I wouldn’t normally send out two newsletters in one week, but there is so much going on and a few time-sensitive deadlines that I needed to double up here. Trust me, I don’t have time to make this a regular thing.
Prep Your Fall Reading List For Glory
For the past 2 years on pulp literature-focused YouTube channels and various book blogs, there’s been a little movement called “Cimmerian September”, with people reading Conan stories – the original prose stories or pastiche novels/comics – and sharing their thoughts online.
On September 1st, it’s happening again and you can join in!
With the surge in interest around our favorite Cimmerian, I want to signal boost this fine endeavor and encourage old and new readers to join us. The original unedited Robert E. Howard prose tales are available physically and digitally in a wonderful 3-volume set published by Del Rey-
1) The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian
2) The Bloody Crown of Conan
3) The Conquering Sword of Conan
On the comic front, the current Titan Comics series launched last year and we have two collected volumes released so far-
1) Conan the Barbarian: Bound in Black Stone
2) Conan the Barbarian: Thrice Marked For Death
with volume 3 available for pre-order, arriving in October.
There’s also a brand-new Robert E. Howard character-focused mini-series launching September 4th called Conan: Battle of the Black Stone, along with a special lead-in issue of Savage Sword of Conan, our black & white anthology magazine, in comic shops today – Wednesday, August 28th!
You can sample and share the new comics by checking out our Free Comic Book Day issues available FREE online:
Free Comic Book Day 2023 – Conan the Barbarian Prelude
Free Comic Book Day 2024 – Conan: Battle of the Black Stone Prelude
If you get a chance to participate any time this Fall, let people online know what you think and get discussion going. It’s a fantastic time to dive into grand adventures in the Hyborian Age!
If you want to convince friends or family to read Conan, let them know that the character and world is incredibly easy to jump into and core premise is simple:
Conan is a wandering warrior in a pre-historic time of swords, sorcery, danger and mystery. Wherever he goes, adventure and excitement is sure to follow.
Tickets Going Fast!
Even though it was only announced a couple weeks ago, my table for D&D In a Castle in early November is already almost full. If you’re interested in heading to northern England and playing at Lumley Castle in my D&D 50th anniversary adventure, you should dive in before all seats are gone.
In a similar vein, event registration for Gamehole Con is this Saturday, August 31st for general attendees. I’m running the old school dungeon delve I brought to Gary Con back in March three times over the weekend and seats are limited, so make sure you Wishlist that if you’re going.
Stacy is also running a special adventure for kids (one session ages 6-9 and another ages 10-12), so if you’re heading to the convention with your family add that to your Wishlist as well!
Current + Upcoming Releases
Upcoming Appearances
| Oct 15, 2024 | Kowabunga Comics | Oconomowoc, WI, USA |
| Oct 17-20, 2024 | Gamehole Con | Madison, WI, USA |
| Nov 4-8, 2024 | D&D In a Castle | Newcastle, UK |
Links and Other Things
• My friend Jim Demonakos has produced an amazing documentary on comic creator Mike Mignola and it’s finally being released September 17th! Make sure you check that out.
• Watch a time lapse video of artist David Palumbo painting the cover to this week’s issue of Savage Sword of Conan in oil. When the cover was first revealed in solicits, several people responded that it was digital, but it’s all traditional and stunning to watch it unfold as he talks about his process.
• Sword & Sorcery Book Club is doing a series of videos that cover the prose source material I’m using as part of Battle of the Black Stone. His latest is the original Robert E. Howard horror story, The Black Stone, so you definitely don’t want to miss that.
• Gary B The Casual Comic Guy has a new video covering the strengths of the new Conan comic series and how other publishers can use what we’re doing to strengthen their releases. I’m humbled by the high praise and thankful we have such a loyal readership.
*whew* Okay, thanks for your patience on this newsletter double-dip and I hope your summer is ending strong!
Jim
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