Category Archives: Substack - Page 2

Zubby Newsletter #162: Post-Texas

Posted by on June 16, 2026 1 comment
Sitting at Robert E. Howard’s writing desk is surreal and amazing.
Worlds poured forth from this humble spot.

When I attended Robert E. Howard Days in 2024, I was incredibly nervous. Even though Jeff Shanks reassured me that I’d fit in well with the deeply dedicated fans who gather in Cross Plains, Texas every June to celebrate Bob’s creativity and legend, I still wasn’t sure if I would be accepted or if the new Conan the Barbarian series published by Titan would last.

Two years later, it felt different in all the best ways.

The town of Cross Plains (population: 900) seems more comfortable with the legacy of their most famous son and I was also a lot more comfortable with where things are at with the comics and other future plans.

As a surreal example of how much the town has started to embrace their legacy as the birthplace of Robert E. Howard, last year the town’s high school marching band took 1st place in state competition with a Conan the Barbarian-themed performance!

Onward to 2026 – It was Texas in June, so the heat was intense and drive from Dallas a bit monotonous, but from the moment I arrived on Thursday afternoon, things were hopping. In 2024 I also arrived on Thursday and there were only three of us there filming interviews and B-roll material for the official Conan YouTube channel. This time, I pulled up to the house and there were at least 30 people already hanging out and a small cheer sounded as I walked over to the pavilion. That set the pace for the next two days – More people than expected and tons of positive energy.

I donated some sketch cover drawings to the silent auction.

I was a bit surprised when Jeff Shanks didn’t put me on any panels on day one, but he told me the best thing I could do was “be Jim Zub” – Stay near the house, greet newcomers, sign books, and chat. That advice worked out really well and there wasn’t a slow moment at any point. I signed hundreds of comics and collected editions, raising money for the REH House restoration fund and answered questions from readers about what it was like working with so many amazing artists on the series.

There were buses full of people going on tours of the town and surrounding area, discussion panels at local churches and cafes, and local restaurants were packed with visitors. From a quick show of hands at the banquet Friday night, I’d estimate around 20% of the people were attending Howard Days for the first time this year, and everyone I interacted with seemed to have a great time.

Orating REH poetry on the front porch of the house is a Saturday evening tradition.

A few people asked if I was going to be part of the traditional poetry reading on the porch Saturday evening so I finally caved and joined it. Like last time, I read an original poem from Savage Sword, this time Kinship of the Fallen. I’ll be honest, as I stood up there and people cheered, I got a bit verklempt. The excitement and engagement from everyone was really special.

Howard Days isn’t a convention or book festival in the traditional sense. It’s a gathering, a reunion, and a hangout with a lot of Texas hospitality and a bit of sword & sorcery flare. One of the people I chatted with told me that for him 50% of it was a celebration of Howard and the other 50% was about friendships he’d made, year after year. That sounded pretty much bang-on.

Meeting up with friends and fans before, during, and after the event felt great but it also zipped along so quickly that I’m honestly still processing some of it. Thanks to everyone who came out and all the enthusiasm you brought.

Want to help with the Howard House Restoration fund? Go HERE.

• I appeared in two of the REH Foundation video blogs, the first welcoming people to Day One, and second a short discussion with Howard Days founder Rusty Burke.

• The Conan Chronology has a video all about his first time attending Howard Days.

• Stygian Dogs has two videos from the weekend as well: a house tour and a live recording of our ‘What’s New in REH’ panel from Saturday afternoon.

The Legacy of Robert E. Howard


This SATURDAY, JUNE 20th: I’m one of the speakers for the Afterlives of World Building: The Legacy of Robert E. Howard online educational conference put together by East Texas A&M University that will run from Noon-5:30pm EDT (10am-3:30pm MDT).

The programming is FREE to watch, but registration is required, so check the link for details. There are 260 seats available for the livestream: https://lair.etamu.edu/tdm/

Current + Upcoming Releases

Upcoming Appearances

The D&D Weekend I’m Dungeon Mastering on November 12-15 in Georgia was sold out, but one of the players had to drop, so a single ticket is now available. If you want to play in a whirlwind 24-hour campaign over 3-days, get on board!

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 Indianapolis, IN, USA
Aug 15, 2026 Comics Assemble Gloucester, England, UK
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

• This video about a guy bonding with his father over video games and his Dad beating Dark Souls as his first game is ridiculous, amazing, and heartwarming.

• Speaking of video games, this rundown on the philosophy behind some of the design choices in classic platformer Mega Man 2 is pretty sharp stuff.

• Paizo has a new TTRPG coming called 13 Omens that seems to be very different from Pathfinder, their flagship game. Even though I already have dozens of games I don’t have enough time to play, I must admit I am intrigued…
Jim

Zubby Newsletter #161: Pre-Texas

Posted by on June 10, 2026 No comments
Lost Knob, Texas was a small town in REH’s stories modeled after Cross Plains.
Art from Conan: Battle of the Black Stone #0 by Jonas Scharf and Jao Canola.

It’s a bit of a mad sprint of productivity and packing today as I wrap up a script and then finish getting ready for my flight tomorrow morning to Texas for the Howard Days 40th anniversary, two days of discussion and celebration of the father of sword & sorcery’s legacy in the exact place where Conan the Barbarian‘s tales were first written. I attended the festival for the first time back in 2024 and you can read how that went HERE.

As with any convention or signing, I’m a mix of nervous and excited. Last time I attended it had been less than a year since our big relaunch at Titan and now it’s the third year of big swings and stories I’m really proud of, so I’m curious how all that’s been received by the intensely passionate fanbase who attend this event. I guess I’m about to find out.

I’ll arrive in Cross Plains late afternoon Thursday and be there through Saturday night. Looking forward to seeing friends and meeting new people coming in for the big anniversary gathering.

I’ll also be signing throughout the event. No charge, but donations encouraged, with all proceeds going to the Howard House fund underway to help with repairs. Same goes for items I’ll be donating to the silent auction.

No ticket is required to attend the festivities, so if you’re in Texas and able to make the trek, consider coming out to Cross Plains to celebrate with us or, if you’re closer to Dallas, come to my signing at Madness Games & Comics happening this Sunday from 11:30am-3pm.

Laudator Temporis Acti

Reading online posts that go on about how “my generation is the best because we persevered through [moment in time], had [pop culture things], didn’t fall for [current trendy pitfall] and life was better because [random item] only cost [cheap compared to now]!” always makes my eyes roll, especially when it’s about my generation.

Even more painful are the “my generation learned how to work hard because we didn’t have [current technology] or parents who [do current parental thing] and weren’t coddled with [respectful current social norm]!” posts.

Congrats, you’ve discovered nostalgia.

It doesn’t make you unique or your cohort some awe-inspiring generation better than all others.

Truly, the time you grew up in was the most special, you main character of your own story you. What an incredible coincidence.

Notice that every generation before or after you posts the exact same shit.

Nostalgia and remarking on how things have changed is fine (and can even be useful and important), just have enough clarity to realize it’s rooted in your personal experience, not a universal truth.

The big reason life felt simpler or more difficult is because you were a kid. You probably had more free time and less responsibilities. You were starting to self actualize and went through puberty.

It’s your story and it matters deeply to you, so you want it to matter to everyone else too.

As immensely fucked up right now is for adults, kids growing up in the midst of this will tell future generations it was the best time because now (the future) sucks compared to their youth.

I am thankful I grew up pre-social media and didn’t have to start my career in this current market, but that’s fortunate timing not generational superiority.

Script to Page

I’ve added even more FREE material to my Patreon page, including scripts for all the Conan Free Comic Book Day issues so you can see what I wrote and how that was interpreted by artists Jonas Scharf, Ivan Gil, and Jesus Merino over the past three years.

If you want access to well over 300 story pitches, scripts, and other resources in my Patreon archive, you can join for less than the price of a fancy coffee.

Survival in the Exiled Lands

My fourth liveplay session of Conan Exiles Enhanced was a relatively relaxed affair, rebuilding my resources and equipment after getting my butt kicked the week before. I answered some questions about writing and bantered with people who watched live.

Current + Upcoming Releases

Upcoming Appearances

The D&D Weekend I’m Dungeon Mastering on November 12-15 in Georgia was sold out, but one of the players had to drop, so a single ticket is now available. If you want to play in a whirlwind 24-hour campaign over 3-days, get on board!

Jun 12-13, 2026 Robert E. Howard Days Cross Plains, TX, USA
Jun 14, 2026 Madness G&C 11:30-3pm Plano, TX, USA
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 Indianapolis, IN, USA
Aug 15, 2026 Comics Assemble Gloucester, England, UK
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

• David Brothers‘ short video essay about growing up playing video games and what he learned about defeat and persistence playing Sekiro really struck a chord with me. David’s a skilled comic writer and always brings thought and care into his observations about pop culture.

• Baffler has posted a series of essays from professional writers who have struggled to make a living through their writing, even after finding some success. The messy and awkward highs and lows of a creative career are on full display here and worth reading, even when they make you wince.

• Rabbit Hole has a surprisingly deep dive into where Lorem Ipsum came from, the ‘nonsense’ latin that designers use to drop temporary text into place before they have actual text ready for a page. It’s far more interesting than you might expect.

I hope my friends and fans in the LGBTQ+ community had a great start to Pride Month!
Jim

Zubby Newsletter #160: Jumping Into June

Posted by on June 1, 2026 No comments

May was a busy month with my big birthday and deadlines aplenty. I prepped for a bustling summer by getting a lot of writing done. From January to May this year I’ve already written more than I did for all of 2025, which is pretty wild. It feels good crossing off each deadline and building momentum, week after week.

The more torn up Conan gets, the more you know a story is gonna be gooood.

Now that Conan the Barbarian #31 is in stores and we’ve wrapped up our Son of the Tooth 3-parter, the focus of course now turns to issue #32, which I’m incredibly excited about.

CONAN THE BARBARIAN #32 is a done-in-one sword & sorcery spectacle called “A Sacred Task”, built in the style of the original Robert E. Howard Conan stories from Weird Tales magazine. Our Cimmerian is hired as a bodyguard for a beautiful and mysterious woman on an important quest and their journey together will be memorable, to say the least.

I’m so proud that we’ve built enough trust with readers and retailers over the past 31 issues that we can do this kind of self-contained story as a breather between larger plot developments.

A classic adventure. An easy jumping on point.

In the current North American market, many series get cancelled outright or rebooted every 10-12 issues. I know how special this kind of extended run is, especially outside of DC or Marvel.

Great word of mouth got us this far and it’ll keep the adventure going, on and on, with reader support.

Where Should You Start Reading?


With all the excitement around Conan the Barbarian – movie rumors, the enhanced Exiles video game, new action figures, and publishing projects aplenty – it can be a lot to take in, especially if you want to jump into this world of High Adventure for the very first time.

Thankfully, Titan has officially released their Free Comic Book Day Conan promo issues online, no charge, so make sure you check them out and please share these links far and wide:

CONAN THE BARBARIAN Free Comic Book Day 2023:
https://titan-comics.com/news/download-the-conan-the-barbarian-fcbd-comic/

CONAN THE BARBARIAN Free Comic Book Day 2024:
https://titan-comics.com/news/download-the-conan-the-barbarian-fcbd-2024-pdf-her/

CONAN THE BARBARIAN Free Comic Book Day 2025:
https://titan-comics.com/news/download-the-conan-fcbd-issue-here/

CONAN THE BARBARIAN Free Comic Book Day 2026:
https://titan-comics.com/news/read-the-2026-conan-fcbd-issue-here/

Hubris By Name, Hubris By Nature

Last week’s livestream of Conan Exiles Enhanced was not what I expected, but apparently much closer to what the experienced Exiles audience thought would happen back on session 1.

Hubris lived up to his name and I spent 90% of the stream trying to retrieve my corpse and/or running from enemies. It was a rough ride in the ol’ Hyborian Age:

Trying to be entertaining on a livestream (banter, answering questions, keeping things moving) and being careful/methodical about playing a game do not go hand in hand. Especially on a game I’ve never played before and purposefully did no prep for in advance.

Glancing down at the chat and keeping that conversation going means I keep missing brain damagingly obvious stuff in-game. People watching must have thought I was incompetent, and I was, because it’s like trying to learn to drive with 50 people in the car with you giving directions and changing the radio station.

I definitely have a much different perspective on livestreamers who do this well. Playing a game you know and are good at would certainly make a huge difference. The learning curve and distraction is wild. At some point I may have to stream a game I know so viewers don’t think I’m absolute trash at video games in general. I’ve platinumed Souls games. I don’t mind a challenge.

Stacy: “How’d your game go?”
Zub: “Hyenas chewed on my gnards and I lost all my equipment.”
Stacy: “Did you have fun?”
Zub: “Sort of.”

Hubris was brought low and lost all of his spiffy equipment. I learned some of the game’s systems despite my foolishness and will return to lick my wounds and rebuild, more carefully this time.

Current + Upcoming Releases

Upcoming Appearances

The D&D Weekend I’m Dungeon Mastering on November 12-15 in Georgia was sold out, but one of the players had to drop, so a single ticket is now available. If you want to play in a whirlwind 24-hour campaign over 3-days, get on board!

Jun 12-13, 2026 Robert E. Howard Days Cross Plains, TX, USA
Jun 14, 2026 Madness G&C 11:30-3pm Plano, TX, USA
Jul 23-26, 2026 San Diego Comic Con San Diego, CA, USA
Jul 30-Aug 2, 2026 Gen Con Indianapolis, IN, USA
Aug 15, 2026 Comics Assemble Gloucester, England, UK
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 dear friend and collaborator Troy Little has a new crowdfunding campaign underway for Levada, a graphic novel inspired by his trip to Portugal. I think Troy is one of the most amazing cartoonists in the industry and know that this introspective story is going to be special. If you enjoyed his work on Rick and Morty VS Dungeons & Dragons or Rick and Morty VS Cthulhu, make sure you check this out.

• Marcia Lucas, the Oscar-winning film editor on American Grafitti, Taxi Driver, and Star Wars, passed away last week. The work she did on Star Wars, in particular, is an absolute master class in refocusing and enhancing a production. RocketJump‘s video essay on How Star Wars Was Saved in the Edit is an amazing overview of how much editing changed pacing and intent to create a classic. Did you know that originally the Death Star was not going to destroy the Rebel Base at all? Watch this video and you’ll be impressed!

• David Finch‘s YouTube channel is packed with incredible drawing advice and examples from his own work and other top notch artists. His latest, all about drawing background tech, covers a lot of valuable techniques, plus you get to watch him draw in real time.

I hope you’re enjoying the Spring weather,
Jim

Zubby Newsletter #159: Fight, Fight, FIGHT!

Posted by on May 25, 2026 No comments

Huge thanks to everyone who reached out with birthday well wishes after last week’s newsletter. It’s a weird feeling hitting one of those milestone numbers that society perceives as getting old and still just feeling like me, but I guess that’s the trick of it all. It was nice hearing from so many old friends and fans.

Conan the Barbarian #31 cover art by Doug Braothwaite. Colors by Diego Rodriguez.

This week finally sees the release of CONAN THE BARBARIAN #31, the climax of our 3-part story centered on the new assassin called ‘The Son of the Tooth’. When I came up with the concept for this confrontation, I pitched it to editor Chris Butera in pretty simple terms-

“If manga can have fight scenes that stretch on for 100+ pages, we should be able to do a 22-page wall-to-wall fight issue of Conan.”

And he excitedly agreed, so get ready for a knockdown, drag-out, mano a mano battle of brutality between our supernaturally-charged killer and the world’s most famous sword & sorcery hero. Artist Doug Braithwaite and colorist Diego Rodriguez delivered another stunner that is viscerally violent right up to the finish line.

You obviously want to see how this sequence plays out, don’t you?

Head to your favorite comic shop this week and find out!

Catching Up in Collection


As if that wasn’t enough excitement, this week also sees the release of our CONAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT and SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN vol. 4 trade paperbacks. Couple that with last week’s release of CONAN THE BARBARIAN vol. 7: THE CONQUERING CROWN and you are set for sword & sorcery in the month of May, my friends.

Fun fact: This is my first volume 7 of any series I’ve written. Previous runs have all capped out at volume 6 or less.

Feels good, and there’s a lot more to come in the Hyborian Age. Huge thanks to the whole creative team and the crews at Heroic Signatures and Titan Comics. It’s an honor to be part of this team.

Conan is Running Out of Time

I had an amazing time chatting with Shawn Curley over on the official Conan the Barbarian YouTube channel all about the past, present, and future of our Conan publishing plans. Lots of anecdotes that cover planning and production, working with our team, and how exciting it is to have all this momentum while our third year of publishing roars onward.

I also put together a 1-minute sneak peek from the interview you can check out HERE.

Talk, Talk, Talk!

Lots of interviews popping up online last week.


I did a 60-min livestream interview with World At War Comics that was a lot of fun.


And then an interview I recorded a few weeks ago finally surfaced on the Dollar Bin Bandits YouTube channel as well.

Draw Your Weapons at Gen Con!


Last week also saw the announcement that I’ll be one of the special guest stars for DRAW YOUR WEAPONS Live at Gen Con in August, alongside wonderful gamer nerdlebrities Alicia Marie, Anjali Bhimani, and Jason Charles Miller with Game Master Josh Knapp! Want to get a feel for what it’s all about? Watch the trailer for the series HERE.

Current + Upcoming Releases

Upcoming Appearances

Jun 12-13, 2026 Robert E. Howard Days Cross Plains, TX, USA
Jun 14, 2026 Madness G&C 11:30-3pm Plano, TX, USA
Jul 23-26, 2026 San Diego Comic Con San Diego, CA, USA
Jul 30-Aug 2, 2026 Gen Con Indianapolis, IN, USA
Aug 15, 2026 Comics Assemble Gloucester, England, UK
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

• Stacy and I have been thoroughly enjoying watching the new Witch Hat Atelier anime based on the incredible manga by Kamome Shirahama (who some of my longtime fans may remember from the incredible variant cover she illustrated for Wayward way back when). Bug Films have posted by a behind the scenes piece on their animation production for the series and it’s well worth checking out.

• Artist Hardy Fowler‘s rundown on memorable landmarks for drawing the face is both focused and helpful. I like the way he goes through the process with easy to remember visual examples to make sure they stick in your mind for future use.

• Want to save money on buying chicken at the grocery store? Learn how to break down the whole bird quick and easy with this process video from TriggTube. It’s a skill I learned when I worked as an assistant butcher at a grocery story back in college and I’m glad I did. The technique is easier than you think and really useful.

Have a great week!

Jim

Zubby Newsletter #158: Fifty

Posted by on May 18, 2026 1 comment

And here we are at that big one – Today I turn 50 years old.

I know.

I was surprised too, even though it’s the next logical step after 48 and 49, and the alternative would be much less exciting.

Stacy made me a Lemon Castle Birthday Cake and it was gooood~

The weekend was Birthday-riffic, a get together with friends on Saturday and then a family barbecue on Sunday. A slew of people from different times in my life who have seen me grow and change over the years while also kind of staying the same. It was nostalgic and surreal and also quite wonderful.

I seem to be fully embracing the silver-haired pulp writer part of my development and that’s a very fun phase to be in, so deep thanks to all of you for reading, sharing, and supporting my efforts, year after year. My 40’s were quite transformative, and I don’t just mean in terms of gray hair and aches and pains. I have more confidence in who I am, what I value, and a better sense of the future I’m trying to build.

And love. So much love from Stacy and the rest of my family and friends. Yesterday, before blowing out the candles, I said that I wouldn’t be anywhere without them, and it’s as cliche as it is true.

The rest of the year looks exciting and the adventure continues! Thank you for being a part of it.

On these big number moments people expect you to have extra wisdom to impart, so I’ll try to sum a bit of life advice in 3 quick points:
• Cherish your loved ones and tell them often.
• Big moments go quickly but little moments are easy to find and also worth celebrating.
• Be patient with everyone, especially yourself.

Off I go into the second half of this century!

My Birthday, But YOU Get a Gift

The CONAN: TIDES OF THE TYRANT-KING Prelude from Free Comic Book Day is now on Titan Comics’ website for FREE, so click through, read and share far and wide!

CONAN OF CIMMERIA believed that THULSA DOOM’s evil had been banished forever, but the Atlantean necromancer’s dark power stirs once more and, if it cannot be stopped, the dead shall overtake the living! The Tyrant-King of Atlantis returns and all shall suffer, unless Conan and his brave allies can turn back the tide!

Confronting Crom


Last week I was on a livestream with Evan from Stygian Dogs, Dan from the Conan Chronology, and Lion from the Sword and Sorcery Book Club.

Over 2 hours, we covered a ton of different questions and bantered a lot about the stories I’ve written so far and future plans. Make sure you check it out.

More Exile Adventures


My mirthful adventures in Conan Exiles Enhanced continued on Friday night, with another liveplay where I once again answered fan questions while not not paying close attention to the game’s interface or tutorials.

Not sure if I’ll be able to maintain this pace or not, but expect more to come in the weeks ahead.

Current + Upcoming Releases

Upcoming Appearances

The day after Howard Days wraps up I’ll be signing at Madness Games & Comics just outside Dallas, so if you’re in the area please come on by to meet me!

Jun 12-13, 2026 Robert E. Howard Days Cross Plains, TX, USA
Jun 14, 2026 Madness G&C 11:30-3pm Plano, TX, USA
Jul 23-26, 2026 San Diego Comic Con San Diego, CA, USA
Jul 30-Aug 2, 2026 Gen Con Indianapolis, IN, USA
Aug 15, 2026 Comics Assemble Gloucester, England, UK
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 dear friend Howard Tayler has a crowdfund campaign going for Doodling As a Hobby, a sketchbook with anecdotes about his cartooning career. Howard has been a steady inspiration since we first met in the early 2000’s thanks to webcomics and if you’ve read Schlock Mercenary you’ll definitely want to get this.

• Artist Mahmud Asrar has a YouTube channel and I can watch and learn as he creates beautiful commission pieces? More people should know about this.

• Tabletop University has a nice video discussing the importance of the ‘Action Economy’ in Dungeons & Dragons and other combat-centric TTRPGs.

Jim

Zubby Newsletter #157: Exiles and Easter Eggs

Posted by on May 12, 2026 No comments

Robert E. Howard re-used names he liked in different stories, sometimes different genres entirely. I’m using as many cool pieces as possible in our Howardverse events, but it can require some extra problem solving. Last year when I wrote Sailor Steve Costigan in Savage Sword of Conan #10 I dropped a key bit about a similarily-named Stephen Costigan, who now appears in the Tides of the Tyrant-King event mini-series.

Steve and Stephen, the Costigan Cousins.

I keep telling you guys, it’s all planned out!

In SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #14, released last week, I had a ton of fun building an epic sword & sorcery tale with artist Ivan Gil.

Was this line an indulgent Easter Egg solely included for my own amusement?

(I know the line is also in the original Terminator, but Arnold made it iconic in T2).

Damn right. That’s the magic of comics, baby.

Author VS The Hyborian Age

On Friday night, I played CONAN EXILES for the first time, discovering the new enhanced game on a livestream (my first time ever doing my own gaming livestream) and everyone got to follow along. It was a bit nervewracking but also a lot of fun, bantering about how bad I would be at wilderness survival, dropping bits of Robert E. Howard lore, and answering viewer questions while stumbling my way into a Hyborian Age desert and the dangerous lands beyond on the game’s standard difficulty.

Also, no spoilers, before you watch the stream take a guess how many times my character named “Hubris” dies within those first 2 hours – I bet you’ll guess wrong!

I don’t know how often I’ll be able to do this kind of livestream, but I will try to make it semi-regular if I’m not traveling as a way to chat about Conan with fans and be a dancing video game monkey for your amusement.

Speaking of livestreams, this Wednesday, May 13th at 8pm EDT I’ll be on a livestream interview chatting with Evan from Stygian Dogs, Dan from the Conan Chronology, and Lion from the Sword and Sorcery Book Club.

Pint O’ Comics

Last month I was on Jon Johnson‘s long-running radio show Pint O’ Comics and the full episode is now available on his website.

We had a really good time talking all about working on Conan, the character’s legacy and future plans. I highly recommend you check it out!

Cooking Zen

Also on Friday at Chez Zub’s, I went all fancy by hand-making Ricotta-Filled Ravioli pasta. I made enough for four people, so I froze half to use as another meal for Stacy and I.

I’ve mentioned before how much I’ve come to enjoy cooking as a hobby and de-stress from writing and other things happening in the world. While I cook I can usually just concentrate on that task, a focus on making something as tasty as possible with the immediate reward of a job well done at the end of it. Very satisfying, and it can save us quite a bit of money compared to going out to restauarants as often as we used to.

If you want wholesome content that inspires me to cook, I highly recommend the Pasta Grannies YouTube channel. Watching little old Italian ladies bust out their favorite recipes in their own homes is good stuff.

When I try preparing a dish I’ve never made before, I usually watch 3-4 different videos to see similarities and differences in technique. One video becomes the main one I follow, but seeing multiple ways of approaching the dish gives me confidence I can change it up and still get great results. With something like Pasta Grannies the range is vast. Different ingredients, different approaches, but all of it homemade and inspiring.

Seeing a 104-year old woman laughing as she kneads and rolls dough is amazing. Having an archive of these people and their personal recipes is a gift, the kind of thing we need more of, especially now.

If my retirement is writing stories, playing games, and cooking delicious food for loved ones I will have won the entire Game of Life.

Current + Upcoming Releases

Upcoming Appearances

Jun 12-13, 2026 Robert E. Howard Days Cross Plains, TX, USA
Jul 23-26, 2026 San Diego Comic Con San Diego, CA, USA
Jul 30-Aug 2, 2026 Gen Con Indianapolis, IN, USA
Aug 15, 2026 Comics Assemble Gloucester, England, UK
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

• Omar at Near Mint Condition does a nice rundown of the newly released SKULLKICKERS COMPACT ATTACK EDITION Slipcase set. I am so happy to have the series back in print for new readers to discover:

• My friend Jesse Scoble has a new crowdfund campaign going to continue funding on his supernatural western comic series DEAD MONEY! Make sure you check it out and, if you missed issue #1, there are reward tiers where you can get all caught up with the digital or physical printed comics.

• Atomic Robo is the latest Bundle of Holding, so you can snag digital comics and TTRPG material for a deeply discounted price. It’s one of my favorite action-adventure comics and well worth every penny at full price, let alone this crazy good deal.

• Did you know Google Chrome secretly dumped over 4 gigs of AI model crapola on your hard drive? Yeah, it was news to me too as I followed the procedures here and ripped it all out by the roots. Bad enough that this stuff steals content, but now they’re back door dropping it onto our systems without even letting us know.

Jim

Zubby Newsletter #156: Free For All

Posted by on May 4, 2026 No comments

Free Comic Book Day at Gotham Central was really busy.
How busy?

This was the line when Chip and I arrived-

There was no way I could get the whole line in one photo. I don’t think four photos would have worked. It stretched down the block and, at its peak, excited comic fans waited an hour and a half in chilly winds to snag free comics, get signatures, and take advantage of deep sale discounts at the shop.

We signed hundreds of comics and extended the signing from 3 hours to 4½ to meet as many people as possible. Chip was a rockstar and it was a lot of fun. Big thanks to everyone who came out for it and braved the cold to see us there. Before we left we signed giant stacks of extra books, so hopefully even if you didn’t make it there during the signing you were able to grab an autographed copy.

I’ve been keeping some parts of Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King close to my chest so readers wouldn’t be spoiled ahead of time and it’s been fun seeing fans surprised when they crack it open and start to see the scope of what we’re building, and which classic Robert E. Howard story is at the heart of this new event mini-series.

A bunch of people have asked if I have extra copies of this Tides Prelude to sell. I only have a couple here at home, but am hoping to get more. Beyond that, Titan will make the digital version freely available online in a week or so, and of course I’ll link that far and wide once it’s available.

In the meantime, you can grab the FREE digital version of our previous FCBD issues here: 2023, 2024, 2025.

May the 4th

May the 4th Be With Y’all.

I have two Star Wars credits so far in my career, one as a Colorist and the second as a Writer.

2004: STAR WARS TALES #19, published by Dark Horse Comics. I colored “The Rebel Club”, a parody of The Breakfast Club, written and drawn by Scott Kurtz, lettered by Robert Kirkman.

2020: EMPIRE STRIKES BACK FROM A CERTAIN POINT OF VIEW, published by Del Rey. I wrote the “The First Lesson” short story, showing Yoda’s POV on Luke’s arrival to Dagobah and his thoughts around training the young Jedi.

I’ve pitched a couple other possible projects over the years, but so far that’s my little contribution to a Galaxy Far, Far Away. Fingers crossed for the future.

Trying Not To Kill Time

Actually, I am trying to kill Time (Chronos, God of Time, that is), but also don’t have time to kill (deadlines aplenty).

Hades II arrived on Playstation at last and, after getting back from Calgary, I indulged in booting up this god-like rogue-like and it is so, so good. Supergiant Games have done a stellar job at keeping the core gameplay of the original while iterating on it in ways that enhance the experience and propel the narrative forward in incredible ways.

Sequels can easily fall into a ‘just more of the same’ mindset and when it comes to video games it can be tough to balance familiar gameplay and something new and unexpected. The highest compliment I can give Hades II is that I have to use it as a reward at the end of a productive day of writing, otherwise I know I’ll slip into playing it way too damn much. An absolute banger.

Current + Upcoming Releases

Upcoming Appearances

Jun 12-13, 2026 Robert E. Howard Days Cross Plains, TX, USA
Jul 23-26, 2026 San Diego Comic Con San Diego, CA, USA
Jul 30-Aug 2, 2026 Gen Con Indianapolis, IN, USA
Aug 15, 2026 Comics Assemble Gloucester, England, UK
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

I was chatting with friends about ridiculous and amazing animated opening theme songs from when I was a kid, so here are a few you may remember if you’re my age, or can watch as a curiosity if you’re not (and feel free to post some of your own favorites in the comments):


STARBLAZERS


FORCE FIVE


FABLES OF THE GREEN FOREST


THE MIGHTY HERCULES


ROCKET ROBIN HOOD


Have a great week!
Jim

Zubby Newsletter #155: Ready For Battle

Posted by on April 28, 2026 No comments
Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King Prelude artwork by Jesus Merino, colors by Jao Canola.

This Saturday, May 2nd, is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY and I have two giveaway titles available on the big day- CONAN: TIDES OF THE TYRANT-KING Prelude and MANGA CLASSICS: JOURNEY TO THE WEST Prelude!

I’ll be signing at Gotham Central comic shop in Mississauga from 11am-2pm along with comic creators Chip Zdarsky, Nick Marinkovich, and Derek Laufman!

Conan: Tides of the Tyrant King
CONAN OF CIMMERIA believed that THULSA DOOM’s evil had been banished forever, but the Atlantean necromancer’s dark power stirs once more and, if it cannot be stopped, the dead shall overtake the living! The Tyrant-King of Atlantis returns and all shall suffer, unless Conan and his brave allies can turn back the tide!

Journey to the West
Following the Buddha’s instruction, monk Tang Sanzang and his four disciples set forth on a journey to India to retrieve the Buddhist scriptures. What kind of evils and dangers will they encounter along the way? This introductory story also tells the origin of Sun Wukong – the legendary Monkey King!

Post-Calgary Expo

With Jed MacKay and Ed Brisson as the show wound down.

This year’s Calgary Expo was a success and, as always, it was wonderful to see old friends and fans in Alberta. Quite a few people mentioned that they follow along with my adventures here in the newsletter, which was nice to hear as well.

The weather shifted wildly between snowy and cold to sunny and…also cold. It was unexpectedly chilly this year and I forgot to bring my winter jacket so I didn’t venture too far from the hotel in the evening but, thankfully, it also wasn’t required because there were so many good spots nearby.

I did quite a bit of sketching at the expo and my commission list was steady throughout, which was fun as well. Here are a trio I thought turned out solid:

I’m still in Alberta visiting friends until tomorrow night. When I get home, the first thing on my work schedule is illustrating a variant cover for an upcoming-but-not-yet-announced comic project, which will be a nice change of pace and something I want to do more of down the road.

Canadian News Coverage

Canada’s CTV News covered three Canadian comic book professionals talking about being on the convention circuit and I was honored to be one of them alongside legends Tom Grummett and Ken Lashley.

A Conanza This Spring

The hit video game CONAN EXILES conquers its 8th anniversary in May and, to celebrate, it’s getting a major visual overhaul on PC on May 5th, moving to the latest Unreal Engine, massively enhancing the environments alongside other quality of life gameplay improvements.

I’ve never played Exiles before and am thinking about jumping in and giving it a shot, maybe even on a livestream game. My work schedule is intense right now, but it would be fun to be part of the relaunch excitement alongside new fans and old. Fingers crossed.

Along with that, Monolith has announced they have a new Kickstarter campaign coming for the Conan Board Game and Hyborian Age tabletop RPG. This time they’ll be showcasing Conan’s pirate adventures and venturing to legendary Zamora as well, which syncs up quite well with our next comic story arc, Cursed Shores Beyond.

Click on the art below to go to Monolith’s pre-launch page and sign up.

Current + Upcoming Releases

Upcoming Appearances

May 2nd, 2026 Gotham Central 11am-2pm Mississauga, ON, CANADA
Jun 12-13, 2026 Robert E. Howard Days Cross Plains, TX, USA
Jul 23-26, 2026 San Diego Comic Con San Diego, CA, USA
Jul 30-Aug 2, 2026 Gen Con Indianapolis, IN, USA
Aug 15, 2026 Comics Assemble Gloucester, England, UK
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

• Marvel has posted a tribute to writer and former editor-in-chief Gerry Conway, a comic book legend who contributed many important moments to the Marvel Universe. He passed away yesterday.

• Luis Escobar has a nice quick tutorial on drawing ‘dot eyes’ for comic/cartoon characters, with some great examples by other artists.

• Chris Arrant writes an editorial lamenting the loss of Newsarama, the comic news site that used to be at the heart of online conversation about comics.

Jim

Zubby Newsletter #154: Deer Friends

Posted by on April 20, 2026 2 comments

I flew in a few days early to Calgary and am staying with my friends Kandrix and Lindsay who live west of the city. After three weeks of intense writing, I’m thankfully back on schedule so this week is some much-needed quiet time hanging out with dear friends.

And also deer friends–

Lots of local wildlife stopping by to stay hi. 🙂

The big Calgary Expo is this coming week, an annual tradition I enjoy being part of. I get to see old buddies and long-time readers, while also showing comic pro pals a bit of the city and some of my favorite restaurants/pubs. Good times every time.

Later today, I’ll be popping by a high school where a friend’s teenager is a student for a presentation about writing, which should be fun. High schoolers rarely hold back on their excitement or ambivalence, so we’ll see how they react to Old Man Zubby learnin’ ’em about comics…

A Pirate Life for Jimmy

Fernando Dagnino cover art for Conan the Barbarian #33

Solicits are out for July, showcasing the stellar covers for CONAN THE BARBARIAN #33, which kicks off Cursed Shores Beyond, our next big adventure, packed with pirates, phantoms, and a formidable frontier.

This is our 9th story arc on the Heroic-Titan Conan run. Including event mini-series, it’s my 12th.

It’s the exact kind of long and meaningful marathon I’ve been wanting to build since I started getting traction in my writing career. An extended structured monthly run is such a rare thing in North American comic publishing nowadays. I never want to take it for granted or have readers feel like we’re delivering anything less than our best to earn that cover price and spot on their pull list.

As I’ve mentioned in past posts, I’m signed on for 50 issues. So, in terms of production, the build up toward that anniversary issue and conclusion of the larger plan is underway, which feels both amazing and strange – Scheduling art teams through 2027, discussing how the big moments will come together. Each issue on the docket right now includes specific references to previous storylines as threads in the overall tapestry start to tighten up.

The consistency of our art teams has been a huge part of what makes the series work so well. Rob De La Torre, Doug Braithwaite, Fernando Dagnino, Alex Horley, Ivan Gil, Diego Rodriguez, Jao Canola, and more to be announced soon for Savage Sword…Each crew gets the time and space they need to bring their best to the page. I’m happy to juggle 4-5 stories simultaneously when the end result is so damn sharp.

Starting Down That Dungeon Path

I returned to the Dungeon Master’s Block podcast to talk about comics, tabletop roleplaying games as inspiration, and bringing a new generation of gamers into the hobby.

Irritation as Inspiration

I read a lot of current comics to keep myself up to date on what’s coming out, the state of publishing, both commercial and creator-owned. With close friends I sometimes discuss pros and cons, what worked for me and what didn’t, but I keep most of those thoughts to myself because I’m a professional writer, not a professional critic. The important thing is that I’m always taking in new stories and learning from them…even if sometimes what I learn is what not to do.

I read the first couple issues of a new series (no, I won’t say what it was) and was so utterly baffled at how badly they dropped the ball on the promise of the premise that I couldn’t get it out of my mind. The idea was/is good, but at every single turn the creative team seemed intent on making boring or baffling choices instead of executing on its potential. I don’t know if editorial was asleep at the wheel or what else was going on behind the scenes, but when I compare the series announcement to the published issues, it’s just incredibly disappointing.

It annoyed me so much that I finally realized I could rework the larger idea into an original story and do a completely different version of my own – A much healthier creative outcome instead of marinating in negativity.

So yeah, the next time your read a book or watch a movie and they fail to deliver the goods, use it as a creative exercise – How can you use parts of that story you like and make it your own?

Current + Upcoming Releases

Upcoming Appearances

Apr 23-26, 2026 Calgary Expo Calgary, AB, CANADA
May 2nd, 2026 Gotham Central 11am-2pm Mississauga, ON, CANADA
Jun 12-13, 2026 Robert E. Howard Days Cross Plains, TX, USA
Jul 23-26, 2026 San Diego Comic Con San Diego, CA, USA
Jul 30-Aug 2, 2026 Gen Con Indianapolis, IN, USA
Aug 15, 2026 Comics Assemble Gloucester, England, UK
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

• Did you know that you can listen to radio stations all over the world for free? Check out Radio Garden and enjoy!

• Daði Birna at Mystic Arts delivers again with a new video about Why Your DM Can’t Use Your Character’s Backstory. I really like the ‘knives’ concept he references and will keep that in mind for my own games going forward.

Jim

Zubby Newsletter #153: Tides of War

Posted by on April 13, 2026 1 comment

Last time I mentioned that I needed to have a productive writing week to keep up with projects I have on the go and, thankfully, it was a really good one. I hit a strong writing flow and knocked down some much-needed project milestones. As much as I can get writing done while I travel, having uninterrupted writing time here in my studio works best.

It’s Final Order Cut-Off day for the CONAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT trade paperback so, if you haven’t pre-ordered yet, today is your last chance to ensure a copy is waiting for you before the print run is finalized.

What is Set the Snake God’s plan for humanity and, now that it’s begun, can it be stopped?

Scourge of the Serpent is a major pillar in our grand mythic plan for Conan so, if you haven’t had the chance to read it yet, do not miss out!

All that said, Scourge was our 2025 Conan Fall event so now we start turning our attention toward this year’s sword & sorcery blockbuster: TIDES OF THE TYRANT-KING!

Want a little sneak peek at Tides? Let’s do it-

Artist Jesus Merino is delivering absolutely top notch line art on this event mini-series, pushing himself on every single page. I am blown away by his confident cinematic staging and just how damn solid everything looks. He has a very distinct vision for the Hyborian Age, built on the foundation of classic Bronze Age Conan comics, but isn’t afraid to give it his own spark as well.

Look at that simmering Cimmerian gaze!

This is the iconic sellsword barbarian in his prime ready to kick ass but, just as we’ve done with our previous event mini-series, there will be twists and turns aplenty to keep you engaged and guessing as the adventure unfolds.

Make sure you tell your favorite local comic retailer you want a copy of our Free Comic Book Day CONAN: TIDES OF THE TYRANT-KING Prelude issue on Saturday, May 2nd!

Megacon Chatter

Speaking of Cimmerians, I had an engaging chat with Matt from The Comic Book Guy YouTube channel when I was at Megacon a couple weeks ago. It was noisy on the convention floor, so the focused audio is a bit tinny, but we cover a lot of great stuff in and around working on the series.

Talking with G33K HQ

I also had an extensive interview with Robbie over at G33K HQ. We obviously talk about Conan the Barbarian, but also cover a bunch of other titles and projects, including Pathfinder, Dungeons & Dragons, Skullkickers, MAD about DC, Journey to the West, and important advice for working in the business.

Sometimes Messy

Every part of the no/clip making of documentary on Disco Elysium is well worth watching, but part 6 is the end and it carries mixed feelings on the highs and lows tied to creating this strange and brilliant game:

I’ve been part of creative collaborations that forge lifelong friendships and others that poison relationships and leave scars. It’s such a hard thing to explain to people outside these creative whirlwinds. They’re wonderful, terrible experiences.

You hope you get to be part of something so intense and meaningful, to collaborate with passionate and skilled people like that, but that dedication can leave a lot of damage in its wake. In the end, Disco Elysium is a beautifully twisted game that contains multitudes. It’s a dichotomy of low brow and high brow concepts, philosophy and politics set against nihilism and entropy.

Rambling jazzy pompous poetry that shouldn’t work but somehow does.

For better or for worse, it’s a fragile messy game made by fragile messy people.

Current + Upcoming Releases

Upcoming Appearances

My D&D Weekend event in Georgia is already sold out, which is exciting and a bit intimidating. Looking forward to chatting with my players later this summer and incorporating their character concepts into the adventure.

Apr 23-26, 2026 Calgary Expo Calgary, AB, CANADA
May 2nd, 2026 Gotham Central 11am-2pm Mississauga, ON, CANADA
Jun 12-13, 2026 Robert E. Howard Days Cross Plains, TX, USA
Jul 23-26, 2026 San Diego Comic Con San Diego, CA, USA
Jul 30-Aug 2, 2026 Gen Con Indianapolis, IN, USA
Aug 15, 2026 Comics Assemble Gloucester, England, UK
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

• Daði Birna at Mystic Arts has some great advice on building scenarios for tabletop gaming campaigns using “But” and “Therefore” while thinking about how plots and motivations link together.

• Patrick Willems’ rundown on things he learned while directing a short film is a great glimpse behind the curtain and the difference between guerilla filmmaking and high-end production. Lots of useful advice in here, even if you don’t work in film.

• “Your greatest asset that you have is your persistence, and it’s the one thing you’re fully in control of. When you see someone who really excels at something, it’s persistence, and staying with it and repetition over a long period of time.” – Ray Kinman from Disney Imagineering.

Jim