Zubby Newsletter #97: Ice & Fire
Multiple blasts of snow here in Toronto over the past week has made for a surreal contrast with reports and footage of the devastating California wildfires.
With so many of my friends who work in comics, animation, and games being in or around Los Angeles, a lot of them have been impacted by the destruction. Listed below are places providing aid to those affected or places to find aid if you are in need. Please help if you can.
California Fire Foundation’s Wildfire & Disaster Relief Fund:
https://cpf.salsalabs.org/disasterrelief/index.html
California Community Foundation Wildlife Recovery Fund
https://www.calfund.org/funds/wildfire-recovery-fund/
Greater Good Charities:
https://greatergood.org/disaster-relief/california-wildfires
World Central Kitchen — Working to provide meals for affected families and first responders.
https://donate.wck.org/give/654000#!/donation/checkout
L.A. Food Bank’s map of where to find food and meals.
https://www.lafoodbank.org/find-food/pantry-locator/
California Department of Social Services Disaster Help Center:
A spreadsheet of LA-based animators affected by the wildfires with links to fundraising pages:
https://airtable.com/appugwkqKAVGDdeaJ/shrrujOu1GKwKAW0f/tblBTejpocYFoeauX
Support for people displaced by LA fires — A new public Facebook group offering a place for people to share resources
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1162491225218312/
Sandswept
New York Magazine‘s feature story on Neil Gaiman’s horrific mistreatment of women who moved in and out of his sphere of influence over decades is truly harrowing and disturbing. If you want to read it, make sure you’re braced for disgusting content and the shattering of any grand illusions you might have about the creator of beloved stories of fantasy and the supernatural.
Allegations started bubbling to the surface last summer and, like most other people in comics and entertainment, I wasn’t personally involved and didn’t know what to say so I waited to see if the initial reports were corroborated. Even if he’s never charged in terms of criminal activity, I think we’ve passed the Rubicon now.
Like so many other readers and writers, Neil’s work was an absolute game changer for me. Sandman and the first Death mini-series arrived at a formative time in my life and opened my eyes to the power that comics could have – lyrical, emotional, and relevant. I bought a first edition copy of Good Omens in hardback when it was first released and literally read it cover to cover in one night.
Meeting Neil and chatting with him at a Comic Book Legal Defense Fund party in 2003 was one of the first times I felt like I had a meaningful interaction with a ‘celebrity’ and it gave me the confidence to be more fearless in approaching other creators.
Of course, I’m framing this awful news in terms of how it affects me and a lot of other people are too because for so many of us it feels personal, the fucked up betrayal of the dreams and ideals shown to us by the man and his work. The bone deep assumption that someone who could craft those tales and speak so eloquently about our hopes and fears could not be the kind of monster he showed us could be defeated with the power of stories.
And yet, here we are. More than a dozen women scattered along a trail of gruesome behavior in ways that speaks to a frightening lack of morals, empathy, or decency.
There’s absolutely nothing I can type here that changes any of it, but this is my outlet and, even though I try not to let politics or other weights of the world intrude into this newsletter, you’re here for my thoughts, and the shadow of this shit looms too large to ignore. It’s abhorrent and, for better or for worse, teaches so many of us to be more wary of the larger-than-life people we put our faith in.
It also speaks to an incredibly selfish and damaged ego who didn’t understand or appreciate the responsibility creators have to the people associated with them and their work. Yes, your name is on the cover of that book or prominently displayed in the opening credits of that show or movie, but that also means there’s a whole industry of artists, editors, actors, marketers, and other production people banking their faith, hard work, and livelihood on you and your reputation.
Great power, great responsibility.
That’s the baseline, you fuck.
Robert E. Howard Award Nominations Now Open
For the next month (January 13th-February 15th), fans can nominate their favorite Robert E. Howard-related material released in 2024 across 8 possible awards to make the final voting ballot.
The ongoing Conan the Barbarian monthly comic series and Conan: Battle of the Black Stone are eligible for both The Costigan and Rankin awards, so if you agree that they have merit, please fill out the form and let your voice be heard.
Comic Book Resources posted a list of “10 Best Dungeons & Dragons Comics Since 2015“ and I’m stoked to have written 5 out of the 10 on their list!
Current + Upcoming Releases
Conan the Barbarian Vol. 3: The Age Unconquered TPB – released Nov 19th.
Conan: Battle of the Black Stone #4 (of 4) – released December 4th.
Conan the Barbarian #17 – released December 11th.
Savage Sword of Conan Vol. 1 TPB – releases January 14th.
Conan the Barbarian Vol. 4: Frozen Faith TPB – releases February 18th.
Conan the Barbarian #18 – releases February 19th.
Thunderbolts: Winter Soldiers – releases March 4th.
Conan the Barbarian #19 – releases March 19th.
Upcoming Appearances
The crew at D&D in a Castle have announced their Autumn 2025 line-up and I’m thrilled to be returning with an all new adventure called Dark Lords’ Gambit!
Details on all the Fall sessions HERE.
Pre-registration links are on my DM profile page HERE.
Feb 6-9, 2025 Mega Con Orlando, Florida, USA
Feb 21-23, 2025 Fan Expo Vancouver Vancouver, BC, CANADA
Mar 20-23, 2025 Gary Con XVII Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, USA
Nov 3-14, 2025 D&D in a Castle Castle Lumley, Newcastle, UK
Other Links
• Joi Massat organized an incredible resource for people working in animation or who want to understand how cartoons are made – Every Cartoon Pitch and Writer’s Bible on Archive.org.
• Kieron Gillen and Jim Rossignol have a new blog where they talk about game theory and design and it already has some great material.
• Here’s a fascinating archive of tabletop gaming – Early Collaborative Games of Fantasy and Imagination.
• If you run a convention and have tabletop gaming in the mix, Chaosium will send you a Convention Support Pack of their games worth up to $500, including Call of Cthulhu, Runequest, and Pendragon as part of their company’s 50th anniversary!
Jim
Thanks for the links.