	English
Genres	Fantasy, action, superhero
Years active	2001–present
Notable awards	Full list
Website
jimzub.com

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
  • Volume 1 (collects #1-4, TPB, 96 pages, 2021, ISBN 978-1506721071)

• 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

• Skullkickers #1-34 collected as:
  • Volume 1 (collects #1-5, TPB, 144 pages, 2011, ISBN 1607063662)
  • Volume 2 (collects #6-11, TPB, 144 pages, 2011, ISBN 1607064421)
  • Volume 3 (collects #12-17, TPB, 144 pages, 2012, ISBN 1607066122)
  • Volume 4 (collects #18-23, TPB, 160 pages, 2013, ISBN 1607067668)
  • Volume 5 (collects #24-29, TPB, 144 pages, 2014, ISBN 1632150336)
  • Volume 6 (collects #30-33 & #100, TPB, 144 pages, 2015, ISBN 1632153432)
• Wayward #1-30 collected as:
  • Volume 1 (collects #1-5, TPB, 144 pages, 2015, ISBN 978-1632151735)
  • Volume 2 (collects #6-10, TPB, 136 pages, 2015, ISBN 978-1632154033)
  • Volume 3 (collects #11-15, TPB, 128 pages, 2016, ISBN 978-1632157010)
  • Volume 4 (collects #16-20, TPB, 136 pages, 2017, ISBN 978-1534300538)
  • Volume 5 (collects #21-25, TPB, 136 pages, 2018, ISBN 978-1534303508)
  • Volume 6 (collects #26-30, TPB, 152 pages, 2018, ISBN 978-1534308749)
• Glitterbomb #1-4 collected as:
  • Volume 1 (collects #1-4, TPB, 136 pages, 2017, ISBN 978-1534300514)
• Glitterbomb: The Fame Game #1-4 collected as:
  • Volume 1 (collects #1-4, TPB, 120 pages, 2018, ISBN 978-1534304901)

Marvel

• Thunderbolts (2016-2017) #1-12 collected as:
  • Volume 1 (collects #1-6, TPB, 144 pages, 2017, ISBN 978-0785196686)
  • Volume 2 (collects #7-12, TPB, 144 pages, 2017, ISBN 978-0785196693)
• Uncanny Avengers #26-30 collected as:
  • Volume 5 (collects #26-30, TPB, 112 pages, 2018, ISBN 978-1302906450)
• Avengers #675-690 collected as:
  • Avengers: No Surrender (collects #675-690, TPB, 352 pages, 2018, ISBN 978-1302911454)
• 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:

• Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons #1-4 (co-written with Patrick Rothfuss) collected in Volume 1 (collects #1-4, TPB, 120 pages, 2019, ISBN 978-1684054169)
• Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons: Chapter II: Painscape #1-4 (co-written with Sarah Stern) collected in Volume 2 (collects #1-4, TPB, 2020, ISBN 978-1620106907)
• Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons: The Meeseeks Adventure #1 (2022)
• Rick and Morty vs. Cthulhu #1-4 collected in Volume 1 (collects #1-4, TPB, 112 pages, 2023, ISBN 9781637152218)

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