Zub Tales

Toronto got walloped with multiple days of intense snowfall and the roads are treacherous, so Stacy and I have been bundled up here getting writing done and trying not to venture outside unless absolutely necessary – February definitely has its fangs sunk in deep!

January was the first skip month we’ve had since the new Conan series launched mid-2023 but now, finally, CONAN THE BARBARIAN #18 arrives in comic shops this week! It’s the second half of “Fangs and Foolish Thieves”, a Conan and Bêlit caper that will cast unexpected ripples out toward later stories I have planned, including SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT.

I’m already working on scripts for issues #26-28 and promotional plans around our extra-special issue #25 that I can’t wait for you to see. The Age of High Adventure is going strong!

On Thursday I fly out to British Columbia for Vancouver Fan Expo, which I’ve never done before, and a couple weeks after that is Emerald City Comic Con, which has always been a great show for me. February and March is absolutely packed and I know it’s going to be exhausting, but also a lot of fun.

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Conan Panel at MCM Expo London 2024

Andrew Sumner from Forbidden Planet and I had a wonderful chat back in November at MCM Expo London and the video from that panel is now up on the Forbidden Planet YouTube channel. We talk all about Conan the Barbarian – past, present, and future – Check it out!

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Pathfinder Comic Bundle

If you enjoy Paizo’s excellent tabletop RPGs or just want more fantasy and sci-fi storytelling in your life, there’s a new Humble Bundle for Pathfinder and Starfinder digital comics and the three story arcs I wrote to launch Pathfinder back in 2012 are all in there for a ridiculously low price.

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Skullkickers: The Digest Edition is Coming!

If you’ve enjoyed my work on CONAN THE BARBARIAN or DUNGEONS & DRAGONS or PATHFINDER 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

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

Conan the Barbarian Vol. 4: Frozen Faith TPB – releases February 19th.

Conan the Barbarian #18 – releases February 19th.

Thunderbolts: Winter Soldiers – releases March 4th.

Conan the Barbarian #19 – releases March 19th.

Conan: Battle of the Black Stone TPB – releases April 1st.

Rick and Morty VS Cthulhu – Deluxe Edition – releases April 1st.

Savage Sword of Conan Vol. 2 TPB – releases April 8th.

Conan the Barbarian #20 – releases April 16th.

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Upcoming Appearances

More show announcements coming soon!

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

• Steve Jackson Games is bringing back the original Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks and I am ecstatic that a whole new generation of readers can discover these classic stories and art. The triumverate of my sword & sorcery influences are D&D, Conan, and FF. If I ever had the chance to write a Fighting Fantasy Gamebook it would complete an inspiration circuit in me that could light up a whole city.

• Comic artist Yanick Paquette is covering the basics of Perspective Drawing in his newsletter and it’s a wonderful little introduction. These skills are always worth reviewing and perfecting.

• Illustrator Tim Mcburnie has a great art tutorial series on his website: common pitfalls, composition, detail, professionalism, and more!

• Kieron Gillen‘s latest post about improving your tabletop RPG experience is bang-on. What do you need to know about Stars, Wishes, and CATS? Read on and find out.
Jim