Zub Tales

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.

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.

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.

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!

Stranger Things-D&D Scrapbook in 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.

Current + Upcoming Releases

Upcoming Appearances

Other Links

• 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

My luggage is packed and I’m finally ready to fly home after 10 days and 3 events that took me from Las Vegas to Columbus, Ohio, and back to Vegas again. It’s been a ridiculous and amazing time, but I’ve gotta get back to Toronto and slow this merry-go-round for a bit before the next crash of conventions hits in late July.

The Glass Cannon 10 year celebration in Vegas was an absolute blast. Around 100 fans stayed at the Linq Hotel and gamed up a storm with members of the Glass Cannon Network and cast members from various liveplays they’ve done over the past decade. I game mastered three sessions on the schedule and added a last minute pick up game when there was a ton of interest in the Mothership RPG.

In between those sessions and a killer blast of karaoke, I hung out a lot with Erik Mona and Josh Dinges, doing our best to avoid the absolute scorching heat that hit the Vegas strip that weekend.

On the Monday after that wrapped up, I had a day and a half of downtime where I did a bit of work and then wandered Vegas, people watching and rolling story ideas around in my head. I thought I was going to have a quiet night, but discovered that Zack Davisson (who newsletter readers will probably know from the cultural essays in Wayward or his current work on Ultimate X-Men) and his wife Miyuki were also in Vegas at the same time, celebrating their wedding anniversary. Ten minutes after I saw his “Wait, you’re in Vegas?!” message, we met up and had a great little visit that capped off Vegas Part 1 quite well.

From there I flew to Columbus for the Origins Game Fair, one of the biggest and longest running tabletop game conventions in North America (50 years and still going strong). Jim Demonakos (founder of Emerald City Comic Con and the Lightbox Expo) and I had business stuff there but managed to work in some gaming and social time as well, which was great.

When I went back to check my photos I was shocked to realize it had been literally 20 years since I’d last attended Origins. The show had been formative to me near the start of my comic + gaming career, solidifying my spot at the UDON studio when I met a bunch of art directors and editors and brought in a slew of extra TTRPG work for the UDON artists. Dizzying to think how quickly that time has gone by.

Also at Origins this year were Nareesa and Zeshan, two of my players from D&D in a Castle back in November! It was heartwarming seeing them again and waxing nostalgic about our time at the castle. They were instrumental in me quickly getting the lay of the land at Origins this year and their enthusiasm was infectious.

Finally, I ricocheted back to Vegas to check in at MagicCon, a huge Magic the Gathering event, and spend time with my dear friends Kandrix and Lindsay. They’re foodies and basketball fans, so we hit up quite a few of their favorite restaurants and took in a WNBA game before finally getting to NOW.

*whew*

These friendships, personal or professional, are at the heart of all these amazing experiences and opportunities, and I cannot believe how many there have been so far in 2025, only halfway through the year.

Good fun and great food, but I’m extra-ready to return to Toronto, hug Stacy tight, and hunker down at home for the next month.

The Scourge Begins in September!

Cimmerian September brings the busiest Conan month since we relaunched the series at Titan almost two years ago!

I have three new releases – CONAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT #1, CONAN THE BARBARIAN #24, and SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #10, plus a deluxe oversized hardcover collection of the first story arc in the relaunch, BOUND IN BLACK STONE. So many incredible covers and interior artwork that’s just as strong.

It’s a big bold release month jam-packed with the best action and adventure in the business and I hope you’re following along.

Talking at Titan HQ

Speaking of the Cimmerian, when I was at the Titan Books office last month, Chief Stride and I recorded a quick interview discussing the amazing Conan stuff coming up. Give it a watch for some more details on Scourge of the Serpent and our special 25th issue of Conan the Barbarian.

In Depth With NRI

I was a guest on the NRI Podcast, chatting at length about my career, writing comics, working on iconic characters, conventions and a whole lot more.

Current + Upcoming Releases

Upcoming Appearances

A few eagle-eyed readers caught my name on the Worldcon panelist list. It’s true – Stacy and I are heading to Seattle in August for World Con, our first time attending one of the longest running science fiction and fantasy conventions! More details as we get closer to the dates.

Howard Days Links

While I was bouncing between events, Robert E. Howard Days happened in Cross Plains, Texas. I wasn’t able to make it to the event this year, but it was heartwarming to see and hear how well it all went:

• Scholar Jeff Shanks did a tight 3-part series showing Howard Days highlights – Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3

• Stygian Dogs has a couple great Howard Days videos on his channel, including extensive interviews and a casual wind down.

• Lion from the Sword & Sorcery Book Club gives a rundown on Robert E. Howard Days 2025, including little interviews with visitors.

• Sean Korsgaard recorded the ‘What’s Up With REH?’ panel from the event and has uploaded it to YouTube.

Next year is the 40th anniversary of Howard Days, so I expect it’ll be the biggest one yet. Pencil it on your calendar and I hope to see you there!
Jim