DF Interview: Jim Zub celebrates a decade of derring-do a dozen years later in the ‘Skullkickers Super Special’! (what?)



By Byron Brewer

When the Skullkickers enter the Academy of Serious Sorcery, it’ll take all their wits and steel to defeat warped wizardry, whimsical wands, and wicked witchcraft.

Celebrate 10 years of skull-kicking goodness with a brand-new story of swords and sassery of the Skullkickers Super Special one-shot from writer Jim Zub (Conan the Barbarian, Dungeons & Dragons) and artist Edwin Huang (Street Fighter). All I needed to do was see Jim Zub’s name on the solicit and I was on board with this interview. Here’s what the creator/scribe told me about the “super special”!



Byron Brewer: Jim, having started doing this great profession about the same time as fans were recognizing your talents via Skullkickers, I cannot believe it has been 10 years. For the uninitiated, talk a little about your creation of the Skullkickers.



Jim Zub: Would you believe it’s actually been 12 years, not 10? Celebrating the 10th anniversary 12 years after our issue #1 launch is VERY on brand for Skullkickers.

In my defense, I first started working away on this story in time for the 10th anniversary, but the pandemic side-swiped everything.
Anyway, the important thing is that over a decade ago, Chris Stevens, Edwin Huang, Misty Coats, Marshall Dillon and I launched a swords & sassery-driven comic series called Skullkickers at Image Comics.
Chris and I had previously done two short stories for the Pop Gun anthology series called “Two Copper Pieces” about a pair of mercenary monster hunters causing trouble and that evolved into Skullkickers. If you count those original anthology stories, in some ways it’s Skullkickers’ 14th anniversary, but that just makes the whole thing even more complicated.
Anyway, Image was seeing a new surge in popularity at that time thanks to The Walking Dead and other creators were starting to make their mark with titles like Chew, 27 and Morning Glories. It was a great time for experimentation and building a new readership.


Byron: Before we get to the grand news of the super special coming anxious fans’ way in November, recall what these characters meant to your career as a comic book writer, and the role they played in the superstar you are today.



Jim Zub: I don’t know about “superstar”, but it definitely grabbed attention for my comic writing career and put me on the radar for a lot of readers and editors, leading to a lot of other projects like Pathfinder, Legends of the Dark Knight and Samurai Jack, which would springboard me to Conan-Red Sonja, Dungeons & Dragons and eventually Thunderbolts, Avengers and more.

It’s fair to say that without Skullkickers I would not have the writing career I do today.


Byron: How did the idea for this special issue of Skullkickers come about? Is it a collection of former materials, all-new story and art, or a combo of both?



Jim Zub: The Skullkickers Super Special is a new 36-page self-contained story done by the original creative team that’s a reunion for old readers and a great way for new readers to see what all the fun is about. If you remember the original Skullkickers stories, that’s great, but you don’t need to have read any of them to get on board with this one-shot special.



Byron: What can readers old and new expect when they pick up the one-shot anniversary special coming from Image? Can you give us a summation of the plot and what our harried heroes will be facing? Will this by chance lead to a return to comics for Skullkickers?



Jim Zub: Skullkickers has always enjoyed bulldozing classic fantasy tropes and this new comic story here is no exception. In our Super Special anniversary tale, we riff on the concept of “magic schools” and magic in fantasy settings in general. When our story begins, Rex and Rolf are infiltrating a magic school called the Academy of Serious Sorcery and Holistic Occult Learning (A.S.S.H.O.L) for their latest job, despite the fact that neither of them have any magical aptitude at all and detest spellcasting as a vocation. Staying in disguise and pulling off their mission is going to be a challenge and, as always, things spiral into entertaining disaster from there.



Byron: Talk about the awesome art of line artist Edwin Huang and colorist Misty Coats.



Jim Zub: Our original Skullkickers art team is back and their skills are as sharp as ever. It’s amazing to see how much we’ve all grown but we can all still slip back into “Skullkickers mode” to deliver the goods. Edwin’s storytelling is even better than before, and Misty brings tons of atmosphere and excitement to every page. It was such a joy to “get the band back together” and build this new story to celebrate the series.



Byron: What can you tell us about the new tabletop role-playing game associated with Skullkickers?



Jim Zub: This new comic story was part of an anniversary Kickstarter I ran in Fall of 2020. In addition to the new comic yarn, we developed a tabletop roleplaying game adventure set in the same ridiculous magic school so gamers could delve the depths of the Academy of Serious Sorcery and discover their own particular brand of trouble. That 200-page book, Caster Bastards and the Great Grotesque, was released as a hardcover to backers earlier this year and is still available via the Tayler Corp. store right here:

https://shop.schlockmercenary.com/collections/zub-stuff
or a digital PDF right here:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/397852/SKULLKICKERS-Caster-Bastards-and-the-Great-Grotesque
The Skullkickers Super Special is the first time that non-backers and retailers can get their hands on the comic story. Soooo~ if readers like what’s in the comic and enjoy playing D&D or other fantasy TTRPGs, they should definitely dig deeper and check out the RPG adventure as well.


Byron: This is on a subject as far afield of Skullkickers as you can get, but I had to ask you about a new precedent you are setting. Aren’t you writing Conan the Barbarian and Red Sonja? The only other to do this, I believe, is their comics iteration creator, Roy Thomas… but you are doing it for two different companies! Is that correct, and ‘splain?



Jim Zub: It’s true! I’m currently writing Unbreakable Red Sonja, a 6-issue mini-series for Dynamite that launches [this month] and also working on the relaunch of Conan the Barbarian coming from Titan in 2023. Getting the chance to write the two most famous characters in the Hyborian Age at the same time for two different publishers is quite an honor and I couldn’t be happier.



Byron: Jim, what other items are busting forth from the Zubaverse?



Jim Zub: A lot of projects that were delayed from 2020 and 2021 have finally kicked into gear this year so things are bustling. In addition to the Skullkickers Super Special, Unbreakable Red Sonja and Conan the Barbarian, I have:

Thunderbolts, a 5-issue mini-series at Marvel that started in August with Hawkeye leading a team of heroes trying to reform the team name sullied by Baron Zemo and Wilson Fisk.
Murderworld, a series of 5 one-shot specials at Marvel that connect together to tell a twisted tale of Arcade’s ultimate contest with unexpected lethal results. The first part, Murderworld: Avengers, launches in November.
Rick and Morty VS Cthulhu, a new crossover mini-series published by Oni Press with artist Troy Little where we pit Rick Sanchez and the Smith family against H.P. Lovecraft’s most famous creations, the ultimate contest of Nihilism Vs Narcissism. That launches in December.
Lots of fun stuff underway.

Dynamic Forces would like to thank Jim Zub for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. The Skullkickers Super Special one-shot from Image Comics is slated to be on sale November 9th!



For more news and up-to-date announcements, join us here at Dynamic Forces, www.dynamicforces.com/htmlfiles/, “LIKE” us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/dynamicforcesinc, and follow us on Twitter, www.twitter.com/dynamicforces.

BOOM! Studios today revealed a first look at THE LAST WITCH: BLOOD & BETRAYAL #1, the premiere issue of the next exciting chapter of THE LAST WITCH from writer Conor McCreery (Assassin’s Creed), artist V.V. Glass’ (Kamen Rider Zero-One), colorist Natalia Nesterenko, and letterer Taylor Esposito. The young adult fantasy series returns with THE LAST WITCH: BLOOD & BETRAYAL from BOOM! Studios in June 2025!

The one thing Saoirse has always known: witches are evil. But now she is one, and she has to contend with what that means for herself and her brother Brahm. All the while, Nicneven has plans that can mean the end of Ireland as they know it. Saoirse must learn to control her magic—and temper—if they want any chance of defeating her.

Are her own prejudices against witches creating more of a barrier between herself, her powers, and her family?

THE LAST WITCH: BLOOD & BETRAYAL #1 features main cover art by series artist V.V. Glass and variant covers by Jorge Corona (Batgirls).

THE LAST WITCH: BLOOD & BETRAYAL is the latest release from BOOM! Studios’ award-winning BOOM! Box imprint, home to groundbreaking original series such as Lumberjanes by Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Gus Allen, and ND Stevenson; Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera and Celia Moscote; Giant Days by John Allison, Lissa Treiman, and Max Sarin; Mamo by Sas Milledge; Save Yourself! by Bones Leopard and Kelly and Nichole Matthews; Specter Inspectors by Bowen McCurdy and Kaitlyn Musto; The Last Witch by Conor McCreery and V.V. Glass; Ghosted in LA by Sina Grace and Siobhan Keenan; The Avant-Guards by Carly Usdin and Noah Hayes; Fence by C.S. Pacat and Johanna the Mad; Goldie Vance by Hope Larson and Brittney Williams; Hollow by Shannon Watters, Branden Boyer-White, and Berenice Nelle; Getting Dizzy by Shea Fontana and Celia Moscote; and the educational series Seen: True Stories of Marginalized Trailblazers.

THE LAST WITCH: BLOOD & BETRAYAL #1 will be available in comic shops June 18, 2025. It is available for pre-order at your local comic shop. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including Kindle, iBooks, and Google Play.

Break out the old kill room, because Dexter Morgan is very not dead.

Dexter: Resurrection, the sequel series to flagship Dexter, has set a release date and has dropped a teaser trailer saying as much as it reintroduces Michael C. Hall as titular serial killer Dexter Morgan.

Dexter: Resurrection will debut with two episodes on Friday, July 11, on streaming and on demand for Paramount+ With Showtime subscribers, before its on-air debut Sunday, July 13, at 8 p.m. Remaining episodes will roll out weekly.

Dexter: Resurrection, from showrunner and executive producer Clyde Phillips, is a continuation of Dexter: New Blood and picks up immediately after that 2021 limited series left off, where Dexter Morgan is revived after being shot by his son, Harrison (Jack Alcott). Dexter’s resuscitation was revealed in a flash-forward in Dexter: Original Sin, the prequel series that wrapped its first run in February (and has since been renewed). Phillips also headed up Original Sin. (via THR)

Teaser: https://youtu.be/PC1ugbqJKNM

James Gunn's Superman movie has finally offered fans the first full look at its secret villain.

Several big baddies are confirmed for David Corenswet's Man of Steel to go up against in the DC Studios epic, Lex Luthor among them; however, one key member of the film's antagonistic bunch still has largely been kept under wraps.

A new Amazon product listing shows the first head-to-toe look at Superman's villain, Ultraman. The sneak peek at the character popped up in the official activity book for Superman. It shows the masked villain in a skin-tight suit floating with his arms spread wide.

The costume includes rounded goggles on the mask, a purple tint, and a metallic "U" splayed across the chest. Fans still do not know who the supervillain is, who they will be played by, or how they specifically factor in Superman's plot.

Superman is set to soar into theaters on July 11, kicking off the newly minted DCU. (via The Direct)

Alan Tudyk’s beloved slouching quippy reprogrammed Imperial murder-bot K-2SO has an important role to play in Andor season two … just not quite yet.

It’s understandable that some fans have been a bit impatient for this. When Andor was first announced as a prequel series to 2016’s Rogue One, the first thing that likely popped into your mind is Cassian Andor and his eight-foot-tall metal buddy roaming the galaxy, going on Rebel Alliance missions and having all sorts of adventures.

But according to creator Tony Gilroy, the big reason we haven’t seen K-2SO is story-based.

“[Limiting] K-2SO came from the experience of making Rogue, to be honest with you,” Gilroy says. “From the very beginning, that was one of the most difficult parts of the original conversation — how long I was going to have to delay [K-2SO]? Because what can you do with him? I don’t want people to go back and diagram Rogue, but just within that movie, there are two or three or four places where we are hiding him — where he has to stay on the ship or can’t go somewhere. He’s a really, really difficult piece of equipment to carry through a story. The limitations on him are huge. He’s a very visible, troublesome piece of story gear. So I knew intuitively how long I would have to wait to do it.”

But K-2SO is coming. Really. (via The Hollywood Reporter)

The multiple Eisner, Harvey, Ringo, and Hugo Award winning New York Times bestselling series, Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda, hits its milestone 10th anniversary this year. In celebration of the momentous achievement, an equally momentous, door-stopping Monstress Compendium One paperback edition is slated to hit shelves this Fall from Image Comics.

This highly-anticipated collected edition will be comprised of Monstress issues #1-48 and provide a binge-able new entry-point for readers just discovering Maika’s dark arcane quest.

"In a lot of ways, Monstress is one of our secret weapons," said Eric Stephenson, Publisher and Chief Creative Officer at Image Comics. "Since the first trade paperback was released, it has sold and sold and sold, making it one of our most successful series of the past 10 years. For anyone not already seduced by this series' many charms, this massive compendium is a great opportunity to fall in love with one of comics’ modern masterworks."

The richly imagined world of Monstress is an alternate 1900s Asia, with an art deco-infused steampunk aesthetic that's brimming with arcane dangers. Within it, a teenage girl struggles to overcome the trauma of war, a task that's made all the more difficult by her mysterious psychic link to an eldritch monster of tremendous power—a connection that will transform them both, and place them in the crosshairs of both human and otherworldly powers.

Monstress first launched in 2015 and has gone on to be reprinted many times, has garnered a slew of accolades including multiple Eisner Awards, Harvey Awards, a Hugo Award, World Fantasy Award, and British Fantasy Award. It has snagged spots on Best of Year lists including those of Entertainment Weekly, Newsweek, The Washington Post, Thrillist, Barnes & Noble, Powell’s, and the American Library Association’s YALSA list. Liu broke the glass ceiling in 2016 when she made history as the first woman ever to win an Eisner Award the the Best Writer category for her work on the series.

Monstress Compendium One paperback (ISBN: 9781534328334) will be available at local comic book shops on Wednesday, September 24 and independent bookstores, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Indigo, and Waterstones on Tuesday, October 7.

Monstress is also available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, Google Play, and Omnibus.

Academy Award-nominated Japanese director Mamoru Hosoda‘s latest animated film, “Scarlet,” has landed a Dec. 12 domestic release date from Sony Pictures. The film centers on a brave princess who transcends time and space.

Hosoda’s previous feature films include “Digimon: The Movie” (2000), “One Piece: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island” (2005), “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” (2006), “Summer Wars” (2009), “Wolf Children” (2012), “The Boy and the Beast” (2015), and “Mirai” (2018), which was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 91st Academy Awards. “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” earned the inaugural Japan Academy Prize for Best Animation, while “Summer Wars” (2009) earned him an Annie Award nomination for Best Director and screened at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Sony Pictures is co-producing and co-financing the film with Studio CHIZU and Nippon TV. (via Variety)

BOOM! Studios, in collaboration with leading games, IP and toy company Hasbro, today revealed a first look at POWER RANGERS PRIME #7. Groundbreaking POWER RANGERS writer, and scribe behind Darkest Hour Melissa Flores, with Michael YG (Iron Fist), colorist Fabi Marques, and letterer Ed Dukeshire ushers in a new era into the Rangers Mythos with the new ongoing series POWER RANGERS PRIME! Continuing June 2025.

The Rangers might finally have their powers, but they still have a long way to go before they’re a real team. They’ll need to learn fast though, as one group delves into a mysterious and potentially dangerous underground labyrinth known as The Belly, while another explores a more… diplomatic solution to rescuing Mark.



POWER RANGERS PRIME #7 features a main cover by the incomparable Dan Mora, with variants by Li Cree (Creepshow), Jae Lee & June Chung (Faithless), Keyla Valerio (Vicarious), Kevin Wada (Briar), Jessica Fong (Absolute Wonder Woman), and a limited BOOM! Studios Direct Reserve exclusive variant by Huy Dinh (The Boys)!



POWER RANGERS PRIME is the newest release from BOOM! Studios’ eponymous imprint, home to critically acclaimed original series, including BRZRKR by Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt, and Ron Garney; Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera; bestselling horror anthology Hello Darkness; Grim by Stephanie Phillips and Flaviano; Stuff of Nightmares by R.L. Stine and A.L. Kaplan; A Vicious Circle by Mattson Tomlin and Lee Bermejo; Ghostlore by Cullen Bunn and Leomacs; Rare Flavours by Ram V and Filipe Andrade; Underheist by David and Maria Lapham; Animal Pound by Tom King and Peter Gross; Minor Arcana by Jeff Lemire; and the upcoming Vicarious by Ryan Parrott and Eleonora Carlini; and The Creeping Below by Brian Azzarello and Vanesa Del Rey. The imprint also publishes popular licensed properties, including Dune: House Corrino from Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, and Simone Ragazzoni; and The Expanse: Dragon Tooth by Andy Diggle, Rubine, and Francesco Pisa.



POWER RANGERS PRIME #7 will be available in comic shops June 4, 2025. It is available for pre-order at your local comic shop. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including Kindle, iBooks, and Google Play.

Today Skybound and Image Comics revealed a stunning set of all-new The Walking Dead Deluxe connecting variant covers drawn by Eisner Award winner Matt Wagner (Grendel, Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman: Trinity), with colors by Brennan Wagner (The Shadow: Year One). This connecting series covers the “All Out War-Part 1" story arc of the landmark comic book series, which commences the war between Rick and his allies and Negan and his Saviors in the biggest storyline in The Walking Dead history.

Each of the covers in the connecting series depicts a prominent survivor in stark full color amid a background of the Walkers they fight against in muted ombré pastel.

“When Skybound offered me these covers, they asked if I could possibly weave them all together into some sort of continuous tapestry,” said Matt Wagner. “My first idea was to link the covers as frames in an animated sequence that changed characters with every issue, the action charging left-to-right and finally turning back on itself. For me, the funnest part was the canopy background of Walkers and making sure that each and every one of the 100+ undead were completely different from each other. And then Brennan's incredible coloring made the whole thing flow as one grand montage!”

“All Out War is one of the most pivotal storylines in all of The Walking Dead, and having the chance to bring in Matt and Brennan for this set of covers was a truly amazing opportunity,” said Nachie Marsham, Senior Editor at Skybound. “They created something uniquely their own while capturing the heart of the story. The covers are a mangled delight to see, and I can’t wait for people to get their hands on them!”

These all-new covers will appear as variants to The Walking Dead Deluxe #115-120, with each issue presenting the series in full color format for the first time from writer/creator Robert Kirkman, with art by Charlie Adlard and colors by Dave McCaig. Fans will also receive a new look at the worldwide pop culture phenomenon with pinups and exclusive “Cutting Room Floor” commentary by Kirkman, celebrating the secret history of the series.

The Walking Dead Deluxe #115 (Lunar Codes Below, Where Available SRP: $3.99) will be available at comic book shops and digital platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play on Wednesday, June 18, 2025.

A full list of the connecting covers is below:

The Walking Dead Deluxe #115 CVR C Matt Wagner & Brennan Wagner (Lunar Code: 0425IM444) – available June 18, 2025

The Walking Dead Deluxe #116 CVR C Matt Wagner & Brennan Wagner (Lunar Code: 0525IM455) – available July 2, 2025

The Walking Dead Deluxe #117 CVR C Matt Wagner & Brennan Wagner (Lunar Code: 0525IM458) – available July 16, 2025

The Walking Dead Deluxe #118 CVR C Matt Wagner & Brennan Wagner – available August 6, 2025

The Walking Dead Deluxe #119 CVR C Matt Wagner & Brennan Wagner – available August 20, 2025

The Walking Dead Deluxe #120 CVR C Matt Wagner & Brennan Wagner – available September 3. 2025

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners held the top spot at the box office in its second week, earning another $45 million. That’s a minuscule drop of just over 6%, which is practically unheard of in the industry at this point in time, when streaming more often than not reigns supreme.

It’s the second-best for an R-rated movie in history, with the only film besting it being this year’s dark horse slasher flick Heart Eyes, which actually managed to jump 19% in week two. The catch there was that its second weekend was Valentine’s Day weekend. It’s not quite an apples-to-apples comparison. But, either way, after just two weekends, Sinners has become the 11th highest-grossing vampire movie of all time. And chances are it’s going to go up that list quite a bit and quite quickly.

What bloodsucking movies are ahead of Sinners? Just the three Hotel Transylvania movies, and there’s a better than decent chance it will beat the highest-grossing of them (Hotel Transylvania 2‘s $169.7 million) by next Sunday.

Sinners is now playing in theaters, IMAX, and 70mm. (via ComicBook.com)

Following his Oscar-nominated work on Conclave, director Edward Berger looks to have zeroed in on his potential next project and is teaming with one of the towns’ biggest stars. Deadline is reporting that, following a competitive situation, A24 has landed the hot package The Riders with Academy Award-winner Brad Pitt on board to star. David Kajganich will adapt Tim Winton’s novel.

The novel follows Fred Scully (Pitt), who after traveling through Europe for two years, wind up in Ireland with his wife and daughter, and on a mystical whim of Jennifer’s, buy an old farmhouse which stands in the shadow of a castle. While Scully spends weeks alone renovating the old house, Jennifer returns to Australia to liquidate their assets. When Scully arrives at Shannon Airport to pick up Jennifer and their seven-year-old daughter, Billie, it is Billie who emerges—alone. There is no note, no explanation, not so much as a word from Jennifer, and the shock has left Billie speechless. In that instant, Scully’s life falls to pieces.

Production will commence early 2026 and shoot in multiple locations across Europe.