I flew in a few days early to Calgary and am staying with my friends Kandrix and Lindsay who live west of the city. After three weeks of intense writing, I’m thankfully back on schedule so this week is some much-needed quiet time hanging out with dear friends.

And also deer friends–

Lots of local wildlife stopping by to stay hi. 🙂

The big Calgary Expo is this coming week, an annual tradition I enjoy being part of. I get to see old buddies and long-time readers, while also showing comic pro pals a bit of the city and some of my favorite restaurants/pubs. Good times every time.

Later today, I’ll be popping by a high school where a friend’s teenager is a student for a presentation about writing, which should be fun. High schoolers rarely hold back on their excitement or ambivalence, so we’ll see how they react to Old Man Zubby learnin’ ’em about comics…

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A Pirate Life for Jimmy

Solicits are out for July, showcasing the stellar covers for CONAN THE BARBARIAN #33, which kicks off Cursed Shores Beyond, our next big adventure, packed with pirates, phantoms, and a formidable frontier.

This is our 9th story arc on the Heroic-Titan Conan run. Including event mini-series, it’s my 12th.

It’s the exact kind of long and meaningful marathon I’ve been wanting to build since I started getting traction in my writing career. An extended structured monthly run is such a rare thing in North American comic publishing nowadays. I never want to take it for granted or have readers feel like we’re delivering anything less than our best to earn that cover price and spot on their pull list.

As I’ve mentioned in past posts, I’m signed on for 50 issues. So, in terms of production, the build up toward that anniversary issue and conclusion of the larger plan is underway, which feels both amazing and strange – Scheduling art teams through 2027, discussing how the big moments will come together. Each issue on the docket right now includes specific references to previous storylines as threads in the overall tapestry start to tighten up.

The consistency of our art teams has been a huge part of what makes the series work so well. Rob De La Torre, Doug Braithwaite, Fernando Dagnino, Alex Horley, Ivan Gil, Diego Rodriguez, Jao Canola, and more to be announced soon for Savage Sword…Each crew gets the time and space they need to bring their best to the page. I’m happy to juggle 4-5 stories simultaneously when the end result is so damn sharp.

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Starting Down That Dungeon Path

I returned to the Dungeon Master’s Block podcast to talk about comics, tabletop roleplaying games as inspiration, and bringing a new generation of gamers into the hobby.

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Irritation as Inspiration

I read a lot of current comics to keep myself up to date on what’s coming out, the state of publishing, both commercial and creator-owned. With close friends I sometimes discuss pros and cons, what worked for me and what didn’t, but I keep most of those thoughts to myself because I’m a professional writer, not a professional critic. The important thing is that I’m always taking in new stories and learning from them…even if sometimes what I learn is what not to do.

I read the first couple issues of a new series (no, I won’t say what it was) and was so utterly baffled at how badly they dropped the ball on the promise of the premise that I couldn’t get it out of my mind. The idea was/is good, but at every single turn the creative team seemed intent on making boring or baffling choices instead of executing on its potential. I don’t know if editorial was asleep at the wheel or what else was going on behind the scenes, but when I compare the series announcement to the published issues, it’s just incredibly disappointing.

It annoyed me so much that I finally realized I could rework the larger idea into an original story and do a completely different version of my own – A much healthier creative outcome instead of marinating in negativity.

So yeah, the next time your read a book or watch a movie and they fail to deliver the goods, use it as a creative exercise – How can you use parts of that story you like and make it your own?

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Current + Upcoming Releases

• Avengers: No Surrender/No Road Home Omnibus – released Mar 10.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 2 – released Mar 17.
• Conan the Barbarian #30 – released Mar 25.
• Mad About DC – released Apr 1.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 3 – releases Apr 21.
• Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King Prelude – releases May 2.
• Manga Classics: Journey to the West Prelude – releases May 2.
• Savage Sword of Conan #14 – releases May 6.
• Conan: Scourge of the Serpent TPB – releases May 6.
• Conan the Barbarian Vol. 7: The Conquering Crown TPB – releases May 20.
• Conan the Barbarian #31 – releases May 27.
• Savage Sword of Conan Vol. 4 TPB – releases May 27.

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Upcoming Appearances

Apr 23-26, 2026	Calgary Expo	Calgary, AB, CANADA
May 2nd, 2026	Gotham Central 11am-2pm	Mississauga, ON, CANADA
Jun 12-13, 2026	Robert E. Howard Days	Cross Plains, TX, USA
Jul 23-26, 2026	San Diego Comic Con	San Diego, CA, USA
Jul 30-Aug 2, 2026	Gen Con	Indianapolis, IN, USA
Aug 15, 2026	Comics Assemble	Gloucester, England, UK
Oct 15-18, 2026	Gamehole	Madison, WI, USA
Nov 12-15, 2026	D&D Weekend	Lake Sinclair, GA, USA
Jan 14-16, 2027	Philadelphia Area Gaming Expo	Philadelphia, PA, USA

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Other Links

• Did you know that you can listen to radio stations all over the world for free? Check out Radio Garden and enjoy!

• Daði Birna at Mystic Arts delivers again with a new video about Why Your DM Can’t Use Your Character’s Backstory. I really like the ‘knives’ concept he references and will keep that in mind for my own games going forward.

Jim

Last time I mentioned that I needed to have a productive writing week to keep up with projects I have on the go and, thankfully, it was a really good one. I hit a strong writing flow and knocked down some much-needed project milestones. As much as I can get writing done while I travel, having uninterrupted writing time here in my studio works best.

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It’s Final Order Cut-Off day for the CONAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT trade paperback so, if you haven’t pre-ordered yet, today is your last chance to ensure a copy is waiting for you before the print run is finalized.

What is Set the Snake God’s plan for humanity and, now that it’s begun, can it be stopped?

Scourge of the Serpent is a major pillar in our grand mythic plan for Conan so, if you haven’t had the chance to read it yet, do not miss out!

All that said, Scourge was our 2025 Conan Fall event so now we start turning our attention toward this year’s sword & sorcery blockbuster: TIDES OF THE TYRANT-KING!

Want a little sneak peek at Tides? Let’s do it-

Artist Jesus Merino is delivering absolutely top notch line art on this event mini-series, pushing himself on every single page. I am blown away by his confident cinematic staging and just how damn solid everything looks. He has a very distinct vision for the Hyborian Age, built on the foundation of classic Bronze Age Conan comics, but isn’t afraid to give it his own spark as well.

Look at that simmering Cimmerian gaze!

This is the iconic sellsword barbarian in his prime ready to kick ass but, just as we’ve done with our previous event mini-series, there will be twists and turns aplenty to keep you engaged and guessing as the adventure unfolds.

Make sure you tell your favorite local comic retailer you want a copy of our Free Comic Book Day CONAN: TIDES OF THE TYRANT-KING Prelude issue on Saturday, May 2nd!

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Megacon Chatter

Speaking of Cimmerians, I had an engaging chat with Matt from The Comic Book Guy YouTube channel when I was at Megacon a couple weeks ago. It was noisy on the convention floor, so the focused audio is a bit tinny, but we cover a lot of great stuff in and around working on the series.

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Talking with G33K HQ

I also had an extensive interview with Robbie over at G33K HQ. We obviously talk about Conan the Barbarian, but also cover a bunch of other titles and projects, including Pathfinder, Dungeons & Dragons, Skullkickers, MAD about DC, Journey to the West, and important advice for working in the business.

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Sometimes Messy

Every part of the no/clip making of documentary on Disco Elysium is well worth watching, but part 6 is the end and it carries mixed feelings on the highs and lows tied to creating this strange and brilliant game:

I’ve been part of creative collaborations that forge lifelong friendships and others that poison relationships and leave scars. It’s such a hard thing to explain to people outside these creative whirlwinds. They’re wonderful, terrible experiences.

You hope you get to be part of something so intense and meaningful, to collaborate with passionate and skilled people like that, but that dedication can leave a lot of damage in its wake. In the end, Disco Elysium is a beautifully twisted game that contains multitudes. It’s a dichotomy of low brow and high brow concepts, philosophy and politics set against nihilism and entropy.

Rambling jazzy pompous poetry that shouldn’t work but somehow does.

For better or for worse, it’s a fragile messy game made by fragile messy people.

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Current + Upcoming Releases

• Avengers: No Surrender/No Road Home Omnibus – released Mar 10.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 2 – released Mar 17.
• Conan the Barbarian #30 – released Mar 25.
• Mad About DC – released Apr 1.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 3 – releases Apr 21.
• Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King Prelude – releases May 2.
• Manga Classics: Journey to the West Prelude – releases May 2.
• Savage Sword of Conan #14 – releases May 6.
• Conan: Scourge of the Serpent TPB – releases May 6.
• Conan the Barbarian Vol. 7: The Conquering Crown TPB – releases May 20.
• Conan the Barbarian #31 – releases May 27.
• Savage Sword of Conan Vol. 4 TPB – releases May 27.

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Upcoming Appearances

My D&D Weekend event in Georgia is already sold out, which is exciting and a bit intimidating. Looking forward to chatting with my players later this summer and incorporating their character concepts into the adventure.

Apr 23-26, 2026	Calgary Expo	Calgary, AB, CANADA
May 2nd, 2026	Gotham Central 11am-2pm	Mississauga, ON, CANADA
Jun 12-13, 2026	Robert E. Howard Days	Cross Plains, TX, USA
Jul 23-26, 2026	San Diego Comic Con	San Diego, CA, USA
Jul 30-Aug 2, 2026	Gen Con	Indianapolis, IN, USA
Aug 15, 2026	Comics Assemble	Gloucester, England, UK
Oct 15-18, 2026	Gamehole	Madison, WI, USA
Nov 12-15, 2026	D&D Weekend	Lake Sinclair, GA, USA
Jan 14-16, 2027	Philadelphia Area Gaming Expo	Philadelphia, PA, USA

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Other Links

• Daði Birna at Mystic Arts has some great advice on building scenarios for tabletop gaming campaigns using “But” and “Therefore” while thinking about how plots and motivations link together.

• Patrick Willems’ rundown on things he learned while directing a short film is a great glimpse behind the curtain and the difference between guerilla filmmaking and high-end production. Lots of useful advice in here, even if you don’t work in film.

• “Your greatest asset that you have is your persistence, and it’s the one thing you’re fully in control of. When you see someone who really excels at something, it’s persistence, and staying with it and repetition over a long period of time.” – Ray Kinman from Disney Imagineering.

Jim

Last week was intense with Stacy’s book launch and the MAD About DC signing, so this week needs to be a post-Easter burst of productivity. I have a To-Do List of deadlines coming up and approved outlines to work from, so it’s just going to be scripting up a storm here at Zub HQ.

If you enjoyed Ivan Gil‘s artwork in Conan: Scourge of the Serpent, you’re going to see him fully unleashed in our feature 48-page story for SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #14, arriving in May!

Ivan worked so damn hard on Scourge, so for this story he got to choose every piece – What era of Conan we’d be working with, where it took place, and what the threat would be. I tailor-made this story to his strengths and he attacked it with gusto.

His ability to carve out these environments and make them feel as real as the characters in the story is so amazing. Seeing that art in pure black & white at magazine size is going to be a real treat for fans, and it’s been an absolute feast for me as his collaborator.

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The Nomad, Now Deluxe-ified!

Speaking of Conan x2 – Titan has announced a deluxe oversized hardcover edition of THE NOMAD, the fully oil-painted anniversary issue we released last year. If you missed my first King Conan story, a stunning visual whirlwind brought to life by master painter Alex Horley, you’ll definitely want to pick this up. And if you already have a copy, this baby is going to bring that artwork to life like never before and includes more making-of material so you can fully appreciate Alex’s phenomenal artistic skills.

Alex and I actually had a Zoom call last week where we chatted about current and future projects. Not sure when things will get announced, but know that there is more in development.

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I’ll Be At Howard Days 2026

Speaking of Conan x3 – My travel is booked, so I’m happy to announce that I’ll be attending Robert E. Howard Days this year for the 40th anniversary of the festival happening on June 12th and 13th. It looks like fans from multiple generations of REH fandom will be in attendance, so if you’ve thought about making the trek, this would be a fine year to make it happen.

I attended for the first time back in 2024 and had a good time with friends and fans in the spot where the sword & sorcery genre erupted from Bob’s Underwood no. 5 typewriter.

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Current + Upcoming Releases

• Avengers: No Surrender/No Road Home Omnibus – released Mar 10.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 2 – released Mar 17.
• Conan the Barbarian #30 – released Mar 25.
• Mad About DC – released Apr 1.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 3 – releases Apr 21.
• Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King Prelude – releases May 2.
• Manga Classics: Journey to the West Prelude – releases May 2.
• Savage Sword of Conan #14 – releases May 6.
• Conan: Scourge of the Serpent TPB – releases May 6.
• Conan the Barbarian Vol. 7: The Conquering Crown TPB – releases May 20.
• Conan the Barbarian #31 – releases May 27.
• Savage Sword of Conan Vol. 4 TPB – releases May 27.

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Upcoming Appearances

A pile of events have now been confirmed, filling in crucial parts of my summer schedule, as you’ll see below. I’ll be back at SDCC and Gen Con, which are once again happening back-to-back. I’ve also booked my first appearance for 2027 already, which is pretty wild.

Apr 23-26, 2026	Calgary Expo	Calgary, AB, CANADA
May 2nd, 2026	Gotham Central 11am-2pm	Mississauga, ON, CANADA
Jun 12-13, 2026	Robert E. Howard Days	Cross Plains, TX, USA
Jul 23-26, 2026	San Diego Comic Con	San Diego, CA, USA
Jul 30-Aug 2, 2026	Gen Con	Indianapolis, IN, USA
Aug 15, 2026	Comics Assemble	Gloucester, England, UK
Oct 15-18, 2026	Gamehole	Madison, WI, USA
Nov 12-15, 2026	D&D Weekend	Lake Sinclair, GA, USA
Jan 14-16, 2027	Philadelphia Area Gaming Expo	Philadelphia, PA, USA

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Other Links

• Matt from the Comic Book Guy YouTube channel had a nice little shout-out about our chat at Megacon. He and his buddy Guy have all kinds of fun fan discussions on their channel and it’s worth checking out, especially if you’re a collector.

• Did you see Chip Zdarsky‘s MAD About DC promo video that came out the same day as the issue? Filmed in Toronto, it’s one for the ages and reminds me of his Toronto mayoral campaign video from 2010, which I would love to link for you but doesn’t seem to be online anymore.

• Heroic Signatures has details on their upcoming Robert E. Howard-focused ebooks arriving throughout the year. These short stories are a great way to sample sword & sorcery authors and keep up on the many characters in our “Howardverse.”

Jim

My wife Stacy has a big week underway for her writing career!

D&D Crochet in Stores Now

It’s book launch day for D&D CROCHET: A Book of Many Patterns! Stacy worked with four designers to create 20 different patterns for toys, wearables and household items themed around Dungeons & Dragons and wrote accompanying lore to go with them.

If you’re in the CHICAGO area, she’s headed there for the book launch TONIGHT (March 31st) at GOBLIN MARKET from 6-8pm! Stop in and wish her well.

Some old school D&D gamers may scoff at the idea of a D&D craft book like this, but they are out of touch. Interest in the book has been really strong because there’s a large fanbase who crochet, knit, or do needlepoint while they tabletop game. Giving those people game-centric patterns and introducing more people to the lore is a great way to expand the hobby.

(Besides, in the early 1980’s Greenfield Needlewomen put out official D&D needlepoint patterns, so it’s not even unprecedented.)

Stacy has been a co-writer on the D&D Young Adventurer’s Guides since the beginning and those books have received broad acclaim for the way they bring new players into gaming. She put the same kind of care and effort into D&D Crochet as she has in the guides and I’m excited for readers to add this to their collection.

Wings of Starlight: the Manga

On top of that, Stacy’s next book has been announced – She’s working with Disney Publishing on a manga adaptation of the Best-Selling WINGS OF STARLIGHT novel by Allison Saft!

The first volume arrives in print this summer, and the Webtoon version is live now and updates weekly.

To give people outside the YA sphere an idea how big a deal this is, Wings of Starlight hit #1 on the New York Times Young Adult Best-Sellers list and has been on there for the past 57 weeks.

So yeah, wonderful news for my wonderful wife! Congratulate her on the good news and I’m excited to see her out promoting these in the coming months.

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A MAD Signing in Toronto – No Foolin’!

Speaking of promotion, on Wednesday, April 1st MAD ABOUT DC arrives in comic shops and I’ll be at The Beguiling signing from 6-8pm with mastermind Chip Zdarsky and fellow creators Ryan North, Ramon Perez, Benjamin Errett, Andrew Wheeler, Joseph Starky, Kagan McLeod, and Jay Bone!

Obviously we’ll be signing copies of MAD About DC purchased at the shop, but feel free to bring or buy other Zub books you want signed as well!

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D&D Weekend at the Lakehouse Retreat

The same team that puts together D&D in a Castle has a series of other events at other locations throughout the year and I’m signed on for a D&D Weekend on November 12th-15th at The Lakehouse Retreat in Georgia.

There are only 6 seats at the table and half already sold in pre-release, so if you want on board a 20-hour campaign DMed by me, now is the time to jump in!

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Current + Upcoming Releases

• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 1 – released Feb 17.
• Conan the Barbarian #29 – released Feb 25.
• Avengers: No Surrender/No Road Home Omnibus – released Mar 10.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 2 – released Mar 17.
• Conan the Barbarian #30 – released Mar 25.
• Mad About DC – releases Apr 1.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 3 – releases Apr 21.
• Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King Prelude – releases May 2.
• Manga Classics: Journey to the West Prelude – releases May 2.
• Savage Sword of Conan #14 – releases May 6.
• Conan: Scourge of the Serpent TPB – releases May 6.
• Conan the Barbarian Vol. 7: The Conquering Crown TPB – releases May 20.
• Conan the Barbarian #31 – releases May 27.
• Savage Sword of Conan Vol. 4 TPB – releases May 27.

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Upcoming Appearances

Apr 1st, 2026	The Beguiling	Toronto, ON, CANADA
Apr 23-26, 2026	Calgary Expo	Calgary, AB, CANADA
May 2, 2026	FCBD – Gotham Central	Mississauga, ON, CANADA
Aug 15, 2026	Comics Assemble	Gloucester, England, UK

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Other Links

• This new 3D capture and render technology called Gaussian Splats looks absolutely wild. The naturalistic lighting, depth of field and small file size feels like magic. I browsed some of these splat files right in my browser and it’s very impressive. Check these out and notice the file sizes relative to what you see: ONE TWO THREE FOUR.

• It was nice to see The Dungeon Dudes mention our Conan: The Hyborian Age Actual Play during their recent video all about Setting Your Players Up For Success.

• Javi has a nice rundown of figure drawing fundamentals in his latest video. Learning to shift between modes (line, gesture, form, or lighting/value) while drawing what you see is a crucial skill applicable in tons of areas and he does a great job explaining how it works here with examples.

Jim

I’ve been keeping this one secret for quite some time, but am happy to have it finally show up in advance book catalogues – WAYWARD is being collected in a beautiful one volume Compendium edition this September!

WAYWARD is a creator-owned comic series I co-created with the amazing artist Steven Cummings that ran for 30 issues from 2014 to 2018. It’s a bit like ‘Buffy in Japan’, with teenagers fighting against Japanese mythological monsters on the streets of modern Tokyo while struggling with their personal drama and newfound supernatural powers.

These characters are near and dear to my heart and the series launched at a time when Image Comics was going through a renaissance with new titles that grabbed attention and made waves. I’ve always been proud of what Steven, Tamra, Zack, Marshall and I were able to accomplish, showcasing real Japanese places and historical myths without leaning too hard on manga tropes or pacing.

Some of the original trade paperbacks and deluxe hardcovers have fallen out of print so it’ll be nice to have it available for readers to enjoy and share in one complete volume. Make sure you pre-order and tell your friends!

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Earth’s Mightiest Collection

Speaking of great looking collections, the AVENGERS: NO SURRENDER/NO ROAD HOME Omnibus is now in stores, collecting the weekly epic events I co-wrote with Mark Waid and Al Ewing, with artwork by the incomparable Pepe Larraz, Kim Jacinto, Paco Medina, and Sean Izaakse.

I received my contributor copy in the mail late last week and, the minute I cracked it open, a flood of wonderful memories came back, a special milestone in my creative career. When we were plugging away on these stories it really felt like we were the Avengers, banding together to tackle a massive story and wild deadlines we never could have overcome as individuals.

I learned so much working on these events and hearing from readers that it’s considered a ‘modern classic’ means a lot. I’d love to write more of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes at some point down the road but, whatever happens, this collection is great to have available.

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Robert E. Howard Award Nominations

The Robert E. Howard Foundation has posted their ballot for the 2026 REH awards and books I worked on snagged 3 nominations:
• The Hyrkanian—Outstanding Achievement, Essay
– “Shadows of the Serpent: Howard, Kull and the Birth of Sword and Sorcery”, Jeff Shanks in Conan: Scourge of the Serpent #1-4
• The Rankin—Artistic Achievement
– Jim Zub, Ivan Gil, João Canola, Tyler Smith, and Richard Starkings, for Conan: Scourge of the Serpent
– Jim Zub, Alex Horley, Tyler Smith, and Richard Starkings for Conan the Barbarian #25, “The Nomad”

The competition is really tight this year, but that just means we’re enjoying a surge of Howard-related works so I couldn’t be happier. Best of luck to all the nominees!

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High Points at Fantastic Comic Fan

I spoke to Ray MacKay (a young comic creator getting his start) at The Fantastic Comic Fan podcast about my comic career– How I got my start, the influence of tabletop RPGs, developing my creator-owned books, working on Conan the Barbarian, and a whole lot more. Check it out!

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Popverse is Chasing the Vibes

Popverse asked a bunch of comic creators, including me, questions about our careers and excitement being at Emerald City Comic Con:
• Do you remember the first time a comic made you feel seen?
• What was your first “I can’t believe this is my job” moment?
• What is your favorite sound effect you’ve written?
• Which of your characters feels most like family to you now?
• If a character you worked on could walk through Artist Alley at ECCC, what would they say?
• What is the weirdest or most wonderful thing that you’ve ever signed?
• What can comics do that no other artform can?
• Which character you’ve worked on would bomb a panel Q&A?
• What is your go-to snack when deadlines are closing in?
• When you think of ECCC, what feeling comes to mind?
• What does it mean to see fans still showing up for comics after all these years?
• What is one thing you hope fans take away from ECCC this year?
• Finish this sentence, “Comics will always matter because-“

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Current + Upcoming Releases

• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 1 – released Feb 17.
• Conan the Barbarian #29 – released Feb 25.
• Avengers: No Surrender/No Road Home Omnibus – released Mar 10.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 2 – released Mar 17.
• Conan the Barbarian #30 – releases Mar 25.
• Mad About DC – releases Apr 1.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 3 – releases Apr 21.
• Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King Prelude – releases May 2.
• Manga Classics: Journey to the West Prelude – releases May 2.
• Savage Sword of Conan #14 – releases May 6.
• Conan: Scourge of the Serpent TPB – releases May 6.
• Conan the Barbarian Vol. 7: The Conquering Crown TPB – releases May 20.
• Conan the Barbarian #31 – releases May 27.
• Savage Sword of Conan Vol. 4 TPB – releases May 27.

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Upcoming Appearances

This week I’m at Megacon Orlando, so if you’ll be at the show, please stop by to see me!

Mar 19-22, 2026	Megacon Orlando	Orlando, FL, USA
Apr 23-26, 2026	Calgary Expo	Calgary, AB, CANADA
Aug 15, 2026	Comics Assemble	Gloucester, England, UK

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Other Links

• The Robert E. Howard Foundation posted an update video on how fundraising is going for repairs on the Howard house and what their next steps are to restore and preserve the property. You can donate any amount here and help the cause.

• Edariad has a great video rundown of why Matt Mercer is such a sharp Dungeon Master. Matt balances system rules with improvisation really well, and his ability to create new meaning in older scenes when given new context by player actions reminds me a lot of bringing new ideas to old superhero stories in continuity.

• The Wall Street Journal has a fun video talking to staff at Aardman Animation, the studio behind Wallace & Gromit and other animated classics, about how they almost ran out of the favorite clay they use for doing all their stop-motion animation. The human touch in their work is one of the many reasons it’s so special.

Jim

Emerald City Comic Con signaled that convention season has started once again and, as always, Seattle was very good to me. Long time fans stopped by, new readers met me for the first time, and time with industry pals reminded me why I love these events.

Obviously, Conan the Barbarian was central to every signing, but Skullkickers, Wayward, Dungeons & Dragons and my superhero stories were a steady source of discussion and excitement as well, which was really nice.

On Thursday I was part of the LitRPG OMG panel alongside Matt Dinniman (Dungeon Crawler Carl) and Tao Wong (A Thousand Li), and it was an absolute blast. I went into the panel with some trepedation because, although I write TTRPG stories and game material, it’s not exactly LitRPG and that I’d be out of sync with the room. On top of that, Matt’s Dungeon Crawler Carl series has become such a phenomenon that I imagined a scenario where every time he wasn’t talking the audience (jam-packed with his fans) would be annoyed. Thankfully, my fears were quickly put to rest. Even though I met Matt and Tao for the first time 30 seconds before the panel began, we instantly gelled and it felt like hanging out with old friends, playfully riffing with eachother and the standing room-only crowd. The energy in the room was joyous and we all left feeling like a million bucks.

Best of all, the panel had the effect you always hope for (but rarely get) where a substantial number of people were introduced to me there and then went out of their way to track me down at the show and pick up a book.

Katie Cook wasn’t able to make it to ECCC this year, so I held down the fort on the 14th annual Convention Horror Stories panel by myself, filling 60 minutes with anecdotes about embarassing situations that have popped up in the more than 200 conventions I’ve been to around the world. In open mic or stand-up comedy situations, people talk about having a “tight 10” (10 minutes worth of well-tested material) or a “tight 20”, but at this point I have enough ridiculous stories to fill a half dozen HBO specials, which is amazing and bewildering at the same time.

Thursday was extremely busy, on Friday and Saturday the crowds came in waves, and Sunday was a relaxed wrap-up, with longer discussions and bleary-eyed good-byes (especially after the Spring forward time change stole an hour from our souls). The show was great, people were excited, and I am exhausted in a satisfying way.

Now I’m catching up on work emails and trying to nail down convention/travel plans for the rest of the year. Looking at the calendar, it’s going to be busy but not quite as crazy as 2025 was, which is a very good thing.

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Popverse‘s Grant DeArmitt covered some highlights from the LitRPG panel, which you can check out over on their site.

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Code-X Interview

Dan over at The Code-X Station interviewed me about my comic career – How I started as a comic reader, kicking off my creative career, launching Skullkickers at Image, breaking in with other publishers, Marvel projects, the strange dynamics of a creative career, relaunching titles, writing Conan the Barbarian, and more!

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Current + Upcoming Releases

• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 1 – released Feb 17.
• Conan the Barbarian #29 – released Feb 25.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 2 – releases Mar 17.
• Conan the Barbarian #30 – releases Mar 25.
• Mad About DC – releases Apr 1.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 3 – releases Apr 21.
• Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King Prelude – releases May 2.
• Savage Sword of Conan #14 – releases May 6.
• Conan: Scourge of the Serpent TPB – releases May 6.
• Conan the Barbarian Vol. 7: The Conquering Crown TPB – releases May 20.
• Conan the Barbarian #31 – releases May 27.
• Savage Sword of Conan Vol. 4 TPB – releases May 27.

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Upcoming Appearances

Mar 19-22, 2026	Megacon Orlando	Orlando, FL, USA
Apr 23-26, 2026	Calgary Expo	Calgary, AB, CANADA
Aug 15, 2026	Comics Assemble	Gloucester, England, UK

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Other Links

• Iron Circus has a new fantasy TTRPG-centric comic called Sleeping Wizards they’re currently crowdfunding over on Kickstarter. They sent me samples of the story and it’s looking quite sharp, plus there are bundles of other ICC books available if you support at a higher tier so I highly recommend checking it out!

• Also looking sharp is the vampire comic Shards of Reflection by my friend Kel McDonald. I chatted with her about it when I was at ECCC and it’s looking great. So many creators come and go in indie comics, but Kel just keeps plugging away, project after project, and I’m always glad when she has something new underway.

• Zdarsky filmed a promo for Mad About DC, the new Mad Magazine superhero parody I’m part of, and hints that there’s more to come on April 1st…I am not prepared.

Jim