(AUTHOR’S NOTE: It has been no secret that I have had issues with Marvel’s relaunch of Robert E. Howard’s Conan. The one bright spot has been the writing of Jim Zub. I was a fan before he took up the challenge of being the Cimmerian’s primary scribe, particularly of the comic adventures of Pathfinder’s iconic characters.

He has done an admirable job with Conan and I am thrilled to share with you this short interview as we lead up to the next exciting arc in the adventures of Conan the Barbarian.)

By BOB FREEMAN – Paint Monk’s Library Writer

***

BOB FREEMAN

Thanks for being patient with me, Jim. The world sort of got turned on its ear in March of 2020 and we’re still not out of the woods quite yet. No one has felt the brunt of this, creatively, more than you, I suspect. With your run on Conan the Barbarian interrupted just as it was gathering steam, I can imagine you had more than a few sleepless nights.

JIM ZUB

It was definitely surreal having this bucket list project finally launch and then the world slide into an unexpected state of chaos. I had originally planned a really aggressive convention schedule and a big part of that was going to be Conan-focused, but then the whole convention calendar shut down, and then, a couple of months later, the Conan monthly series was on pause. A 6-month gap right in the middle of our first story arc was not ideal, but thankfully when we came back in October we were able to pick back up and are now pushing hard with new issues in 2021.

That’s where my focus is now – beating the drum as hard as I can to make sure readers know we’re building something special and that the series is worth following, month after month and collection after collection, especially with Conan the Barbarian #19 coming in March as the start of a new arc and perfect jumping-on point.

BOB FREEMAN

As you’ve often stated, writing Robert E. Howard’s Cimmerian is a dream job for you. I’d be interested in the backstory of how you discovered Conan. It’s often telling if one’s introduction came by way of Howard, Thomas, or Schwarzenegger.

JIM ZUB

The original Arnold Conan film came out when I was 6 years old, so I wasn’t able to see it in theaters but the ripple effect it had on visibility for the character was immediately apparent and it got my older brother to start reading the original books. So many of my fandoms came from following in his footsteps, and in this case that meant reading the Lancer paperbacks, he started collecting and then shifting from there over to the Conan comics. Since the film was R-rated, I wouldn’t see it until years later on home video. I was still technically under-age for it, but we were in the midst of our sword & sorcery obsession with Dungeons & Dragons and fantasy novels aplenty, so it didn’t feel too severe.

BOB FREEMAN

You’ve had the chance to work with several artists that have really done your writing justice, but I have to say, after seeing previews of Cory Smith’s art, there’s some real ‘pop’ to these new pages. The layouts are really spectacular. That’s got to be inspiring.

JIM ZUB

Agreed! Cory is doing a stunning job on each issue and really carrying forth in the tradition of some of the best Conan comic artists of the past with rock-solid storytelling and dynamic action. It’s funny because on a phone call early on he admitted to me that he wasn’t generally a fantasy guy in terms of his own reading and drawing, but with each page he’s gotten more into it and is now starting to dig back through the classics and appreciate how well done they were. I think at first he assumed it would be easier than the kind of technical drawing he did before with cityscapes and sci-fi stuff, but the figure work and other details have provided their own challenges and he’s making the most of it.

What’s also crazy is that the page samples going around are just from his first issue. I feel like, as good as those are, issue #20 and 21 are even stronger, so readers are in for a real treat.

BOB FREEMAN

I appreciate how you’ve approached the character, staying true to the Cimmerian’s personality, especially in Howard’s tales of his early years. You’re delivering some dynamic prose that really breathes life into the Hyborian Age and its principal antagonist. Your plots, however, have tended to lean heavily on your experience with roleplaying game storytelling, which has been a nice change of pace. There’s a freshness to the stories that set your Conan apart.

JIM ZUB

Thanks so much. I really appreciate the kind words about the stories. It means the world to me to know that fans of the characters are enjoying them.

BOB FREEMAN

Tell me how you got into playing RPGs. What era did you come up in? I first rolled dice in 1978 with the Holmes Blue Book, and I never looked back, exploring every edition since, as well as countless other RPGs, like Gamma World, Top Secret, Traveller, and every iteration of Lord of the Rings and Conan that have seen print (and some that haven’t).

JIM ZUB

I started gaming with the D&D Basic Red Box, but my brother and I didn’t fully understand the differences between editions or Basic and Advanced D&D so our collection became a hodge-podge of different material with the Mentzer Basic Set, Moldvay Expert Set, and first printings of the AD&D Dungeon Master’s Guide and Monster Manual. As you might imagine, trying to keep the rules consistent early on was a challenge.

I’ve said this many times, but I wouldn’t be a writer today without D&D. It gave me a lot of confidence and ignited a desire to create stories and characters instead of just reading them. For me, coming up with scenarios and writing dialogue is very much about role-playing. I don’t want the characters to talk like I do, I want them to sound like themselves.

Robert E. Howard is one of the many influences on D&D, but it also carries a lot of other elements in there as well that I don’t feel translate back to Conan, so I sprinkle in a bit of D&D-esque dungeon delving and dark magic but do my best to hew to something more REH or Roy Thomas-influenced where possible.

In addition to writing Conan the Barbarian for Marvel, I’ve been writing official Dungeons & Dragons comics since 5th edition D&D launched in 2014. Writing two of the biggest fantasy properties in the world at the same time is absolutely surreal and I work really hard to make sure they feel distinct from each other.

BOB FREEMAN

I recognize some of your influences, but I’d be curious to know who some of your favorite authors are and what books mean the most to you, personally, and as a storyteller. Comic influences as well.

JIM ZUB

In addition to Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber and Lloyd Alexander were big for me growing up. Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser felt like a gloomier version of D&D-style capers and I loved those books. Before those, I devoured The Chronicles of Prydain. The Dragonlance novels by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman and the original Icewind Dale Trilogy by R.A. Salvatore also arrived at a pretty formative time.

I also got a big kick out of some of the Fighting Fantasy novels because they mixed Choose Your Own Adventure-style choices with a dice-rolling combat mechanic. There’s artwork from Forest of Doom, City of Thieves and Deathtrap Dungeon burned into my brain alongside imagery from the Monster Manual and specific D&D adventure modules.

In terms of comics – Roy Thomas on Conan (both Barbarian and Savage Sword), Chris Claremont on Uncanny X-Men, and Roger Stern on Amazing Spider-Man and Doctor Strange are three big influences from my early collecting years. Later on, I’d also seek out work from J.M. DeMatteis, Ann Nocenti, Frank Miller and Neil Gaiman.

Obviously the writing was crucial, but great art really drove it all home, so fantasy illustrators like Frazetta, Elmore, and Easley grabbed my attention alongside comic artists like Paul Smith, Gene Colan, Michael Golden, or Art Adams.

***

The next arc begins with issue #19, dropping on March 10th, where we find Conan in the Land of the Lotus! Here’s Marvel’s announcement:

CONAN’s march to Khitai has landed him as the prisoner of the imperial guard…but it will take more than chains to keep a Cimmerian down! As Conan plans his escape, what dreaded beasts lurk in the land of Khitai, and what new dangers will impede his quest to return the TOOTH OF THE NIGHTSTAR to its rightful master? The travels of Conan the Barbarian continue with the perfect jumping-on point for new or lapsed readers! Join us as we welcome new series penciler CORY SMITH to the Hyborian Age in this epic adventure!