Zubby Newsletter #171: Great Expo-tations

Posted by Jim Zub on August 31, 2026 Leave a comment (0) Go to comments

*Young Conan and King Conan paired sketch covers from Fan Expo Canada 2026.*

Fan Expo Canada signaled the end of summer convention season and it was another good one. Tons of people came by to see me and, since it was the hometown show, every 10-15 minutes I’d see old friends from high school or college, longtime readers or gaming pals.

Sometimes a cluster at my table would combine cohorts – a student from ten years ago met my high school friends or a podcaster was suddenly talking to a guy I went to college with who left animation to be a stay-at-home Dad.

If I was signing books for someone else I’d hear them chatting about me and felt like I was eavesdropping on my own reputation:

“Oh yeah, Jim’s been doing this forever.”

“I met him at a goth club in the 90’s.”

“He was my professor back in…oh damn, 2013!”

“I wish he’d do more Marvel stuff.”

And, as expected, there was lots of Conan the Barbarian, which was amazing. People waiting to get stuff signed sharing their excitement with other Conan fans, talking about how they collected the comics when they were young or never read any Conan before this, and this run is awesome. It was incredibly heartwarming.

A friend dropped off a bag of old Conan paperbacks as a gift.
A former student bought their kid their first comic.
A college buddy told me about their new D&D campaign.

That’s what Fan Expo in Toronto is for me – A constant swirl of nostlgia and engagement, four days of intense interaction before Autumn. Now I’m catching up on emails and back on my To-Do List.

The Tides of September

Titan Comics has released their official trailer for our Fall event mini-series – CONAN: TIDES OF THE TYRANT-KING! As you can see, the art looks amazing and we’re setting up another epic adventure.

Talking to Gaming Trend

I chatted with the crew at Gaming Trend all about writing crossovers, collaborating with artists, eldritch horror, different genres, creating memories with every creative project and more. Make sure you check it out.

Double Axe Handle Smash

The team at Double Axe Handle Smash covers more than wrestling, so make sure you check out the interview we did about growing up as a comic reader and collector, the progression of my professional career, writing a comic script, collaboration, Dungeons & Dragons, the original Conan the Barbarian movie, working on the Conan comics, Robert E. Howard stories, breaking into comics, and more!

Biff Bam Pop

Just before Fan Expo I put together a text interview with Biff Bam Pop all about the convention circuit, rereleasing Wayward in our new Compendium, gaming, Tides of the Tyrant-King and more.

Verse DB

The comic database website VerseDB put together a spotlight on my comic career, covering old and new projects aplenty. We chatted about what has changed over the decades in terms of commercial and creator-owned comics, focusing on your passions, things I learned in animation, and more!

Current + Upcoming Releases

Conan the Barbarian #34 – released August 26.
Wayward Compendium – releases September 9.
Journey to the West: The Beginning – releases September 15.
Savage Sword of Conan #16 – releases September 16.
Conan the Barbarian vol. 4-6 Slipcase Set – releases September 16.
Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King #1 – releases September 23.
Savage Sword of Conan vol. 1-3 Slipcase Set – releases September 23.
Conan the Barbarian #35 – releases September 30.
Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King #2 – releases October 21.
Conan the Barbarian #36 – releases October 28.
Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King #3 – releases November 18.
Conan the Barbarian #37 – releases November 24.

Upcoming Appearances

Sep 11-13, 2026	Ottawa Comicon	Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA
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