In addition to signing times at my table, I’m also on a spotlight panel Saturday afternoon:
SATURDAY MAY 24, 2025 4:00pm-4:45pm — Titan Presents: Conan the Barbarian’s Jim Zub Live – Artist Alley Stage The barbarian’s bard is here to answer your questions! Sit down with Jim Zub (Dungeons & Dragons, Avengers) the writer of Titan’s bestselling Conan the Barbarian comic series to learn more about this triumphant new era of the greatest warrior of all time. This panel will directly be followed by a signing at Forbidden Planet, Booth S2230!
A year ago, Stacy and I were in Japan. Two years ago, we were in England. Despite the excitement of being on the road for my birthday, it was nice to be home instead this time, even though we are sprinting to get ready for almost two weeks of travel starting in a couple days – off to England again and then Spain for the first time.
For this birthday we had a lazy Sunday with an ‘open house’ format. Friends stopped by to say “Hi”, we played some video games and board games, and then ordered in pizza for dinner. Nice and simple. A lot of people were away for the long weekend, but everyone who made it out brought a lot of good cheer.
There was some chatter about next year – what we might do for the big 5-0. Hard to say right now, but we certainly have more flexibility if we want to make a trip out of it.
It’s been a transformative year and shows no signs of slowing down. I am so incredibly thankful for family, friends, and even strangers reading here who care enough to stay on top of what I’m doing and offer kind words and support. Thank you!
Casual Conversation, Big Information
I was a guest on Gary B, the Casual Comic Guy’s livestream on Saturday, and it ended up being a surprisingly in-depth talk about my work on Conan the Barbarian loaded with info and anecdotes – What it’s like writing the character, working with so many amazing artists, trying to honor what’s come before while also building new things, and much more.
Edith Finch
Thanks to the power of Steam sales, I’ve been digging into a variety of older video games at bargain prices. Amongst several I recently picked up and enjoyed is What Remains of Edith Finch. Unlike many other titles I gravite towards, this one is not an action or strategy game at all, it’s an atmospheric first-person narrative with environments you explore packed with melancholy ambience as strange and somber stories of an odd family unfold before you.
Edith Finch can be ‘completed’ in less than three hours, but the way it’s told and the questions it raises stick around long after that play time is complete. It caught me at just the right time – I was in a contemplative mood in the lead up to my birthday and was thoroughly impressed with how polished and engaing this was. If you want a very different kind of gaming experience, a slow and deliberate journey that’s reflective and charming, I recommend adding it to your Wish List.
Another signing has been added to our Spain trip so if you live near Madrid, or know any comic fans who do, please let them know. Gen Con Indianapolis is also now officially on the schedule for August.
Incredibly, a few more shows are getting finalized, so expect more appearance announcements coming up!
• The 2025 Eisner Award nominations are out. Great to see such a wide variety of titles represented across the industry. Also always a pleasure to see so many of my friends represented in the line up. Congrats to all the nominees!
Last weekend, our neighborhood hosted a ‘Flee or Free’ event in one of the local parks, a chance to giveaway or sell stuff to the community. Stacy and I used it as motivation to clear out old and rarely used kitchen gadgets and cutlery, including some pots and plates I’d been carting around since college. Some of the stuff we gave away and that’s okay – better to have things being used by strangers over just taking up shelf or drawer space gathering dust. Getting to know people who live nearby and petting some happy dogs in the park was worth more than the few bucks we might have haggled for.
That concept of “Spring cleaning” is on my mind a lot lately, trying to clear out tired objects and unwanted thoughts kept well past their due date along with other old baggage and bad habits. I know how intense things will get as convention season really kicks into gear, so a bit of tidying up and reorganizing is good to keep in mind, inside and out.
Speaking of fine freebies, the 2025 CONAN THE BARBARIAN Free Comic Book Day issue is now FREE everywhere!
Collecting and updating material from our character-centric volumes, it’s the perfect way to introduce new people to character creation and worlds of adventure!
Splash Pages
I was a guest on Splash Pages alongside four bombastic hosts, and we chatted all about sword & sorcery, gaming, and comics, including some deep cuts to projects I’ve almost never talked about before.
• My Conan the Barbarian editor Chris Butera has his first prose novel coming out in August and it’s called The Darkest Deep. He just sent me a digital advanced reader copy and I’m excited to check it out.
A week ago, our latest CONAN THE BARBARIAN Free Comic Book Day issue arrived in stores, a prelude to epic adventures coming later this year. Want to read it? The story is available as a free download at the Titan Comics website.
What did critics think of it? Let’s find out-
• Comic Book Report: “The art in this book is, as always, fantastic for a Conan book. If you like the dark, action-heavy fantasy sword and sorcery genre there’s maybe no better example than Conan the Barbarian.”
• Comic Tropes: “You feel like you’re getting a full comic with this one. The art is great. The story and writing is really captivating.”
• Eternal Crusader: “Ivan Gil has managed to pack each panel with a wealth of details for the reader’s eye to explore…Jim Zub made sure that this Conan is noticeably more outspoken impulsive and impatient than the later mercenary leader or king who makes wise decisions and has more insight into people and their motivations, and yet Zub managed to weave Robert E. Howard’s views on barbarism and civilization skillfully into the story.”
• Gaming Trend: 9/10 “-an exciting setup for the next tale in the Barbarian’s legend. It’s a story that existing fans of Conan will be sure to enjoy, and is a perfect place for those who haven’t yet delved into the world to jump in.”
• Gary B The Casual Comic Guy: “I thought this was a great setup and really enjoyed it. The dialogue was great, the art really depicted the Hyborean Age well, and I just love his background work. This is a new artist to me and I thought, seeing the amount of detail that’s in the background especially, when paired with the coloring – it’s amazing. I give this teaser an A+!”
• Good Reads: 10/10 “Ivan Gil’s art is certainly partnering well with Zub’s writing, both giving us a story to engage in. Probably another hit single from Zub’s discography of Sword & Sorcery rock-n-roll.”
• League of Comic Geeks: 10/10 “This was incredible. This is a full issue of a great story and I can’t believe Titan is giving it away for free. Outstanding story involving the Cult of Set that does tie-in to the mainline series but reading that isn’t required at all. Highly recommend this as a jumping on book for the Conan curious.”
• Mighty Thorngren: “A lot of action, some really good humor and building up the story, and I was just really impressed with the artwork, especially the coloring. They compliment eachother so well.”
• Stygian Dogs: “Ivan Gil’s artwork here is just wonderful. I was blown away and it works so well with Joao Canola’s colors…I can’t believe we got all this for free!”
• Sword & Sorcery Book Club: “I actually enjoyed myself a lot…There was something really amazing about the artwork here and Jao Canola’s coloring really elevated this a lot.”
• Taylor Talks Comics: “I love this artwork by Ivan Gil…and it sold me and I want to check out more.”
• Two Guys and a Stack of Comics: “Third year in a row, they have knocked it out of the park on Free Comic Book Day…They treat it like a full issue, with extras in the back and previews. All kinds of great stuff in this fantastic story.”
Two years ago, the new Conan the Barbarian series launched on Free Comic Book Day with our special promotional zero issue and I signed at Third Eye Comics in Annapolis, Maryland. This past weekend, I was back there again with a new FCBD issue as we rocket toward the third year of the series. Longtime friend Ray Fawkes, comic newcomer Jason Shaw, and I had a 3-hour whirlwind signing at the flagship store and easily signed over 800 books apiece. It was exhausting and invigorating. What a rush.
With writers Ray Fawkes (The Phantom) and Jason Shaw (Snow Monkey).
This was my fifth signing at Third Eye (wait, maybe my sixth – Is it good that I’m not sure?) and, each and every time, I leave with a warm feeling that, no matter how tumultuous publishing comics can be, things are going to be okay.
I’ve told many comic professionals this, but it’s well worth repeating as loud and wide as possible – If there was a shop like Third Eye Comics in every state in the U.S., the North American comic book industry would be in a completely different place – a much better place.
What Steve and Trish have managed to accomplish over the past 17 years is absolutely incredible. They have taken the buzz around pop culture – comics, superheroes, anime, manga, games, music, horror, sci-fi, alt culture – and built incredibly well curated stores that celebrate and sell on a scale I have rarely seen before. Most importantly, their staff are knowledgeable, friendly, exuberant, patient, motivated, and – wait for it – well taken care of (solid base pay, health insurance, retirement benefits) and in turn they deliver a customer experience that is top tier. That, in turn, has built a phenomenally loyal customer base that trusts their recommendations and comes out in droves for their events. It’s the kind of vibrant pop culture ecosystem that people in this business dream about, located a short drive from Baltimore and Washington DC.
Hardcore collectors, casual readers, and kids are all well served. Whatever you are into, Third Eye has it – stocked deep and sold with a sincere smile. Until you see it, it’s hard to describe.
Comic publishers, distributors, and other retailers could learn a hell of a lot from those people and their stores. I learn something new about this business every single time I visit, and you can bet I’ll be back whenever they want me there to promote my work.
Now that the Scourge of the Serpent Prelude issue has been released (and don’t worry, the free digital version will be arriving online soon), it’s time to start revealing some of our secrets!
It’s ambitious, audacious even, but man oh man, it’s also a lot of fun. Ivan and João are delivering glorious artwork, sweeping readers across time, space, and sanity. The twinkle in my eye for this story has become so much more thanks to our team and I’m incredibly grateful.
D&D in a Castle Deep Dive
Hopper the Devoted and I were on a livestream last week reminiscing about D&D in a Castle and chatting about what’s coming up in November for my players headed to Castle Lumley.
Stacy and I are headed to England later this month for MCM Comic Con London, but the adventure doesn’t stop there – We’re hopping over to Spain for a few days so I can meet some of the amazing artists I’m working with and will be signing with Fernando Dagnino and Ivan Gil on May 31st at 7pm at the Omega Center comic shop in Madrid!
• Ed Zitron‘s articles on the flaws and economic pitfalls of generative AI are extensive and his latest newsletter, Reality Check, is well worth reading. “Generative AI isn’t about helping you or me do things — it’s about making new SKUs, new monthly subscription costs for consumers and enterprises, new ways to convince people to pay more for the things that they already used to be slightly different in a way that often ends up being worse.”
• Are we doing three dark article links here at the end of an upbeat newsletter? I swear, I’m in a good mood. Anyways, I also couldn’t ignore Jia Tolentino‘s latest New Yorker article called ‘My Brain Finally Broke’. It’s hauntingly well written, despite its deeply depressing subject matter.
With the legendary Frank Miller at this year’s Calgary Expo.
There have been 18 Calgary Comic Expos so far and I’ve been to 17 of them for good reason. Every year, it’s a fun celebration of pop culture and creators in a city that proves, time and time again, that they love comics and art…and getting to see old friends and former students is icing on top of a really wonderful cake.
This year’s show included a surreal surprise. On Friday night, our crew had dinner with Frank Miller and I ended up sitting next to the man himself. Over a couple hours we talked about all kinds of things, including Robert E. Howard, pulp stories, and legacy characters. We also talked about lyricism and poetry, and when I mentioned I’d written a poem in the new Savage Sword of Conan #3, Frank wanted to see it.
He carefully read it, line by line, and told me it “felt like Howard by way of Tennyson”, a massive compliment. I have a new poem arriving in Savage Sword of Conan #8, in stores this week, and he told me to send it to him once I got home.
The next morning, Frank came by to get a copy of the new Conan the Barbarian series and we chatted long enough that he was late for his first signing of the day. I know people were waiting, but it really did feel amazing to spend that extra time and go through parts of the book with him as he lavished praise on our team-
“When the story comes from somewhere real, you can feel it. I see the passion you guys are putting on the page. This looks great.”
It’s the kind of interaction you always hope for when it comes to industry legends, but not something you can ever expect or plan for, and it certainly made my weekend extra special.
A couple sketches from Calgary – Batman and Minsc + Boo.
Outside of that, panels and hangout time with other pros at the show was a delight. I lived in Calgary over 20 years ago, and seeing how the city has grown while still being able to recommend some old spots and shops makes it feel like it wasn’t all that long ago.
I’m seeing friends for a couple extra days, and then touching base back home long enough to check mail and do laundry before I zip over to Maryland for a big Free Comic Book Day signing at Third Eye Comics alongside my friend Ray Fawkes. If you live in the Annapolis, Baltimore, or Washington DC area, make sure you come on out to Third Eye – it’s going to be awesome!
On The Homestretch
With Chris dela Torre from CBC Radio’s Homestretch show.
I was interviewed by CBC Radio’s Homestretch show at the 11 minute mark of this section of their Calgary Expo live broadcast. Give it a listen!
At the Corner of Story & Games
It’s always a blast talking with Gerald at The Corner of Story & Games. This time we cover writing craft, navigating creative industries, working with existing IPs, and things I wish I’d known when I was starting out. Check it out!
The past week has been simultaneously slow and fast – Slow to recover from jet lag and a head cold I picked up after traveling halfway around the world, and fast in terms of work still needing to get done, deadlines we had to meet before Stacy and I jump on a plane tomorrow to Calgary for the annual Comic & Entertainment Expo happening this weekend. Thankfully, those deadlines have been met and luggage is laid out behind me in a state of ‘mostly packed’ that will become ‘fully packed’ once the last load of laundry is done.
Even though my Seneca staff account shut down on Monday, quietly marking the end of an era, it certainly doesn’t feel like life has slowed in any way, shape, or form. If anything, things are busier than they have been in quite a while. Stacy has a couple new projects she’s excitedly diving into, which means both of us have been clickety-clacking away on keyboards here at home, touching base for morning tea, lunch, and dinner but otherwise focused on deadlines and deliverables.
I’d like to say that things will slow down in May but, when you scroll down to upcoming appearances you’ll see that isn’t true either…Right now, June looks reasonable, so we’ll go with that.
While at Mumbai Comic Con, I spoke to PTI, India’s largest news agency. They used sound bites on TV and just posted the full interview on their YouTube channel. We talk about the entertainment industry, conventions, creating fictional characters, teaching, and AI.
Thrilled to announce that I’m back at MCM Comic Con London on May 23-25, 2025 – Bring your Conan the Barbarian and other Zub books to get ’em signed in jolly ol’ England!
• Over on the Proko channel, painter Erik Gisttalks about how to illustrate covers – composition, clarity, and storytelling. A good look at important skills that help sell books.
• Matt Levin continues posting wonderful comic book content. This time he talks about the origin of Blacksad, one of the finest comics ever produced with animation-influenced art that is second to none. Just watching this video makes me want to go back and reread them all.
Conan the Barbarian #20 is the final part of arc 5, Twisting Loyalties, filled to the brim with action and intrigue. What did critics think of it?
• Comic Book Corner 2.0: Grade A “This book is really good…I love the action, I love the fighting, and I love how it’s just barbaric!”
• Comical Opinions: 10/10 “Jim Zub’s voice for Conan and reverence for Robert E. Howard style are in top form and Doug Braithwaite’s art is fantastic and maybe even better than we’ve seen before.”
• Cool Thunder: 10/10 “Jim Zub continues to prove he was born to write Conan. His work here stands among the best the franchise has ever seen—layered, character-driven, and true to the spirit of the Hyborian Age. Paired with Doug Braithwaite’s stunning artwork, which is nothing short of breathtaking, this issue is nearly impossible to put down. Every panel feels alive with grit, motion, and emotion.”
• DC Patrol: “Well written, beautifully executed. I love every page of this…I’m gushing.”
• Dragon’s Cache: 9.4/10 “Doug Braithwaite packs Conan The Barbarian #20 with furious action. Like fast cuts in a movie, the panels lead the eye from one camera view to another…Diego Rodriguez wields a series of limited color palettes in fight sequences.”
• Eternal Crusader: “I consider Doug Braithwaite’s work on this issue his strongest so far. He started at a very high level, but he has since refined his craft further. I was pleased to see him incorporate more shadows into his panels, adding depth and making the characters appear more three-dimensional. The issue is packed with intricate details, lavish panels, and dynamic action sequences.”
• Evan the Architect: “Another fantastic issue on this title…Jim Zub has made me a die hard fan of Conan and his world.”
• Goodreads: 10/10 “Stellar and impactful art from Braithwaite, always captures the fury of battle and calm dramatic moments…It’s endearing, and in good hands.”
• Grimdark Magazine: “Artist Doug Braithwaite continues to shine…these two issues benefit from having the right artist paired with the right material to showcase his strengths. A fun story well told.”
• League of Comic Geeks: 10/10 “This issue is a masterclass in sword-and-sorcery storytelling. If you’re not reading Conan the Barbarian right now, you’re missing one of the genre’s finest modern runs.”
• Mighty Thorngren: “So much in this book was entertaining and made me happy…I had a good time reading this and look forward to the next issue, which can’t come soon enough.”
• Nerd Initiative: 10/10 “The best compliment I can give it is that it feels exactly like old school Conan comics you were buying off the spinner rack…Fantastic art, cool story, get it!”
• Professor Frenzy: “This has been an awesome book, an awesome run and, as long as it keeps doing this, I am absolutely in.”
• Sci-Fi Pulse: 9.7/10 “Jim Zub continues to captivate me with his stories of Conan the Barbarian and his many adventures. The comic stays true to the novels I remember reading in the 1980s”
• Stygian Dogs: “Conan the Barbarian #20 is a thunderous, sword-swinging spectacle with deep time-spanning lore that will be appreciated by fans of Robert E. Howard’s characters in comic book form.”
• Sword & Sorcery Book Club: “Doug Braithwaite did a good job with the artwork here, Rodriguez’s colors were pretty stunning this time, and I enjoyed the story a lot. I thought the twist with the Zula character were pretty nice, I enjoyed the exorcism aspect, I enjoyed the fact that they battled the spirit and I like where the story is going.”
• Thinking Critical: “Pick of the Week…I love it, it’s absolutely gorgeous and well told, and this is probably the best illustrated issue of Conan by Doug Braithwaite. He’s already a great artist, but I think his art in Conan is getting stronger.”
• Two Guys and a Stack of Comics: “No matter what’s happening there’s such good action, such great art on each page from Doug Braithwaite in this comic book and it fully embraces who Conan is.”
I’m at the Calgary Comics & Entertainment Expo on April 24-27, 2025. It’s one of my favorite shows each year so if you’re headed to the show, I hope to see you there! I’ll be set-up with the Comic Sketch Art crew at:
BMO CENTRE – ARTIST ALLEY TABLE Section P20-P36
The Expo started in 2006 and I have only missed one show across all those years. Watching it grow and seeing friends and fans, year after year, is always a pleasure.
In addition to being at my table, I’m also on a panel Thursday: THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2025 – 6:00pm – REINVENTING CHARACTERS – Theatre 5 (Room 209)
Join our esteemed panel of writers as they explore the ups and downs of reinventing popular characters for new audiences. Panelists: Jason Aaron, Cecil Castellucci, Stephanie Gerk, Mark Russell, Jim Zub.
I’ve told my students that for years and even now, after attending around 200 conventions all over the world, it still holds true. The moment you move outside the places you know and experience other countries and other cultures, you expand your understanding of our shared humanity and see how the place you grew up helped shape who you are.
Traveling to India for the first time was wonderful, but intense. If my schedule wasn’t so stacked right now I would’ve loved to stay longer and see more, but even this quick tour and convention was still a real eye-opener. Mumbai is a bustling, vibrant city jam-packed with colorful sights. It’s also summertime right now, so the weather was extremely hot and humid, which slowed us down on our tour day, but it still made a really big impression on me.
Great food, great conversations, and quite a few ‘How did all this even happen?’ pinch me moments. Six days across the world and back is a rough schedule and I know jet lag is going to have its grip on me for days to come, but it was worth it.
My incredible booth set-up at Mumbai Comic Con
Mumbai Comic Con was absolutely wild. It was one of the busiest and most passionate shows I have ever experienced in my 20+ years of conventions. I am gob smacked at the fandom there. The economics of everything in India is different from North America, so as a creator you need to adjust expectations on that front, but as a social and travel experience it was top notch and incredibly enriching.
Unexpectedly, I was a huge draw at the show. I didn’t realize that the span of projects I’ve worked on would have such international appeal, but looking in the rearview mirror after the show it sort of makes sense – Marvel superheroes, Dungeons & Dragons, Conan the Barbarian, Rick and Morty, and Samurai Jack. Obviously I didn’t create those properties, but I’ve contributed to all of them and so fans from India came out in a big way to show their excitement and appreciation. In many ways, I was a one-stop shop for both younger and older fans. It was so crazy-busy on the show floor that volunteers had to form a human ring around Rob DenBleyker (Cyanide & Happiness, huge with the online crowd) and I to get us to our booths or out to the green room for lunch. I have never experienced anything like that before. I’m not stating that to brag, honestly, the whole thing was amazing and also mind-numbing.
The Comic Con India staff worked their butts off to keep the event running smooth and I could see a lot of shared values and bonds between them that reminded me of the original Calgary Expo crew, a show put together by one of my closest friends that earned its excellent reputation. That’s the best compliment I can give – the hospitality and hard work in Mumbai reminded me of some of my favorite convention experiences and is now right up there with them.
All in all, it was one heck of an adventure. I’m so thankful I was able to experience it and now have advice for other creators who might be interested in heading to India for conventions in the future.
One of the many sketches I did for fans and staff at the show.
Indian Comic Creators – Info and Links
With Ravi Raj Ahuja, Bijoy Raveendran, and Utsab Chatterjee – The Technicolour Lovers team.
One of the other nice surprises at the con was getting to meet other creators in India, both independant and commercial. I wish I had more time to explore and meet local creators at the show, but here are a few highlights:
• Vivek Goel was inspired by Marc Silvestri‘s company Top Cow Entertainment and, since India reveers cows as sacred, his comic company is called Holy Cow Entertainment, and they have a slew of original titles worth checking out.
• Tadam Gyadu is the artist of Spider-Man: India, producing amazing artwork locally and abroad. Check his art out!
• Aparna Chaurasia gifted me a copy of Soul Contract, her manga-style graphic novel and it looks great!
Twisting Loyalties and the Road Ahead
Zula makes his Titan debut – line art by Doug Braithwaite, colors by Diego Rodriguez, lettering by Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith.
Today sees the arrival of Conan the Barbarian #20, the final part of our Twisting Loyalties story arc! Doug, Diego, and the rest of the team put their all into every damn page. I am so, so proud of our work here. Please grab your own copy and let us know what you think.
Now that we’re a month removed from the previous issue, I can spoil that Zula is back. He’s a fan favorite character from the original Marvel run who was adapted into a female version in the Conan the Destroyer movie. Like with introducing the iconic Atlantean Sword into comic continuity, I’m working to merge pop culture visions of Conan together into a somewhat cohesive whole, so expect to see multiple versions of Zula work their way into the story in ways readers may not expect. Issue #19 even has tabletop roleplaying game stats for Zula included, a bit of cross promotion with the Conan: The Hyborian Age TTRPG.
Twisting Loyalties is transitional in some ways, setting up chess pieces for future moves in the big mythic story I’m building in the monthly flagship book and yearly events, but I wanted to make sure that the adventures here also had pulpy power all on their own. That’s the tricky balance we’re trying to keep and so far readers are responding well.
Conan the Barbarian #20 sneak peek.
Current + Upcoming Releases
With the sale of Diamond Distribution there have been shipping delays and hassles galore across the comic industry, but it looks like things are set to improve with new ownership and new options, including Lunar. We’ve been on time, production-wise, but to keep from having a gap mid-story arc as ownership changes hands, it looks like Titan is delaying the release of Conan the Barbarian #21 by one month, from May to June. Thankfully, with Free Comic Book Day we’ll still have a May release, our free Scourge of the Serpent Prelude issue. Don’t miss it!
• Stacy is over the moon for the upcoming Murderbot TV series coming to Apple+ next month and has been feverishly watching the new trailer. I hope it’s just as sharp as the novella source material by Martha Wells.
• Superman writer Josh Williamson has a great chat with Sal over at Comic Pop. His straight forward advice and practical understanding of how the business works is bang-on.
• My buddy Ron Marz has a new campaign on Zoop for a Shinku comic series collection, a creator-owned book that came out not too long after Skullkickers back in the day. It’ll be nice to finally have as much of this story available as possible, with artwork by the late-great Lee Moder.
• Mike Dargie, one of my old friends from Calgary when I first started teaching animation, has a new book coming out called Brandjitsu all about creative branding and business.
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