Category Archives: Substack

Zubby Newsletter #172: A Milestone Made Manifest

Posted by on September 10, 2026 No comments
The Wayward Compendium has arrived!

The WAYWARD COMPENDIUM arrived in comic shops yesterday and will be available in bookstores everywhere on October 6th.

Finally getting this 904-page brick o’ book in my hands feels wonderful and surreal. All 30 issues, plus an extensive cover gallery and back matter.

Every creative project I work on feels like a time capsule. When I look at them, there’s a rush of memories immediately associated with each one – Where I was when I wrote key sections, nervous excitement when we got the greenlight from a publisher, amazing art, unexpected collaboration, friendships, triumphs and setbacks.

When it comes to Wayward, those feelings are even more visceral. The series was almost five years of concentrated effort right at that tipping point as I was making a name for myself, working closely with Steven, Tamra, Marshall and Zack at every step – inspiration and experimentation, research and travel. From launch to completion, on Wayward I feel like I really came into my own as a writer and the whole team leveled up.

I remember being at San Diego Comicon back in 2015 signing at the Marvel booth. Dan Slott was beside me signing at the same time and, while I was putting my signature on a few Thunderbolts issues, he was signing massive Amazing Spider-Man omnibuses. I imagined what it would feel like to have that much material collected together like that.

This bullet-stopper of a book is a milestone made manifest. It’s who I was from 2014-2018 and a celebration of what’s possible when I put an intense amount of effort into something original, working with great people at every step to create something we can be proud of.

It summons all kinds of great feelings and, honestly? I didn’t realize how much I’d missed that.

All that to say, with 8 years now passed since Wayward wrapped up, I really need to get back into the creator-owned comic space…

Canadians Conquering Conan Panel

Evan Todd from Stygian Dogs has posted up his video from the Canadians Conquering Conan panel at Fan Expo Canada. Mike Rooth, Fred Kennedy, Nick Marinkovich and I chatted all about our experiences working in the Hyborian Age and there’s a nice series of anecdotes and playful jabs throughout.

The Nomad Deluxe

On October 7th, you’ll be able to buy the deluxe hardcover version of THE NOMAD, the epic King Conan story Alex Horley and I put together for the 25th issue of Conan the Barbarian last year. It’s a fully painted 38-page story that celebrates the legacy of Conan – past, present, and future.

I genuinely think it’s one of the best stories I’ve worked on and am honored that Titan decided to put together this lavish oversized version that includes a bunch of extra back matter and a new introduction I wrote.

Current + Upcoming Releases

Upcoming Appearances

Sep 11-13, 2026 Ottawa Comicon Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA
Oct 15-18, 2026 Gamehole Madison, WI, USA
Nov 12-15, 2026 D&D Weekend Lake Sinclair, GA, USA
Jan 14-16, 2027 Philadelphia Area Gaming Expo Philadelphia, PA, USA

Other Links

• My creator-owned comic pal Kurtis Wiebe has put together a crowdfunding campaign to bring back the Rat Queens Board Game that went off the rails years ago when the game publisher didn’t uphold their end of things and manufacture or ship the games fans had paid for. Kurtis and his team have the rights back and are looking to finally make the game a reality and also send each backer of the original campaign a set for free. I hope they’re able to make it happen for their many fans.

• Randall Messman has a video all about the importance of physical media compared to digital files and the cloud. It’s a solid rundown of why collections and ownership feel so different and detached in the here and now and how to get a bit of that magic back.

• Dave Baker has a bunch of interesting pop culture retrospective videos on his YouTube Channel Mystery Treehouse and his latest, all about Nate Simpson’s comic Nonplayer, is a compelling discussion about ambition, art, commerce and perfectionism. Nonplayer came out around the same time as the second arc of Skullkickers and I distinctly remember being amazed by the work and then wondering what happened next, so this video was both informative and a bit heartbreaking.

Jim

Zubby Newsletter #171: Great Expo-tations

Posted by on August 31, 2026 No comments
Young Conan and King Conan paired sketch covers from Fan Expo Canada 2026.

Fan Expo Canada signaled the end of summer convention season and it was another good one. Tons of people came by to see me and, since it was the hometown show, every 10-15 minutes I’d see old friends from high school or college, longtime readers or gaming pals.

Sometimes a cluster at my table would combine cohorts – a student from ten years ago met my high school friends or a podcaster was suddenly talking to a guy I went to college with who left animation to be a stay-at-home Dad.

If I was signing books for someone else I’d hear them chatting about me and felt like I was eavesdropping on my own reputation:

“Oh yeah, Jim’s been doing this forever.”

“I met him at a goth club in the 90’s.”

“He was my professor back in…oh damn, 2013!”

“I wish he’d do more Marvel stuff.”

And, as expected, there was lots of Conan the Barbarian, which was amazing. People waiting to get stuff signed sharing their excitement with other Conan fans, talking about how they collected the comics when they were young or never read any Conan before this, and this run is awesome. It was incredibly heartwarming.

A friend dropped off a bag of old Conan paperbacks as a gift.
A former student bought their kid their first comic.
A college buddy told me about their new D&D campaign.

That’s what Fan Expo in Toronto is for me – A constant swirl of nostlgia and engagement, four days of intense interaction before Autumn. Now I’m catching up on emails and back on my To-Do List.

The Tides of September

Titan Comics has released their official trailer for our Fall event mini-series – CONAN: TIDES OF THE TYRANT-KING! As you can see, the art looks amazing and we’re setting up another epic adventure.

Talking to Gaming Trend

I chatted with the crew at Gaming Trend all about writing crossovers, collaborating with artists, eldritch horror, different genres, creating memories with every creative project and more. Make sure you check it out.

Double Axe Handle Smash

The team at Double Axe Handle Smash covers more than wrestling, so make sure you check out the interview we did about growing up as a comic reader and collector, the progression of my professional career, writing a comic script, collaboration, Dungeons & Dragons, the original Conan the Barbarian movie, working on the Conan comics, Robert E. Howard stories, breaking into comics, and more!

Biff Bam Pop


Just before Fan Expo I put together a text interview with Biff Bam Pop all about the convention circuit, rereleasing Wayward in our new Compendium, gaming, Tides of the Tyrant-King and more.

Verse DB


The comic database website VerseDB put together a spotlight on my comic career, covering old and new projects aplenty. We chatted about what has changed over the decades in terms of commercial and creator-owned comics, focusing on your passions, things I learned in animation, and more!

Current + Upcoming Releases

Upcoming Appearances

Sep 11-13, 2026 Ottawa Comicon Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA
Oct 15-18, 2026 Gamehole Madison, WI, USA
Nov 12-15, 2026 D&D Weekend Lake Sinclair, GA, USA
Jan 14-16, 2027 Philadelphia Area Gaming Expo Philadelphia, PA, USA

Other Links

• Sam Hart has a crowdfunding campaign going for 10 Lost Days, his original graphic novel about magical events that took place in the gap between adoption of the Gregoran calendar. I met Sam in Gloucester a couple weeks ago and we chatted about how this all came together for him. It’s a really neat story idea and the artwork looks sharp.

• Monolith is gearing up for their next Conan board game and TTRPG crowdfunding campaign and have released a trailer you can check out here – Conan: Tales of Tortage and Zamora.

• My friend (and collaborator on the D&D Young Adventurer’s Guides) Andrew Wheeler has a new D&D book arriving in November, A Feast for a Tenday: A Baldur’s Gate Cookbook. He had an advance copy of the book with him at Fan Expo, so I was able to flip through and check it out. The production values look amazing and it’s definitely worth pre-ordering for the D&D/BG3 fan in your life.

Jim

Zubby Newsletter #170: Little Meetings and Milestones

Posted by on August 24, 2026 No comments
At the famous Guinness Storehouse.

England and Ireland were great. We were on the road for seven days and only had two days of work at the events we lined up, so there was a bit of downtime to relax and explore, which was nice.

In Gloucester, I met Jesus Merino in person for the first time. He’s a legendary artist and we’re currently working together on the CONAN: TIDES OF THE TYRANT-KING mini-series that starts next month, so it was wonderful getting to spend a bit of time and chat about our work on the Cimmerian.

Our dear friends the Trowers family made the trek down from Nottingham to see us and after the event we went out with them for dinner.

Dublin was a lot of fun too. It was our first time in Ireland outside the airport but we didn’t want to overextend ourselves so soon after the SDCC-Gen Con Gauntlet so we kept things simple, staying in the city and hitting up tourist spots: The Guinness Storehouse, Trinity College, museums and galleries, Grafton Street and pubs aplenty. I know there’s a lot more to Ireland than Dublin and next time we visit we want to check out more of the country, but for this short stint it was nice staying in one spot.

Voice artist Jeff Hays happened to be visiting Ireland at the same time, so he invited us to high tea with some of his crew, and that was excellent. Great conversation, wonderful food, and lots of anecdotes around fandom. Comic artist (and former footballer) Danny Earls took us out for breakfast and we chatted about his incredible artistic growth. Comic writer Gary Moloney met up with Stacy and I for dinner after our signing at Dublin City Comics and we talked about the current state of publishing.

The next thing we knew, we were on the flight back home. Jet lag and a pesky cough took me out for a couple days after we returned, but now I’m on the mend and diving back into writing as I race to hit deadlines before Fan Expo Canada, the biggest convention in the country happening this week in Toronto. (And yes, I’ll be at the show in the South Hall at Artist Alley Table CP67).

Conan the Barbarian #34 wraparound cover painting by Esad Ribic.

CONAN THE BARBARIAN #34 is in stores this week! This issue continues our twisted pirate tale with mystery and action galore.

It’s also a career milestone for me. Up until now, my longest unbroken comic runs have been on my creator-owned series: Skullkickers (34 issues) and Wayward (30 issues), but with this issue Conan the Barbarian (#0-34, 35 issues) is now my longest unbroken run and there’s many more still to come!

(In terms of overall Conan writing, if you add together every regular issue, mini-series, anthology or special I’ve written, I’m up to 78 Conan-centric issues and counting.)

Current + Upcoming Releases

Upcoming Appearances

Aug 27-30, 2026 Fan Expo Canada Toronto, ON, CANADA
Sep 11-13, 2026 Ottawa Comicon Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA
Oct 15-18, 2026 Gamehole Madison, WI, USA
Nov 12-15, 2026 D&D Weekend Lake Sinclair, GA, USA
Jan 14-16, 2027 Philadelphia Area Gaming Expo Philadelphia, PA, USA

Other Links

• My friend Jason Bogath is in need, juggling intense healthcare-related debts through no fault of his own. Please give this a read, then help and share if you can.

• Artist Liam Sharp has a portfolio and calendar of his iconic Conan the Barbarian artwork and you can order it via crowdfunding here.

• Michel Gagné‘s SAGA OF REX is a hand-animated feature film he’s been working on for 14 years and the trailer is finally here! I backed Michel’s original 4-min short way back in 2012 and am so thrilled to finally see this feature version come to life.

Jim

Zubby Newsletter #169: Signature Technique

Posted by on August 13, 2026 No comments
A panel from Conan the Barbarian #34, with art by Fernando Dagnino and Diego Rodriguez.

Stacy and I are finishing packing for our upcoming week-long jaunt to England and Ireland after a week of recovery from SDCC/Gen Con con crud and a sprint of writing deadlines. On the calendar it looked like more than enough time between events but now, in the midst of it, it’s been a bit crunchy.

Still, we’re England-bound and excited to explore some new places.

• This Saturday, August 15th I’m at COMICS ASSEMBLE in Gloucester, England from 10am-5pm.
• On Wednesday, August 19th Stacy and I are signing at DUBLIN CITY COMICS in Dublin, Ireland from 5-7pm.

If you can make it to either event, I look forward to seeing you there!

Beyond trip recuperation and trip prep, it’s been relatively quiet. Research reading and writing aplenty. Avoiding the scorching heat or torrential rains that have been hitting our area through late summer.

Making Stuff Less Than Mint

My current signature, which I finally got comfortable with after much trial and error.

Autographing books is frosting on the cake that is getting to write these stories and collaborate with amazing people in this business. It’s nice to be able to personalize something for a reader and acknowledge their enjoyment of the work that went into the book. As Stacy’s writing career gets more traction, she’s been figuring out her signature and, watching her go through that process reminded me how long it took before I felt comfortable signing my work and that I’ve internalized some key pieces of autographing advice I received many years ago.

“Advice? Just sign your name, dude.”
Would you believe there’s more to it than that? Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Make sure your autograph is not the same signature you use for legal documents. You don’t want that legal signature floating around everywhere.

• It sounds egotistical, but practice your signature ahead of time on scrap paper so you don’t have to figure it out in front of other people when the pressure is on.

• Practice printing short punchy messages with Sharpie markers (black and metallics) and paint markers so you’re comfortable using them. The last thing you want to do is wreck someone’s book.

• Make sure your autograph is somewhat legible so that, if there are multiple signatures, people can quickly identify yours.

• If you can do your signature quickly without having to lift the pen multiple times, you’ll be able to sign much, much faster and won’t mess up your wrist if you need to sign a LOT all at once.

The most signatures I’ve done in one shot was probably Free Comic Book Day 2023 at Third Eye Comics. I signed well over a thousand Conan the Barbarian #0’s and dozens of other issues and trade paperbacks that day. It’s the only time I’ve ever finished a signing session with wrist pain and I was extremely thankful my signature was quick and legible.

Current + Upcoming Releases

  • Conan the Barbarian #33 – released July 29.
  • Conan the Barbarian #34 – releases August 26.
  • Journey to the West: The Beginning – releases September 15.
  • Savage Sword of Conan #16 – releases September 16.
  • Conan the Barbarian vol. 4-6 Slipcase Set – releases September 16.
  • Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King #1 – releases September 23.
  • Savage Sword of Conan vol. 1-3 Slipcase Set – releases September 23.
  • Wayward Compendium – releases September 29.
  • Conan the Barbarian #35 – releases September 30.

Upcoming Appearances

I didn’t have any September shows on my schedule, but just added Ottawa Comicon to the mix. It’s been way too long since I was in our nation’s capital and I’m looking forward to seeing readers, friends and family there!

Aug 15, 2026 Comics Assemble Gloucester, England, UK
Aug 19, 2026 Dublin City Comics – Signing 5-7pm Dublin, IRELAND
Aug 27-30, 2026 Fan Expo Canada Toronto, ON, CANADA
Sep 11-13, 2026 Ottawa Comicon Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA
Oct 15-18, 2026 Gamehole Madison, WI, USA
Nov 12-15, 2026 D&D Weekend Lake Sinclair, GA, USA
Jan 14-16, 2027 Philadelphia Area Gaming Expo Philadelphia, PA, USA

Other Links

• My friends Deborah Ann Woll and the Dungeon Dudes have launched their crowdfunding campaign for the second season of the Tales From Woodcreek TTRPG liveplay narrative.

• The title of this video seemed click-baity, but writer Jed Herne‘s advice on naming fantasy characters is actually quite solid and useful. Worthwhile for anyone in writing or gaming who is coming up with fictional character names.

• Speaking of advice, my friend Justin Jordan (writer of Luther Strode and other top notch comics) has started his own YouTube channel called Death Or Comics that’s filled with advice on developing and pitching comics in the traditional publishing market.

Jim

Zubby Newsletter #168: Heart On My Sleeve

Posted by on August 4, 2026 No comments
Stacy and I reunited in Indianapolis.

Two whirlwind weeks, but I’m home now – WE’RE home now.

Stacy missed San Diego Comic Con, but was able to join me at Gen Con in Indianapolis and having her there helped me power through to the finish line on two of the biggest conventions back-to-back.

Huge thanks to everyone who reached out after my last newsletter with kind words and support. The past three weeks have certainly had their share of highs and lows but, on the whole, we’re in a good spot right now. Ten days from now, Stacy and I head to England (specificaly Gloucester, for Comics Assemble) and have a small vacation in Dublin after, but before that we’re climbing out from sleep debt and emails, tidying up around the house and hitting some writing deadlines.

San Diego

Me being at San Diego at all was in doubt but, once Stacy was home and recovering with friends and family at the ready, I felt confident enough to tackle the big show again. That said, by the time I arrived in California on Wednesday, grabbed my badge and slammed into Preview Night, I realized how behind I was on sleep after Stacy’s hospital stay and it felt pretty surreal. Every time I turned around, a friend was giving me a hug or a random person would say “I’m glad your wife’s okay” or “Conan is awesome”. The adrenalin I needed to get through that health scare was all used up and I had to dig even deeper to find my convention legs.

It was good, it was cathartic, it was strange. It was SDCC on my backfoot, but I pulled it off.

For the fourth year in a row, I was at the show thanks to Titan and Heroic Signatures, celebrating another year of Conan the Barbarian comics and looking toward an exciting future. The series has transformed my career and its stability has been a safe harbor in the rough seas that comic publishing can be. Knowing what I’m working on for at least another year is a real blessing. I’m not exclusive and can take on other writing work, but Conan is still a bedrock and that’s pretty damn sweet.

D&D panelists: Me, Anjali Bhimani, Kelly Lynne D’Angelo, Todd Stashwick, Luke Gygax, Ross Thompson.

Both panels I was on were well attended. The Celebrating Dungeons & Dragons panel was absolutely packed and the crowd was energized as we shared advice and anecdotes about our favorite game and its ongoing pop culture expansion. TTRPGs and Liveplay are bigger than ever and it’s incredible to see this hobby that transformed my creative life inspiring so many other people.

The Conan comic panel really surprised me. Normally we have only one SDCC panel for everything Conan, but this time we had so many announcements they were split into two – one on Thursday for all the media and the second on Saturday just for comics. I felt certain that without the media stuff propping us up that the comic panel would be lightly attended but boy, was I wrong. The room was jammed with Conan comic fans and when I was introduced the cheer from the crowd really took me aback. Our panel room was directly above Hall-H, so the floor literally shook with bass from the media presentations happening below, and I used that to my advantage, telling everyone that our upcoming Conan stories would “shake you to your core!”

Beyond that, there were signings, meetings, and social stuff galore. Inbetween all my commitments, I’d call Stacy to check on her and hear about her recovery, day by day steadily improving. I could hardly believe she’d been in the hospital a week earlier.

There was some of the typical San Diego sturm and drang that happens every year. A peer I had a disagreement with several years ago apologized to me out of the blue and I found out an editor who I thought was a friend blocked me on a few key projects, which was quite a gut punch, but weirdly I was (and am) kind of zen about it all.

It feels like half the battle of being in a creative industry is staying in it and, after all this time and so many amazing projects, I’m no longer worried about whether I belong. I’m still here and still doing the work while trying to surround myself with people who value what I do and making sure they know how much I value them as well. I’d rather wear my heart on my sleeve and occassionally be hurt by that optimism than grow bitter and assume the worst in others.

Los Angeles

Finally had a chance to visit the Heroic Signatures office.

After San Diego, I took the train up to Los Angeles. A dear friend picked me up at the train station and we caught up Sunday night, then Monday was a whirlwind tour of the Heroic Signatures office, stopping by a couple cool comic shops (Golden Apple and Revenge Of) and a dinner meeting with the Conan crew, talking about our big plans for 2027. Then, I was off to Indy-

Indianapolis

This year’s Gen Con was the busiest I’ve ever experienced. The booth was hopping with customers, lots of friends came by to visit, and there was a ton of positive energy. Stacy’s D&D Crochet Book was a rocket, selling out on Thursday of all the copies we brought, with Penguin Random House scrambling to order more copies and quickly selling out again at their booth.

I was one of the speakers for the D&D Talk series held offsite and it went really well. Mayanna Berrin and I talked all about D&D character backstories – inspiration, advice, and anecdotes.

It was nice to see Wizards of the Coast back at Gen Con in a big way, reconnecting to the community and trying to rebuild bonds with key creators who have defined the game for decades.

The social events were top notch and I had the chance to play a couple live games as well. One was the Draw Your Weapons Gen Con Special (which I will link to once it’s online) and a two-player session of the new Justice League Unlimited RPG with Sydney Gayle:

I may not do as much work in the tabletop gaming space as I do in comics, but the people there have always been incredibly warm and welcoming. I think it’s part of gaming’s DNA – the idea that we share time and space together as part of the hobby, so those collaborative bonds tend to form fast and strong.

All in all, Gen Con recharged my creative batteries even as my overall endurence started to flag. If I didn’t see you there or we didn’t get as much time to hangout as you hoped, it wasn’t you, it was my body starting to power down after two weeks of convention craziness.

Legacy of the Giant-Kings

The trailer for Legacy of the Giant-Kings, a brand new content patch for Conan Exiles Enhanced, arrived right as SDCC began and I’m excited to reveal that I’m part of the writing team!

Working with the crew at Inflexion and Funcom has been a lot of fun and, if you’re a fan of the current Conan comics, you may find a couple little Easter Eggs I snuck into the dialogue as you explore new quests in the Exiled Lands.

Auroboros At Last

Line art from The Muse by Eduardo Mello.

I’m also happy to finally announce that legendary game designer Chris Metzen (Warcraft, Starcraft, Diablo) and I teamed up to write a graphic novel called The Muse that takes place in his original TTRPG campaign setting called Auroboros, and if you sign up for their next crowdfunding campaign you’ll get serialized chapters of it sent right to you!

Getting to work with Chris, artist Eduardo Mello (who I previously worked with on Dungeons & Dragons: Mindbreaker back in 2021), and the rest of the team was such a pleasure and I’m excited for readers and gamers alike to check this one out.

Current + Upcoming Releases

  • Conan the Barbarian #33 – released July 29.
  • Conan the Barbarian #34 – releases August 26.
  • Journey to the West: The Beginning – releases September 15.
  • Savage Sword of Conan #16 – releases September 16.
  • Conan the Barbarian vol. 4-6 Slipcase Set – releases September 16.
  • Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King #1 – releases September 23.
  • Savage Sword of Conan vol. 1-3 Slipcase Set – releases September 23.
  • Wayward Compendium – releases September 29.
  • Conan the Barbarian #35 – releases September 30.

Upcoming Appearances

Aug 15, 2026 Comics Assemble Gloucester, England, UK
Aug 19, 2026 Dublin City Comics – Signing 5-7pm Dublin, IRELAND
Aug 27-30, 2026 Fan Expo Canada Toronto, ON, CANADA
Oct 15-18, 2026 Gamehole Madison, WI, USA
Nov 12-15, 2026 D&D Weekend Lake Sinclair, GA, USA
Jan 14-16, 2027 Philadelphia Area Gaming Expo Philadelphia, PA, USA

Other Links

• Speaking of the Justice League Unlimited TTRPG I mentioned above, here’s PART 2 of the online game I played with Mark Waid, Johann Reed, and Alex the Chaotic Goblin.

• If you missed the Dungeons & Dragons aerial drone show from Gen Con, you can check it out here.

Jim

Zubby Newsletter #167: Unexpected Challenges

Posted by on July 21, 2026 No comments

Not the kind of thing you can plan for.

I didn’t want to go into details about this in public unless Stacy did, but now that she’s posted about it, I feel okay mentioning it as well.

In short, what should have been a same-day surgical procedure for Stacy turned into a four day stay at the hospital. From Wednesday morning through to Saturday night, we rode out a roller coaster of health stuff with her and, as you might imagine, it was confusing and scary. Thankfully, she’s now at home and on the mend so we’ll see what future tests bring. Fingers crossed.

As she said: “Thanks to a couple of stellar nurses, I was on the rebound by mid-Friday and able to come home Saturday evening. Thanks to the Canadian healthcare system, I never had to worry if I could afford the extra care.”

So yeah, not how I expected last week to go, but overall we’re okay. Stacy won’t be able to attend San Diego while she recuperates and my attendance was in question as well but, now that she’s home and recovering well (with family and friends available and able to help), I feel okay making the trek to California.

Zub at San Diego Comic Con 2026

Speaking of which, Comic Crom in on! I now have a separate post all about my SDCC 2026 schedule that I’ll keep up to date if anything changes. Otherwise, here’s a handy graphic:

This will be my 21st San Diego Comic Con and, as always, I’m heading into it with a mixture of excitement and nervous energy. I’m always thrilled to see friends and fans, but also know how intense and draining it will be, especially when it crashes right up against Gen Con happening next week.

Ask Me

While I’m in San Diego, I’ll be doing an on camera interview with Penguin Random House all about my work: specific projects, the writing process, legacy, and more!

Ask me a question (or two, or three) at the link and yours might be in the video!

Marvel Moves

While I was at the hospital, there were seizmic changes at Marvel Comics, with the announcement that their famous New York City offices will be moving westward to Burbank and that there’s a new Editor-In-Chief. Everyone online was buzzing about the big news and I was obviously too distracted at the time to comment.

CB Cebulski was Marvel’s EiC for the majority of time as I worked on a variety of Marvel projects and, though we didn’t personally interact much, he was supportive, collaborative and we got along. I remember him being in the conference room and quite active during our in-person Avengers Summit in 2018 to build the story that became Avengers: No Road Home and he was excited for us to jam all kinds of ideas and have fun with the story.

As for new EiC Steve Wacker, the only interaction with him I’ve had was short but positive. In early 2013, I sent him an out-of-the-blue email, introducing myself and letting him know how much I was enjoying the titles he edited at that time, namely Superior Spider-Man, Daredevil, and Hawkeye. He responded, which may not sound like a big deal, but if you’ve ever worked in comics you know how difficult it can be to get an editor’s attention, especially from a cold intro like that. Taking it even further, at San Diego Comic Con that year he set up a quick meeting to introduce himself and ask me what Marvel characters I was interested in. Keep in mind, I had only a handful of writing credits under my belt at this point and he was running the Spider-Man office, so it was quite a gracious move on his part.

Assuming I had no chance at writing any A-list characters, I pitched him a few oddball Marvel project ideas with second-stringers, and he thought they sounded okay but was also quite confused.

“Is that all you’re interested in? Just the weirdos?”

“Ah, no, no. I just didn’t want to get too far ahead of myself or sound cocky. I’m interested in a lot of different Marvel characters. A-Any in particular?”

“I mean, I edit Spider-Man…so maybe think about Spider-Man stuff, okay?”

We both laughed. It was awkward. I was coming off being fired from a DC project I thought was going to be career-making and instead turned into five months of ever-shifting edicts and long gaps of communication before being unceremoniously shown the door and was still feeling raw from that experience. I was incredibly nervous and I’m sure that’s what came across to Steve, but he was solid, classy, and probably doesn’t remember this interaction at all. Six months later, he was promoted to head up Marvel Animation and moved to Hollywood, so we never had the chance to work together.

Anyways, I know a lot of people who have worked with Steve and speak highly of him, so I’m curious to see what his vision as EiC will be and how Marvel changes with this big move west. I’m sure it will fuel a lot of gossip at San Diego, that’s for sure.

The “Just Us” League

Speaking of superheroes, getting to try out the new JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED TTRPG with Mark, Alex, Johann, and Peterson was a ton of fun. Watch the first half of our adventure as I play Wally West and bring my FLASH-fulness to this new adventure:

Current + Upcoming Releases

  • MAD About DC – 2nd printing – released June 3.
  • Conan the Barbarian #32 – released June 24.
  • Conan the Barbarian #33 – releases July 29.
  • Conan the Barbarian #34 – releases August 26.
  • Journey to the West: The Beginning – releases September 15.
  • Savage Sword of Conan #16 – releases September 16.
  • Conan the Barbarian vol. 4-6 Slipcase Set – releases September 16.
  • Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King #1 – releases September 23.
  • Savage Sword of Conan vol. 1-3 Slipcase Set – releases September 23.
  • Wayward Compendium – releases September 29.
  • Conan the Barbarian #35 – releases September 30.

Upcoming Appearances

Jul 23-26, 2026 San Diego Comic Con San Diego, CA, USA
Jul 30-Aug 2, 2026 Gen Con – Booth 1349 Indianapolis, IN, USA
Aug 15, 2026 Comics Assemble Gloucester, England, UK
Aug 19, 2026 Dublin City Comics – Signing 5-7pm Dublin, IRELAND
Aug 27-30, 2026 Fan Expo Canada Toronto, ON, CANADA
Oct 15-18, 2026 Gamehole Madison, WI, USA
Nov 12-15, 2026 D&D Weekend Lake Sinclair, GA, USA
Jan 14-16, 2027 Philadelphia Area Gaming Expo Philadelphia, PA, USA

Other Links

• Ron Meischker from PAGE (which I’m attending in 2027) has a new Kickstarter underway for a TTRPG sourcebook called The Adventurer’s Log. It’s a book for players to keep track of all the important details of their adventures in a nice and organized way.

• I’m sure almost anyone who follows my newsletter is already aware of Felicia Day‘s crowdfunding campaign for The Guild Movie, returning for their 20th anniversary but, even still, I wanted to link it here. I watched the original Guild episodes as they were posted online, was thrilled to see them carve out their spot in nerd culture, and had the chance to meet the cast at quite a few conventions over the years. Seeing creators build their own amazing stuff and get so much fan support is always amazing and inspiring.

• Speaking of inspiration, Len Nicholas goes through his creative sketching process and it’s wonderful to see how he approaches his work and gets creative designs flowing. It definitely makes me want to noodle away on fun drawings again in my own sketchbook.

Jim

Zubby Newsletter #166: Three Piles

Posted by on July 13, 2026 No comments

Thanks for the kind messages and support after last week. Nothing to talk about in public yet, but once there is news I’ll mention it here in the newsletter.

Nine days until San Diego Comic Con and that means everything is getting sorted into three piles:

• This specific thing is a mad rush because it has to get done before SDCC.
• I can’t deal with this right now because other stuff has to get done before SDCC.
• Real life that doesn’t give a solitary whiff that SDCC is happening next week.

Add in that same build up for Gen Con 2026 (happening the week after SDCC) and my inbox is a logjam of too much communication, not enough communication, and “Aw geez, why is this happening right now?”

I know these are champagne problems. Please play a very tiny violin for me. Anyways-

YES, I will be at San Diego Comic Con and Gen Con this year.

Zub at SDCC 2026

Conan the Barbarian #33 SDCC 2026 Exclusive Cover by Dan Panosian.

I don’t have a table at SDCC 2026. I have signings, panels, press stuff, and meetings. Balancing all that while also trying to be hunkered down at a table would not work well, so I decided to be a free operator outside of specific time commitments.

We launched the Heroic Signatures-Titan CONAN THE BARBARIAN series 3 years ago at SDCC and each year is a reason to celebrate while we keep the momentum going. The flagship book is still roaring with issue #33 arriving at the show one week before it arrives in stores, plus Savage Sword of Conan, Solomon Kane, and more!

Currently, here’s what my pubic schedule looks like:

THURSDAY, July 23
11:45am-12:45pm Signing – PRH Bookworld – D&D Young Adventurer’s giveaway – BOOTH 1514/1515

FRIDAY, July 24
3:00pm-4:00pm Signing – Titan Comics – BOOTH 5537

SATURDAY, July 25
2:00pm-3:00pm Panel – Celebrating Dungeons & Dragons – ROOM 25ABC
3:00pm-4:00pm Panel – Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King – ROOM 28DE
4:30pm-5:30pm Signing – Titan Comics – BOOTH 5537

Beyond that, I’ll be socializing in the usual spots. If you know, you know and if you have my contact info, you also know how to reach out.

Zub at Gen Con 2026

At Gen Con, during exhibit hall hours I will usually be at BOOTH 1349. Stacy and Howard + Sandra Tayler and I will have our familiar endcap double booth there, stocked with Dungeons & Dragons and Conan the Barbarian material. In addition, I have a presentation and some liveplay games. Here’s the current schedule:

THURSDAY, July 30
6:00pm-8:00pm Liveplay – Draw Your Weapons Live with Special Guests – ICC : 101-103

FRIDAY, July 31
10:00am-11:00am Panel – Character Backstory is Your Key to Boundless Adventures – Indiana Repertory Theater, Floor 4

SATURDAY, August 1
4:00pm-5:00pm Liveplay – Justice League Unlimited – Location TBD

PAGE Livestream

Stacy and I joined the Philadelphia Area Gaming Expo team on their weekly livestream to chat all about gaming, conventions, comics and more. People from the chat chimed in with questions and memes aplenty.

Drome to my Dome

Drome is inventive comics on overdrive.

Matt Fraction mentioned Drome by Jesse Lonergan during a recent episode of The Stacks and it prompted me to track it down. Man oh man, it is just as stunning as Matt promised. Jesse performs wizardry with a comic page, building a keen sense of atmosphere, movement, and awe across this epic tale. It’s small, it’s big, it’s pulpy and strange, in all the best ways. It reminded me of the power this medium can have and got my creative juices flowing. Highly recommended.

The Impersonation List


This extensive and steadily updated list of AI scams targeting authors is both staggering and unsurprising.

I receive a couple of them in my inbox almost every day. Even when they’re easy to spot, block and delete, each one is a little jab, and I loathe that this technology works so hard to erode my trust in humanity.

Current + Upcoming Releases

  • MAD About DC – 2nd printing – released June 3.
  • Conan the Barbarian #32 – released June 24.
  • Conan the Barbarian #33 – releases July 29.
  • Conan the Barbarian #34 – releases August 26.
  • Journey to the West: The Beginning – releases September 15.
  • Savage Sword of Conan #16 – releases September 16.
  • Conan the Barbarian vol. 4-6 Slipcase Set – releases September 16.
  • Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King #1 – releases September 23.
  • Savage Sword of Conan vol. 1-3 Slipcase Set – releases September 23.
  • Wayward Compendium – releases September 29.
  • Conan the Barbarian #35 – releases September 30.

Upcoming Appearances

Jul 23-26, 2026 San Diego Comic Con San Diego, CA, USA
Jul 30-Aug 2, 2026 Gen Con – Booth 1349 Indianapolis, IN, USA
Aug 15, 2026 Comics Assemble Gloucester, England, UK
Aug 19, 2026 Dublin City Comics – Signing 5-7pm Dublin, IRELAND
Aug 27-30, 2026 Fan Expo Canada Toronto, ON, CANADA
Oct 15-18, 2026 Gamehole Madison, WI, USA
Nov 12-15, 2026 D&D Weekend Lake Sinclair, GA, USA
Jan 14-16, 2027 Philadelphia Area Gaming Expo Philadelphia, PA, USA

Other Links

• My friend Phil Sevy has put together SHE COMES WITH MAGIC, an intense and joyous swords & sexery comic worth checking out, running right now on Kickstarter!

• My buddy Andy Suriano (who I collaborated with on Samurai Jack) has an amazing book and sweet-looking miniatures available for LOST COMPANY, which you definitely need to check out, especially if you’re a tabletop gamer.

• The announcement trailer for CHAINKATA, the next creator-owned series by Daniel Warren Johnson, does exactly what it needs to do – Sets a clear tone and gets readers excited for visceral comic action. I thought Daniel’s Do A Powerbomb mini-series was absolutely top notch and I’m incredibly excited for this.

• Good Joe analyzes Sean Gordon Murphy‘s use of backgrounds in his comics. He talks about design, atmosphere, texture and more.

Jim

Zubby Newsletter #165: Monkey’s Paw

Posted by on July 6, 2026 1 comment
Invader Zim cover art by Dax Gordine.

Imagine getting to contribute to something amazing, but you find out there’s an unfortunate catch.

Last week I announced I’m part of a new INVADER ZIM comic series launching later this year from BOOM Studios. As I mentioned there, I’m a huge fan of the show and was ecstatic to get the chance to build new stories and contribute a variant cover to this brand new comic…

…But what I didn’t know was that Jhonen Vasquez, the creator of Zim, didn’t know about the new series at all and feels really awkward about new material being built on his team’s hard work without any involvement or communication. I understand how crappy that would feel, even if it’s legally allowed.

Over a decade ago, when I wrote the SAMURAI JACK comic series published by IDW, the “Samurai Jack team” knew it was happening and were directly involved. Character Designer Andy Suriano drew the book and we collaborated closely on stories and visuals, Series Creator Genndy Tartakovsky and Art Director Scott Wills illustrated variant covers, and Jack voice actor Phil LaMarr raved online about how much he enjoyed the comic series. I knew Genndy was probably too busy working on other projects to personally review every script, but we had his blessing and he could give us feedback or veto ideas whenever he wanted.

Samurai Jack comic covers by Genndy Tartakovsky and Scott Wills.

Working on Samurai Jack was an incredible experience – creatively fulfilling and a huge boost to my career.

When I was approached by BOOM and they asked if I wanted to pitch stories for a new INVADER ZIM comic series, I jumped at the chance. 20 years ago, I literally created a bunch of fan art for the show for fun because I enjoyed it so much.

Invader Zim fan art by Jim Zub, circa 2006.

But this time is different from working on Jack. I was told the “Invader Zim team” would be approving our material, but found out after the fact that it wasn’t Jhonen, Eric Trueheart or anyone originally involved in the show’s production. Approvals have gone through a Paramount licensing team who I’m sure mean well, but also don’t have any personal stake in Zim’s creative vision or future.

And sure, I’ve written stories for DC and Marvel where creators of characters weren’t consulted, but those are also shared superhero universes built by hundreds of contributors. Invader Zim is Jhonen’s ideas and humorous flare with contributions by a tight knit group he curated and approved.

So now I’m in a strange spot. I’m incredibly proud of the work artist Dax Gordine and I have done on this new Invader Zim comic. It’s been put together with lots of love for the source material, but not in a slavish way that just repeats the same gags and doesn’t offer any surprises. Dax’s visual storytelling starts strong and gets snappier each issue. We produced it with what we thought was enthusiastic support from the original team, but that was not the case and now we know. No matter what happens next, I want to be as open and honest about that so there’s no confusion.

BOOM’s editorial team has assured me they’ve reached out to Jhonen and believe this can all get sorted out. I hope that’s true, but if not I’ll need to evaluate what to do next. Whatever happens from here, I deeply appreciate your support and understanding.

Your Final Chance For Pirate Gold!

FINAL ORDER CUT-OFF for CONAN THE BARBARIAN #33 is TODAY, so make sure you pre-order NOW at your favorite comic shop! We want to show retailers that this new pirate adventure is worth investing in.

Afterlives of World Building

A couple weeks ago, I was a panelist in the Afterlives of World Building: The Legacy of Robert E. Howard online conference hosted by MacEwan University. The panels and interviews are now all uploaded to the new Dark Man Journal YouTube channel, so you can check them out there.

Howard’s Writing Room

Speaking of Robert E. Howard, Evan Todd from Stygian Dogs and I chatted in the room where sword & sorcery sprang to life when I was at this year’s Howard Days festival.

More Shenanigans

I was a guest again on Comic Shenanigans with Adam Chapman. This time, he and I chat up a storm about being “Grim Jim”, Stacy’s writing career, productivity, imposter syndrome, being like Bob Ross, parasocial relationships, the Glass Cannon podcast, livestreaming, collected editions, and more – Give it a listen!

You can also listen to our previous conversations here: Episodes 368, 794, 986, 1022, and 1087.

Current + Upcoming Releases

  • MAD About DC – 2nd printing – released June 3.
  • Conan the Barbarian #32 – released June 24.
  • Conan the Barbarian #33 – releases July 29.
  • Conan the Barbarian #34 – releases August 26.
  • Journey to the West: The Beginning – releases September 15.
  • Savage Sword of Conan #16 – releases September 16.
  • Conan the Barbarian vol. 4-6 Slipcase Set – releases September 16.
  • Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King #1 – releases September 23.
  • Savage Sword of Conan vol. 1-3 Slipcase Set – releases September 23.
  • Wayward Compendium – releases September 29.
  • Conan the Barbarian #35 – releases September 30.

Upcoming Appearances


Stacy and I are visiting IRELAND for a few days in August and will be signing at Dublin City Comics & Collectibles on Wed, August 19th from 5-7pm! If you live in the area, hope to see you there!

Jul 11, 2026 Dungeon Comics – Signing 1pm-4pm Oakville, ON, CANADA
Jul 23-26, 2026 San Diego Comic Con San Diego, CA, USA
Jul 30-Aug 2, 2026 Gen Con – Booth 1349 Indianapolis, IN, USA
Aug 15, 2026 Comics Assemble Gloucester, England, UK
Aug 19, 2026 Dublin City Comics – Signing 5-7pm Dublin, IRELAND
Aug 27-30, 2026 Fan Expo Canada Toronto, ON, CANADA
Oct 15-18, 2026 Gamehole Madison, WI, USA
Nov 12-15, 2026 D&D Weekend Lake Sinclair, GA, USA
Jan 14-16, 2027 Philadelphia Area Gaming Expo Philadelphia, PA, USA

Other Links

• My friend Lenore Soleil has a new comic crowdfunder for FRANKLY, a gothic fairytale by way of metaphor for disability. I’ve read the first 20+ pages and it’s off to an engaging and atmospheric start.

• Seth Skorkowsy has a new video that covers great ways to get players invested in a TTRPG game. Simple, actionable advice you can immediately use at your own table.

• Witch House Media‘s lastest podcast covers The Phoenix on the Sword, the first Conan the Barbarian story from 1932, with my friend RPG designer Ken Hite.

Jim

Zubby Newsletter #164: Zim Jub

Posted by on June 29, 2026 No comments

Another busy week coming up for me as June ends and the real sprint begins. My personal goal is to get all my July and August writing done in the next three weeks so I can relax when I’m on the road for late July and most of August. Will it happen? I’ll let you know as the weeks countdown.

My Canadian and American readers have Canada Day and Independance Day coming up, meaning that most people have a shorter work week, but for me they’re probably going to be regular working days. That’s the way it goes when you’re freelancing and deadlines loom. It’s okay though, because I’m working on some wonderful projects right now. Speaking of which-

BOOM Studios’ announcement.

Last Thursday, IGN had the exclusive reveal that there are new INVADER ZIM comics in the works at BOOM! They teased some covers and you can see the variant I drew and colored in the mix there.

When the Invader Zim cartoon ran on TV 25 years ago, I was working at an animation studio and wished I could be part of a show so fun and subversive. Unexpectedly, now I get my chance.

A lot more details weill be revealed in the coming weeks and I’ll keep all of you up to date as that happens. All I can say for now is that our team is amazing and we’re putting our all into it. Tell your fellow earth-monkeys!

Covers by Troy Little and Dax Gordine.

A Pirate’s Life

Conan the Barbarian #34 cover art by Esad Ribic.

Now that the Ghosts & Echoes story arc has all wrapped up (and fans seemed to really enjoy our done-in-one adventure issue) our attention turns toward our 9th story arc Cursed Shores Beyond, set in the period when Conan was part of the Red Brotherhood, a pirate crew looting ships on the Western Sea alongside the beautiful and deadly Valeria.

Fernando Dagnino is back on art after absolutely crushing it on A Nest of Serpents and The Conquering Crown, so expect top notch art and visceral action throughout. The words are pretty good too. 😉

The way this storyline syncs up with Monolith‘s next Conan board game and TTRPG crowdfund campaign is a wonderful bit of unexpected synergy, and I couldn’t be happier.

Conan the Barbarian #33 line art by Fernando Dagnino.

Genndy Tartakovsky’s Animated Conan the Barbarian

Speaking of synergy, man oh man, keeping this a secret was tough, but we can finally start talking about it. As announced at Annecy, Genndy Tartakovsky, the creative mind behind Samurai Jack, Primal and Hotel Transylvania has signed on to create a new Conan the Barbarian animated series for Amazon Prime!

Yes, it’s really happening. The teaser artwork by Genndy, Stephen DeStefano and Scott Wills is official and it looks awesome.

Back in 2014, I had the incredible honor of writing 20 issues of the Samurai Jack comic series, building on Genndy’s world and ideas inbetween season 4 and season 5 of the animated series alongside director designer Andy Suriano. That comic swept in and changed my career, putting my name in front of thousands of readers and bolstering my spirit when I genuinely thought my time working in comics was coming to an end.

Seeing Genndy and his team finally sign on to do this animated series, a dream of his for decades, is really wonderful. I don’t have any other production details I can reveal at this point, but you can read more over on the official Conan website.

Amazing Digital Insight

The Amazing Digital Circus is the most Gen-Z piece of media I have ever seen.

I don’t mean that as an insult.

It’s a genuinely insightful look at a specific cohort. Their fear of hopelessness and insignificance in a world that uses and abuses them while they try to figure themselves out.

Parts of it were great, other parts messy and unfocused, but it’s a postmodern whirlwind of conflicting messages and emotions that encapsulates people growing up in a time where everything feels wrong and no one is coming to save them.

Not all of it worked for me, but it wasn’t made for me and that was clear from the start, so I managed to enjoy most of it.

Okay, “enjoy” is the wrong word, because it’s 9 episodes that bathe in neurotic trauma wrapped in a colorful candy shell, but I appreciated the craftsmanship.

As with any piece of media I read/watch/play, I can’t help but think about what I would have changed but that would shift its intent, so I’ll step back and just say that at the right age it probably would have affected me deeply.

Also, I’m genuinely curious how the next generation builds their stories when every trope has been played-replayed-remixed-regurgitated and their parents have sold out the future for a quick buck.

Current + Upcoming Releases

  • MAD About DC – 2nd printing – released June 3.
  • Conan the Barbarian #32 – released June 24.
  • Conan the Barbarian #33 – releases July 29.
  • Conan the Barbarian #34 – releases August 26.
  • Journey to the West: The Beginning – releases September 15.
  • Savage Sword of Conan #16 – releases September 16.
  • Conan the Barbarian vol. 4-6 Slipcase Set – releases September 16.
  • Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King #1 – releases September 23.
  • Savage Sword of Conan vol. 1-3 Slipcase Set – releases September 23.
  • Wayward Compendium – releases September 29.
  • Conan the Barbarian #35 – releases September 30.

Upcoming Appearances

Jul 11, 2026 Dungeon Comics 1pm-4pm Oakville, ON, CANADA
Jul 23-26, 2026 San Diego Comic Con San Diego, CA, USA
Jul 30-Aug 2, 2026 Gen Con – Booth 1349 Indianapolis, IN, USA
Aug 15, 2026 Comics Assemble Gloucester, England, UK
Aug 27-30, 2026 Fan Expo Canada Toronto, ON, CANADA
Oct 15-18, 2026 Gamehole Madison, WI, USA
Nov 12-15, 2026 D&D Weekend Lake Sinclair, GA, USA
Jan 14-16, 2027 Philadelphia Area Gaming Expo Philadelphia, PA, USA

Other Links

• My friends John Layman and Rob Guillory (the team behind CHEW) have a crowdfunding campaign roaring for their new creator-owned comic called Ghostbrawler and it looks like a ton of fun. Check it out!

• My friend Samwise Didier, best known for his art and design that defined the look of Warcraft at Blizzard, has a fantasy artbook coming out in October called The ABC’s Of Fantasy that you can pre-order now.

Jim

Zubby Newsletter #163: Self-Contained

Posted by on June 23, 2026 No comments

This week is a bit of a sprint. Stacy and I have a manuscript due for the next D&D Young Adventurer’s Guide (yes, more are in development, but titles haven’t been announced yet – The book market works really far in advance) and other comic writing deadlines loom in the foreground of my To-Do List. The month leading up to San Diego Comic Con is usually a rush and this year is no exception.

Conan the Barbarian #32 cover art by Nick Percival.

In stores on Wednesday is CONAN THE BARBARIAN #32, a done-in-one story I’m really proud of, built to feel like a classic Weird Tales-era Conan story. Back in the 70’s and 80’s, these kind of self-contained adventures were the norm on a book like Conan, which also meant it was easy to bring new readers on board, giving them a complete reading experience for the cover price of a single issue.

So, if you follow this newsletter and haven’t had the chance to read the series yet, do me a favor and check this one out. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised, and Doug Braithwaite‘s line art mixed with Diego Rodriguez‘s colors is always a winner.

A mysterious woman with an even more mysterious mission hires Conan to be her bodyguard on a sacred task across forbidden lands. Is any reward worth the risk? The Cimmerian is about to find out…

Conan the Barbarian #32 art by Doug Braithwaite.

This Interview is Truly Disturbing


I spoke to Sam at Truly Disturbing all about my ongoing commitment to Conan the Barbarian – Discovering Conan, misconceptions people have about the character, writing sword & sorcery stories, and more!

Using AI

The discourse about AI use in creative projects is a steady thrum now. Is it “inevitable”, as the AI companies want people to believe, or will it pop like NFTs and other tech trends that had limited useage but weren’t as transformative as the market assumed? Only time will tell, but in the here and now I know how it affects my current workflow – not much at all.

When Midjourney first launched free online, I typed in a half-dozen image prompts and thought the output looked creepy. That’s the only time I sought it out.

I’ve never used AI to make text for my writing or correspondence. I don’t have any Ai-dedicated programs installed and turn off AI features I find in tools I use.

Once I found out that AI was predictive text not actual knowledge and that platforms were being trained on material without permission or compensation, I knew that using it for writing would both be a copyright minefield and morally bankrupt.

Because AI systems are being injected into so many programs and platforms, I’m sure it’s a background presence as I work (AI summaries on research that I don’t trust until I dig deeper, AI generated captions on audio, etc.) but I do not want generated material in my plots, descriptions or dialogue.

I know large language models and neural networks can be useful at sifting through data and have powerful applications in science and medicine, but think that its use in creative art and writing robs creators of personal analysis and growth.

Storytelling and making art is more than just output, even when it’s a commercial endeavor. They’re time capsules of who you are at that moment – Your skill and development. Your priorities and influences.

Offloading that to the randomness of those systems closes you off from that growth.

I want a glimpse at the people who made that story/art, I want to see their specific choices and collaborations, not a random homogenized product they pasted together and put their name on.

Less ‘perfect’, possibly, but far more insightful and tactile.

Building a Beautiful Brick


Speaking of self-contained time capsules, late last week I finished laying out and uploading print files for the upcoming WAYWARD COMPENDIUM, the 904-page softcover compilation of the creator-owned series Steven Cummings and I published at Image from 2015 to 2018. Going back through all 30 issues brought on a rush of great memories and reminded me of how proud I am of what our team put together.

This Compendium arrives in September and will give readers who never had the chance to discover the series when it first came out an easy way to read it all, and retailers an even easier way to keep it in stock since this book will be one beautiful value-priced brick instead of six separate trade paperbacks.

Buy one for yourself, got another as a gift for someone you know. It’s gonna be a beauty.

Current + Upcoming Releases

  • MAD About DC – 2nd printing – released June 3.
  • Conan the Barbarian #32 – releases June 24.
  • Conan the Barbarian #33 – releases July 29.
  • Conan the Barbarian #34 – releases August 26.
  • Journey to the West: The Beginning – releases September 15.
  • Savage Sword of Conan #16 – releases September 16.
  • Conan the Barbarian vol. 4-6 Slipcase Set – releases September 16.
  • Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King #1 – releases September 23.
  • Savage Sword of Conan vol. 1-3 Slipcase Set – releases September 23.
  • Wayward Compendium – releases September 29.
  • Conan the Barbarian #35 – releases September 30.

Upcoming Appearances

Apologies for the last minute change, but I’m unable to attend Fan Expo: Anaheim this week. Personal stuff has come up and I need to be here at home. Thanks for your understanding.

Jul 11, 2026 Dungeon Comics 1pm-4pm Oakville, ON, CANADA
Jul 23-26, 2026 San Diego Comic Con San Diego, CA, USA
Jul 30-Aug 2, 2026 Gen Con – Booth 1349 Indianapolis, IN, USA
Aug 15, 2026 Comics Assemble Gloucester, England, UK
Aug 27-30, 2026 Fan Expo Canada Toronto, ON, CANADA
Oct 15-18, 2026 Gamehole Madison, WI, USA
Nov 12-15, 2026 D&D Weekend Lake Sinclair, GA, USA
Jan 14-16, 2027 Philadelphia Area Gaming Expo Philadelphia, PA, USA

Other Links

• My friend David Pepose has a new crowdfund campaign for his creator-owned comic series The O.Z., an alternate world survivalist take on The Wizard of Oz.

• The Dark Man Journal is moving online, and the first two videos on their new YouTube channel are interviews with Arlene Stephenson and Jacque Chidress from the Robert E. Howard Museum and Rusty Burke, who started Howard Days 40 years ago.

Jim