Following the release of Crom the Barbarian Collected 2024 (Revised), I’m opening the gates wider: CROM Anthology is actively seeking creators for new comics, illustrated prose, pin-ups, and select reprints. This anthology continues Crom’s path toward becoming a dark god while celebrating the broader tradition of Sword & Sorcery.

What We’re Looking For

Pencilers/Comics Teams: Dynamic black-and-white storytelling, bold compositions, strong atmosphere. One-shots (6–10 pages) or serials welcome.

Prose Writers & Illustrated Prose: Tight, pulpy narrative voice; mythic stakes; vivid, visual beats that pair well with spot art.

Pin-ups & Gallery Pieces: Iconic, story-suggestive imagery suitable for full-page presentation.

Published Work for Reprint: Previously published pieces that fit Crom’s world or Sword & Sorcery tone are welcome for consideration.

New: We also encourage indie creators to contribute their own version of Gardner F. Fox’s Crom the Barbarian—fresh interpretations, timelines, styles, and voices are all on the table.

About Rights, Attribution, and Public Domain

Crom the Barbarian is a public domain character. I do not claim ownership over Crom as a character or setting in the public domain. I control my original creations (new text, layouts, art, logos, trade dress) and commissioned works created for the anthology; all other contributors retain their own rights to original material they create and submit, subject to the print/republish permission you grant for the anthology.

Compensation

Compensation is provided in the form of copies of the issue in which your work appears, either as:

• At-Cost Discount (heavily discounted contributor copies), or

• Complimentary Copies (quantity determined by page count and placement).

You retain creator credit and are encouraged to promote and sell your own editions of public-domain Crom material you independently produce.

Tone & Aesthetic

Sword & Sorcery, myth-tinged pulp, bronze-age grit; think Savage Sword, Heavy Metal energy, and Fox’s pulpy propulsion. Experimental approaches are welcome if they serve the story.

How to Pitch / Submit

Please email kurt@cromthebarbarian.com

with:

• A short intro (who you are, links/portfolio)

• What you’re proposing (comic, prose, pin-up, or reprint)

• 1–3 sentence logline + 2–3 sample pages or sketches (for comics), or 1–2 paragraphs + sample excerpt (for prose)

• Any prior publication info (for reprints)

Community & Ongoing Series

We embrace a “manga model”: creators can contribute short chapters to successive anthologies and later collect their run into a standalone edition.

What Happens Next

I review pitches on a rolling basis. Accepted pieces receive a lightweight agreement confirming reprint/first-print permissions, credit, and contributor-copy terms. Scheduling depends on production flow; if a piece doesn’t fit the current issue’s pacing, we’ll target the next.

Let’s honor Gardner F. Fox’s legacy while forging new paths. If you’re passionate about barbaric epics, mythic machines, strange gods, and hard-edged poetry in pictures—join us.

— Kurt Brugel

Editor/Curator, CROM Anthology

Contact Me