Jim Zub's Blog
September 3, 2025
Zubby Newsletter #126: Surviving Nerdi Gras
The Hyborian Age photo shoot at Dragon Con 2025.Dragon Con was absolutely wild. One of our friends casually called it “Nerdi-Gras”, and the description could not have been more apt.
Mild weather for Atlanta in August meant that the streets were absolutely crammed with people, and an impressive number of them were in costume and ready to party. Five linked hotels plus the Americas Mart convention center hosted booths, events and panels, and every square inch of downtown was overrun with excited pop culture fans. Even the internal hotel TV channels broadcast Dragon Con TV all week. Raucous parties, over-the-top costumes, pounding music, and late nights…It was an incredible (and incredibly exhausting) finish to the summer convention season.
Two years ago when I was at Dragon Con, we’d just launched the new Conan the Barbarian series and now, with so much wind at our backs, there was a steady stream of readers to meet and fans to chat with about the series along with die hard older collectors regaling me with stories about growing up reading the pulps or original comics. It was a constant reminder of the legacy I currently get to be a small part of.
Supergirl sketch.Having so many conventions back-to-back meant that I was able to slip into drawing mode quicker than usual, which was nice. Lots of character sketches and remarques kept me on my toes between signing times and panels.
Finch Champion and I, with the drawing of Krydle she drew for me.At this show I also bonded with the Comic Sketch Art team. One of the new team members, an artist named Finch Champion, was assigned to my table and she did a wonderful job, handling books and signing stuff throughout the show. Chatting with her about art, storytelling, publishing and conventions scratched a bit of my teaching itch, which is extra scratchy right now as we head into the Fall and I’m no longer a prof at Seneca.
Nerd Rave in Full Effect.The End Before The Beginning
Cory Smith and I, with that amazing page art.At the end of the convention, artist Cory Smith gifted me the final page of our story from Conan the Barbarian #25 (released in late 2021).
This was the last page of Conan I wrote at Marvel and, at the time, I thought would be the last time I’d ever get to write the Cimmerian’s adventures (little did I know what the future held…)
When I read that last Marvel story, I’m immediately transported back to pandemic lockdowns and the surreal feeling of watching this dream project slip away with no way to stop it and far more important things happening around the world that I needed to be focused on. Conan’s words work for the story, but they’re also the coda I needed to hear at the time, a resolution to do my best under the circumstances and to try not to regret things out of my control. As you might imagine, having the original art for this page in my collection is really special.
At the time I proposed that issue #25 of Conan, final issue of the series and legacy #300, should be an epic done-in-one story to celebrate the character and his world. It’s even more surreal that four years later I’m about to release a completely different Conan the Barbarian #25 via Heroic Signatures and Titan, the exact kind of illustrated epic I hoped it could be. Full circle indeed.
This week has two big Zub releases – SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #10, an anthology issue with three separate stories that tie into the upcoming Scourge of the Serpent event, all written by me with stunning artwork by Doug Braithwaite, Mike Rooth, and Roberto De La Torre.
The second is SWORDS & LARCENY, a new prose anthology of swords & sorcery rogues and rapscallions. I have a new short story inside called Just A Bit of Smoke that I’m quite proud of.
Black Stone Action Figure – Animated!Award-winning stop motion animator Justin Rasch put together this killer ad animation for the upcoming Conan: Battle of the Black Stone action figure. He used the figure’s crazy articulation to craft an incredible blast of action, with Conan squaring off against thrashing eldritch tentacles from beyond.
If you want your very own figure, pre-orders are NOW OPEN on the Heroic Signatures website. Tell ’em I sent ya.
Speaking of pre-orders, Target now has the full cover and preview pages for Stranger Things-Dungeons & Dragons: Tales From the Table, the exclusive scrapbook Stacy and I wrote (arriving in November) that chronicles bits of lore from the old school D&D campaigns run by the Hawkins heroes alongside era-appropriate artwork by Donato Giancola.
Tales From The Table Preview PagesCurrent + Upcoming Releases
• Thomas Flight‘s video documentary, Why The Movies Will Never Feel The Same Again, is an intense rundown of how movies and media have changed over the past 20 years.
• Over on the Thought Bubble blog, they have some tips for creators exhibiting at their festival (or any other convention). Most of the advice is straight forward for people who have been attending conventions for years, but it’s nice having recommendations like this all organized in one place.
• Want to own the original Frank Frazetta Rogues in the House painting? As I link this, there are still 9 days left and auction bidding is over 7 million…
Jim
August 27, 2025
Zub at Dragon Con 2025!
This week is Atlanta’s massive pop culture convention, Dragon Con, that runs from August 28-September 1, 2025. I’m a special guest and will be set up with Comic Sketch Art in the Comic and Pop Artist Alley on Friday through Monday at
In addition to signing at my table, I’m on a couple panels over the weekend as well:
Friday, August 29th, 2025
2:30PM Conan Conquers Comics – Americas Mart Building 2, 4th floor, ROOM 204I
Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian has long been an extremely popular figure in comics ever since the early days at Marvel Comics. Come hear from current writer Jim Zub about his acclaimed run on the Heroic Signatures version of Conan currently published by Titan Comics.
Monday, September 1st, 2025
11:30AM Writer’s Room: Comic Book Edition – Americas Mart Building 2, 4th floor, ROOM 204I
What is it like writing a comic book? We talk to our guest writers about where they draw inspiration and ideas that thrill comic book fans time and time again. Panelists Tini Howard, D.G. Chichester, Chuck Brown, Jim Zub, and Andrew E.C. Gaska.
August 26, 2025
Zubby Newsletter #125: Summer Storm
Hanging out with Ashari and Nick at the end of the show.Fan Expo Canada swept in and out like a storm – tons of friends, former students, and other familiar faces stopped by catch up, along with readers who discovered my work for the first time at their local shop, or were struck by my books or banner.
Friends joked back in March that I’ve become “Everyone’s Dad’s favorite new comic writer” thanks to Conan, and that trend proudly continued here. The monthly collectors came out in force and it was so nice chatting with them about how they first discovered the Cimmerian – through the 60’s paperback books, the 70’s comics, the original 80’s movie, the 90’s animated series, or more recent video games. In quite a few cases I was thrilled to hear that readers started with our new series and are now working their way back to the original source material.
Even though it was very busy, I managed to get quite a few sketches done. I still don’t have a set “look” for my take on Conan – there are so many phenomenal artists who have created iconic versions of the character and I keep getting pulled toward one look or another. At some point it would be a real honor to do a variant cover of my own, but finding the time and space to do that would be tough with my current writing and travel schedule.
Conan sketch from Fan Expo Canada 2025.After the show wrapped up on Sunday, Stacy and I grabbed dinner with friends and then dashed home to pack our luggage once again. We had an early morning flight to Atlanta and I’m currently typing this while visiting Stacy’s brother and family north of the city, a few days to try and recharge before Dragon Con kicks into gear to finish the summer convention season.
During Dragon Con, I’ll be part of the Comic and Pop Artist Alley located in Americas Mart Building 2 on the 4th Floor. As I send this out I still don’t have my table number, but once it begins on Friday I should be on the map there and quite find-able.
Ringo Nominee
Team Conan served up two nominations for the 2025 Ringo Awards – Best Anthology for Savage Sword of Conan, and Best Letterer for Richard Starkings.
If you’re a comic industry professional, please cast your vote and, if you like what we’ve been doing and can support Savage Sword and Richard, even better.
Savage Sketches Coming Your Way
Mike Rooth’s upcoming Savage Sword #10 cover looks incredible!Artist Mike Rooth created a sharp convention variant cover for Ottawa Comiccon (happening Sept 5-7) and, beyond the wonderful illustration he put together for it, he asked the printer to use sketch cover paper stock and make the back cover blank to create the first Savage Sword sketch cover! It’s magazine-sized with a bold logo, the perfect canvas for fans to get a one-of-a-kind sketch from their favorte artist at an upcoming convention.
Local Comic Shop Day Promo VideoWhen I was at Gen Con, I shot this quick promo video, encouraging retailers to order up on Scourge of the Serpent, especially the special variant cover we have for Local Comic Shop Day on September 27th.
Black Stone Action FigureBack in December, I mentioned that Heroic Signatures was making a Conan action figure based on Rob De La Torre’s artwork on the Battle of the Black Stone mini-series, and it’s getting ever closer.
Robo Don’t Know has one of the prototype figures and does an extensive review of it – poseability, components, and more!
Current + Upcoming Releases
• Battleborn is a new fantasy prose anthology magazine funding on Indiegogo. Lots of familiar names in the mix on this one, so if you’re a sword & sorcery fan, check it out!
• Legendary artist Joe Jusko has a new artbook funding over on Kickstarter, and it looks like it’ll be a stunner, packed with recent illustrations and development work.
I hope your summer is wrapping up strong!
Jim
August 20, 2025
Zubby Newsletter #124: Busy Week
Wait, it’s already Wednesday?! Oh man~
Artwork from Marvel Comics #1000 by Nick Bradshaw and John Rauch.Stacy and I woke up before the sun on Monday and flew home from Seattle after World Con. Our heads are still on west coast time and overall exhaustion from this schedule is driving us into weird work hours and napping over the past couple days while we try to reorganize before Fan Expo Canada.
(Above is a panel from Marvel Comics #1000, a celebratory anthology issue I was honored to contribute to in 2019. Working with Canadian superstar artist Nick Bradshaw on a Blade story, even just a 1-pager, was such a blast. I’d love to write more street level or supernatural superhero stories and Blade is a character I know I could use to deliver thrills, chills, and mighty blood spills. 
)
With the Taylers at World Con.After boothing with Howard and Sandra Tayler at Gen Con just a couple weeks ago, it was amazing to see them again and experience our first World Con with their guidance. World Con is the oldest science fiction and fantasy convention and it’s not quite like any comic or tabletop gaming convention I’ve been to before.
The heart of World Con is panel programming – hundreds of panels, really. This year’s program guide had 3-5 panel listings per page and was 196 pages! Since we didn’t have a table of our own, Stacy and I attended way more panels than ever before, taking in a cross section of fan and professional discussions across a wide range of subjects. Most of the workshops covered the basics in terms of writing, editing, and marketing, while some of the more obscure panels were fun in terms of digging into ideas and worlds that don’t normally get much emphasis. It’s diverse, dynamic, and all quite dizzying.
Being at the Hugo Awards was a fun experience, similar to any other award show, but with the added prestige that the Hugos has across genre publishing. Being there when my friend Ryan North won the Hugo for Best Graphic Story or Comic was a thrill.
I ran into quite a few friends but also met a lot of new people too – authors, artists and editors working in sci-fi and fantasy. Comics have never had a huge presence at World Con, but entrenched attitudes about the medium are slowly shifting, so it was good to represent sequential art on discussions and hoist the flag for comics in general. I don’t know if it’s a show I can add to my schedule every year (especially since each World Con is hosted in a different city, so travel costs can vary wildly), but it was worth being there this time and putting a face to the name of a lot of people whose work I admire.
All that said, it was five days of intense conventioning, after the five days that was San Diego Comic Con and five days that was Gen Con, so I’m definitely feeling creaky as we head into Fan Expo Canada this week-
Fan Expo Canada is This Week?!Yes, this week is Canada’s biggest pop culture convention, Fan Expo Canada, August 21-24, 2025. I’m a special guest at this year’s show and will be set up with in the Comic Sketch Art section of Artist Alley at CREATOR TABLE CP81.
Since this is my local show here in Toronto, I’ll have quite a few Conan the Barbarian back issues and variant covers on hand so, if you’re on the hunt, feel free to reach out and hopefully I can fill in gaps in your collection and sign them at the same time. My location is the opposite from last year, down near the food vendors in the exhibit hall:
Where you’ll find me at Fan Expo Canada 2025.
This October, Titan is releasing CONAN THE BARBARIAN Vol. 1: BOUND IN BLACK STONE in a new oversized hardcover deluxe edition, and they just posted up this quick flip-through of the book to show readers and retailers what’s inside:
Current + Upcoming Releases
• When I was an instructor at Seneca, one of the courses I taught was Animation History, so I have an extensive collection of old animated films and always keep an eye out for new releases of classic material – This November, Cartoon Logic is releasing a restored high definition collection of Aesop’s Fables cartoon shorts from the 1920’s. I have a lot of these cartoons, but the quality is quite low so I look forward to upgrading.
• John Shableski talks about explosive graphic novel sales growth at Otto Bookstore, an independant shop in Williamsport, PA – “Our graphic novel selection went from those three titles to 1100 and nearly 3/4 of the titles are middle grade.”
Jim
Zub at Fan Expo Canada 2025!
This week is Canada’s biggest pop culture convention, Fan Expo Canada, August 21-24, 2025.
I’m a special guest and will be set up with in the Comic Sketch Art section of Artist Alley at
Since this is my local show, I’ll have quite a few Conan the Barbarian back issues and variant covers so, if you’re on the hunt, feel free to reach out and hopefully I can fill in gaps in your collection and sign them at the same time.
My location is the opposite from last year, down near the food vendors in the exhibit hall:
In addition to being at my table throughout the show, I’m also part of a writing panel on Sunday:
SUNDAY, August 24, 20242:00pm-3:00pm – SUPER SUNDAY WRITING FOR COMICS PANEL in THEATRE 3 (701A)
We’ve assembled an all-star panel of comic writers for you this Sunday afternoon to discuss what they are doing and what’s next! Panelists Mark Russell, Ethan Sacks, Frank Tieri and Jim Zub.
August 18, 2025
Conan the Barbarian #23 Reviews
Conan the Barbarian #23, the third part of our Nest of Serpents arc, arrived in stores. The tension mounts against Stygian sorcery. What did critics think?
• Brother Lore: “Testosterone fiction packed with muscles, swords and sandals, and beautiful women. Fun and absolutely 100% worth it.”
• Comic Book Corner 2.0: “The way Jim Zub writes this book makes you want to read each and every issue because the way he writes is so entertaining. The way he describes Conan and everything that goes on with all the characters in this book is phenomenal. The artwork is amazing…Another top pick, an A+ book for me.”
• Comic Book University: “This is the badass comic of all badass comics…Zub is channeling all of the greats and putting pen to paper just like Howard, just like Thomas, and I love it.”
• Comical Opinions: 8/10 “efficiently advances the plot, setting the stage for a significant confrontation…The visual storytelling remains strong, making this a solid entry in the series.”
• Cool Thunder: 9.5/10 “The storytelling remains sharp and engaging, and Fernando Dagnino’s dynamic line work once again hits the mark…A thrilling chapter in an already stellar run. Conan is still king.”
• The DNA Show: “The stories have been very solid, very enjoyable. Kudos to the team.”
• Dragon’s Cache: 9.8/10 “Fernando Dagnino shows the disparity between rich and poor, Diego Rodriguez paints the night purple on Conan and Zula’s nocturnal adventure.”
• Gaming Trend: 9/10 “High stakes subterfuge combined with just enough action to feel like a Conan story create a compelling tale that sets up exciting things to come.”
• Goodreads: 10/10 “So far nothing has disappointed. This far in, that’s both impressive and still promising.”
• League of Comic Geeks: 9/10 “There are two stunningly gorgeous spread pages that I really just took awhile to soak in. The art in general is exceptional and really sells the dark and dirty atmosphere of Conan.”
• Nerd Initiative: “What more can I come on here and say about this fantastic comic? 23 issues in and every issue is absolutely fantastic. Awesome storytelling, awesome art, awesome action.”
• 9 Panel Grid: “There are moments of brutality that end up showing through here and Dagnino does a great job at conveying those…Conan the Barbarian continues to be a fun journey and I continue to enjoy it.”
• Old Man Hyborian: “Another excellent tale by Jim Zub with solid artwork by Fernando Dagnino. Buy it, read it. You will enjoy it. I look forward to the conclusion of this story arc.”
• Stygian Dogs: ” I really enjoyed this issue, as with the previous two, it just feels different. Rewarding. And man, I’m so pleased with Fernando Dagnino’s work…It all feels very refreshing. There’s something in this arc that effectively evokes a sense of nostalgia for the monthly Conan adventures from years past.”
• Sword & Sorcery Book Club: “Amazing work by Fernando Dagnino. I love the way he kind of sculpts the muscles of the figures…It was really phenomenal.”
• Two Guys and a Stack of Comics: “Book of the Week…a straightforward sword and sandals story with our favorite barbarian. Great writing and the art always delivers.”
August 12, 2025
Zubby Newsletter #123: Ready For the World
Sunset in SeattleI was home for five days after Gen Con, repacked, and then jumped on a plane. Stacy and I are now in Seattle for Worldcon, the oldest sci-fi and fantasy convention (it started in 1939) that is hosted in a different city each year. Worldcon is a very literary/prose-centric show (which makes sense given that it hosts the Hugo Awards) and we’re curious to see how it will compare to comic and tabletop game conventions we usually attend. I don’t have any kind of table presence at the show, I’m just participating in some panels and looking to socialize and network a bit, so it should feel quite different than a “comic con” kind of weekend.
Before that kicks off though, we have a couple days visiting our friends Jim and Andrea north of the city, which is a nice change of pace. Great conversation, good food, and a quick exhale before I dive into 3 more conventions over 3 weeks.
Power and Influence
Conan the Barbarian #23 cover art by Greg StaplesConan the Barbarian #23 arrives at your favorite local comic shop tomorrow – Wednesday, August 13th. We’ve been teasing Thoth-Amon’s influence in earlier issues, but now our Cimmerian hero confronts the Stygian Grand Sorcerer directly and our art team (line artist Fernando Dagnino and colorist Diego Rodriguez) pulls out all the stops for it. I am ecstatic at how it turned out.
No spoilers, but check out this text-free series of panels to get hyped–
Ridiculous, right?! I am so, so fortunate to be working with this crew and extra proud of how this issue turned out. Make sure you snap it up!
Old Marvel Comics adIn the late 1970’s, readers saw this ad in various Marvel Comics, promoting a map poster and gazetteer of the Hyborian Age they could mail away for. I haven’t managed to track down that classic poster yet, but last week a copy of the gazetteer was added to my growing Conan collection.
A Gazetteer of the Hyborian World of ConanThis 132-page softcover includes an alphabetical listing of places mentioned or visted across all the original Robert E. Howard Conan and Kull stories, the adjusted versions by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter, and early comic stories by Roy Thomas. Interesting bit of trivia – the book is credited to “Lee N. Falconer”, but that was a pen name for fantasy author Julian May, who was a huge Robert E. Howard fan and researcher.
I’m sure a digital version would work fine as a general reference, but having the physical book on hand is nice to have as I’m plugging away on new stories. It’s also another reminder of the legacy all this stuff carries.
Talking Scourge of the Serpent with The Comic SourceI spoke to Jace over at The Comic Source all about our Scourge of the Serpent event mini-series that will be slithering its way into your soul this Fall. I also cover info on our big 25th issue and tease what’s coming up in issue #29 and beyond.
I didn’t realize that Penguin Random House recorded the Celebrating Dungeons & Dragons panel I was on at San Diego this year. So many great anecdotes and heartfelt moments here worth sharing. Such a pleasure getting to be a part of this.
Dungeons & Dragons continues its monumental rise in pop culture after 50 years! With more people rolling dice and telling stories every day, come hear from expert Dungeon Masters and Storytellers who share how Dungeons & Dragons has secured its place in society and the tabletop. Anjali Bhimani (Actor, DesiQuest, Critical Role, Dimension 20), Elisa Teague (Game Designer & Writer) Teagan Morrison (Co-Founder, Hero Forge), Jim Zub (Writer, Dungeons & Dragons) and Moderator Ross Thompson.
Fantasy Art For The Ages
Max Dunbar is a dear friend and has been a steady collaborator with me on a bunch of projects over the years, most notably Dungeons & Dragons, Castle Arkham, and Champions. He’s crowdfunding a new artbook of his fantasy art with Zoop, jam-packed with some of the most stunning characters and locations I have ever seen. If you are a sword & sorcery or D&D fan you NEED to get on board and secure yourself a copy!
Current + Upcoming Releases
• Robert E. Howard scholar Jeff Shanks spoke to Lion at the Sword & Sorcery Book Club about eldritch horror, archaeology and more in this interview.
• Dr. Patrice Louinet spoke to the Robert E. Howard Foundation about editing the Del Rey editions of Conan the Barbarian.
Jim
August 11, 2025
Zub at Worldcon 2025!
Stacy and I are heading to Seattle for Worldcon 82, the longest-running sci-fi and fantasy convention that is hosted in a different city each year and is home to the Hugo Awards. It’s our first time attending Worldcon and we’re eager to see how it compares to comic and tabletop gaming conventions we go to.
We won’t have a homebase at the show, so the best way to find us will be at social events and panels. If you’ll be at Worldcon, feel free to reach out and, if you see us wandering the exhibits or showfloor, say “Hi”.
Thursday, August 14
3:00-4:00pm – A Welcome Reprieve – Room 433-434
In challenging times, fantasy stories offer solace. Join our panelists in a discussion on the qualities of escapism and how fantasy stories can comfort, support, and inspire their audiences. Moderator Casey Blair with speakers Caitlin Rozakis, D. Wes Rist, and Jim Zub.
Friday, August 15
9:00-10:00am – The Indie Comics Panel: The Big 25% – Room 431-432
The “Big Two” comic book publishers control 75% of the market and get plenty of attention. If you’re curious about who makes up the independent comics market and where you fit in as a fan, this might be the panel for you! Panelists Howard Tayler, Kel McDonald, Neil Ottenstein, Rob McMonigal and Jim Zub.
Saturday, August 16
1:30-2:30pm – Writing Comics and Graphic Novels – Room 343-344
Comics are bigger than ever and the publishing industry is wild for graphic novels and manga, but writing a comic story is its own skill – different from prose and different from writing a screenplay. Gain valuable insight about the comics medium – pitching, script formatting, collaborating with artists, and common pitfalls many new comic writers make as they get their start. Moderator Moriko Handford, with speakers G. Willow Wilson, Jim Zub, Kel McDonald, and Ryan North.
3:00-4:00pm – Table Talks – Room 430
Have an intimate discussion (up to six participants) with your favorite creators. Advance sign-up is required. Ray Nayler, Jim Zub, Meghan Lancaster, Moriko Handford, Jason Sanford, Terilee Edwards-Hewitt.
August 6, 2025
Zubby Newsletter #122: A Real Sell Out
Gen Con 2025 was like that.Gen Con 2025 happened, of that I am certain, but the speed with which it shot past us was awe-inspiring. After getting home from San Diego, I had one day to reorganize and repack before we were on the road, driving to Indianapolis. Stacy and I did the trek to Indy over two days, stopping midway and heading to a screening of Fantastic Four: First Steps (which was wonderful – brimming with retro-future fare, big ideas, and even bigger hearts) before the “Best Four Days in Gaming” kicked off with aplomb.
The show was completely sold out and the crowd was hungry for new games and stories. I thought we had enough Conan the Barbarian books for the entire weekend, but by first thing Saturday morning we’d blown through every Conan trade and variant our booth had in stock. We could have gone double or triple in terms of inventory, which is a bit head-spinning.
Sign that stack, Hyborian!Other highlights included:
• Big social energy at the Diana Jones Party, which acts as the unofficial Welcome Party for Gen Con.
• Attending the memorial panel for my friend Howard Andrew Jones and telling the crowd there about our time together at Robert E. Howard Days in 2024.
• Hanging out with the D&D in a Castle crew at their posh Airbnb, chatting about business, storytelling, and future plans.
• An amazing dinner with Kandrix, Lindsey, and Andrea at Commission Row.
• Old school webcomic nostalgia with Jerry Holkins of Penny Arcade.
• Attending the Chaosium 50th Anniversary party to celebrate Call of Cthulhu, Runequest, and more.
• Dinner with the Ten Speed-Random House team at the Rathskeller pub, including the spiciest mustard I have ever tasted.
• Playing the ever-lovin’ blue-eyed Thing with the Glass Cannon Network crew in their Marvel Multverse RPG live game, injecting as many old school comic-isms into my dialogue as possible and saving H.E.R.B.I.E. from disaster.
• Having a mutual fan moment with Kevin Siembieda, creator of Palladium Books and a slew of games I grew up on, including TMNT, Robotech, Beyond the Supernatural, and Rifts.
• Building more memories with Howard, Sandra, Darrin, and the rest of our Gen Con booth family.
A wonderful chat with Kevin Siembieda.It came up over and over again in conversation – When I was a kid I heard about Gen Con by seeing ads for it in Dragon Magazine or reading articles about book launches and game demos. Getting to attend the show once would have been a dream back then. Having a booth year after year and being part of the tabletop gaming industry is such a surreal and amazing thing. Thank you to everyone who stopped by!
A Book of Many Patterns
Speaking of Gen Con, over the weekend Ten Speed Press revealed the cover and details for Stacy’s latest book which arrives March next year – It’s called Dungeons & Dragons Crochet: A Book of Many Patterns!
Nerdist had the exclusive reveal and the article exploded on social media, with gamers and yarn weavers alike getting really excited about the variety and quality of the designs being shown so far. I had no idea that so many tabletop gamers crochet while they play, and this is really hitting the spot for them. Stacy wrote all the descriptve and fiction sections and wove in tons of deep cut references from old and new D&D lore. I can’t wait for people to see how well put together all of it is.
The D&D Crochet book is a lot of fun and going to make a wonderful gift, so make sure you pre-order now!
Local Comic Shop Day Special
Kull and Brule are transformed into Serpent Men!Saturday, September 27 2025 is Local Comic Shop Day and, to help encourage readers to head to their favorite local comic shop, Titan is putting out a special front-and-back variant cover for CONAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT #1, with stunning linework by Rob De La Torre.
Make sure you let your favorite comic store know before August 18th if you want one so they can put in the order and put your copy aside! I suspect this will be the rarest cover for the event.
SDCC Interview MarathonOn Friday during San Diego Comic Con, editor Chris Butera and I ran a Gauntlet with a series of back-to-back interviews talking about Conan the Barbarian. Given that these were recorded in the same 2 hour block of time, it’s interesting to see how our attitude and responses change depending on the interviewer and questions they ask. Check ’em out:
With Fanboy Planet we cover event-planning, the works of Robert E. Howard, obscure characters, timelines and more!
With The Mary Sue , I’m more punchy, joking about conventions, long term storytelling, and how fantasy reflects the times we live in.
With Pop Culture Cult we talk about why Conan is an icon, why sword & sorcery is exciting, the original Conan movie versus the character’s literary source material, why we don’t put sound effects in most Conan comics, and more.
And then Comic Crusaders came in with a chest-thumping intro that changes the vibe again as we talk about the Scourge event, writing technique, collaboration, Conan’s American identity, surviving in the Hyborian Age, and more.
Seeing some of this marathon is a glimpse at the promotional work we do at a big show like San Diego. It’s a ton of fun, but you also need to be quick on your feet and rol with each interviewer’s approach to make an impact.
Horley Talks To FP about His Painted Epic
Onward to even more interviews – Painter Alex Horley has an extensive interview with Forbidden Planet all about working on the fully painted Conan the Barbarian #25 arriving in October. He talks about his influences, scheduling, inspiration, and teasers small story bits from our aniversary issue.
• Stop motion animator Justin Rasch put together this amazing animated ad for the Frazetta Girls official Conan the Barbarian action figure.
• Wonderful seeing so many of my industry friends visiting the set of Fantastic Four: First Steps in this promotional video by Marvel.
• This interview with novelist Paul Harding is full of inspirational bits about writing, language, and the creative process.
Jim
July 28, 2025
Zubby Newsletter #121: Con and On
The Conan SDCC Panel Crew: Andrew Sumner, Jim Zub, Chris Butera, Dan Panosian, Shawn Curley.I flew home from San Diego on Sunday afternoon, opting for missing the last day of the show and taking a daytime flight over a red eye overnight flight right before I smash headlong into Gen Con Indy.
SDCC was a great time. This is my third year celebrating the ongoing Conan the Barbarian series with Heroic Signatures and Titan, so there was a familiar rhythm to the schedule – where I had to be and what needed to get done, but even that consistency carried lots of excitement because long runs like this are so few and far between in comics nowadays. The readership came out in force and we were ecstatic to see them. The Conan panel was on Thursday this year, which worked really well – We were all well rested, energized, with our voices intact and able to kick off the first full day of the convention by announcing all kinds of projects, showing off artwork, and giving the crowd a bunch of free swag.
Artwork from Conan: Scourge of the Serpent by Ivan Gil and João Canola.Conan: Scourge of the Serpent, our Fall event mini-series, is getting finished up now so we had a slew of pages to show off from our dream team – line artist Ivan Gil and colorist João Canola. I spoke at length about how challenging and satisfying it has been weaving together three different plotlines and time periods into one symbolic narrative full of surprises, especially when Ivan and João elevate every single scene.
Artwork from Conan the Barbarian arc 7 by Rob De La Torre and Fernando Dagnino.After our fully painted 25th issue spectacular, we have a 3-part story coming called The Conquering Crown, showing how Conan of Cimmeria finally becomes King of Aquilonia. It’s a brutal adventure filled to the brim with political machinations, courtly intrigue, and some of the biggest, bloodiest battles ever shown on the comic page. Artist Fernando Dagnino is back for this arc and the work he’s been producing is absolutely breathtaking.
Beyond that, we chatted about the new Conan action figure, Savage Sword of Conan magazine, the return of Kull the Conqueror, and a whole lot more. You can watch the panel discussion in its entirety on the official Conan YouTube channel, just make sure you have headphones on as the audio gets murky in a few spots.
Outside of all things Cimmerian, the camaraderie with old friends and new was really nice. Lots of great meet-ups and conversations on the showfloor and after hours. There was some talk about future projects, but also a lot of reminiscing about years past and being thankful for where things are currently at despite all the challenges. May these adventures never cease.
Gen Con This Week!Two of the biggest conventions in North America are back-to-back, so I’m repacking my bags and heading out the door tomorrow on my way to Indianapolis for Gen Con LVIII!
After missing last year’s show, I am incredibly excited to see gaming friends and fans at Gen Con. Darrin has been working his butt off to make the Tayler Corp. booth (#1349) the perfect signing and sketching spot, and I will be there most of the time during exhibit hall hours.
My booth location at Gen Con 2025.On Saturday afternoon, I’ll be part of the Glass Cannon Network’s official Marvel Multiverse TTRPG liveplay game. Which member of the Fantastic Four will I be playing? Make sure you show up and you’ll see!
Come see me play the Marvel Multiverse TTRPG on Saturday at Gen Con!Stranger Things-D&D Scrapbook in November
Tales From the Table arrives this November.The pre-order page for the Stranger Things-Dungeons & Dragons: Tales from the Table book that Stacy and I worked on together is finally up so we can show off the cover and start talking about this really unique project that will arrive in Target stores in early November. It’s an in-world item – Mike, Will, and Eddie’s Dungeons & Dragons campaign notes, characters, artwork, magic items and more throughout four seasons of the TV show. Putting the text together and art directing the drawings, maps, and other esoteric bits from 1980’s D&D was an absolute nostalgia bomb of the same era when I started playing.
“Stranger Things-Dungeons & Dragons-Tales from the Table follows the kids’ experience throughout Stranger Things by collecting fragments of their shared Dungeons & Dragons game. It interweaves real D&D maps and assets from the 80s, with the Dungeon Master notes of Mike, Will, and Eddie Munson, the player notes of the rest of the crew, and the various notes and scraps the kids leave behind as they deal with their ongoing adventures in Hawkins and beyond.”
Still a Few Seats Left!I’m Dungeon Mastering a double dose of D&D in a Castle this Fall. My November 3-7 table is SOLD OUT, but there are a couple seats left for the November 10-14 campaign, so snap those up if you want a memorable tabletop adventure in a lavish setting, packed with fun and friendship.
After DMing at the castle for my first time last year, I wrote an extensive newsletter all about it you can read up on right HERE.
• Digital forensics expert Hany Farid explains how he helps journalists, courts and governments find structural errors in AI-generated images, offering four practical tips everyday individuals can use when facing the internet’s war on reality.
• The official Conan the Barbarian YouTube channel updated with a really solid overview of kingdoms in the Hyborian Age. Great information and tons of artwork.
• Want to learn how to play the Marvel Multiverse TTRPG? The Glass Cannon crew also put together this handy introductory gameplay video.
• When I have a bit of spare time, I’ve been video gaming with Enter the Gungeon, a delightful sprite-centric bullet-hell shooter themed around guns + D&D-style monsters, and Stacy and I are also playing Sunderfolk, a co-op turn-based strategy game that has well-tuned Gloomhaven-style mechanics without as much finnicky card management.
Jim
