Zubby Newsletter #80: Word Balloons
It’s always such a pleasure chatting with John Siuntres on the Word Balloon podcast, and it’s been over three years since we last talked, so there was quite a bit of catching up to do. This Word Balloon episode is almost entirely Conan-centric as we cover the transition of the comics moving from Marvel to Titan, working with our amazing team, future plans, and anecdotes aplenty. Since we were on livestream video I also shared some exclusive artwork from future issues as well.
It was a blast, so check it out:
If you want to listen to any of our past Word Balloon interviews, I’ve linked each one below:
April 2015, April 2017, November 2017, January 2020, February 2021
DM Deep Dive
On the same day as my Word Balloon chat, I also did a livestream interview with Tara Rout from D&D in a Castle and we talked all about 50 years of D&D and my excitement to be running a 3-day campaign in a castle in the UK in November:
Back to the Cimmerian Source, Part 2
In previous newsletters I mentioned Cimmerian September, with bloggers and vloggers reading and chatting about Conan stories. I’m hoping to reread all the original Robert E. Howard Conan prose stories and jot down a few thoughts about each one. I don’t want to overwhelm this newsletter with text, so if you want to read what I think of more of the original Cimmerian stories, click on through to the posts linked below:
4) Black Colossus
5) Xuthal of the Dusk
6) The Pool of the Black One
7) Rogues in the House
8) Iron Shadows in the Moon
And, speaking of reading material – If you want even more Robert E. Howard-inspired prose, make sure you check out the Heroic Signatures short fiction ebook series! $1.50 per story, or cheaper if you buy a bunch at once, and you get new tales of Conan, Solomon Kane, Bêlit, and Bran Mak Morn!
Don’t Miss That Bundle
You have just under two weeks to take advantage of the Skullkickers digital Bundle of Holding deal! Over 1000 pages of comics and gaming goodness for $10? Ridiculous.
Current + Upcoming Releases
Conan: Battle of the Black Stone #1 (of 4) – released September 4th.
D&D Young Adventurer’s Collection Box Set 2 – releases September 24th.
Conan the Barbarian #15 – releases September 25th.
Conan: Battle of the Black Stone #2 (of 4) – releases October 2nd.
Conan the Barbarian Vol. 3: The Age Unconquered TPB – releases October 9th.
Conan the Barbarian #16 – releases October 30th.
Savage Sword of Conan #5 – releases October 30th.
Conan: Battle of the Black Stone #3 (of 4) – releases November 6th.
Savage Sword of Conan Vol. 1 – releases November 19th.
Conan the Barbarian #17 – releases November 27th.
Upcoming Appearances
By Crom, I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be at MCM Expo London on October 25-27! It’s been 12 years since I’ve been to the show and I am so, so pumped to be back.
Oct 15, 2024 Kowabunga Comics Oconomowoc, WI, USA
Oct 17-20, 2024 Gamehole Con Madison, WI, USA
Oct 25-27, 2024 MCM Expo: London London, England, UK
Nov 4-8, 2024 D&D In a Castle Newcastle, UK
Links and Other Things
• This article all about the famous Daicon anime convention fan films and their legacy by Tim Eldred is a delightful burst of nostalgia.
• Daniel Best‘s Substack that covers publishing history and business is well worth a subscription. Lots of insight.
• The new Conan Tabletop Roleplaying Game from Monolith now has a launch date for their campaign – October 15th! Make sure you sign up so you don’t miss it.
Okay, that should cover it for this week. I hope September is going strong for all of you!
Jim
Ah, catching up on your newsletters, it's too bad that I'll be away in Asia when you're in London!
It was a fine interview. Had to listen to it in a few parts though 😁