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.
In addition to being at my table throughout the show, I’m also part of a Conan spotlight panel on Sunday:
SUNDAY, August 30, 2026 12:15pm-1:00pm – CANADIANS CONQUERING CONAN! in Room 705 – Stage
Join Jim Zub, Nick Marinkovich, Fred Kennedy and Mike Rooth for a discussion of Conan’s enduring appeal, the current Robert E. Howard revival, and the outsized role that Canadian creators have played in bringing the Hyborian Age to readers around the world. Moderated by Evan Todd from Stygian Dogs.
England and Ireland were great. We were on the road for seven days and only had two days of work at the events we lined up, so there was a bit of downtime to relax and explore, which was nice.
In Gloucester, I met Jesus Merino in person for the first time. He’s a legendary artist and we’re currently working together on the CONAN: TIDES OF THE TYRANT-KING mini-series that starts next month, so it was wonderful getting to spend a bit of time and chat about our work on the Cimmerian.
Our dear friends the Trowers family made the trek down from Nottingham to see us and after the event we went out with them for dinner.
Dublin was a lot of fun too. It was our first time in Ireland outside the airport but we didn’t want to overextend ourselves so soon after the SDCC-Gen Con Gauntlet so we kept things simple, staying in the city and hitting up tourist spots: The Guinness Storehouse, Trinity College, museums and galleries, Grafton Street and pubs aplenty. I know there’s a lot more to Ireland than Dublin and next time we visit we want to check out more of the country, but for this short stint it was nice staying in one spot.
Voice artist Jeff Hays happened to be visiting Ireland at the same time, so he invited us to high tea with some of his crew, and that was excellent. Great conversation, wonderful food, and lots of anecdotes around fandom. Comic artist (and former footballer) Danny Earls took us out for breakfast and we chatted about his incredible artistic growth. Comic writer Gary Moloney met up with Stacy and I for dinner after our signing at Dublin City Comics and we talked about the current state of publishing.
The next thing we knew, we were on the flight back home. Jet lag and a pesky cough took me out for a couple days after we returned, but now I’m on the mend and diving back into writing as I race to hit deadlines before Fan Expo Canada, the biggest convention in the country happening this week in Toronto. (And yes, I’ll be at the show in the South Hall at Artist Alley Table CP67).
Conan the Barbarian #34 wraparound cover painting by Esad Ribic.
CONAN THE BARBARIAN #34 is in stores this week! This issue continues our twisted pirate tale with mystery and action galore.
It’s also a career milestone for me. Up until now, my longest unbroken comic runs have been on my creator-owned series: Skullkickers (34 issues) and Wayward (30 issues), but with this issue Conan the Barbarian (#0-34, 35 issues) is now my longest unbroken run and there’s many more still to come!
(In terms of overall Conan writing, if you add together every regular issue, mini-series, anthology or special I’ve written, I’m up to 78 Conan-centric issues and counting.)
A panel from Conan the Barbarian #34, with art by Fernando Dagnino and Diego Rodriguez.
Stacy and I are finishing packing for our upcoming week-long jaunt to England and Ireland after a week of recovery from SDCC/Gen Con con crud and a sprint of writing deadlines. On the calendar it looked like more than enough time between events but now, in the midst of it, it’s been a bit crunchy.
Still, we’re England-bound and excited to explore some new places.
If you can make it to either event, I look forward to seeing you there!
Beyond trip recuperation and trip prep, it’s been relatively quiet. Research reading and writing aplenty. Avoiding the scorching heat or torrential rains that have been hitting our area through late summer.
Making Stuff Less Than Mint
My current signature, which I finally got comfortable with after much trial and error.
Autographing books is frosting on the cake that is getting to write these stories and collaborate with amazing people in this business. It’s nice to be able to personalize something for a reader and acknowledge their enjoyment of the work that went into the book. As Stacy’s writing career gets more traction, she’s been figuring out her signature and, watching her go through that process reminded me how long it took before I felt comfortable signing my work and that I’ve internalized some key pieces of autographing advice I received many years ago.
“Advice? Just sign your name, dude.”
Would you believe there’s more to it than that? Here are some things to keep in mind:
• Make sure your autograph is not the same signature you use for legal documents. You don’t want that legal signature floating around everywhere.
• It sounds egotistical, but practice your signature ahead of time on scrap paper so you don’t have to figure it out in front of other people when the pressure is on.
• Practice printing short punchy messages with Sharpie markers (black and metallics) and paint markers so you’re comfortable using them. The last thing you want to do is wreck someone’s book.
• Make sure your autograph is somewhat legible so that, if there are multiple signatures, people can quickly identify yours.
• If you can do your signature quickly without having to lift the pen multiple times, you’ll be able to sign much, much faster and won’t mess up your wrist if you need to sign a LOT all at once.
I didn’t have any September shows on my schedule, but just added Ottawa Comicon to the mix. It’s been way too long since I was in our nation’s capital and I’m looking forward to seeing readers, friends and family there!
• Speaking of advice, my friend Justin Jordan (writer of Luther Strode and other top notch comics) has started his own YouTube channel called Death Or Comics that’s filled with advice on developing and pitching comics in the traditional publishing market.
Two whirlwind weeks, but I’m home now – WE’RE home now.
Stacy missed San Diego Comic Con, but was able to join me at Gen Con in Indianapolis and having her there helped me power through to the finish line on two of the biggest conventions back-to-back.
Huge thanks to everyone who reached out after my last newsletter with kind words and support. The past three weeks have certainly had their share of highs and lows but, on the whole, we’re in a good spot right now. Ten days from now, Stacy and I head to England (specificaly Gloucester, for Comics Assemble) and have a small vacation in Dublin after, but before that we’re climbing out from sleep debt and emails, tidying up around the house and hitting some writing deadlines.
San Diego
Me being at San Diego at all was in doubt but, once Stacy was home and recovering with friends and family at the ready, I felt confident enough to tackle the big show again. That said, by the time I arrived in California on Wednesday, grabbed my badge and slammed into Preview Night, I realized how behind I was on sleep after Stacy’s hospital stay and it felt pretty surreal. Every time I turned around, a friend was giving me a hug or a random person would say “I’m glad your wife’s okay” or “Conan is awesome”. The adrenalin I needed to get through that health scare was all used up and I had to dig even deeper to find my convention legs.
It was good, it was cathartic, it was strange. It was SDCC on my backfoot, but I pulled it off.
For the fourth year in a row, I was at the show thanks to Titan and Heroic Signatures, celebrating another year of Conan the Barbarian comics and looking toward an exciting future. The series has transformed my career and its stability has been a safe harbor in the rough seas that comic publishing can be. Knowing what I’m working on for at least another year is a real blessing. I’m not exclusive and can take on other writing work, but Conan is still a bedrock and that’s pretty damn sweet.
D&D panelists: Me, Anjali Bhimani, Kelly Lynne D’Angelo, Todd Stashwick, Luke Gygax, Ross Thompson.
Both panels I was on were well attended. The Celebrating Dungeons & Dragons panel was absolutely packed and the crowd was energized as we shared advice and anecdotes about our favorite game and its ongoing pop culture expansion. TTRPGs and Liveplay are bigger than ever and it’s incredible to see this hobby that transformed my creative life inspiring so many other people.
The Conan comic panel really surprised me. Normally we have only one SDCC panel for everything Conan, but this time we had so many announcements they were split into two – one on Thursday for all the media and the second on Saturday just for comics. I felt certain that without the media stuff propping us up that the comic panel would be lightly attended but boy, was I wrong. The room was jammed with Conan comic fans and when I was introduced the cheer from the crowd really took me aback. Our panel room was directly above Hall-H, so the floor literally shook with bass from the media presentations happening below, and I used that to my advantage, telling everyone that our upcoming Conan stories would “shake you to your core!”
Beyond that, there were signings, meetings, and social stuff galore. Inbetween all my commitments, I’d call Stacy to check on her and hear about her recovery, day by day steadily improving. I could hardly believe she’d been in the hospital a week earlier.
There was some of the typical San Diego sturm and drang that happens every year. A peer I had a disagreement with several years ago apologized to me out of the blue and I found out an editor who I thought was a friend blocked me on a few key projects, which was quite a gut punch, but weirdly I was (and am) kind of zen about it all.
It feels like half the battle of being in a creative industry is staying in it and, after all this time and so many amazing projects, I’m no longer worried about whether I belong. I’m still here and still doing the work while trying to surround myself with people who value what I do and making sure they know how much I value them as well. I’d rather wear my heart on my sleeve and occassionally be hurt by that optimism than grow bitter and assume the worst in others.
Los Angeles
Finally had a chance to visit the Heroic Signatures office.
After San Diego, I took the train up to Los Angeles. A dear friend picked me up at the train station and we caught up Sunday night, then Monday was a whirlwind tour of the Heroic Signatures office, stopping by a couple cool comic shops (Golden Apple and Revenge Of) and a dinner meeting with the Conan crew, talking about our big plans for 2027. Then, I was off to Indy-
Indianapolis
This year’s Gen Con was the busiest I’ve ever experienced. The booth was hopping with customers, lots of friends came by to visit, and there was a ton of positive energy. Stacy’s D&D Crochet Book was a rocket, selling out on Thursday of all the copies we brought, with Penguin Random House scrambling to order more copies and quickly selling out again at their booth.
The social events were top notch and I had the chance to play a couple live games as well. One was the Draw Your Weapons Gen Con Special (which I will link to once it’s online) and a two-player session of the new Justice League Unlimited RPG with Sydney Gayle:
I may not do as much work in the tabletop gaming space as I do in comics, but the people there have always been incredibly warm and welcoming. I think it’s part of gaming’s DNA – the idea that we share time and space together as part of the hobby, so those collaborative bonds tend to form fast and strong.
All in all, Gen Con recharged my creative batteries even as my overall endurence started to flag. If I didn’t see you there or we didn’t get as much time to hangout as you hoped, it wasn’t you, it was my body starting to power down after two weeks of convention craziness.
Legacy of the Giant-Kings
The trailer for Legacy of the Giant-Kings, a brand new content patch for Conan Exiles Enhanced, arrived right as SDCC began and I’m excited to reveal that I’m part of the writing team!
Working with the crew at Inflexion and Funcom has been a lot of fun and, if you’re a fan of the current Conan comics, you may find a couple little Easter Eggs I snuck into the dialogue as you explore new quests in the Exiled Lands.
Getting to work with Chris, artist Eduardo Mello (who I previously worked with on Dungeons & Dragons: Mindbreaker back in 2021), and the rest of the team was such a pleasure and I’m excited for readers and gamers alike to check this one out.
CONAN THE BARBARIAN #33 arrived in comic shops last week, kicking off our 9th story arc Cursed Shores Beyond. What did reviewers think of it? See below-
• 9 Panel Grid: “I think Jim Zub really sets this up well and Fernando Dagnino, the artwork in here, he has a really great grasp on the character and all the action that’s needed for this kind of book.”
• Comic Book Clique: 9/10 “A terrific start to the new story arc, this one focused on Conan and Valeria’s time as pirates…All in all, this book seldom disappoints, and this issue is no exception.”
• Comic Culture: “It has top tier writing and coloring and art. You really can’t go wrong with anything Conan right now.”
• Comic Patrol: “I always encourage people to read Conan because the creative team is phenomenal…There’s not a bad issue in this run.”
• Comical Opinions: 10/10 “A top-notch start for a new arc…Jim Zub’s start to the latest arc is as strong as ever, and Fernando Dagnino’s artwork is a perfect fit.”
• Cool Thunder: 9/10 “Zub continues to prove why he is one of the definitive Conan writers of this era. Fernando Dagnino’s artwork is outstanding, and Diego Rodriguez’s colors perfectly capture all the savage action.”
• Eternal Crusader: “This is a very promising opening chapter, packed with gorgeous artwork, plenty of mystery, and more than enough reasons to stay aboard for the voyage ahead.”
• Fanlight Zone: 10/10 “Conan continues to be fantastic every single month…Jim Zub doing the best work of his career and the artwork by Fernando Dagnino is fantastic!”
• Gary B The Casual Comic Guy: “A great issue, a really fun read, really dynamic, well paced, and the art by Dagnino really stands out, especially with the storm sections and the coloring is great…A really strong effort out on this one.”
• Goodreads: 10/10 “Jim Zub gives us pretty much everything I want from a Conan comic: sword fights on the deck of a ship, a massive storm, a devil and a strange island waiting on the other side.”
• Kabooooom: 10/10 “The artwork maintains its usual high standard. Fernando Dagnino and Diego Rodriguez work in concert like two virtuoso musicians, reinforcing one another’s contributions. The final effect is masterful.”
• League of Comic Geeks: 10/10 “The interior artwork by Dagnino is fantastic from the facial expressions to the action scenes and beautiful splash pages. The panel layout is different and adds to the enjoyment of the storytelling as well. Zub delivers again with another fun and interesting story, including great character interactions and dialogue.”
• Lord Samper’s Library: “Zub and Dagnino combine superbly to deliver a deft mix of swashbuckling fights and ‘sword and sorcery horror’. If it’s not one, it’s the other and this issue really keeps you on your toes as it jumps between the two. Zub’s sure hand on the plot and the dynamism of Dagnino’s art was just a real pleasure to experience.”
• SciFi Pulse: 9.6/10 “Fernando Dagnino and colourist Diego Rodriguez produce some dangerously thrilling art for this opening issue…This is a really strong start to the new story arc. Jim Zub does a great job of establishing Valeria as a woman who is every bit as ready for adventure and action as Conan.”
• Stygian Dogs: “An effective introduction to Jim Zub and Fernando Dagnino’s new arc, reuniting Conan and Valeria while charting a course toward a most macabre mystery. It leaves the reader wanting more of the pair and curious to uncover what horrors lie ahead.”
• Thinking Critical: “I thought this was a brilliant issue. I liked it so much. It is absolutely my pick of the week…Conan continues to be one of the two or three best comic books in all the industry.”
Not the kind of thing you can plan for.
I didn’t want to go into details about this in public unless Stacy did, but now that she’s posted about it, I feel okay mentioning it as well.
In short, what should have been a same-day surgical procedure for Stacy turned into a four day stay at the hospital. From Wednesday morning through to Saturday night, we rode out a roller coaster of health stuff with her and, as you might imagine, it was confusing and scary. Thankfully, she’s now at home and on the mend so we’ll see what future tests bring. Fingers crossed.
So yeah, not how I expected last week to go, but overall we’re okay. Stacy won’t be able to attend San Diego while she recuperates and my attendance was in question as well but, now that she’s home and recovering well (with family and friends available and able to help), I feel okay making the trek to California.
This will be my 21st San Diego Comic Con and, as always, I’m heading into it with a mixture of excitement and nervous energy. I’m always thrilled to see friends and fans, but also know how intense and draining it will be, especially when it crashes right up against Gen Con happening next week.
Ask Me
While I’m in San Diego, I’ll be doing an on camera interview with Penguin Random House all about my work: specific projects, the writing process, legacy, and more!
CB Cebulski was Marvel’s EiC for the majority of time as I worked on a variety of Marvel projects and, though we didn’t personally interact much, he was supportive, collaborative and we got along. I remember him being in the conference room and quite active during our in-person Avengers Summit in 2018 to build the story that became Avengers: No Road Home and he was excited for us to jam all kinds of ideas and have fun with the story.
As for new EiC Steve Wacker, the only interaction with him I’ve had was short but positive. In early 2013, I sent him an out-of-the-blue email, introducing myself and letting him know how much I was enjoying the titles he edited at that time, namely Superior Spider-Man, Daredevil, and Hawkeye. He responded, which may not sound like a big deal, but if you’ve ever worked in comics you know how difficult it can be to get an editor’s attention, especially from a cold intro like that. Taking it even further, at San Diego Comic Con that year he set up a quick meeting to introduce himself and ask me what Marvel characters I was interested in. Keep in mind, I had only a handful of writing credits under my belt at this point and he was running the Spider-Man office, so it was quite a gracious move on his part.
Assuming I had no chance at writing any A-list characters, I pitched him a few oddball Marvel project ideas with second-stringers, and he thought they sounded okay but was also quite confused.
“Is that all you’re interested in? Just the weirdos?”
“Ah, no, no. I just didn’t want to get too far ahead of myself or sound cocky. I’m interested in a lot of different Marvel characters. A-Any in particular?”
“I mean, I edit Spider-Man…so maybe think about Spider-Man stuff, okay?”
We both laughed. It was awkward. I was coming off being fired from a DC project I thought was going to be career-making and instead turned into five months of ever-shifting edicts and long gaps of communication before being unceremoniously shown the door and was still feeling raw from that experience. I was incredibly nervous and I’m sure that’s what came across to Steve, but he was solid, classy, and probably doesn’t remember this interaction at all. Six months later, he was promoted to head up Marvel Animation and moved to Hollywood, so we never had the chance to work together.
Anyways, I know a lot of people who have worked with Steve and speak highly of him, so I’m curious to see what his vision as EiC will be and how Marvel changes with this big move west. I’m sure it will fuel a lot of gossip at San Diego, that’s for sure.
The “Just Us” League
Speaking of superheroes, getting to try out the new JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED TTRPG with Mark, Alex, Johann, and Peterson was a ton of fun. Watch the first half of our adventure as I play Wally West and bring my FLASH-fulness to this new adventure:
• I’m sure almost anyone who follows my newsletter is already aware of Felicia Day‘s crowdfunding campaign for The Guild Movie, returning for their 20th anniversary but, even still, I wanted to link it here. I watched the original Guild episodes as they were posted online, was thrilled to see them carve out their spot in nerd culture, and had the chance to meet the cast at quite a few conventions over the years. Seeing creators build their own amazing stuff and get so much fan support is always amazing and inspiring.
I don’t have a table at SDCC 2026. I have signings, panels, press stuff, and meetings. Balancing all that while also trying to be hunkered down at a table would not work well, so I decided to be a free operator outside of specific time commitments.
Dan Panosian SDCC 2026 Exclusive covers for CONAN THE BARBARIAN #33.
We launched the Heroic Signatures-Titan CONAN THE BARBARIAN series 3 years ago at SDCC and each year is a reason to celebrate while we keep the momentum going. The flagship book is still roaring with issue #33 arriving at the show one week before it arrives in stores, plus Savage Sword of Conan, Solomon Kane, and more!
Currently, here’s what my pubic schedule looks like:
Thanks for the kind messages and support after last week. Nothing to talk about in public yet, but once there is news I’ll mention it here in the newsletter.
Nine days until San Diego Comic Con and that means everything is getting sorted into three piles:
• This specific thing is a mad rush because it has to get done before SDCC.
• I can’t deal with this right now because other stuff has to get done before SDCC.
• Real life that doesn’t give a solitary whiff that SDCC is happening next week.
Add in that same build up for Gen Con 2026 (happening the week after SDCC) and my inbox is a logjam of too much communication, not enough communication, and “Aw geez, why is this happening right now?”
I know these are champagne problems. Please play a very tiny violin for me. Anyways-
YES, I will be at San Diego Comic Con and Gen Con this year.
I don’t have a table at SDCC 2026. I have signings, panels, press stuff, and meetings. Balancing all that while also trying to be hunkered down at a table would not work well, so I decided to be a free operator outside of specific time commitments.
We launched the Heroic Signatures-Titan CONAN THE BARBARIAN series 3 years ago at SDCC and each year is a reason to celebrate while we keep the momentum going. The flagship book is still roaring with issue #33 arriving at the show one week before it arrives in stores, plus Savage Sword of Conan, Solomon Kane, and more!
Currently, here’s what my pubic schedule looks like:
Matt Fraction mentioned Drome by Jesse Lonergan during a recent episode of The Stacks and it prompted me to track it down. Man oh man, it is just as stunning as Matt promised. Jesse performs wizardry with a comic page, building a keen sense of atmosphere, movement, and awe across this epic tale. It’s small, it’s big, it’s pulpy and strange, in all the best ways. It reminded me of the power this medium can have and got my creative juices flowing. Highly recommended.
I receive a couple of them in my inbox almost every day. Even when they’re easy to spot, block and delete, each one is a little jab, and I loathe that this technology works so hard to erode my trust in humanity.
• The announcement trailer for CHAINKATA, the next creator-owned series by Daniel Warren Johnson, does exactly what it needs to do – Sets a clear tone and gets readers excited for visceral comic action. I thought Daniel’s Do A Powerbomb mini-series was absolutely top notch and I’m incredibly excited for this.
…But what I didn’t know was that Jhonen Vasquez, the creator of Zim, didn’t know about the new series at all and feels really awkward about new material being built on his team’s hard work without any involvement or communication. I understand how crappy that would feel, even if it’s legally allowed.
Over a decade ago, when I wrote the SAMURAI JACK comic series published by IDW, the “Samurai Jack team” knew it was happening and were directly involved. Character Designer Andy Suriano drew the book and we collaborated closely on stories and visuals, Series Creator Genndy Tartakovsky and Art Director Scott Wills illustrated variant covers, and Jack voice actor Phil LaMarr raved online about how much he enjoyed the comic series. I knew Genndy was probably too busy working on other projects to personally review every script, but we had his blessing and he could give us feedback or veto ideas whenever he wanted.
Samurai Jack comic covers by Genndy Tartakovsky and Scott Wills.
Working on Samurai Jack was an incredible experience – creatively fulfilling and a huge boost to my career.
When I was approached by BOOM and they asked if I wanted to pitch stories for a new INVADER ZIM comic series, I jumped at the chance. 20 years ago, I literally created a bunch of fan art for the show for fun because I enjoyed it so much.
Invader Zim fan art by Jim Zub, circa 2006.
But this time is different from working on Jack. I was told the “Invader Zim team” would be approving our material, but found out after the fact that it wasn’t Jhonen, Eric Trueheart or anyone originally involved in the show’s production. Approvals have gone through a Paramount licensing team who I’m sure mean well, but also don’t have any personal stake in Zim’s creative vision or future.
And sure, I’ve written stories for DC and Marvel where creators of characters weren’t consulted, but those are also shared superhero universes built by hundreds of contributors. Invader Zim is Jhonen’s ideas and humorous flare with contributions by a tight knit group he curated and approved.
So now I’m in a strange spot. I’m incredibly proud of the work artist Dax Gordine and I have done on this new Invader Zim comic. It’s been put together with lots of love for the source material, but not in a slavish way that just repeats the same gags and doesn’t offer any surprises. Dax’s visual storytelling starts strong and gets snappier each issue. We produced it with what we thought was enthusiastic support from the original team, but that was not the case and now we know. No matter what happens next, I want to be as open and honest about that so there’s no confusion.
BOOM’s editorial team has assured me they’ve reached out to Jhonen and believe this can all get sorted out. I hope that’s true, but if not I’ll need to evaluate what to do next. Whatever happens from here, I deeply appreciate your support and understanding.
I was a guest again on Comic Shenanigans with Adam Chapman. This time, he and I chat up a storm about being “Grim Jim”, Stacy’s writing career, productivity, imposter syndrome, being like Bob Ross, parasocial relationships, the Glass Cannon podcast, livestreaming, collected editions, and more – Give it a listen!
You can also listen to our previous conversations here: Episodes 368, 794, 986, 1022, and 1087.
Stacy and I are visiting IRELAND for a few days in August and will be signing at Dublin City Comics & Collectibles on Wed, August 19th from 5-7pm! If you live in the area, hope to see you there!
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