Zubby Newsletter #61: Back In Japan

Sketch Board drawing for Verse from the FCBD signing.

I’m typing this little newsletter update from a Shinkansen (Japanese bullet train) as we head to the second stop on our Japan vacation. The past four days have been a whirlwind of exploration and fantastic food. It feels so good to finally be back after six years. As always, there’s some jetlag and a bit of culture shock in terms of transit and geography, but it’s all coming back to us now and we’re having a blast.

The Free Comic Book Day signing at Verse Comics in Ikebukuro went really well. I’ve never started a signing before where the line-up clapped when I entered the room, which was an unexpected little surprise. Lots of great little conversations with Marvel fans, D&D players and, of course, Conan readers aplenty. With the time zone change, the people here in Japan were some of the first to get their hands on the CONAN: BATTLE OF THE BLACK STONE prelude issue and, when I told them that they were even more excited to dig in.

I hope that wherever you are, you managed to snag our freebie from your local comic retailer and that it’s whet your appetite for big adventures to come. Jonas Scharf and Jao Canola did a stellar job on the art and they will be continuing that excellence on the event mini-series that kicks off this Fall. The response I saw online was incredibly gratifying and I am so glad we have so much support and enthusiasm from readers everywhere.

Some other interesting stuff:
• Beyond the giveaway prelude, the books I signed the most at Verse were Avengers Tech-On, the Bandai-Marvel collaboration I worked on with Jeff ‘Chamba’ Cruz. I also managed to snag a copy of the Japanese language edition of the book for my own collection.

• According to a game translator I met, Call of Cthulhu is the hottest tabletop RPG right now in Japan. I’ve been seeing the official translated books and unofficial fan material prominently displayed in every game shop we’ve been to.

• The funniest interaction I had with a reader at the signing was a guy who brought a bunch of my Champions comics and excitedly exclaimed “You are the first one to kill Ms. Marvel, even before Zeb Wells!”, which is true, but the way he excitedly said it made us all laugh. He genuinely enjoyed Champions: Beat The Devil and said the story was very emotional and one of his favorites.

Chatting with readers in Tokyo.

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Big Hyborian Energy

The official CONAN THE BARBARIAN YouTube channel kicks off with a great summary of the character and his legacy and I’m thrilled to be a part of it:

In addition, Shawn Curley and I did an extensive interview all about the Cimmerian himself – the books, the original movie, Conan’s pop culture footprint, my current comic writing and big plans for the future. If you haven’t subscribed to their channel, give this one a watch/listen and get all caught up:

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Current + Upcoming Releases

• Dungeons & Dragons: The Thief of Many Things – released April 10th.

• D&D Young Adventurer’s Guide: Artificers & Alchemy – releases April 16th.

• Conan the Barbarian #10 – released April 24th.

• Savage Sword of Conan #2 – released May 1st.

• Conan: Battle of the Black Stone #0 – released May 4th.

• Conan the Barbarian #11 – releases May 22nd.

• Conan the Barbarian Vol.2: Thrice Marked For Death – TPB releases June 11th.

• Conan the Barbarian #12 – releases June 26th.

Upcoming Appearances

Jun 7-8, 2024 Howard Days Cross Plains, TX, USA

July 25-28, 2024 San Diego Comic-Con San Diego, CA, USA

Aug 1-4, 2024 Gen Con Indy Indianapolis, IN, USA

Aug 16-18, 2024 Fan Expo Chicago Chicago, IL, USA

Aug 22-25, 2024 Fan Expo Canada Toronto, ONT, CANADA

Oct 17-20, 2024 Gamehole Con Madison, WI, USA

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Have a wonderful week!
Jim