Zubby Newsletter #138: Can’t Hibernate Yet

Posted by Jim Zub on December 9, 2025 Leave a comment (0) Go to comments

Fresh snowfall in Toronto.

There’s an intense “end of year” feeling running through everything around me right now. Professionally and socially, almost everyone I know seems to be going into hibernation + holiday mode, even if Christmas is still a couple weeks away. Winter weather has blown in to Toronto, earlier and with more intensity than we’ve seen over the past few years, which certainly adds to that feeling of “shut it all down, get some warm comfort food, and call me in the new year”.

As nice as it would be to take the rest of December off, there are still quite a few things I need to get done before then. I’m trying to pace myself and check each task off my To-Do List bit by bit, while trying not to let the grey skies and bone-deep chill outside sap my energy.

Conquering Crown Part 2 – The Ill-Suited Guest

**Conan the Barbarian #27** art by **Fernando Dagnino** and **Diego Rodriguez**.

CONAN THE BARBARIAN #27 arrives in comic shops on December 17th, the second part of The Conquering Crown, revealing how our favorite Cimmerian becomes the King of Aquilonia. In this middle chapter, our hero runs afoul of courtly politics and backstabbing aplenty, struggling to stay true to himself in a country simmering with corruption and unrest. Does that feel timely? Possibly, but the themes and characterization are drawn from timeless ideas laid out in the original Robert E. Howard stories – Civilization VS Savagery and ruthless cycles of power.

Line artist Fernando Dagnino and colorist Diego Rodriguez were given one hell of a challenge with the depth and variety of locations and situations I cooked up in this story but, as you can see, they triumph on every page – Big set pieces, clashing armies, subtle character acting, and brutal action – They deliver it all with aplomb. It really does feel like the best of the Bronze Age of comics done with the fidelity of modern printing, which is exactly what I hoped for when we kicked off this relaunch journey back in 2023.

*More **Conan the Barbarian #27** art by **Fernando Dagnino** and **Diego Rodriguez**.*

Just over a week ago, I had a wonderful editorial meeting where we nailed down more details for the next two years worth of Conan comics and events. There is so much amazing stuff coming in 2026 + 2027, and I can’t wait for you to see it all.

Slop Prompts

On the more annoying side of things, almost every day my email inbox is hit with AI-generated marketing crap that slips past Spam filters because of its specificity. Most of these emails are forgettable at best, but this new one I got today from “Adrlan” is one for the ages-

In fact, I like it so much that I think a sample quote pairs well with artwork from our series-

If you’ve given up your personal thought processes and creative impulses to this mindless, inaccurate, unfocused slop, I just feel sorry for you…or at least I would if it didn’t seem poised to drag us into an economic catastrophe while messing with the environment at the same time.

(No wonder everyone wants to sprint to the end of the year and hide out at home.)

Zub Books for the Holidays

When you’re looking at gifts for friends and family this holiday season, don’t forget to check out the Buy page on my website for a massive alphabetical list of books I’ve worked on over the years, across all different genres and age groups.