Zubby Newsletter #174: The Gamble That Paid Off

Posted by Jim Zub on September 21, 2026 Leave a comment (0) Go to comments

**Savage Sword of Conan (2018) #7-9**: The Gambler

7 years ago, I was proud to have a Conan solo writing credit in Savage Sword of Conan (2018) #7-9 and thought it would be my last chance to be a Bard for the Barbarian. I never imagined how that story, The Gambler, would start a domino effect that would change my career in such incredible ways.

I’d written Conan twice before, in the Dark Horse Conan-Red Sonja mini-series with Gail Simone and in Avengers: No Road Home with Mark Waid and Al Ewing, but both of those were co-written team-ups and I was itching to show what I could do on my own in the classic Hyborian Age setting.

Editor Mark Basso approved The Gambler and Patch Zircher drew the hell out of it.

Conan is tricked into a gambling hall surrounded by mysterious enemies and his life may be forfeited on the turn of a card. I went for a Weird Tales vibe, hearkening back to the pulp roots of the character.

That story grabbed the attention of Fred Malmberg, the owner of Conan. He really liked that old school feel and so, what I thought would be my last chance instead became an audition for more. They asked me to write a crossover with multiple Robert E. Howard characters, which became Conan: Serpent War.

**Conan: Serpent War**, my first attempt at a ‘Howardverse.’

I envisioned multiple crossover mini-series over multiple years, a pulp epic that would incorporate as many of Robert E. Howard’s creations as possible, but it ended up being only 4-issues with a teaser at the end showing Kull the Conqueror.

Jason Aaron was writing the flagship monthly Conan series and was known for doing long runs on characters so I thought it could be many years before I might get the chance to write Conan again. Instead, Jason only had 12 issues planned so Marvel was almost immediately looking for a new writer.

I was offered the Conan flagship monthly series and my first issue, Conan the Barbarian #13, came out in February 2020.

After two issues, Marvel halted publishing on almost all their titles due to the pandemic and we were caught in that deep freeze midway through my first story arc. After an 8 month gap, Conan the Barbarian #15 came out in December 2020 and, with the world understandably focused on more important things, we lost most of our sales momentum. I managed to hold on for 9 more issues, but the Marvel series came to an end with Conan the Barbarian #25 in September 2021.

*My first two and last two **Conan the Barbarian** issues at Marvel: 2020 and 2021.*

I never had the chance to do any signings or conventions as the series came out during lockdown, leaving me with a weird feeling like it all happened in a dream. Fred Malmberg was sorry I didn’t get to go further and told me to stay in touch.

5 months later in February 2022, Fred told me they were negotiating a creative partnership with Titan Books and looking for pitches to relaunch Conan. It would be a “bake-off” competition with multiple writers. I told my wife I probably wasn’t even going to submit a pitch because there was no way I’d get it. No one would want a new Conan series written by the same guy who just did it and it didn’t sell. She bristled at how quickly I was giving up.

“Well, you’re definitely not getting it with an attitude like that.”

At the same time, Roberto de la Torre reached out to me after I bought a commission piece from him and we started chatting over Facebook Messenger. He’d gained a cult following amongst dedicated Conan fans for his stunning Hyborian Age commissions and had drawn a couple stories for Marvel but hoped to do more. Rob and I started talking about possibly doing a creator-owned series together, essentially doing a Conan-style pastiche.

A few days later, I put together an unusual pitch for Heroic Signatures/Titan: Things I’d learned about Conan and the fanbase, what seemed to be missing, and a plan for the future. It involved an olive branch for lapsed fans and a way for new readers to get on board.

To my absolute surprise, Fred put his chips on me. My pitch was the one they approved. I knew we were starting on our backfoot and had a lot to prove to a fanbase that, at best, thought they knew what my Conan would be like. We needed an undeniable artist to launch the series and Rob was it.

We waited until Free Comic Book Day May 2023 to relaunch. That gave fans time to miss the book, time for research, and time to build a publishing buffer on an ambitious monthly title.

Conan the Barbarian #1 arrived August 2023 and the New Age of High Adventure has been roaring ever since.

**Conan the Barbarian (2023) #1-4: Bound in Black Stone**

I was promised 12 issues to establish a new baseline for the Conan publishing line and, when we hit multiple printings on #1-4, we negotiated a longer contract to deliver a much larger version of the ‘Howardverse’ plan I had in mind back during Serpent War.

I proposed a 3-year/36-issue plan, and each year would culminate in an event.

When I verbally pitched the bi~ig story, they told me it was too much for 36 issues and wouldn’t have enough room to breath.

“How about 4 years instead?”

Since that would be a 48-issue commitment, I said we might as well round it up to 50 and, thankfully, they agreed.

This week, CONAN: TIDES OF THE TYRANT-KING #1 arrives in stores. It’s the third of four pillar event mini-series that make up the mythic story arc we’ve had in the works for a long, long time.

**Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King #1-4** connected variant covers by **Jesús Merino**.

Conan the Barbarian has changed the course of my creative career in ways I never could have imagined.

So few people get to write these iconic characters and no one gets a second shot at it after the first time failed. That it happened at all is unreal, and the second chance being a hit is impossible squared.

I got hit by lightning twice and caught it in the bottle on the second strike.

Cimmerian September Delivers Big Adventure

Last week, SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #16 arrived in stores and the response was strong.

This week, CONAN: TIDES OF THE TYRANT-KING #1 arrives and Thulsa Doom’s evil returns.

Next week, CONAN THE BARBARIAN #35 arrives, continuing our swashbuckling Cursed Shores Beyond story arc.

If you’re not already reading, make sure you get caught up with this year’s FREE COMIC BOOK DAY issue (which is also free online) and see what all the excitement is about.

Awesome Comics Conversation

I spoke to Vince, Tony, and Dan at the Awesome Comics Podcast all about writing Conan the Barbarian, channeling the source material, reigniting the core fanbase, inspiration, and upcoming plans for our “Howardverse.” Give it a listen!

A New D&D Comic Series

As the guy who’s written more D&D comics than anyone else, take my word for it- Dark Horse’s new DUNGEONS & DRAGONS comic series that launches in November starts the adventure strong!

Written by my friends Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, it’s ambitious, fun, and uses both lore and legendary characters with the confidence of a veteran Dungeon Master bursting with inspiration.

Today is the last day you can pre-order the first issue at your local comic retailer, so don’t miss out.

Current + Upcoming Releases

Conan the Barbarian #34 – released August 26.
Wayward Compendium – released September 9.
Savage Sword of Conan #16 – released September 16.
Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King #1 – releases September 23.
Conan the Barbarian #35 – releases September 30.
Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King #2 – releases October 21.
Savage Sword of Conan vol. 1-3 Slipcase Set – releases October 27.
Journey to the West: The Beginning – releases October 27.
Conan the Barbarian #36 – releases October 28.
Conan the Barbarian vol. 4-6 Slipcase Set – releases November 17.
Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King #3 – releases November 18.
Conan the Barbarian #37 – releases November 24.

Upcoming Appearances

Oct 8-10, 2026	New York Comic Con	New York, NY, USA
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