Here’s the captured video of our liveplay on stage at Gen Con 2022!

The cast of The Black Dice Society includes-
Tanya DePass (Rivals of Waterdeep)
Noura Ibrahim (Tides of Wildemount)
Deejay Knight
Mark Meer (Mass Effect)
Saige Ryan (Pixel Circus)
Becca Scott (Dimension 20)
Dungeon Master B. Dave Walters (G4)
and, at this session, special guest Jim Zub (Conan the Barbarian).

Dungeons & Dragons developer Chris Perkins chats with Todd Kenreck all about the legend of Boo, Miniature Giant Space Hamster, including a callback to D&D Live 2019 with Matt and I-

At last, it’s time for North America’s largest tabletop, card, and board game show, GEN CON in Indianapolis, Indiana!

Tracy and Laura Hickman (Dragonlance, Ravenloft), Howard Tayler (Shlock Mercenary, Writing Excuses), Sandra Tayler (Hold On To Your Horses), Stacy King (D&D Young Adventurer’s Guides) and I will be set-up together at BOOTH 1849 in the main exhibit hall, ready to sign for readers.

We also have two spiffy new RPG books: Skullkickers: Caster Bastards and the Great Grotesque and X-treme Dungeon Mastery 2nd Edition!

If you’re headed to Gen Con, it would be great to see you there! It’s one of my favorite shows each year. Getting the chance to promote my comic work and also dig into the latest and greatest the gaming industry has to offer is a wonderful opportunity.

In addition to being at our space on the show floor, I’ll be doing a live play and panel as well:

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4th
1:00-4:30pm – Black Dice Society Live at Gen Con – ICC : 101-103
The cast of The Black Dice Society includes Tanya DePass (Rivals of Waterdeep), Noura Ibrahim (Tides of Wildemount), Deejay Knight, Mark Meer (Mass Effect), Saige Ryan (Pixel Circus), Becca Scott (Dimension 20), Dungeon Master B. Dave Walters (G4) and, at this session, special guest Jim Zub (Conan the Barbarian).

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5th
3:00-4:00pm – Tabletop to the Page: Comics and Games – Crowne Plaza : Haymarket A
Tabletop gaming and comics are a natural pairing, and it’s no wonder that many tabletop games have made the jump to comics–and vice versa. Game designers, comics creators, and more come together for this panel to discuss adapting TTRPGs for comics; creating board games and RPGs based on comics; and finding audiences and funding for these projects in different ways, including crowdfunding.

Short Version: I’m thrilled to announce that the crew at Comic Sketch Art will be handling my upcoming appearances that haven’t already been booked for 2022 and 2023. If you work for a convention or store and want me to attend your event, please reach out to them or drop me a line and I can put you in touch with them to work out details.

Long Version: I’ve been going to comic conventions as a professional now for twenty years. Just looking at that typed out in front of me, it feels utterly strange. With well over two hundred shows under my belt at this point I’ve run the gamut of events, from store signings and small book festivals to some of the largest pop culture gatherings in the world.

Attending conventions has been an incredible boon to my personal life and creative career, as both a fan and professional. That said, it’s also been a tremendous amount of stress on top of juggling my writing deadlines and teaching day job. Every show has its own set of logistics that need to be worked out – travel, lodgings, shipping, scheduling, set up and tear down – and dealing with all that takes time and energy away from other things, especially creative things.

Part of me really enjoyed intrepidly heading forth each new trip, hauling my banner and other stuff to each show, doing it all myself or traveling with Stacy and having the two of us figure out each challenge as a team. But again, it’s a ton of work, especially now.

Here in 2022, as soon as we returned to the con circuit, I could feel the difference.
Two years away and things had changed.

My time is being squeezed more than ever. The number of meetings and meet ups happening off the show floor have increased and, honestly, I’m not getting any younger, so hauling everything and doing set up every time just doesn’t feel as fun or satisfying as it used to. The mileage is literally starting to catch up with me.

On top of that, conventions are more corporate than ever before. In the face of celebrity-driven mega-events and so many companies throwing their weight around, it feels good to have a group like CSA advocating for the creators they represent, leveraging our skills and credits to get better placement, promotion, and compensation as part of the ongoing convention business. I know that’s not something a lot of other creators talk about, but I’m always pretty open about my experiences, both creative and financial. Time, money, and hassle all factor into this decision.

I want to do more events, see more people (friends and fans alike), and experience more places without wearing myself down to the nub and working with CSA looks like it’ll enable all that and more. The fact that they’re also repping a bunch of my friends and we’ll get to spend more time together on the road is just icing on the cake. With so many exciting projects on the horizon and now extra resources in place to handle coordination on events, I’m even more pumped for the future.

Thanks, as always, for your support. Getting to write stories for a living is a gift and I never want to take any of this for granted.

I wasn’t originally planning to be at San Diego Comic Con this year, but a few new project announcements, panels, and meetings have pulled me into the vortex. Fun times ahead.

Here’s where you’ll definitely see me at the show –

THURSDAY, JULY 21st
12:30pm – 1:30pm – Conan the Barbarian 90th Anniversary – Room 24ABC
Matt Murray (editor, Heroic Signatures), Steve Saffel (editor, Titan Books), Jim Zub (writer, Conan the Barbarian, Dungeons & Dragons) and other panelists discuss Conan’s lasting impact and offer revelations on what’s yet to come, including the Netflix project in development, a new era for the comics, and Conan: Blood of the Serpent by NYT bestselling author S. M. Stirling.

3:30pm – 4:30pm – Tabletop RPGs and the Shared Story Experience – Room 26AB
Let’s talk about how TTRPGs are delivering an all-new way to share stories. Tabletop RPGs have experienced unprecedented growth with new players who are discovering the joys of adventuring together and experiencing stories together. RPGs are a new form of storytelling that land differently from traditional media. Panelists include Ajit A. George (Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel, Ravenloft), Whitney “Strix” Beltran (Hidden Path Entertainment, Bluebeards Bride), John Nee (Marvel RPG, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Cryptozoic), Matt Forbeck (Marvel RPG, Marvel Encyclopedia, Deadlands RPG), Matt Fantastic (Forever Stoked Creative, Game Designer), and Jon Ritter-Roderick (Kickstarter).

FRIDAY, JULY 22nd
10:30am – 11:30am Signing at Comic Sketch Art – BOOTH #4900

SATURDAY, JULY 23rd
11:00am – 12:00pm Signing at Comic Sketch Art – BOOTH #4900

SUNDAY, JULY 24th
11:00am – 12:00pm Signing at Comic Sketch Art – BOOTH #4900

This weekend I’m back at Montreal Comiccon, my first time at the show since 2015. Stacy and I will be set up at BOOTH 2729! Come on by with your books to get signed or you can pick up some we’ll be bringing from home.

2:00p – Sunday, July 10
SPOTLIGHT ON JIM ZUB (D&D, CONAN THE BARBARIAN, AVENGERS)
516A : Salle de Conférence 3
This is the perfect opportunity to hear creators talk about your favourite comic books and their experiences in the business, their current or upcoming projects, and perhaps even some never heard before anecdotes. It’s a great opportunity to ask questions and be entertained in person by your favourite creators.

After two years dormant, the Toronto Comic Arts Festival is back! TCAF is a wonderful comic and graphic novel event happening at the Toronto Reference Library that’s FREE to attend!

On both Saturday and Sunday Stacy and I will be set up on the second floor salon at TABLE 238 with copies of Rick and Morty VS Dungeons & Dragons, the D&D Young Adventurer’s Guides, the new Skullkickers Kickstarter book, and more! You can purchase those to get signed or bring any of my other books on by to get signed as well.

I’m also doing two panels over the weekend, one for the Word Balloon Academy online material and another on site:

Friday, June 17th 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM
DIGITAL PANEL: Whose IP is it anyway? (Livestreamed on site)
Featuring: Vanessa Stefaniuk, Megan Kearney, Ryan North, and Jim Zub
From Dungeons & Dragons to Disney Princesses, artists of all stripes can make a career working in established IP. Artists discuss how to get into existing IP projects and their experiences in this hybrid, live-streamed panel in the creative stream.
Location: Novella

Sunday, June 19th 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Adventuretime (Not the Show)
Come grab your friends to talk about adventure! From escaping rolling boulders to swashbuckling on the high seas, there are a million different configurations of action set pieces and adventure storytelling. Join an incredible line up of creators, Terry Dodson (AdventureMan), Jim Zub (Dungeons & Dragons, Wayward), Sweeney Boo (Over My Dead Body, Marvel Action), and Henry Brajas (Helm Greycastle), as they discuss how comics make the best action and how to make the best action in comics.
Location: Toronto Reference Library, Hinton Learning Theatre

If you’re in the city over the weekend I hope to see you there!

After two years away from convention traveling, Stacy and I are finally back at the Calgary Comics & Entertainment Expo! If you’re headed to the show, we hope to see you there.

If you want to get your copies of Conan the Barbarian, Dungeons & Dragons, Champions, Wayward, the Young Adventurer’s Guides, or any of our other work signed, here’s where you can find us:

In addition to being at my table, I’m also on two panels on Saturday:

Saturday April 23rd
Writing For Comics
2:00pm at the BIG 4 COMIC STAGE
An esteemed collection of creator guests carry on an insightful discussion on the intricacies of professionally writing comics. Lovern Kindzierski, Sam Maggs, Conor McCreery, and moderator Jim Zub.

Ultimate Breaking Into Comics Panel
4:00pm at the BIG 4 COMIC STAGE
Get the insider scoop on entering the comics industry with our panel of professionals. Heather Antos, Nathan Fairbairn, Mitch Gerads, and moderator Jim Zub.

After more than two years away from conventions, I’m back this weekend at Fan Expo Canada!
I’ll be set up at ARTIST ALLEY TABLE P48.

My wedding anniversary is on Saturday, so I won’t be there all day, but otherwise you should be able to find me at Fan Expo throughout most of the show on Friday and Sunday. I’m not doing any panels or other events, just hanging tight at my table when I’m not saying “hi” to friends or grabbing a quick bite.

If you’re able to make it to the convention, it would be great to see you there.

Here’s the show floor map-