The Wolverine 50th Anniversary Panel (left to right): John Kirk, Stephen Platt, Jim Zub, Marc Silvestri, Jackson Lanzing, Steve McNiven
Fan Expo Canada 2024 was a complete whirlwind. The weather was perfect and there was great energy in the air. The hometown show was busier than ever with friends, former students, and fans stopping by to visit and get books signed. Every few minutes someone new would pop up and I never knew if it would be a pal from high school, a colleague from Seneca, a long-time reader, or someone excited to meet me for the very first time.
By Saturday afternoon I was completely exhausted to the point that I almost fell asleep at dinner so I missed out on festivities that night, but the extra rest gave me enough energy to rally for Sunday and make the most of the last day.
There was a lot of discussion with friends about being “veterans” of the whole comic convention thing and it’s true. Year after year, it all becomes more familiar, but not in a bad way. We’ve seen the ups and downs, we’ve experienced good and bad runs, and we’re still here. Still making books and telling stories, and I’m thankful for it.
When someone brings this many of my books to get signed, I am amazed and humbled. (And yes, I signed them all.)
With Fan Expo Canada done, the summer con season is finished for me, but there are discussions underway for other appearances in the Fall, especially in the UK around D&D in a Castle. Hopefully I’ll have more to announce soon.
• Manifesto TV has an extensive interview with Jeff Shanks, the Robert E. Howard scholar who writes the essays in the back of each issue of Conan the Barbarian. It goes through a ton of different material across a broad range of topics.
That’s a full-size Atlantean Sword sent to me by Heroic Signatures, the rights holders of Conan the Barbarian…It was in my new contract. 😉
When we started negotiating for my long term writing deal on Conan, we bounced terms back and forth – how much work, schedule, pay rate, and all the other mission critical business stuff you’d expect – And, as we were getting close to the finish line, there was a catch-all “Anything else?” and I brought up a joke from last year when I said if things went really well I should get a sword.
The response back was an amused “Are you serious?”
And I realized, oddly, that I was.
Sure, I could just buy a licensed movie replica and be done with it, a gift to myself, but it wouldn’t have the same meaning as the Conan crew sending me one as a “signing bonus” – Bequeathing a blade to me for a job well done.
Many fans assume that since I write lots of sword & sorcery I must have a bunch of swords because it’s something that usually comes along with being a bone deep fan of the genre, but I actually don’t. I have a lot of books and original art in my personal collection, but not many statues or toys, and I don’t have any weapons…well, until now.
This one’s special. A kind gesture by my creative partners and a milestone on a wonderful journey.
Speaking of journeys, I had a great time at Fan Expo Chicago over the weekend. The show had a solid comic crowd at its core, with a lot more comic retailers and readers on site than many of the other pop culture shows I’m at. Hearing that Conan is doing so well and that it’s top of the pile for so many readers is humbling.
A few shop owners let me know that Hyborian excitement has extended to back issue bins as well, with old school fans snapping up old Conan the Barbarian and Savage Sword of Conan issues to get more material to tide them over between our new releases.
I spoke to Derek McCaw at Fanboy Planet all about working on an iconic character like Conan, second chances, long term plans, and a lot more. I think we cover some really good ground here, so check it out!
I mentioned in my previous newsletter that I’ll be Dungeon Mastering a wild adventure on November 4th-8th in northern England as part of D&D In a Castle and seats are extremely limited.
Normally only D&D In a Castle members get first crack at tickets with a special registration password, but the Castle crew has kindly allowed me to extend that same password to my newsletter here, so if you’re looking for a special gaming experience on D&D’s 50th anniversary year, click on through HERE to the registration page and use the Secret Password:
Fan Expo Canada, the country’s biggest pop culture convention, is just a few days away. I’m a feature guest at the show this year and will be set up with the Comic Sketch Art crew in Artist Alley in the South Hall. More details on my website once the location and panel schedule is finalized.
Health Update: Thank you to all the people who reached out about my previous newsletter where I talked about catching Covid and missing Gen Con. So many kind messages about that and the Conan contract helped bolster me through a tough week. A few friends came through with food care packages and many others offered to help, which was also deeply appreciated.
Two days ago I tested negative for Covid. I still have some minor aches and bouts of exhaustion but it’s getting better, day by day. Stacy seems to be about two days behind me in terms of symptoms and recovery so our fingers are crossed that she tests negative later today so we can fully restock groceries and start to socialize again.
Chicago Fan Expo is next week and if I wasn’t clear of Covid obviously I wouldn’t be going, but I am so I will, though I’m definitely going to be less cavalier about handshakes and hugs. I haven’t been to the Windy City since 2018, so I’m really looking forward to it.
C2E2 2018 with the Avengers: Me, Tom Brevoort, Mark Waid, Pepe Larraz
A quick browse through photos from that show and it’s a bit mind boggling to me that it’s already been six years. Tom, Mark and I were out for dinner when Tom told us Marvel would be licensing Conan the Barbarian again and he wanted us to include the Cimmerian in our second Avengers weekly event series. A month later I was in a boardroom at the Marvel offices hashing out story beats with our team as we brought together a wild amount of elements in Avengers: No Road Home. So many great memories.
As always, in the rearview mirror the route of these creative projects make sense, but in the midst of the journey it can feel like you’re just driving into the dark and hoping it all works out.
Seats are extremely limited, so if you want to travel to the UK and play with me in a castle as we celebrate 50 years of Dungeons & Dragons, gather up your dice and register as soon as possible. It’s going to be one for the ages.
All in all, Erdtree has incredible design and atmosphere – The new locations look epic, the new dungeons are interesting, and the new weapons are fun to try out. But, even with all that new stuff and stellar art and design, it didn’t push Elden Ring to the top of my personal Souls game list. Not even close. The issues I had with the base game are still here and some are even more pronounced in the DLC.
The bosses are designed to challenge characters across such broad power builds and assume you’re using spirit ash allies, so by the time you reach the end game they have to unleash ridiculous movements and area of effect attacks that make battles feel less like epic one-on-one duels and more like hooligan free-for-alls with anime explosions.
Without spirit ashes, most of the big boss battles are winnable but become endurance slogs as you jump and flip like a fool waiting for those moments when you’re allowed to punish the enemy.
With spirit ashes, most of the bosses get distracted so you can unleash combos or have time to heal, but then it feels like you’re ambushing them with attacks or running away to hide and lick your wounds instead of actually being in a direct duel. This means that even when you win, it can feel remarkably unsatisfying.
For me, Bloodborne had an ideal balance of aggression and maneuverability. You face down boss creatures or other hunters, the combat is intense, and you feel like you earned each victory.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice laser focused on sword combat and pushed it to the absolute limit. Every key boss battle was a white knuckle struggle that was hard as hell, but also fair in its application of the gameplay skills it taught you.
Elden Ring has a massive amount of content and a ridiculous amount of flexibility, which is really impressive, but the need to encompass all that creates a host of problems that crop up over the long haul. Even still, my first playthrough was flush with discoveries and a feeling of my character’s power growing, bit by bit. The Erdtree DLC has that same sense of awe and discovery. It is absolutely worth the price of admission…but also exhausting.
When I finished Bloodborne and Sekiro I immediately wanted to play them again, and soak up every moment, showcasing my new confidence and mastery.
When I finished Elden Ring (and now Erdtree) I was glad I went through it in general, but had zero desire to jump back in. The whole thing wore me down instead of pumping me up for another playthrough.
In Sekiro, when I fought Genichiro, Owl, and Isshin I felt the intensity of those duels. They were a test of my skill in watching enemy movement or listening to the audio cues for tells, and then executing moves in the core gameplay to succeed. I didn’t just want to move past those bosses, I wanted to prove myself.
In Elden Ring and Erdtree, the big fights feel so chaotic, the camera so unwieldly, and the arms race of combos so unrelenting that I used anything at my disposal to just get them over with. Most of the bosses felt like a punishment endured instead of a challenge surpassed.
I eventually platinumed Elden Ring and I’m sure I’ll play Erdtree again at some point, but right now I’m happy to set it down and try something else. It didn’t get its deep hooks into me like Bloodborne and Sekiro did…and that’s kind of disappointing.
Current + Upcoming Releases
Now that the solicit info for Conan the Barbarian #16 is out, I can show off Doug Braithwaite and Diego Rodriguez‘s wonderful connected covers for this story arc:
• Campbell Walker has a neat video on the history of fonts, from ancient record keeping through to modern design. We take a lot of the typefaces around us for granted, so it was a nice reminder of the way these things build on each other over looong periods of time.
San Diego Comic-Con went so well, with almost no downside at all, and I joked with Stacy that it meant Gen Con would be a disaster…
We drove down to Indianapolis Tuesday and Wednesday, and everything went well. Laughing and singing on the road, chatting about our plans. On Wednesday night I saw lots of friends and could feel that convention excitement starting to build. Then, on Thursday morning, literally minutes before the exhibit hall opened, my head suddenly felt stuffy and lightheaded, so I went back to our hotel room and took a Covid rapid test-
And there it was. The joke was now the reality.
As soon as I called Stacy, she stepped up to cope with a rapid series of logistic needs. She took a Covid test and it came up negative, and then sprang into action. While day one of the show kicked off, I notified everyone I met the day before and started repacking our luggage while she carted a load of books back to the hotel room so I could autograph them in the hope that they might sell at the booth even if I wasn’t there.
(And if you’re at Gen Con right now, BOOTH #1145 is still selling our signed books all weekend.)
Going to the show Covid symptomatic would be irresponsible. Staying sequestered in a hotel room wouldn’t work. Not being able to socialize with anyone and spending more money would just be pointless. So, heartbroken and frustrated, we loaded up the car and drove out of Indy less than 24 hours after we arrived.
The drive to Indianapolis from Toronto usually takes about 9 hours and on the way down we split it up over two days, so it was leisurely. Thanks to construction slowdowns and bad weather the drive home took 11 hours and it was utterly miserable, especially as I kept getting messages from people asking where we were at the show
The crapola icing on the cake was that when Stacy got home she tested again and this time was Covid positive. We knew that would likely be the case, but having that at the finish line after such a hard day was pretty demoralizing.
I slept almost 12 hours today and have been congested and a bit feverish. Stacy hasn’t slept as steadily and has more body aches and fever. We know we need to just rest and recover, but doing that while Gen Con rolls on feels so strange.
Last year I managed to attend a lot of events and not get Covid, but obviously I became too lax and need to be more methodical about future appearances. Ironically, I have new events to announce coming up but, as you might imagine, that is not my top priority at this moment.
Years In The Making
Art from Conan the Barbarian #13 by Doug Braithwaite. Colors by Diego Rodriguez. Letters by Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith.
I was really taken aback, in the best way possible. It’s been a steady stream of excitement and well wishes that continued even while our Gen Con plans unraveled in real time. I woke up this morning from my feverish sleep to dozens of new congratulations from colleagues and fans, so word is still getting out to wider circles. It’s been a bright spot through a couple dim days.
Thank you. I’m genuinely humbled by all the kind words.
I firmly believe that serialized storytelling like this works best when the creative team has room to build with confidence. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a place for short and powerful stories, but iconic characters or teams carry on and thrive, decade after decade, when the fanbase isn’t getting the rug pulled out from under them multiple times per year. Yes, a fresh first issue can be a potent jumping on point, but it can just as easily be an off ramp if readers feel like they’re not getting their money’s worth and it’ll all be vaporized in a reboot/relaunch in a few months anyways.
The Conan the Barbarian relaunch with Heroic Signatures and Titan was a unique opportunity to refocus and renew a character and world with over 90 years of published stories and 50 years of comics, but we had to make absolutely sure the end result felt worthy of that restart. I pitched a wider mythic story that encompassed all kinds of ideas, some self-contained stories and other longer interweaving plotlines, but also knew I was only promised one year to prove it could work. Conan the Barbarian #0-12 had to serve as a self-contained epic and also tee up the future. Thankfully, by issue 4 we could see how solid the response was and could start ratifying the long term plan.
So, here we are! This 3-year contract extension I’ve signed with Heroic is a way to ensure we deliver the goods, with all of us confidently pushing in the same direction. Conan the Barbarian #13 just arrived in stores, and I’m writing issue #22 while tightly plotting out material for the end of year 2 and into year 3. Rob De La Torre, Doug Braithwaite, Richard Starkings, Jeff Shanks, and the rest of our amazing crew are on board, all of us excited to be part of this grand adventure. It’s going to be an absolute blast.
Scholar Jeff Shanks, painter Joe Jusko, letterer Richard Starkings, artist Geof Isherwood, and I talk about the exciting year we just had and exciting plans to come:
I’ve known about this for a few months but couldn’t say anything public, obviously. Both Wizards of the Coast and Dark Horse reached out to let me know well ahead of time. Since the announcement didn’t come with any creative team attached and I’ve written more D&D comics than anyone else, a lot of people asked me if I would be involved in this new DH-D&D comic initiative. I’m not part of the launch line-up, but I know who is and I think fans are going to be really happy once they’re announced.
(That said, I’ve already been talking to my friends at Dark Horse about possible future stories, so don’t be surprised if I do pop up again at some point down the road…)
I flew home to Toronto on a red eye flight from San Diego and didn’t get much sleep, so there’s definitely a spacey quality to the universe as I unpack and then repack my luggage while following up on correspondence before heading off tomorrow to Indianapolis.
This might be the first San Diego Comic-Con I can remember where I didn’t actually have a “washout moment”, a crisis of faith or momentary stab of imposter syndrome about being at the show, meeting people, or talking about the work. From the moment I touched down Wednesday morning to the late night Sunday takeoff, there was a wonderful burst of uplifting energy, excitement, and engagement from friends and strangers. Despite how busy it all was, I felt weirdly comfortable and settled in, going with the flow and letting inconsequential stuff slide. It felt great. If I saw you there, thank you for making this year extra-special.
Editor Chris Butera, YouTube host Shawn Curley, scholar Jeff Shanks, and me!
I’d love to be more elegant and verbose about this year’s SDCC, but unfortunately I don’t have enough time between two crazy cons, so bullet point anecdotes and info will have to do:
• The teams at Heroic Signatures and Titan were amazing. Their enthusiasm and organization kept everything cooking and I could not be more proud of where we’re at with it. Our signings throughout the show were packed and the panel on Sunday was energized.
• Speaking of which, I’m ecstatic to announce that I’ve signed a multi-year deal with Heroic Signatures to keep writing the Conan the Barbarian monthly title and related narrative development (event mini-series and Savage Sword in particular, but other stuff too) for the foreseeable future! Working on such an important character and building out this vibrant mythology over a longer span is both an honor and a privilege, one that I don’t take for granted.
The new contract I’ve signed is non-exclusive (so I will have work with other publishers), but it solidifies my commitment to the Hyborian Age going forward. Like I said at our Conan panel, none of this would have been possible without reader and retailer support, so thank you for helping make my dreams come true.
When I was a kid it would have been a dream to meet the people who made Conan the Barbarian or Dungeons & Dragons. Actually being one of those people is stratospherically beyond anything I could have imagined, even in those fantasy worlds.
• Savage Sword of Conan is getting a second year of magazine-sized black & white glory. We defied expectations with the classic format and year two is poised for even more. Roy Thomas is teaming up with Rob De La Torre for a B&W feature story and Jason Aaron and Geof Isherwood are set for a King Conan epic.
• Conan: Battle of the Black Stone action figures are in the works and first out of the gate is our savage Cimmerian, including armor and weaponry taken from our Free Comic Book Day 2024 story.
Battle of the Black Stone Conan figure design work
• Getting to meet and talk with Kenichi Sonoda (Bubblegum Crisis, Riding Bean) at the UDON Booth this year was a glorious experience. It was hard to express to him how much his work blew my mind when I first saw it in high school.
• Seeing Hitoshi Ariga was also an absolute thrill. We worked together on the Klonoa: Dream Traveler of Noctis Sol webcomic for Bandai-Namco way back in 2012 and I hadn’t seen him since then, so it was a rush getting to touch base again.
• My Artist Alley table was hopping thanks to the staff at Comic Sketch Art. They rolled with every schedule change and press request and it was always nice settling back in for signings there and focusing on readers instead of the hustle and bustle needed to keep the booth running.
The D&D 50 panel: Ross Thompson, me, Kailey Bray, Matt Forbeck, Anjali Bhimani, and Luke Gygax.
• The Dungeons & Dragons 50th Anniversary panel was unbelievable. The crowd packed a triple-sized panel room, the kind normally reserved for big movie-TV panels, and the energy was off the charts. The crew at Random House filmed the panel, though they did miss our intros, but you can watch the rest of it HERE:
So many great stories and aspirational thoughts on the magic of tabletop roleplaying games – where they’ve been, why they matter, and the needs of creative VS corporate desires. Watch it!
Zub is Gen Con Bound
Like I said above, I’m mid-marathon with SDCC and Gen Con, two of the biggest conventions, back-to-back. I just posted up my Gen Con location, live play, panels and more right HERE. Just like with SDCC, I’ll be keeping that site post up to date in case things change.
• My friend Mark Jones has a new book coming out next month about creative careers and the creative economy called The Starving Artist Myth. Mark helped guide Seneca’s award-winning Animation program when I was in charge there and his expertise and guidance helped us thrive, so I’m incredibly excited to give this a read.
• My friend Gail Simone announced that she’s written a new Red Sonja prose novel that arrives in stores in November. Can’t wait to read it!
• My friends Fred Kennedy and Adam Gorham produced a graphic novel for Blizzard called Diablo: Legends of the Necromancer- Rathma. Fantasy and a beloved video game series? I’m pumped to check it out.
Last year I did a rundown of why San Diego was such a special show, for the industry as a whole and me in particular. Feel free to wander back to those words and drink them in, because they’re still extremely relevant.
I’m excited, I’m nervous, I’m frustrated, I’m pumped. That’s just how it goes.
Dealing with water leaking into our newly ‘waterproofed’ basement after severe thunderstorms in Toronto and our hot water heater breaking down this week definitely made it more challenging than usual, but all I can do is keep my head down and keep working away, checking off items on my To-Do List even while unexpected new ones get slotted in.
Avengers #688 artwork by Kim Jacinto. Colors by David Curiel. Letters by Cory Petit.
NZT reached out to me through Marvel’s PR department to see if I could be in on a joke as part of a skit they were putting together. I signed the release form, filmed a couple clips with them (and yes, the Producer asked me to act annoyed and unimpressed), and then didn’t hear anything after that. I searched online and couldn’t find the segment, so I assumed it never got used.
Well, apparently it did make it to air back then, but wasn’t available online until this week when New Zealand Today returned to YouTube. So…Check it out:
It’s surreal seeing myself on a Daily Show-esque segment. It’s also a testament to how wildly popular the Marvel Cinematic Universe was at that moment. Good memories all around.
Q&A
I asked for questions from readers and several of you delivered – Bring ’em on, and feel free to post more!
Adriano asks: What’s a good use of my time as an attendee at a con like San Diego? I know what I want to do as a fan (which, usually, is empty my wallet on cool books), but what can I do to help my own comics career without coming off as “sales-y” or disingenuous?
“Networking” is one of those nebulous terms that seems impenetrable to people starting out and obvious to people who are more established, so let me be more specific – Meeting staff at publishers face-to-face can be a really powerful tool, especially if you have professional quality samples, you’re sociable and make a good first impression. Be aware that staff at a booth are working so they won’t be able to give you much time, if any, but it can still be helpful to touch base with them, get contact info, and then follow up after the convention.
Other things you can do:
• Go to “Breaking In”-type panels to get more information or ask questions.
• Check out Artist Alley and independent creator booths and make contact with potential collaborators.
• Go to social events after hours where new creators or comic professionals might be.
And through it all, do your best to be patient, polite, and kind because breaking into in any creative business can take a whole lot of time and a big swack of luck. The old saying is that you need the “right place, right time” to make things happen and that is true, so you need to create places and times for interaction, patiently getting yourself out there until the ‘right’ one comes along.
Lastly, there’s nothing disingenuous about wanting to create stories/art, or being passionate about wanting to be break into the business and make a career out of it, just try not to let that passion overwhelm your common sense or decency. We’re all doing the best we can and these conventions can be stressful even at the best of times.
Nacho asks: What would it take for a character created nowadays to reach an iconic status akin to Conan or Sherlock? I mean, sure, there is the matter of time, but the way culture is published and distributed has changed a lot from the beginning of the 20th Century. Also, what characters do you think can reach that status that were created in, say, the last 15 years?
Iconic characters like Conan, Sherlock Holmes, and Superman pioneered entire genres in publishing, so it’s incredibly hard to imagine what a future one could be because, if anyone could envision that, they would be set to trailblaze a new shift in the entertainment landscape.
Even some of the most recognizable ‘recent’ characters in fiction – Deadpool (1991), Sailor Moon (1991), Daenerys Targaryen (1996), Harry Potter (1997), Jack Sparrow (2003), Katniss Everdeen (2008) – move in well-established genres and it’s easy to argue that several of them have already ‘peaked’ and are on the decline in terms of their pop culture footprint.
In terms of current audience and global relevance, a lot of manga would certainly be worth looking at, but that industry also has a natural cycle of popularity wax and wane, with a handful of titles carving out their own powerhouse spot but many falling away over time. Will there be extensive discussion around the cultural impact of Monkey D. Luffy or Naruto in the 2100’s? Hard to say.
Harvey asks: This isn’t worded as a question, but I’d love to hear more about your Star Wars short story, the origins and process. I always admired the collection sitting there in the back of your videos.
If you want to zero in on the Star Wars stuff, jump ahead to the 24 minute mark of the episode because that’s where my anecdote about it starts and I go through it in more depth than I would have room to easily cover here in text.
• There are a wild number of new projects and initiatives underway at Marvel and DC with the From The Ashes X-Men relaunch and DC’s All-In promotion. Calling out all the new books being put together by friends would take up more space in this newsletter than I have room/time to type but, suffice to say, it’s an exciting time full of possibilities in terms of ‘Big Two’ comics on the horizon. I’m eager to dig in to as many of these as possible to see what my friends and peers are building and discover new talent riding big waves as well.
• My friend Cavan Scott announced a new comic series at Magma called Night of the Slashers with artist Paul Fry that sounds really fun, especially if you’re a fan of 70’s/80’s horror movies.
• Not Just Bikes posted a fascinating video about how Japanese cities are designed – zoning, public transport, retail, traffic, bike lanes, and more. Lots of great info about Japan I find useful and appreciate even more now.
If you’re headed to San Diego Comic-Con or Gen Con and want to talk business or you’re a friend and want to hang out, now is the time to reach out and find a good time for it instead of leaving it to chance.
Who will I see at the shows?
Are you ready for impact?
My contribution this issue is small in terms of page count, but big for me in terms of flexing new creative muscles. Check out more info here:
Big thanks to Chris Butera and Fredrik Malmberg for the suggestion and encouragement, and Rob De La Torre for the incredible art that accompanies my piece in the magazine.
We cover graphic novels versus prose, working with artists, writing a short story, the eb and flow of nerd culture, working on Conan the Barbarian, structuring stories for serialized storytelling, and more! Give it a listen.
I’m continually impressed by the number of questions that Tom Brevoort answers in each installment of his newsletter. It’s clearly a lot of work, but he’s also able to maintain a great sense of back and forth with his readers.
I’ve done extensiveQ&As before, and am happy to answer more here if people pose questions in the comments.
Got questions about current or old projects I’ve done? Want to know more about working in the industry or attending conventions? Other queries about other things? Ask away and we’ll see if it gets some traction.
• I read an advance of the first issue of The Power Fantasy, a new creator-owned comic series by Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard, and it’s really sharp stuff. Make sure you pre-order to get on board this rocket before it launches to the stratosphere.
• My friend Phil Rickaby is crowdfunding a Christmas horror stage play called It Sees You When You’re Sleeping about terrors that lie beneath the holiday season, embodied by that damn elf-doll. If you’re in the Toronto area or want to support an independent theater production, check it out.
• I made Sam Zien‘s Saucy Pasta recipe on Friday night and it cooked up fast and turned out really tasty. It’s also a simple base to build other pasta recipes around, so I’m definitely going to make it again in the future.
July has already burst from the starting blocks and is moving into quite the sprint. I’ve got an aggressive writing schedule going right now, trying to get as much done as I can before the back-to-back blitz that is San Diego Comic Con and Gen Con this year. I’m chipping away at my To-Do List while also carving out time for walks with Stacy, seeing family and friends, exercise, cooking fun meals, and a little bit of gaming. It’s a busy time, but also feels good all around.
I know I say this a lot, but it still bears repeating – Thank you for reading and thank you for sharing your enthusiasm with other readers, in person and online. It means so much to all of us on the team.
In our first issue there was a flashback montage that shows Conan fighting at the Battle of Venarium that also included these two panels-
Artwork from Conan the Barbarian #1 by Rob De La Torre. Colors by José Villarrubia.
The narration drops hints about a young Conan challenging himself on his early journeys and that was by design. Like the original Conan short stories published in Weird Tales, we’re hopping around the timeline to build larger thematic arcs, not just telling Conan’s story in chronological order.
Our fourth story arc, called Frozen Faith, chronologically takes place between issue #0 and issue #1. It will show Conan traveling north after leaving Cimmeria and issue #13 includes that fateful bear hunt and its meaning to our Cimmerian hero. After a wild year of dark magic, time travel and cosmic horror, this is very much a back to basics man vs nature-style survival story, but with twists and turns along the way and important tethers to The Frost-Giant’s Daughter, one of Robert E. Howard’s finest Conan tales.
In a similar fashion, I’ve already planted seeds for our fifth story arc, crucial moments and thrilling adventures we’ll fill in as they become important to the big picture. Building this kind of non-linear story structure is obviously a lot more challenging than just going in order, but it also gives us a lot more flexibility and keeps readers on their toes.
Look Inside Battle of the Black Stone #1
Alongside Frozen Faith, the mysteries of the Black Stone also carry onward this Fall-
Artwork from Conan: Battle of the Black Stone #1 by Jonas Scharf. Colors by Jão Canola.
Jonas Scharf‘s line work is sublime and Jão Canola‘s colors punch up every scene. Like with Rob De La Torre, I’m writing plot-style on this mini-series, letting Jonas define the page composition and panel count in ways that works best with his art, then writing a separate lettering script after page art comes in. It’s incredibly collaborative and keeps me inspired at every turn. I think this mini-series is going to be one for the ages, my friends. Make sure you get on board.
— CONAN: BATTLE OF THE BLACK STONE #1 (of 4)
Story – Jim Zub
Artist – Jonas Scharf
Colors – Jao Canola
Cover A – Gerardo Zaffino
CONAN OF CIMMERIA IS HAUNTED BY SHADOWS, LIVING NIGHTMARES CONNECTED TO A MYSTERIOUS EYE SYMBOL ETCHED IN BLACK STONE.
An unspeakable evil looms over the Hyborian Age and every age connected to it… and it will take more than a lone barbarian to stop its relentless march upon time, space, and sanity.
BATTLE OF THE BLACK STONE, an epic new CONAN EVENT from Heroic Signatures and Titan Comics, begins HERE, from Jim Zub (Conan the Barbarian, Dungeons & Dragons) and artist Jonas Scharf (Dark X-Men, Basilisk)!
In this second half, we cover the evolution of my comic career – webcomics, joining the UDON studio, my first published comic credit, working with editors, my oldest pitch, Conan the Barbarian, channeling the source material, and more. Make sure you give it a listen.
Slay the Hydra
I read an advance digital copy of the upcoming graphic novel Gamemasters, a history of roleplaying games told by my friends Fred Van Lente and Tom Fowler. I enjoyed it so much I gave them a blurb, which you can see above.
• Lindsay Ellis has a new video essay on Yoko Ono and the Beatles that twists and turns its way through pop culture in an impressively compelling way, illuminating aspects of fame, friendship, relationships and more. It’s feature documentary length, but worth the watch.
Man oh man, I’m proud of this issue, this run, this ride.
When we were building the original publishing schedule for the relaunch, Titan asked if we could do 10 issues in 12 months to try and reinvigorate the readership. 4 issue arcs with a break month between each arc.
I said “No”, we’d do 12 issues in 12 months because I really wanted the readership to get back into the habit of reading a Conan book every month. Momentum matters.
And here we are, one year later with 12 issues delivered, plus a new Free Comic Book Day teaser and the triumphant return of Savage Sword magazine. Year two production is deep underway and the long term plan for the series is solid thanks to reader and retailer support across six languages (with more to come).
These foreign edition covers feel like Conan is charging right at us!
Our whole crew, artistic and editorial, has been incredible.
Artists Rob De La Torre, Doug Braithwaite, Jonas Scharf, Richard Pace, Patch Zircher, Fernando Dagnino, Dean Kotz, Dan Panosian, Joe Jusko, and variant cover artists aplenty.
Colorists José Villarrubia, Dean White, Diego Rodriguez, and Jão Canola.
Letterers Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith.
Editors Matt Murray, Joakim Zetterberg, and Chris Butera.
Loremaster and Scholar Jeffrey Shanks.
The rest of the team at Heroic Signatures and Titan, including Fred Malmberg, Ashley Hodgkins, Marcos Cronander, Shawn Curley, Nick Landau, John Dziewiatkowski, Will O’Mullane, Ricky Claydon, Alexandra Iciek, and so many more.
They’re delivering their best, page after page, issue after issue, and I am so damn happy with how it’s turning out. This is where I want to be – building exciting long term stories with a passionate crew. It’s the kind of consistent project I’ve been wanting to sink my teeth into for years, the kind of run that can happen when creative and business interests push in the same direction and it’s the most fun I’ve had on a commercial project since Avengers. This team has enthusiasm, good communication, and professionalism all around.
Heading to San Diego in a few weeks and celebrating the momentum we’ve got is going to be such a rush.
But, now it’ll be in the hands of our readers, so- Did we stick the landing on issue #12 and our first year?
Is it worthy of the world’s greatest sword & sorcery hero?
Read CONAN THE BARBARIAN #12 on JULY 3rd and let me know!
If you want to start writing stories for comics, understanding the basic three-act structure is the ideal way to begin:
Start by establishing key characters, their abilities, and the setting. Introduce an inciting incident to propel the story into conflict, where characters face both external and internal challenges. Build tension and excitement leading to a climax, then resolve the core conflict while leaving room for future developments. This timeless structure helps keep your story clear, engaging, and impactful.
Check out another lesson from the course HERE on the Proko YouTube channel.
Your New Hyborian Adventures Begin Here!
Monolith, the game company behind the incredibly successful Conan Board Game, have been hard at work on a brand new tabletop RPG called CONAN: THE HYBORIAN AGE and on Thursday they released a FREE Quickstart PDF that outlines the core mechanics, includes pre-generated characters, and a sample adventure so anyone can easily get a handle on how it works.
From Left: Me, John C. Hocking, Jeb Boyt, Mark Finn, Jeff Shanks, Howard Andrew Jones.
I had a chance to run the Quickstart a few weeks ago at Robert E. Howard Days with a wonderful crew of players well known for their contributions to Hyborian adventure. We had a lot of fun kicking the tires on the rules and seeing how easy it was to get rolling, literally, and bust out some fun sword & sorcery action.
All this to say, go get that download and share the link far and wide, but if you’re a player don’t spoil the adventure ahead of time – Grab a Game Master and let them run it for you!
I’ll be there this Saturday, July 6th from 1pm-3pm.
Heroes World received permission to sell Conan the Barbarian Vol. 2: Thrice Marked For Death 10 days early, so if you’re in the area pick up an advance copy there, buy other books at the shop (they’ll be well stocked), or bring other Zub comics you want signed.
This and Fan Expo Canada will probably be my only local signings this year, so don’t miss out!
• The upcoming Batman: Caped Crusader animated series is looking great, a fun fusion of the classic animated series style with a pulpy throwback feel inspired by the original comic run that kicked off in 1939. I’m excited to check it out in August.
• My friend Matt John, who is helping develop the Conan tabletop RPG I linked earlier in this newsletter, has a new prose anthology out now called To Walk On Worlds. It has eleven short stories that cover a fantastic range of pulp action-adventure.
I hope your summer is going well and, for all my fellow Canadians – HAPPY CANADA DAY! Jim
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree launches today! I was originally going to immediately dive into expansion content, then realized two days ago that the character I used to Platinum the game is on New Game +3, they haven’t slain the correct boss to get to the expansion on this current playthrough, and the new content cranked up to +3 would almost certainly smash me to bits, so over the next week or two I’ll be power leveling a new character build to play Erdtree, which is already garnering intense praise.
I also want to get ahead on writing, enjoy summer weather, and see family and friends… What I’m trying to say is that it’s hard to ‘git gud’ and also be a responsible adult.
(If you missed my previous newsletter where I raved all about why I enjoy Souls Games and the particular qualities that grabbed my attention, give it a read right HERE.)
In September – Battle of the Black Stone #1
Conan: Battle of the Black Stone #1 cover art by Sedat Oezgen.
Battle of the Black Stone uses story threads we’ve been weaving in right from the start, from last year’s Conan the Barbarian #0 Free Comic Day issue and our entire first year of stories. The mysteries and powers of the Black Stone are one of the pillars I put into my proposal for the series and, now that we have momentum, we can really go all out in telling this epic tale of pulp-inspired adventure across the ages.
Black Stone is a mysterious material that showed up in multiple Robert E. Howard prose stories, including the titular Black Stone horror story from 1931, and we’re using it to link not just Conan’s Hyborian age to Kull’s Thurian age, but other points in time and characters from those eras as well.
The art on Battle of the Black Stone is so damn good. Every time Jonas and Jão send pages in I’m ecstatic. Don’t tell anyone that I showed you this teaser of Solomon Kane-
Conan: Battle of the Black Stone #1 interior art by Jonas Scharf.
In this first part, we cover my nerdy origin story – reading and collecting comics, comic universe continuity, tabletop RPGs, bringing new people into gaming, the D&D Satanic Panic, gaming during the pandemic, making comics, the early internet, webcomics, and more! Such a fun and nostalgic chat. Make sure you give it a listen.
I’ll back be at San Diego this year and am currently getting my schedule figured out for Wednesday through Sunday. I’m really looking forward to seeing friends and celebrating another exciting year. Same goes for Gen Con in Indianapolis, which is the following weekend. Man oh man, two of the biggest conventions back-to-back…It’s going to be a ride.
• My friend Raina Telgemeier was recently on PBS News talking about her graphic novels. I’ve known Raina since I was working on my original Makeshift Miracle webcomic in the early 2000’s. Seeing her phenomenal success and acclaim has been such a pleasure.
• A bunch of my friends have contributed to the new Dungeons & Dragons Core Rulebooks, but I want to call special attention to Mike Schley‘s amazing new Greyhawk Map that is part of the revised Dungeons Master’s Guide. Gorgeous cartography work, as always.
Zub on Amazon
Zub on BlueSky
Zub on deviantART
Zub on Facebook
Zub on GoodReads
Zub on Instagram
Zub on Patreon
Zub on Substack
Zub on Tumblr
Zub on Twitter
Zub on YouTube
Follow this blog's RSS feed
Makeshift Miracle