Zub Tales

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 curtains of filmmaking and the difference between guerilla filmmaming 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