Conan the Barbarian #28 cover art by Gerardo Zaffino.

This week sees the release of CONAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT #2, as Set’s grand plan coils its way across time (and I would post some interior art here, but almost every page is a story spoiler), but there’s also a lot to talk about in the flagship monthly series as we charge forth into year three.

CONAN THE BARBARIAN #26-28, arriving in stores from November 2025 to January 2026, is our seventh story arc and it’s called “The Conquering Crown”. These issues will show how our legendary Cimmerian earns the crown of Aquilonia and how it changes him forever. It’s a wartorn epic with clashing kingdoms, political intrigue, and armed conflict on a scale we haven’t shown in the series before, like Conan the Barbarian by way of Prince Valiant, and artist Fernando Dagnino and colorist Diego Rodriguez have gone above and beyond the call of duty illustrating it all.

Conan the Barbarian #26 interior art by Fernando Dagnino, colors by Diego Rodriguez.

If you thought we would rest on our laurels after our big celebratory issue #25, you were wrong.

A few fans have asked me why the Titan series jumps around the timeline instead of starting at the beginning of Conan’s journies and moving forward from there. Both Marvel and Dark Horse took a chronological approach (with occassional mini-series or specials that popped out of sequence), so I felt like that had been done before and done well. Our approach is more like the original Conan prose stories in Weird Tales magazine, with stories instead arriving in dramatic order.

Readers get information they need when they need it as we move back and forth through the Cimmerian’s legendary life. The team and I keep track of the timeline, locations and sequence of events, you just need to settle in and enjoy each tale as it unfolds across the Hyborian Age. Each story arc is its own entertaining adventure that also adds to a broader tapestry we’re slowly weaving. The more you read, the more you’ll see how it all fits together, thematically and symbolically. It’s a fun challenge for me and keeps each arc fresh for our whole creative team.

Comicon Talks Young Adventurer’s

Stacy, Andrew, and I spoke to Anton at Comicon.com all about the D&D Young Adventurer’s series and the upcoming Warriors & Wizards Compendium that arrives in stores on November 4th. It’s an inspiring and enjoyable chat as we talk about what makes tabletop gaming so special and how it brings people together and ignites their creativity.

Conan Panel from Dragon Con 2025

At Dragon Con I was on a spotlight panel called Conan the Barbarian Conquers Comics hosted by moderator David Sherman that Sean Korsgaard filmed in August and uploaded last week. The audio has some echo but there is a lot of info covered here, so if needed you can use the captions to follow along.

Howard House Update

In my previous newsletter, I mentioned the crowdfunding effort to repair the Robert E. Howard House in Crossplains, Texas, and the REH Foundation has a new video discussing how the damage was discovered and what needs to be done next, with Jeff Shanks, Paul Herman, and John Bullard.

Current + Upcoming Releases

Conan: Scourge of the Serpent #1  – released Sept 24. Predator: Black, White & Blood #3  – released Sept 24. Conan the Barbarian vol.1-3 Slipcase Set  – released Oct 7. Conan the Barbarian #25  – released Oct 8. Conan the Barbarian vol. 1: Bound in Black Stone Deluxe HC  – released Oct 21. Conan: Scourge of the Serpent #2  – releases Oct 29. D&D Young Adventurer’s: The Warriors & Wizards Compendium – releases Nov 4. Stranger Things-Dungeons & Dragons: Tales from the Table – releases Nov 4. Conan the Barbarian #26  – releases Nov 12. Conan: Scourge of the Serpent #3  – releases Nov 26. Conan the Barbarian #27  – releases Dec 10. Conan: Scourge of the Serpent #4  – releases Dec 31.Upcoming Appearances

My event schedule is finally slowing down as we move closer to the end of 2025. Stacy and I fly to the UK later this week for our last trip of the year.

Nov 3-14, 2025 D&D in a Castle Newcastle, UKNov 15-16, 2025 Thought Bubble Harrogate, UK

Other Links

• Comic artist Steve Lieber has a list of Tips for Non-Artists on Writing Your First Comic that is well worth checking out. You can also see Steve’s comic art portfolio critique list in one of my earlier newsletters as well.

• Sean Illing interviews Cory Doctorow to talk about key moments in “Enshittification”, the way platforms corner key markets and then steadily become worse for its customer base once there are no other viable options.

• Seth Skorkowsky has a recent video about “Closed VS Open Roleplay” in tabletop gaming, with some good analysis and advice on how to make sure cool character elements find their way into game sessions.

• This interview with professional gamer/Dungeon Master Brennan Lee Mulligan shows how thoughtful and appreciative he is while riding out a surge of popularity. Three years ago I had the chance to play with Brennan during a charity stream, along with a slew of other incredible gamers who you will probably recognize if you’re into online TTRPG shows, (PART 1 and PART 2) and was blown away by how great he was, both in character and out.
Jim