It’s wonderful to be back at Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle, Washington, one of my favorite conventions each year. I’ll be set up with the Comic Sketch Art team at-
ARTIST ALLEY TABLE A-27
In addition to signing at my table during the show, on Friday I have two panels and a book giveaway:
FRIDAY, MARCH 7 2:00 PM-2:45 PM – Dungeons and Dragons and Comics, Oh My! – Room 345 • Level 3
Swords are cool! And comics with swords are even cooler. Join Jim Zub(Conan the Barbarian, Dungeons & Dragons), G. Willow Wilson(The Hunger and the Dusk), Zack Davisson(Record of Lodoss War), and others to talk about sexy orks, bladed weapons, fantastical beasts, and what makes comics a perfect medium for telling fantasy stories.
3:15 PM-4:00 PM – Convention Horror Stories, An ECCC Tradition – Room 320 • Level 3 Jim Zub(Conan the Barbarian, Rick and Morty VS Dungeons & Dragons) and Katie Cook(My Little Pony, Nothing Special) are back with their fan-favorite con horror stories panel! What’s it like working as a pro in the business on the convention ‘circuit’? Ridiculous, embarrassing, and always entertaining! Some of these stories will make you laugh out loud, others will make you cringe! This panel is recommended for those 16+ due to coarse language.
4:15 PM-4:45PM – D&D Young Adventurer’s Signing and Giveaway – Booth #20515
At the Penguin-Random House booth, author Jim Zub will be signing FREE copies of Artificers & Alchemy, the newest Dungeons & Dragons Young Adventurer’s Guide, while supplies last!
After our first skip month since the new series launch, we’re back with Conan the Barbarian #18! What did the critics think of the second half of our ‘Fangs and Foolish Thieves’ 2-part story?
• 9 Panel Grid: “This issue was awesome…It still delivers on the classic Conan tales and the feel you want for this book.”
• Amazon: 10/10 “The characters, dialogue, narration are all exactly as they should be, and I still find myself pleasantly surprised every time that it feels right. I should have learned by now.”
• Comical Opinions: 7.8/10 “…brings the two-parter to a close with bloody fights, magic, monsters, and more. Jim Zub nails the chemistry between Conan and Bêlit, demonstrating exactly why she is Conan’s greatest love”
• Cool Thunder: 8.5/10 “Conan and Bêlit’s adventures continues to be a fun and engaging ride, capturing the essence of their fiery romance and relentless battles.”
• Crushing Krisis: “I think Jim Zub is writing Conan for the ages…The captions and the prose is so strong.”
• Cupcake Comic Reviews: “If there’s a book that can make me buy it for issue 18 or issue 20, that means it’s really good…Conan is what Conan does and that is brutal savagery.”
• DC Patrol: “I urge you to go out and read Conan the Barbarian by Jim Zub and company because these are always entertaining, always fun. You get your money’s worth and that’s important, especially these days.”
• Dragon’s Cache: 9.8/10 “If the life of a thief precludes loyalty, the antique business proves equally devoid of morality. When Conan and Bêlit embark on a mission without knowing their accomplice, they get more than they bargained for”
• Eternal Crusader: “…whether it’s the vibrant bazaars of Kyros, nocturnal estates, secret libraries, or bustling harbor facilities, Brine fills each panel with an abundance of detail, exoticism, and ornamental elements that bring the setting vividly to life for readers.”
• Evan the Architect: “Another solid issue…Conan’s a great book and I recommend everybody check it out.”
• GrimDark Magazine: “Conan the Barbarian #18 caps off a whirlwind caper. The shorter storyline and fresh artwork show that Jim Zub is still willing to experiment with the Titan Comics series, even as the title sprints towards its second anniversary.”
• League of Comic Geeks: 8/10 “A great story of treachery, double-crossing, and a harrowing escape. Whenever the Cult of Set is involved, you know Conan is going to see some action this did not fail to deliver.”
• Lord Samper: “This issue does exactly what it’s meant to, and does it well…All in all, a very entertaining read”
• Mark On Comics: “Jim Zub has just been killing it the entire series. We’re a year and a half in and everything is just going great!”
• Mighty Thorngren: “Plnety of action in this issue that made me happy and I had fun reading it. This is a fun story and I like how it ended too.”
• Nerd Initiative: 9/10 “Amazing stuff!…It feels exactly like the Conan books I was buying off the spinner rack as a young kid. What more needs to be said!”
• Old Nerd Reviews WY: “A really good issue with lots of action…Ever since Titan has gotten the Conan property it has been non-stop banger after banger.”
• Pop Culture Philosophers: “I loved it. It’s another solid issue of a side story that’s setting up stuff for the future of this run.”
• Sci-Fi Pulse: 9.6/10 “It’s great to finally learn more about Bêlit and her relationship with Conan…This issue, and to some extent the one before it, gives us a better understanding of why Conan would be drawn to her. Bêlit is every bit as cunning and dangerous as he is, and she wastes no time settling her scores.”
• Stygian Dogs: “Brine’s detailed backgrounds once again stand out and I found her character work more cohesive this time…Jim Zub bookends his Issue #18 with something pretty exciting, transforming what might be a pretty straight-forward ‘heist gone wrong story’ into the raison d’etre for the two-issue arc.”
• Sword & Sorcery Book Club: “Overall, this issue was great. I really had a lot of fun with it. I enjoyed the action-packed storytelling. I like the artwork and I like the coloring.”
Vancouver Fan Expo was a lot of fun and, as I type this, I’m just outside Calgary staying with friends and getting some writing work done before I ricochet back to the west coast for Emerald City Comicon in Seattle next week. On to more important news-
The sword & sorcery action-comedy series that kicked off my writing career is back in a wonderful new compact-manga-sized format, perfect for reading, sharing, or giving as a gift to the fantasy fan in your life.
As some of the middle volumes of the original trade paperbacks went out of print at Image, the numbers didn’t quite make sense to reprint them on their own, but that also meant retailers and readers couldn’t easily get the whole series. We talked about possibly doing an all-in-one omnibus but the reality is that although those big tomes look awesome on a bookshelf, they’re a pain to actually hold and read. I wanted to make sure new readers could easily discover the series and longtime fans could snag a copy for themselves in a format and price point that would work for everyone.
This 3-volume complete edition is perfect for retail and ideal for readers, with eye-catching new cover artwork by Edwin Huang and Misty Coats.
Lion at the Sword & Sorcery Book Club has been a steady supporter of my work in the Hyborian Age. We met in person last year at Robert E. Howard Days in Texas and since then we’ve been talking about getting together for an interview. Finally, almost 8 months later, we made it happen and it was a really nice chat:
SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT, the newest epic CONAN event, begins HERE, from fan favorite writer Jim Zub(Avengers, Dungeons & Dragons) and Ivan Gil, with a cover by superstar artist Roberto de la Torre(Conan the Barbarian)!
The serpent god’s influence tightens its coils around the Hyborian Age and every other age linked to it. Three stunning supernatural stories will spiral together to answer a chilling question framed in past and present-What is Set’s grand plan for humanity and, now that it has begun, can it be stopped?
Exclusive Original Material
In stores May 3, 2025
CONAN THE BARBARIAN #21
Story – Jim Zub
Artist – Fernando Dagnino
Cover A – Dan Panosian
Cover B – Maria Wolf
Cover C – Brandon Kenny
Cover D – Mindy Lee
Cover E – Gonzo
Cover F – Dan Panosian (Foil Variant)
NEW STORY ARC STARTS HERE! WINNER OF ‘BEST NEW COMIC SERIES’ – TRIPWIRE 2024 AWARDS!
The Great Serpent’s influence twists and turns, pulling Conan into their deadly coils as the Cimmerian and his allies are lured into Stygia…What they find on this journey will make their blood run cold and set the stage for a conflict beyond their wildest imagination!
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!
Conan the Barbarian #18 cover artwork by Rob De La Torre.
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.
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.
• 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.
In addition to signing times at my table, I’m also on a panel Saturday afternoon:
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2025 5:00pm-6:00pm — SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY COMIC WRITERS – Theater 3 From the distant past with Conan the Barbarian to the MCU to the legends of a galaxy far, far, away authors Claudia Gray, Tim Sheridan and Jim Zub are exploring the worlds of some of our favourite fantasy and science fiction characters.
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.
Finally got the original Conan #1 for my collection.
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!
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:
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.
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.
This week is Florida’s massive pop culture convention, Megacon Orlando, February 6-9, 2025. It’s my first event of the year and my first time back to Megacon in eight years! I’m a special guest and will be set up in the Comic Sketch Art section at
ARTIST ALLEY TABLE P27
In addition to signing times at my table, I’m also on a panel Sunday afternoon:
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2025 11:30am-12:30pm — SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY COMIC WRITERS – Room S320E From the distant past with Conan the Barbarian to the MCU to the Revelations of Eternia to the Legends of a galaxy far, far, away authors Charles Soule, Tim Sheridan, Ben Percy, and Jim Zub are exploring the worlds of some of our favorite fantasy and sci-fi characters.
In Zubby Newsletter #1 (back in March 2023) I mentioned that this newsletter was a return to a format similar to the emails I used to send to friends and family when I moved away from Ontario way back in 1999. Those ‘newsletters’ were a way to stay in touch and let people know what I was up to, what I was thinking about, and movies, games, or books I was checking out. With the atomization of social media thanks to algorithms and ads, getting back to a more direct and dependable form of communication has been really useful, and the feedback and support I’ve been shown here after 100 ‘issues’ has been incredibly uplifting. However you know me, whenever you came on board, thank you for reading and sharing!
I’m actually on vacation as I type this. Ever since Stacy’s Mom passed away we’ve talked about taking a vacation with her Dad, and back in the Fall we thought about booking a week away before conventions kicked into gear. January started filling up with deadlines and doomscrolling about the state of the world started taking hold…But the whole point of me stepping away from teaching was to free up more time for the people we care about, so a quick search for last minute vacation deals and, next thing I knew, the three of us were headed somewhere warm and sandy for 7 days.
So, yeah! I’m celebrating 100 Zubby newsletters with a week away from Canadian winter. I’ll get writing done, only this time from under an umbrella at a beach bar. 😉
In the original thread people were just supposed to post the comic covers without any explanation but, since I have a lot more space here and it’s my 100th Newsletter, I’ve included a brief rundown of why these issues are special to me-
Doctor Strange #55 (1982): A perfect issue that tells a dramatic and meaningful story that works within continuity but is also self-contained, with impecable artwork by Michael Golden. If you haven’t read this one, you are missing a hidden gem.
G.I.Joe: A Real American Hero #21 (1983): Another perfect done-in-one issue, the famous ‘Silent Mission’ story that doesn’t have any dialogue or sound effects. The storytelling is spot-on and it’s a fun ride from start to finish.
Bone #1 (1991): In the early 90’s, Jeff Smith zigged with all-ages fun while the rest of the industry zagged with grim n’ gritty, and his enchanting black & white comic series became an instant classic. Every issue felt like uncovering buried treasure from a classic era of cartooning.
Batman-Judge Dredd: Judegement On Gotham (1991): Before IP comic crossovers became played out and annoying, this one was an absolute thrill, a fully painted story that earned its prestige format and knocked me out when I first read it.
The Tick #1 (1988): One of the funniest comic series of all time. There were parts of this original run that I struggled to read because I laughed so hard it made me cry. My brother and I could not get enough of this series and Skullkickers is deeply influenced by Ben Edlund’s sense of humor.
Uncanny X-Men #205 (1986): Another unstoppable done-in-one issue, reminding everyone why Wolverine was (and still can be) ‘the best there is’. Barry Windsor-Smith’s artwork is haunting in this issue and he draws the most incredible beat-to-shit version of Logan ever.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Collected Book vol. 1 (1990): I missed the debut of TMNT when it first arrived in comic shops, but the tabletop role-playing game brought me on board, this amazing omnibus-sized collection caught me all up, and from there I was hooked.
Understanding Comics (1993): Scott McCloud’s comic about the comic medium is an evergreen must-read, a smart and accessible textbook that always entertains even as it educates. If you love comics and haven’t read this, I am baffled. Scott was also the first comic pro who treated me like a peer, so this book has even more resonance to me in the here and now.
Akira #1 (1988): On a visit home from university, my brother brought fan-subbed anime tapes to show me and they blew my mind. We started collecting manga soon after, and Marvel’s color reprints of Akira became a must-read whenever a new chapter was released in English.
Savage Sword of Conan #24 (1977): Arguably the finest Robert E. Howard adaptation of all time. The artwork and storytelling in this issue is top notch, with John Buscema and Alfredo Alcala working in perfect harmony. It felt like the story I read in prose leapt from my imagination to the printed page.
We3 (2004): Gripping from start to finish, this wonderful self-contained mini-series plays with the comic medium and my heartstrings in ways that feel like a magic trick.
Video Girl Ai vol. 1 (1990): Once my brother showed me anime and I became hooked on manga, this series grabbed me with its delicate linework, delightful designs, and surprisingly emotional ups and downs. I still have ideas for a romantic-comedy comic series and this series is a big reason why.
Uncanny X-Men Annual #9 (1985): Taking the X-Men and New Mutants to Asgard and sending them hurtling through a sword & sorcery adventure was absolutely transformative for me, especially when paired with the incredibly detailed artwork of Arthur Adams. The Champions issues I wrote where the team go to Weirdworld and end up transformed into fantasy versions of themselves are my homage to this glorious story.
Fantastic Four #243 (1982): The interconnected nature of superhero universes are one of my favorite things about them, but back in the early 80’s it was still relatively rare for major characters to show up in each other’s titles. This issue with Galactus facing off against the FF has guest apperances by the Avengers, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, and Daredevil! That feeling of a shared world with cause and effect really opened up my eyes to the possibilities and I could not get enough.
Dirty Pair: Sim Hell #1 (1993): Adam Warren’s Dirty Pair series wiped away any misgivings I had about non-Japanese creators tackling manga-anime properties and, it might be blasphemous of me to say, but I think Adam’s version of the ‘Lovely Angels’ is even better than the originals. Sim Hell is jam-packed with wry humor, wicked action, and killer artwork.
Amazing Spider-Man #231 (1982): A completely random issue that doesn’t have any particular story significance, but it’s personal for me in other ways. This is the first issue of Spider-Man I bought with my own money and from there I started collecting Amazing Spider-Man every month, from issues #231 through to #374. After a 17 year gap, I came back on board with the Big Time story arc and have been reading it ever since.
Pride Of Baghdad (2006): Beautiful, relevant, and absolutely haunting, this is one of the best self-contained graphic novels I’ve ever read. It swept me along with its allegorical tale and speaks to cycles of history that humanity keeps falling into.
By Chance Or Providence (2014): Becky Cloonan is a potent force in independant comics, charging forward with work that is highly personal and imminently engaging. Her commercial work is fun too, but I cannot get enough of the ‘pure’ stuff she does all on her own. It’s so damn inspiring.
Heavy Metal Magazine vol. 1 no. 21 (1997): I’d seen a bunch of European comics over the years but hadn’t really dug into any of it, until Massimiliano Frezzato’s Maser series in Heavy Metal demanded my attention and would not let go. The world and characters are stunningly designed and incredibly appealing.
Excalibur: The Sword Is Drawn (1988): When my brother and I collected comics, we split the Marvel Universe to get as much as we could, and the mutant end of Marvel was his to buy each month, until Excalibur. This incredibly fun series, jam-packed with Alan Davis’ brilliant artwork, held me spellbound, month after month, and it all started here with this prestige format story.
Honorable Mention-The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: The Deluxe Edition (1986): Technically not a comic, so it didn’t make my list, but obviously comic adjascent, this extensive reference series – an encyclopedia of characters, teams and locations – solidified the Marvel Universe for me, clarifying a vast interconnected web of creativity that wedged its way into my brain and changed my life.
Hyborian Sneak Peeks
Since you made it here for our Newsletter #100 celebration, let me give you some art teasers for upcoming issues in the Hyborian Age:
You want even more? You people are insatiable…
Okay then, how about this?
My Patreon archive now has over 320 scripts and dozens of pitches for comics I’ve written over the years, but every so often I take one of those scripts locked behind the $3-$5 paywall and make it FREE for everyone to check out. Here’s a list of links to those freebies so you can get a closer look at how comics are written for $0.00, the same price you pay for this newsletter!
Over on the Orkenspalter YouTube channel, Mháire Stritter has put together a documentary all about D&D in a Castle. The whole thing is worth checking out, but if you want to zero in on her interview with me, it’s at the 35:40 mark.
CONAN BARBARIAN #20
Story- JIM ZUB
Line Art – DOUG BRAITHWAITE
Colors- DIEGO RODRIGUEZ
Letters- RICHARD STARKINGS and TYLER SMITH
Cover A- ROB DE LA TORRE
Cover B- MIKE ROOTH
Cover C- BEN TEMPLESMITH
The triumphant new era of Conan continues! From acclaimed creators Jim Zub(Avengers, Dungeons & Dragons) and Doug Braithwaite(Punisher, Justice)!
In the days following Bêlit’s tragic demise, Conan traveled through jungles of the southern kingdoms but there’s no time for grief – a deadly hunter stalks the Cimmerian, bent on bloody vengeance. Who is this strange foe and what do they know about the ancient power rising in Stygia?
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