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!

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Post-Calgary Expo

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.

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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.

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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.

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Current + Upcoming Releases

• Avengers: No Surrender/No Road Home Omnibus – released Mar 10.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 2 – released Mar 17.
• Conan the Barbarian #30 – released Mar 25.
• Mad About DC – released Apr 1.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 3 – releases Apr 21.
• Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King Prelude – releases May 2.
• Manga Classics: Journey to the West Prelude – releases May 2.
• Savage Sword of Conan #14 – releases May 6.
• Conan: Scourge of the Serpent TPB – releases May 6.
• Conan the Barbarian Vol. 7: The Conquering Crown TPB – releases May 20.
• Conan the Barbarian #31 – releases May 27.
• Savage Sword of Conan Vol. 4 TPB – releases May 27.

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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

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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

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…

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A Pirate Life for Jimmy

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.

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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.

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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?

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Current + Upcoming Releases

• Avengers: No Surrender/No Road Home Omnibus – released Mar 10.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 2 – released Mar 17.
• Conan the Barbarian #30 – released Mar 25.
• Mad About DC – released Apr 1.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 3 – releases Apr 21.
• Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King Prelude – releases May 2.
• Manga Classics: Journey to the West Prelude – releases May 2.
• Savage Sword of Conan #14 – releases May 6.
• Conan: Scourge of the Serpent TPB – releases May 6.
• Conan the Barbarian Vol. 7: The Conquering Crown TPB – releases May 20.
• Conan the Barbarian #31 – releases May 27.
• Savage Sword of Conan Vol. 4 TPB – releases May 27.

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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

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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

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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Current + Upcoming Releases

• Avengers: No Surrender/No Road Home Omnibus – released Mar 10.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 2 – released Mar 17.
• Conan the Barbarian #30 – released Mar 25.
• Mad About DC – released Apr 1.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 3 – releases Apr 21.
• Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King Prelude – releases May 2.
• Manga Classics: Journey to the West Prelude – releases May 2.
• Savage Sword of Conan #14 – releases May 6.
• Conan: Scourge of the Serpent TPB – releases May 6.
• Conan the Barbarian Vol. 7: The Conquering Crown TPB – releases May 20.
• Conan the Barbarian #31 – releases May 27.
• Savage Sword of Conan Vol. 4 TPB – releases May 27.

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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

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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

Last week was intense with Stacy’s book launch and the MAD About DC signing, so this week needs to be a post-Easter burst of productivity. I have a To-Do List of deadlines coming up and approved outlines to work from, so it’s just going to be scripting up a storm here at Zub HQ.

If you enjoyed Ivan Gil‘s artwork in Conan: Scourge of the Serpent, you’re going to see him fully unleashed in our feature 48-page story for SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #14, arriving in May!

Ivan worked so damn hard on Scourge, so for this story he got to choose every piece – What era of Conan we’d be working with, where it took place, and what the threat would be. I tailor-made this story to his strengths and he attacked it with gusto.

His ability to carve out these environments and make them feel as real as the characters in the story is so amazing. Seeing that art in pure black & white at magazine size is going to be a real treat for fans, and it’s been an absolute feast for me as his collaborator.

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The Nomad, Now Deluxe-ified!

Speaking of Conan x2 – Titan has announced a deluxe oversized hardcover edition of THE NOMAD, the fully oil-painted anniversary issue we released last year. If you missed my first King Conan story, a stunning visual whirlwind brought to life by master painter Alex Horley, you’ll definitely want to pick this up. And if you already have a copy, this baby is going to bring that artwork to life like never before and includes more making-of material so you can fully appreciate Alex’s phenomenal artistic skills.

Alex and I actually had a Zoom call last week where we chatted about current and future projects. Not sure when things will get announced, but know that there is more in development.

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I’ll Be At Howard Days 2026

Speaking of Conan x3 – My travel is booked, so I’m happy to announce that I’ll be attending Robert E. Howard Days this year for the 40th anniversary of the festival happening on June 12th and 13th. It looks like fans from multiple generations of REH fandom will be in attendance, so if you’ve thought about making the trek, this would be a fine year to make it happen.

I attended for the first time back in 2024 and had a good time with friends and fans in the spot where the sword & sorcery genre erupted from Bob’s Underwood no. 5 typewriter.

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Current + Upcoming Releases

• Avengers: No Surrender/No Road Home Omnibus – released Mar 10.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 2 – released Mar 17.
• Conan the Barbarian #30 – released Mar 25.
• Mad About DC – released Apr 1.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 3 – releases Apr 21.
• Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King Prelude – releases May 2.
• Manga Classics: Journey to the West Prelude – releases May 2.
• Savage Sword of Conan #14 – releases May 6.
• Conan: Scourge of the Serpent TPB – releases May 6.
• Conan the Barbarian Vol. 7: The Conquering Crown TPB – releases May 20.
• Conan the Barbarian #31 – releases May 27.
• Savage Sword of Conan Vol. 4 TPB – releases May 27.

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Upcoming Appearances

A pile of events have now been confirmed, filling in crucial parts of my summer schedule, as you’ll see below. I’ll be back at SDCC and Gen Con, which are once again happening back-to-back. I’ve also booked my first appearance for 2027 already, which is pretty wild.

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

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Other Links

• Matt from the Comic Book Guy YouTube channel had a nice little shout-out about our chat at Megacon. He and his buddy Guy have all kinds of fun fan discussions on their channel and it’s worth checking out, especially if you’re a collector.

• Did you see Chip Zdarsky‘s MAD About DC promo video that came out the same day as the issue? Filmed in Toronto, it’s one for the ages and reminds me of his Toronto mayoral campaign video from 2010, which I would love to link for you but doesn’t seem to be online anymore.

• Heroic Signatures has details on their upcoming Robert E. Howard-focused ebooks arriving throughout the year. These short stories are a great way to sample sword & sorcery authors and keep up on the many characters in our “Howardverse.”

Jim

My wife Stacy has a big week underway for her writing career!

D&D Crochet in Stores Now

It’s book launch day for D&D CROCHET: A Book of Many Patterns! Stacy worked with four designers to create 20 different patterns for toys, wearables and household items themed around Dungeons & Dragons and wrote accompanying lore to go with them.

If you’re in the CHICAGO area, she’s headed there for the book launch TONIGHT (March 31st) at GOBLIN MARKET from 6-8pm! Stop in and wish her well.

Some old school D&D gamers may scoff at the idea of a D&D craft book like this, but they are out of touch. Interest in the book has been really strong because there’s a large fanbase who crochet, knit, or do needlepoint while they tabletop game. Giving those people game-centric patterns and introducing more people to the lore is a great way to expand the hobby.

(Besides, in the early 1980’s Greenfield Needlewomen put out official D&D needlepoint patterns, so it’s not even unprecedented.)

Stacy has been a co-writer on the D&D Young Adventurer’s Guides since the beginning and those books have received broad acclaim for the way they bring new players into gaming. She put the same kind of care and effort into D&D Crochet as she has in the guides and I’m excited for readers to add this to their collection.

Wings of Starlight: the Manga

On top of that, Stacy’s next book has been announced – She’s working with Disney Publishing on a manga adaptation of the Best-Selling WINGS OF STARLIGHT novel by Allison Saft!

The first volume arrives in print this summer, and the Webtoon version is live now and updates weekly.

To give people outside the YA sphere an idea how big a deal this is, Wings of Starlight hit #1 on the New York Times Young Adult Best-Sellers list and has been on there for the past 57 weeks.

So yeah, wonderful news for my wonderful wife! Congratulate her on the good news and I’m excited to see her out promoting these in the coming months.

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A MAD Signing in Toronto – No Foolin’!

Speaking of promotion, on Wednesday, April 1st MAD ABOUT DC arrives in comic shops and I’ll be at The Beguiling signing from 6-8pm with mastermind Chip Zdarsky and fellow creators Ryan North, Ramon Perez, Benjamin Errett, Andrew Wheeler, Joseph Starky, Kagan McLeod, and Jay Bone!

Obviously we’ll be signing copies of MAD About DC purchased at the shop, but feel free to bring or buy other Zub books you want signed as well!

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D&D Weekend at the Lakehouse Retreat

The same team that puts together D&D in a Castle has a series of other events at other locations throughout the year and I’m signed on for a D&D Weekend on November 12th-15th at The Lakehouse Retreat in Georgia.

There are only 6 seats at the table and half already sold in pre-release, so if you want on board a 20-hour campaign DMed by me, now is the time to jump in!

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Current + Upcoming Releases

• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 1 – released Feb 17.
• Conan the Barbarian #29 – released Feb 25.
• Avengers: No Surrender/No Road Home Omnibus – released Mar 10.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 2 – released Mar 17.
• Conan the Barbarian #30 – released Mar 25.
• Mad About DC – releases Apr 1.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 3 – releases Apr 21.
• Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King Prelude – releases May 2.
• Manga Classics: Journey to the West Prelude – releases May 2.
• Savage Sword of Conan #14 – releases May 6.
• Conan: Scourge of the Serpent TPB – releases May 6.
• Conan the Barbarian Vol. 7: The Conquering Crown TPB – releases May 20.
• Conan the Barbarian #31 – releases May 27.
• Savage Sword of Conan Vol. 4 TPB – releases May 27.

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Upcoming Appearances

Apr 1st, 2026	The Beguiling	Toronto, ON, CANADA
Apr 23-26, 2026	Calgary Expo	Calgary, AB, CANADA
May 2, 2026	FCBD – Gotham Central	Mississauga, ON, CANADA
Aug 15, 2026	Comics Assemble	Gloucester, England, UK

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Other Links

• This new 3D capture and render technology called Gaussian Splats looks absolutely wild. The naturalistic lighting, depth of field and small file size feels like magic. I browsed some of these splat files right in my browser and it’s very impressive. Check these out and notice the file sizes relative to what you see: ONE TWO THREE FOUR.

• It was nice to see The Dungeon Dudes mention our Conan: The Hyborian Age Actual Play during their recent video all about Setting Your Players Up For Success.

• Javi has a nice rundown of figure drawing fundamentals in his latest video. Learning to shift between modes (line, gesture, form, or lighting/value) while drawing what you see is a crucial skill applicable in tons of areas and he does a great job explaining how it works here with examples.

Jim

I’ve been keeping this one secret for quite some time, but am happy to have it finally show up in advance book catalogues – WAYWARD is being collected in a beautiful one volume Compendium edition this September!

WAYWARD is a creator-owned comic series I co-created with the amazing artist Steven Cummings that ran for 30 issues from 2014 to 2018. It’s a bit like ‘Buffy in Japan’, with teenagers fighting against Japanese mythological monsters on the streets of modern Tokyo while struggling with their personal drama and newfound supernatural powers.

These characters are near and dear to my heart and the series launched at a time when Image Comics was going through a renaissance with new titles that grabbed attention and made waves. I’ve always been proud of what Steven, Tamra, Zack, Marshall and I were able to accomplish, showcasing real Japanese places and historical myths without leaning too hard on manga tropes or pacing.

Some of the original trade paperbacks and deluxe hardcovers have fallen out of print so it’ll be nice to have it available for readers to enjoy and share in one complete volume. Make sure you pre-order and tell your friends!

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Earth’s Mightiest Collection

Speaking of great looking collections, the AVENGERS: NO SURRENDER/NO ROAD HOME Omnibus is now in stores, collecting the weekly epic events I co-wrote with Mark Waid and Al Ewing, with artwork by the incomparable Pepe Larraz, Kim Jacinto, Paco Medina, and Sean Izaakse.

I received my contributor copy in the mail late last week and, the minute I cracked it open, a flood of wonderful memories came back, a special milestone in my creative career. When we were plugging away on these stories it really felt like we were the Avengers, banding together to tackle a massive story and wild deadlines we never could have overcome as individuals.

I learned so much working on these events and hearing from readers that it’s considered a ‘modern classic’ means a lot. I’d love to write more of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes at some point down the road but, whatever happens, this collection is great to have available.

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Robert E. Howard Award Nominations

The Robert E. Howard Foundation has posted their ballot for the 2026 REH awards and books I worked on snagged 3 nominations:
• The Hyrkanian—Outstanding Achievement, Essay
– “Shadows of the Serpent: Howard, Kull and the Birth of Sword and Sorcery”, Jeff Shanks in Conan: Scourge of the Serpent #1-4
• The Rankin—Artistic Achievement
– Jim Zub, Ivan Gil, João Canola, Tyler Smith, and Richard Starkings, for Conan: Scourge of the Serpent
– Jim Zub, Alex Horley, Tyler Smith, and Richard Starkings for Conan the Barbarian #25, “The Nomad”

The competition is really tight this year, but that just means we’re enjoying a surge of Howard-related works so I couldn’t be happier. Best of luck to all the nominees!

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High Points at Fantastic Comic Fan

I spoke to Ray MacKay (a young comic creator getting his start) at The Fantastic Comic Fan podcast about my comic career– How I got my start, the influence of tabletop RPGs, developing my creator-owned books, working on Conan the Barbarian, and a whole lot more. Check it out!

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Popverse is Chasing the Vibes

Popverse asked a bunch of comic creators, including me, questions about our careers and excitement being at Emerald City Comic Con:
• Do you remember the first time a comic made you feel seen?
• What was your first “I can’t believe this is my job” moment?
• What is your favorite sound effect you’ve written?
• Which of your characters feels most like family to you now?
• If a character you worked on could walk through Artist Alley at ECCC, what would they say?
• What is the weirdest or most wonderful thing that you’ve ever signed?
• What can comics do that no other artform can?
• Which character you’ve worked on would bomb a panel Q&A?
• What is your go-to snack when deadlines are closing in?
• When you think of ECCC, what feeling comes to mind?
• What does it mean to see fans still showing up for comics after all these years?
• What is one thing you hope fans take away from ECCC this year?
• Finish this sentence, “Comics will always matter because-“

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Current + Upcoming Releases

• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 1 – released Feb 17.
• Conan the Barbarian #29 – released Feb 25.
• Avengers: No Surrender/No Road Home Omnibus – released Mar 10.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 2 – released Mar 17.
• Conan the Barbarian #30 – releases Mar 25.
• Mad About DC – releases Apr 1.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 3 – releases Apr 21.
• Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King Prelude – releases May 2.
• Manga Classics: Journey to the West Prelude – releases May 2.
• Savage Sword of Conan #14 – releases May 6.
• Conan: Scourge of the Serpent TPB – releases May 6.
• Conan the Barbarian Vol. 7: The Conquering Crown TPB – releases May 20.
• Conan the Barbarian #31 – releases May 27.
• Savage Sword of Conan Vol. 4 TPB – releases May 27.

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Upcoming Appearances

This week I’m at Megacon Orlando, so if you’ll be at the show, please stop by to see me!

Mar 19-22, 2026	Megacon Orlando	Orlando, FL, USA
Apr 23-26, 2026	Calgary Expo	Calgary, AB, CANADA
Aug 15, 2026	Comics Assemble	Gloucester, England, UK

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Other Links

• The Robert E. Howard Foundation posted an update video on how fundraising is going for repairs on the Howard house and what their next steps are to restore and preserve the property. You can donate any amount here and help the cause.

• Edariad has a great video rundown of why Matt Mercer is such a sharp Dungeon Master. Matt balances system rules with improvisation really well, and his ability to create new meaning in older scenes when given new context by player actions reminds me a lot of bringing new ideas to old superhero stories in continuity.

• The Wall Street Journal has a fun video talking to staff at Aardman Animation, the studio behind Wallace & Gromit and other animated classics, about how they almost ran out of the favorite clay they use for doing all their stop-motion animation. The human touch in their work is one of the many reasons it’s so special.

Jim

Emerald City Comic Con signaled that convention season has started once again and, as always, Seattle was very good to me. Long time fans stopped by, new readers met me for the first time, and time with industry pals reminded me why I love these events.

Obviously, Conan the Barbarian was central to every signing, but Skullkickers, Wayward, Dungeons & Dragons and my superhero stories were a steady source of discussion and excitement as well, which was really nice.

On Thursday I was part of the LitRPG OMG panel alongside Matt Dinniman (Dungeon Crawler Carl) and Tao Wong (A Thousand Li), and it was an absolute blast. I went into the panel with some trepedation because, although I write TTRPG stories and game material, it’s not exactly LitRPG and that I’d be out of sync with the room. On top of that, Matt’s Dungeon Crawler Carl series has become such a phenomenon that I imagined a scenario where every time he wasn’t talking the audience (jam-packed with his fans) would be annoyed. Thankfully, my fears were quickly put to rest. Even though I met Matt and Tao for the first time 30 seconds before the panel began, we instantly gelled and it felt like hanging out with old friends, playfully riffing with eachother and the standing room-only crowd. The energy in the room was joyous and we all left feeling like a million bucks.

Best of all, the panel had the effect you always hope for (but rarely get) where a substantial number of people were introduced to me there and then went out of their way to track me down at the show and pick up a book.

Katie Cook wasn’t able to make it to ECCC this year, so I held down the fort on the 14th annual Convention Horror Stories panel by myself, filling 60 minutes with anecdotes about embarassing situations that have popped up in the more than 200 conventions I’ve been to around the world. In open mic or stand-up comedy situations, people talk about having a “tight 10” (10 minutes worth of well-tested material) or a “tight 20”, but at this point I have enough ridiculous stories to fill a half dozen HBO specials, which is amazing and bewildering at the same time.

Thursday was extremely busy, on Friday and Saturday the crowds came in waves, and Sunday was a relaxed wrap-up, with longer discussions and bleary-eyed good-byes (especially after the Spring forward time change stole an hour from our souls). The show was great, people were excited, and I am exhausted in a satisfying way.

Now I’m catching up on work emails and trying to nail down convention/travel plans for the rest of the year. Looking at the calendar, it’s going to be busy but not quite as crazy as 2025 was, which is a very good thing.

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Popverse‘s Grant DeArmitt covered some highlights from the LitRPG panel, which you can check out over on their site.

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Code-X Interview

Dan over at The Code-X Station interviewed me about my comic career – How I started as a comic reader, kicking off my creative career, launching Skullkickers at Image, breaking in with other publishers, Marvel projects, the strange dynamics of a creative career, relaunching titles, writing Conan the Barbarian, and more!

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Current + Upcoming Releases

• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 1 – released Feb 17.
• Conan the Barbarian #29 – released Feb 25.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 2 – releases Mar 17.
• Conan the Barbarian #30 – releases Mar 25.
• Mad About DC – releases Apr 1.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 3 – releases Apr 21.
• Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King Prelude – releases May 2.
• Savage Sword of Conan #14 – releases May 6.
• Conan: Scourge of the Serpent TPB – releases May 6.
• Conan the Barbarian Vol. 7: The Conquering Crown TPB – releases May 20.
• Conan the Barbarian #31 – releases May 27.
• Savage Sword of Conan Vol. 4 TPB – releases May 27.

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Upcoming Appearances

Mar 19-22, 2026	Megacon Orlando	Orlando, FL, USA
Apr 23-26, 2026	Calgary Expo	Calgary, AB, CANADA
Aug 15, 2026	Comics Assemble	Gloucester, England, UK

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Other Links

• Iron Circus has a new fantasy TTRPG-centric comic called Sleeping Wizards they’re currently crowdfunding over on Kickstarter. They sent me samples of the story and it’s looking quite sharp, plus there are bundles of other ICC books available if you support at a higher tier so I highly recommend checking it out!

• Also looking sharp is the vampire comic Shards of Reflection by my friend Kel McDonald. I chatted with her about it when I was at ECCC and it’s looking great. So many creators come and go in indie comics, but Kel just keeps plugging away, project after project, and I’m always glad when she has something new underway.

• Zdarsky filmed a promo for Mad About DC, the new Mad Magazine superhero parody I’m part of, and hints that there’s more to come on April 1st…I am not prepared.

Jim

Tomorrow sees the arrival of CONAN THE BARBARIAN #29, which kicks off a brand new story arc and introduces a new villain to the Hyborian Age called The Son of the Tooth! When I first outlined this arc, I titled it “A Taste of Vengeance”, but as I wrapped up all the scripts for it I saw different elements had come to the forefront, so now Conan Arc 8 is called “Ghosts & Echoes.”

Conan the Barbarian #29 might also be unique amongst Conan comic stories in that (*minor spoilers ahead*) there’s basically no Conan in this issue. I wanted to build up a strong sense of ‘self’ for this new villain, showing both his motivation and capabilities in a Weird Tales-style origin story. Not having our title character show up for a month is a risk, but also the kind of creative swing that keeps things interesting and challenging for our team.

Surprising no one, Doug Braithwaite and Diego Rodriguez delivered phenomenally atmospheric pages, leveling up every part of the script I wrote. Working with such skilled collaborators is an absolute gift.

I really hope you check the issue out and let us know what you think!

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A Pathfinder Omnibus

At the ComicsPRO event last week, Dynamite Comics announced that my PATHFINDER comic series is getting colected into an omnibus edition arriving late May.

Pathfinder, using characters and concepts from the best-selling TTRPG of the same name, was my first work-for-hire sword & sorcery series, building on the foundation I started with Skullkickers (which is also back in print in new Compact Attack Editions from Oni Press). It showed people I could write an ensemble of characters, deliver work on a monthly basis, and showcased my excitement for TTRPG worlds in comics. It also established personalities and backstories for several of the Pathfinder iconic characters, which have remained canon to this day.

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Good Stuff, No Lie

Over the weekend, I finally finished Lies of P, a Soulslike video game that came out a few years ago. In one of my earliest newsletters, I talked about how much I enjoy the Souls series and this is right in that same sweet spot.

When I played the demo in mid-2023 I enjoyed aspects of it, but didn’t quite fall in. A recent play of the full game finally clicked and I really dug it. It’s right up there with Nioh 2 for me in terms of Soulslike games outside the FromSoft dynasty.

The kookiness of turning Pinocchio into a grim gothic-steampunk action RPG felt like a chore at first, but I was surprised how charming it became once I settled in.

The environments are interesting, the combat is tight, and it scratches that Souls itch surprisingly well. The slavish adherance to the Souls formula could easily have left it feeling painfully derivative, but smooth gameplay and some smart choices around character builds + side quests (how they’re given, how they’re tracked) give it just enough to stand out strongly on its own.

There are story beats and character turns that are bizarre-bordering-on-comedy, but if you can handle the plot development of most mainstream anime you won’t bat an eye at any of this. Everything in the game takes it seriously, so eventually you do as well.

Not sure when I’ll have a chance to play Overture (the DLC) with everything on my plate right now, but the base game was a fun ride.

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Current + Upcoming Releases

• Conan: Scourge of the Serpent #4 – released Jan 7.
• Conan the Barbarian vol. 6: A Nest of Serpents – released Jan 7.
• Conan the Barbarian #28 – releases Jan 28.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 1 – releases Feb 17.
• Conan the Barbarian #29 – releases Feb 25.
• Conan the Barbarian #30 – releases Mar 11.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 2 – releases Mar 17.
• Mad About DC – releases Apr 1.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 3 – releases Apr 21.
• Conan the Barbarian #31 – releases Apr 22.

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Upcoming Appearances

Happy to announce that I’m back at Megacon Orlando next month. I had a wonderful time last year and am eager to see friends and fans in Florida.

Mar 5-8, 2026	Emerald City Comic Con	Seattle, WA, USA
Mar 19-22, 2026	Megacon Orlando	Orlando, FL, USA
Apr 23-26, 2026	Calgary Expo	Calgary, AB, CANADA
Aug 15, 2026	Comics Assemble	Gloucester, England, UK

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Other Links

• Asian Boss has a great video talking all about the history of Japanese 7-11 stores, how the ‘konbini’ revolution changed retail in Japan, and how difficult it will be for 7-11 to reproduce that success in North America. If you’ve ever been to Japan you know how impressive these stores are for value and convenience and this insight into how they work is surprisingly compelling.

• Speaking of Japan, how much do you know about the country’s extensive drinking-work culture? Dogen breaks down how it all works in this video. I have experienced all this first hand and it’s both amazing and disconcerning when you don’t know what exactly is happening or why.

Jim

On Friday, a package arrived with the first volume of the new SKULLKICKERS Compact Attack Edition being reprinted by Oni Press! Each compact-sized volume collects two of the previous Image Comics trade paperbacks at a value-packed price, introducing a whole new generation of readers to the swords & sassery story that kicked off my comic writing career.

Skullkickers Compact Attack vol 1 is in stores February 17th.
Skullkickers Compact Attack vol 2 arrives March 17th.
Skullkickers Compact Attack vol 3 concludes the trilogy on April 21st.

I sent all the signed and sketched items to Zoop, so the special crowdfounded editions should be shipping to backers soon as well. Deep thanks again to everyone who supported that campaign.

It’s wild to think how much changed for me 16 years ago. I distinctly remember the chaos of planning my wedding at the same time as preparing to launch this creator-owned comic, while also teaching and managing creative projects at the UDON studio. I genuinely have no idea how I had the energy to juggle all that, but obviously I’m glad I did.

Omar at Near Mint Condition has a rundown of how this first volume turned out and, as you can see, it’s a beauty:

(Omar also recently put together a review of Conan the Barbarian vol. 5 + 6, which was great to see.)

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Zubdarsky Live!

Making it a Near Mint Condition hat trick here, Chip Zdarsky and I chatted up a storm with Omar, Melanie and livestream viewers who asked us questions:

Here are some timecode-linked highlights:
• Talk show anecdotes
• The community of comic creators in Toronto
• Writing iconic characters
• The Sex Criminals TV show
• E.C. Comics and MAD Magazine
• Publisher contracts: exclusivity or not
• Long term story building
• Writing Spider-Man
• Writing Deadpool
• John Hickman’s story skills
• Robert E. Howard’s shared universe of characters
• Teaching students the fundamentals of art + storytelling
• Other comics or books we’re enjoying right now
• Tabletop roleplaying games
• Chip has never played D&D
• Gaming at an all-star table with Deborah Ann Woll
• Vertigo comics and why they were so great
• Banned books/Censorship
• Chip’s favorite Wu-Tang track
• Writing Wolverine
• Page count and writing ahead
• Meeting fans at conventions
• The infamous Mexican Spider-Man comics
• What we’re working on right now
• Letterers are the unsung heroes of comics
• Chip fluffs the Marvel Universe

So, yeah – We covered a LOT. Make sure you check it out!

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Current + Upcoming Releases

• Conan: Scourge of the Serpent #4 – released Jan 7.
• Conan the Barbarian vol. 6: A Nest of Serpents – released Jan 7.
• Conan the Barbarian #28 – releases Jan 28.
• Conan the Barbarian #29 – releases Feb 11.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 1 – releases Feb 17.
• Conan the Barbarian #30 – releases Mar 11.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 2 – releases Mar 17.
• Mad About DC – releases Apr 1.
• Skullkickers: Compact Attack Edition Vol. 3 – releases Apr 21.
• Conan the Barbarian #31 – releases Apr 22.

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Upcoming Appearances

This weekend I’m on the west coast for Fan Expo Vancouver.

Feb 14-16, 2026	Fan Expo Vancouver	Vancouver, BC, CANADA
Mar 5-8, 2026	Emerald City Comic Con	Seattle, WA, USA
Apr 23-26, 2026	Calgary Expo	Calgary, AB, CANADA
Aug 15, 2026	Comics Assemble	Gloucester, England, UK

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Other Links

• Reasons To Stay is a website designed to reach people at difficult moments through anonymous letters written by volunteers. Every letter is written by a real person and delivered at random to someone visiting the site. The intent is simple but profound: to remind people that they are not alone, even when it feels that way.

• Keith Lehtinen from We Have Issues talks all about Wayward vol. 1: String Theory and how much the series meant to him when it first came out.

• Dave Bell‘s latest article on The Howard-Verse is an exhaustive rundown of the current CONAN comics (and related titles) being published by Titan Comics. Beyond the praises he gives our creative teams, it’s a solid overview of what’s coming out and where to start reading.

Jim