Zub Tales

Three days after getting back from my vacation, I was on a flight to Orlando for MegaCon. It’s rare that I do any conventions in February, let alone a four-day monster like this one, and it was intense! Tons of signed comics, great interactions with fans, and fun conversations with friends. Even with the Comic Sketch Art crew doing set up and tear down, I was exhausted by the end of the show.

Given the state of the world right now I wasn’t sure how the convention would feel, but it seems escapism is front and center on the minds of fandom, and I can’t blame anyone for that.

I don’t normally buy myself presents at conventions, especially on day one of a show, but I couldn’t pass up a stunning raw copy of CONAN THE BARBARIAN #1 from 1970. The retailer who had it gave me a really good price so, after all these years, I finally have one!

Fans at the show seemed really surprised to see me doing sketches, which makes sense since my writing career has been so prominent compared to my art and I don’t get the chance to draw as much as I used to. It was nice shaking off some of the rust and busting out a few new drawings.

This is my first show of the year and the next month is jam-packed with travel, but if MegaCon is a sign for my convention appearances in 2025, I am both excited and intimidated. Thank you to everyone who stopped by!

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Conan Screening Intro

Four Color Fantasies comic shop and the Comic Book Couples Counseling Podcast organized a screening of the 1982 Conan the Barbarian movie at the Alamo Drafthouse in Virgina and asked if I could record a short intro to play before the film.

Here’s what I put together for them – Some info about the character’s legacy and my memories of the movie and its impact:

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Skullkickers: The Digest Edition is Coming!

If you’ve enjoyed my work on CONAN THE BARBARIAN and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS but never read the original story that led to those projects, you’re about to get another chance to kick some skulls…thanks to ZOOP!

Compact/manga-sized volumes are all the rage right now with new readers and the animation-styled artwork of Skullkickers is perfectly suited to this form factor.

Sign up HERE to make sure you don’t miss it!

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Current + Upcoming Releases

If you are a comic retailer or press outlet and want to get advance PDFs of my upcoming releases, please reach out with your contact information so I can add you to my retailer or press mailing lists which are seperate from this newsletter.

Conan the Barbarian #17 – released December 11th.

Savage Sword of Conan Vol. 1 TPB – released January 14th.

Conan the Barbarian Vol. 4: Frozen Faith TPB – releases February 18th.

Conan the Barbarian #18 – releases February 19th.

Thunderbolts: Winter Soldiers – releases March 4th.

Conan the Barbarian #19 – releases March 19th.

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Upcoming Appearances

More shows getting added to the schedule – February and March are going to be busy!

Feb 21-23, 2025	Fan Expo Vancouver	Vancouver, BC, CANADA
Mar 6-9, 2025	Emerald City Comic Con	Seattle, Washington, USA
Mar 14-16, 2025	Toronto Comicon	Toronto, Ontario, CANADA
Mar 20-23, 2025	Gary Con XVII	Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, USA
Nov 3-14, 2025	D&D in a Castle	Castle Lumley, Newcastle, UK

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Other Links

• Comic creator Tyler Jenkins (Peter Panzerfaust, Grass Kings) could use financial help in these troubling times. Donate if you can and share the link around to help him meet his funding goal.

• Best-selling fantasy author Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn) is posting lectures up from his Fantasy-Sci-Fi Writing class on his YouTube channel. There is lots of good writing and motivational advice here worth checking out.

• The Sword & Sorcery Book Club channel has put together an extensive review of Battle of the Black Stone, with analysis aplenty.

• Nomination submissions for the 2025 Hugo Awards are now open, so if you have membership at WorldCon, make sure you submit your picks (and keep my work in mind).
Jim