Greg Ruth | News

OUR ENDURING SPIRIT!

2009-09-29T09:24:00.001-07:00

Today I'm very happy to announce the release of my latest children's picture book, OUR ENDURING SPIRIT (published by Harper Collins)! Using the original text from President Obama's first inaugural address I wanted to create a children's book that could at once communicate the vitality and ideas of that day in pictures to children and act as a historical record and a snapshot of that day to the rest of us. As many of you know the opportunity to do this book came out of a series of drawings to benefit Habitat for Humanity during the weekly drawing series, The 52 Weeks Project. So in a wacky way this is an extension of the spirit of that strange endeavor.

You can find out more by visit Harper Collins at their website:

http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/Kids/BookDetail.aspx?isbn13=9780061834554

To celebrate the release of OUR ENDURING SPIRIT, I'll be issuing a limited edition of autographed books complete with a unique original 9x9" sumi-ink drawing on paper of President Obama for sale up at the Storefront section of my website. If you're interested in having the book personalized, that too is happily arranged. There's only going to be a very small run of these so be sure to snap one up before its gone!

50% of all proceeds raised will this time go to benefit the extraordinary efforts of Doctors Without Borders. Take a look:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=31719899

WEBSITE UPDATES!

2009-09-25T11:45:00.000-07:00

We have at long last updated the main website here at Gregthings.com, thanks in no small part to the excellence of webmaster, Tara Sinn (http://www.tara-sinn.com/). Included in this new batch of updates are:

-A new devoted section to showcase the 52 Weeks Project, located right on the home page

-A new reordering of the Illustration section, including all new work and the random pieces fromerly occupying the Otherness area.

-A wholly new section featuring the various children's books I've been lucky to have a hand in, located also on the home page- especially highlighting the soon to be released hardcover edition of my illustrating President Barack Obama's first inaugural address to the nation, from Harper Collins.

-An expanded and larger Community message board for readers and artists to display, showcase and discuss each others work, and pretty much whatever else strikes one's fancy.

-A raft of new images throughout the site in general.

-An updated links area, headers and html coding, and the recent Tor.com interview link.

-And maybe my favorite, a brand new original story from the Woodland Chronicles, located exclusively within the map on the devoted minisite. Follow the key....

We've been busy here, but this ain't the all of it. More news coming next week!

For now, drop by and so hello to the various visual confections Gregthings.com: (http://www.gregthing.com/)

SIX WORD TALES!

2009-08-04T09:03:00.000-07:00

My good pal from waaaay back in the Texas days has decided to refuel his daily work as a screenwriter by the most excellent dalliance of crafting a series of short six-word stories and having them illustrated by a group of selected artists. it's a great idea and a lot of fun to do- I myself have contributed four images so far, and there are others up now to behold. Check it out:

http://www.sixwordtales.com/

2009 MoCCA ARTFEST!

2009-06-02T09:31:00.000-07:00

It is once again time to pronounce the most esteemed show of art shows... The Museum Of Comic and Cartoon Art's annual show in New York this June 6th and 7th (aka the 2009 MoCCA Artfestival!) I will be in attendance again with my good friend Allen Spiegel, and this year we will be likewise accompanied by the excellent Barron Storey and David Mack too. The show is in a new venues at the Armory Building in Manhattan and you can find us all at tables 632, 633, & 634.

I'll have original artwork from Conan, Freaks of the Heartland, The 52 Weeks Project, A Pirate's Guide to First Grade, Edentown and the various cover work from the past year. I'll also be happily displaying original art and a full-color galley of my forthcoming children's book from Harper/Collins "Our Enduring Spirit" in which I illustrate President Obama's first inaugural address- which is due out on the bookstands September 29. So much to see and do at this show- seriously. It's a wonderful mix of some of the most impressive work in publishing today, and I can't wait to see what everyone else is bringing too. Make sure to stop on by and pick up the new card this year, (posted below) featuring Walt and Nate from The Woodland Chronicles and Scholastic/Graphix!

For more information about the show, special events and a full exhibitor's list, please visit their homepage by clicking here:
http://www.moccany.com/artfest09-main.html

Friday, June 5th: 4pm - 8pm
Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art
594 Broadway, Suite 401

Saturday, June 6th: 8:30am
69th Regiment Armory
68 Lexington Avenue

Hope to see you there!

MICROVISIONS 4!

2009-05-02T08:36:00.000-07:00

Once again the excellent and noble Irene Gallo and Dan Dos Santos have organized this year's MICROVISIONS 4 show and auction to support the Cociety of Illustrator's Scholarship Fund. The show of the original work is up now at the Society for those of you trapsing about the New York region. The 5x7" original paintings will all be auctioned off starting this saturday evening on the Ebay to provide funding for art students to pursue their endeavors- always a good thing indeed. Last year, Microvisions 3 raised over $4,500.00. Let's see if we can't beat that this year.

I am honored to been asked to participate this year along with the extremely talented following artistes- Welsey Allsbrook, Volkan Baga, Chris Buzelli, Justin Gerard, Luis Royo, Greg Manchess, Paolo Rivera, Francis Vallejo and Michael Whelan.

You can see a larger shot of the wall of glory by clicking here: http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y141/igallo/MicroVisionsEx.jpg

The Auction will start Saturday at 8:30pm and will run for seven days only, ending the following saturday. Interested parties can follow this link here to view the whole selection:

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZsocietyillustratorsQQhtZ-1

Get thee bidding people and help a youngling find his way in this cold cruel world!

OBAMA'S INAUGURAL ILLUSTRATED!

2009-01-23T06:17:00.000-08:00

Brenda Bowen and I through HarperCollins/The Bowen Press will be putting together a children's picture book based on the inaugural speech of our 44th president. The idea is to adapt the speech so that we can get second and third graders to better make sense about what the speech promised, and what it all means- we'll include a full transcript of the speech in the rear of the book along with a listing of moments in the first 100 days as well. The idea is to create something that looks beyond celebrating his biography and makes a lasting document of this remarkable time.

The book is due on the shelves October 2009.

Publisher's Weekly just did a quick announcement of the project- VERY exciting stuff. Check it out:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6631511.html?nid=2788

NEW INTERVIEW UP AT TOR.COM!

2008-11-14T08:32:00.000-08:00

The most esteemed Irene Gallo has just recently posted an interview we did over at TOR.COM's new website. New questions, answers and bloviating as always from yours truly... as well as some thoughts on the upcoming Freaks of the Heartland movie adaptation. They've posted art to see and even a video to watch- (love that rocketship logo of theirs) check it out:

http://www.tor.com/index.php/creators/index.php?option=com_content&view=blog&id=7241

FREAKS OF THE HEARTLAND... The Movie!

2008-10-21T17:12:00.000-07:00

It's true! It seems that Overture Films has taken on Steve's and my midwestern gothic horror, and decided to turn it into a picture film. David Gordon Green will diregct it, which pleases us both quite a bit. Be prepared for something a little different than your typical comics-to-movies effort here. I'll be sure to keep everyone posted as news unfolds and I am made aware of it. For now, however you may behold the actual scoop from the Hollywood Reporter by using the link below:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/
news/e3i9e2284979c0b8c78d778cf353fdf9c6f

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SPECTRA PULSE #2

2008-09-05T08:50:00.001-07:00

The newest issue of SPECTRA PULSE is out and low and behold, it's got a cover by yours truly. A bit of a departure for me in many ways, but tremendous fun all around. Go get thee a copy! It's a great magazine with excellent interviews!

You can visit their website by following this here url:
http://www.randomhouse.com/bantamdell/spectra/

and their facebook page by doing likewise:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=5674967431

THE 52 WEEKS PROJECT CONTINUES!

2008-08-25T07:20:00.000-07:00

This week marks the second installment of the well received 52 Weeks Project, posted up now at the Storefront section of our fair website. This little experiment has gotten a tremendous response- thanks to everyone for their support. To view the newest installment, please follow the url below:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14587682

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PANDEMONIUM and the 52 WEEKS PROJECT

2008-08-18T08:37:00.001-07:00

Just a head supt o let you know that Daryl Gregory's excellent breakout novel, Pandemonium (Random House/Del Rey) is due out on the shelves this week. While I can claim having done the cover for this marvelous tome, it is the work inside that's garnering those rave reviews. Make sure to check it out- and glean more info and news on it by visiting the link to Daryl's site below:

http://www.darylgregory.com/

Also on the decks this week is the launch of my latest experiment to wrest what was once play back from the clutches of work, THE 52 WEEKS PROJECT! Each Monday will see a new drawing of the same size and proportions, but wildly varying subject matter posted come hell or high water on the STOREFRONT section of this fine website. So stay tuned to this station for further additions to what is promising to be a very fun line of work. Er,,, I mean play. The first volley in this game is already up-

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5559977§ion_id=5582258

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WEBSITE UPDATES: NEW STOREFRONT! and CONAN

2008-07-14T18:35:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone-

Well finally after long broken promises, pressurings and cajolings, the official, perhaps even Etsyish, storefront to end all gregthings storefronts! It's true- if you haven't already noticed the ironic bag of bananas-hanging-from-a-banana-tree shtick, then please return to the home-page and click upon our fairly hired, minimum wage storefront monkey as he unfurls his banner. You'll be whisked away like a basket of flowers to the marketplace at Etsy.com where you can find any number of art-things from previous and current projects up for sale. I've manage to load but a few so far, but please keep checking back as I'll continue to fill out the infinite shelves of our digital superstore.

And if this wasn't enough (and many could safely argue it is far more than necessary), please also peruse and enjoy a new raft of other, non-monkey themed capitalism and art goodness as we've updated a bunch of new files and stuff to our website at large. Enjoy as you must, and feel free to contact me with any special requests or concerns, be they special or otherwise.

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MoCCA Art Festival 2008!

2008-05-13T12:23:00.000-07:00

Once again, let it be known to all who can make it that I will be in attendance for this year's MoCCA Art Festival at the glorious Puck Building on Lafayette Street in lower Manhattan this June 7th and 8th. I'll be once more in my usual booth alongside the illustrious Allen Spiegel (Booth #A55-A56), and we have a visual horn o' plenty to push upon your innocent eyes. To celebrate my Graphic Novel, The Woodland Chronicles at Scholastic/Graphix!, I'll have a great deal of new art to peruse, a giant sized new Woodlands postcard, and a limited edition 18x20 giclee print. In attendance as well will be the first ever peek of the soon to be released hardcover edition of Conan: Born on the Battlefield, collecting the entire run of the story, and featuring both a seventeen page sketchbook section and essay by the awesome Ed Brubaker. There will also be an abundance of work put towards my upcoming children's book, The Pirates Guide to First Grade, alongside the usual deviltry ensued from Freaks of the Heartland, Goosebumps, The Matrix, Sudden Gravity and many others.

Allen will have the newly collected hardcover of Jon J Muth's M, as well as his latest children's picture book, Zen Ties, Barron Storey's Sketchbooks, Kent Williams new monograph, Amalgam, and the last few copies of Phil Hale's double collection of paintings entitled Mockingbirds.

This is one of my all time favorite shows and I heartily recommend your coming out to say hello. You won't want to miss the excess of riches it truly is. More info can be had directly from their website by clicking upon this here link below:

http://www.moccany.com/artfest-main.html

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FREE COMICBOOK DAY!

2008-04-18T13:31:00.000-07:00

Truth be told I will in fact be making an appearance at That's Entertainment this May 3rd for Free Comicbook Day. I'll be there with Peter Laird and his Mirage Studios folks, along with many other excellent creators, so please stop by and say hello. You can glean more, times, directions and store info, by going to their website:

http://thatseco.ipower.com/

Hope to see you there!

g

2007-12-20T07:05:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to post a little happy holiday goodness and well wishings here for everyone this holiday season. Looking forward to the New Year and all it will bring. Warmest regards to all!

greg

The Black Book of Secrets!

2007-10-22T18:49:00.000-07:00

It's black, there's secrets... it's out on the shelves now! I can only claim a limited contribution to this wonderful little book of shadows by way fo the cover art, but I do so proudly. It's a great read for a post- Harry Potter world longing for some truly unique, spooky goodness. Make sure to check it out. We're just getting rolling on the cover for F.E.Higgins second tome, set in the same wonderous world, and it's called "The Bone Magician". More news on that later, for now, get theee to a local book monger and enjoy!

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CONAN THE PHENOMENON

2007-10-04T12:57:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to announce that Dark Horse has just released a giant comendium of all things Conan, in which you may, if it is your taste, delight in art from all eras of Conan's colored history by the Frazetta, the Buscema, the Thomas, the Gianni, the Vess, the Nord, as well as work from my very own efforts in the Born on the Battlefield series among many others. It's a gorgeous tome, excellently produced and well worth every penny. To find more about it, click barbarously upon the link below:

http://www.darkhorse.com/profile/profile.php?sku=10-673

And, it's all just in time as we finally ramp up for our grand conclusion to Born on the Battlefield! The first of the final two parts due out October 17th in issue #45, followed by the harrowing, and I do mean harrowing, conclusion on November 21 in issue #46.

I'm already digging into the cover for the HC and TPB collections of the whole series and I'll post publication info and more when the truth is made known to me. In the meantime, Crom on, people!

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FREAKS OF THE HEARTLAND BACK IN PRINT!!

2007-08-31T07:29:00.000-07:00

GOOD NEWS!

After a fair amount of back and forth, it appears that the collected TPB edition of FREAKS OF THE HEARTLAND (story by Steve Niles) will return to print and will be on the bookshelves by OCTOBER 24, 2007! Mark your calendars, and don't miss this opportuity to go out and pick up the latest edition of our woefully warmhearted tale of two brothers on the run. In celebration of this, I'll be running a contest from the Message Boards that will end with the prize of a free, signed copy of the book plus a sketch from the story, so keep your eyes peeled, and put on your thinking caps.

Be sure to ask your local shop to purchase some copies and let's keep this award winning book in print!

HEY OSCAR WILDE, IT'S CLOBBERIN' TIME!

2007-08-29T07:14:00.000-07:00

I wanted to alert those of you who've not had the pleasure, to the glorious digitalmedusa website that features portraits of beloved literary characters by a mind boggling list of today's top illustrators and comics artists. I did a drawing of Don Juan Matus (from the Carlos Castaneda books) a few years ago when Steve was getting the site up and running, but it's grown to a shockingly qualitative size since. It really is a remarkable collection of names and art. Be sure to stop by and lose a great deal of your valuable time perusing the list:

http://digitalmedusa.com/sgettis/word/greg-ruth-don-juan-matus/

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BORN ON THE BATTLEFIELD'S END...

2007-08-21T12:18:00.001-07:00

Hey Everyone-

Just a little heads up on my final two issues of Conan, completing the six-issue tale of our favorite barbarian's tumultuous youth, penned by the masterful Kurt Busiek. I've posted some peeks into the process of making these last two issues on the message boards, and Dark Horse will feature a series of peeks into the inner contents of the books as they climb closer to their release dates this Fall. Even if you haven't come aboard our previous issues before this final plunge, you won't be left out as we wrap up this story depicting Conan's first formative baptism by fire in the epic siege of Venarium. Issue #45 comes out 10/17 followed by its conclusion in #46 on 11/21!

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MOCCA 2007 UPDATES and MAS GREGTHINGS!

2007-06-18T12:44:00.000-07:00

Whew-

Busyness abounds! To start off let me fully announce with great joy that I'll be once again attending this year's MoCCA Arts Festival at the Puck Building in downtown Manhattan from June 23-24. I'll be in the main room next to my dear friend and manager, Allen Spiegel in booths A55-A56.

The excellent and undeniably astute webmasteress, Tara Sinn has recently uploaded a raft of new updates to the site including art put towards the PRINCE music video "Cinnamon Girl", new SHERLOCK art, THE BLACK BOOK OF SECRETS among other book covers in the illustration section, as well as many other goodies spread evenly throughout the landscape of th ewebsite. Dive in, swim around and enjoy yourself!

There's some other big news a brewing, but I'll not jinx it by mentioning any more for now. Also please remember to stop by the board and check out some of the prelim and sneak peeks at the forthcoming final arc on the Conan: Born on the Battlefield story as we wind up, rather than down for the legendary battle at Venarium.

I have recently come to learn that of the newly posted work for the Wizards of the Coast, Dark Realms trilogy, (the first one with the castle), has been chosen for this year's Spectrum 14- this should be out sometime in the Fall.

Also it appears that SUDDEN GRAVITY has been nominated by the International Horror Guild for best Illustrated Narrative for 2006, and the axe will tumble on that in Saratoga Springs, NY this Fall. Thanks to everyone who's been so supportive and vocal about this project!

Cheers!

FEIWEL & FRIENDS/HOLTZBRINCK PICKS UP "THE RED SCARF"!

2007-05-31T12:08:00.000-07:00

I'm very happy and honored to announce, that Feiwel & Friends/Holtzbrinck will be publishing my very first, legitimately-for-kids, children's book, "The Red Scarf". The title may change I think, and we haven't nailed down a pub date yet, but I'll make sure to post that info when it so arrives. I've had such a great response for posting prelim sketchwork for Conan on the Message Boards, I'm sure I'll do the same for this as time and providence allows. For now, a wee peek from the pitchkit as a means to whet the appetite can be summarily viewd by going to the Boards now, or by clicking below:

http://gregthings.com/forum/index.php?topic=14.0

Also I shall be in attendance and on display deli-style at this year's MoCCA NY Arts Festival at the Puck building June 23-24. I'll have a proper booth number available shortly. We'll also be posting a raft of new updates to the site just prior to the show, including never before seen work put towards the ill-fated second volume of Scholastic's Sherlock Holmes series, Conan, the Prince Video and many other goodies- and of course I shall announce this appropriately when it comes together.

Okay that's it for now. Back to work!

g

NYCC Follow Up

2007-02-27T07:58:00.000-08:00

Just back from the 2nd NYComicon and I wanted to express my gratitude to everyone who showed up and expressed their enthusiasm and support. It was great to see old friends and new faces- an experience that literally left me speechless. Thanks again to everyone who trekked out- the show wouldn't have been the same without you!

And as those who were there can testify, this year's NYCC brought with it a peek into the first thirty pages fo the Woodland Chronicles for Scholastic/Graphix. For those of you unable to attend, we're going to start posting some more content next to the Woodlands section of this site and on the message board over the next few months, so keep them eyes peeled.

g

NEW ROB THOMAS ART IN FILMS SECTION

2007-02-18T05:28:00.000-08:00

We've just added thirty new pieces to the website in the FILMS section featuring storyboards, production sketches and final paintings put towards the Rob THomas video "Ever the Same". You'll get a chance to peek inside of the process behind making the video and fusing together the design aspects of the drawings and paintings along side the live action footage featuring Rob and Wilmer Valderrama of "That 70's Show" fame. We'll Do a similar treatment to the Prince video section as well in the coming weeks.

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NYCC SIGNING AT THE DARK HORSE BOOTH

2007-02-12T07:48:00.000-08:00

I'm happy to announce that my stay at the NYComicon has been extended into Sunday to accommodate requests and more importantly, to make room for a signing date with one of my all time favorite comics puiblishing mavens, Dark Horse Comics. This grand event will occur in BOOTH #839 from 11:00 to 12:00 on SUNDAY FEB. 25th, and I hope to see all of you fine and dandy folk there!

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