Star Wars: The Empire Sketches Back

Last weekend, I went to the Windy City Comicon. I saw some old friends and met some new ones. It was a good show. There were creators, pros, retailers and publishers. Watch for it next year.
Of course, I had to get some new Star Wars sketches. These are the first empire/villain ones.

Gamorrean's Got Back by Tony Maldonado
Check out Tony's blog under my links.

Jabba the Hutt by Tim Seeley of Devil's Due

Who Is White Knife?

In the open plains of the Mid-West, an evil shaman named Wolf-With-Fire terrorized the Cheyenne tribes, stealing their children and turning them into demons of his own. A warrior, whose name was derived from his pale skin and the fact that his mother bled to death during childbirth, convinced his tribe to fight back. His name was White Knife.
At the Mountain That Breathes Evil, White Knife and the Cheyenne warriors fought the demons and other creatures that protected the shaman. High within the mountain, they came upon the shaman's lair where he lay dying. With the last of his power, Wolf-With-Fire tried to curse White Knife with everlasting life, so that he would live to see all that he knew and loved die. But White Knife found the strength to strike the shaman down with his own tomahawk. Wolf-With-Fire's power exploded, causing White Knife to fall to this death. This, however, was not the end of White Knife.




White Knife - Unliving
Created and written by
David Gruba
Art by Dann Phillips and
Stan Tanaka
Coming in 2009 from Instant Press Comics



White Knife is
TM & Copyright
David S. Gruba

Star Wars Sketchbook: The Saga Continues

This past weekend, I was a guest at FallCon in Minnesota. This is always a great show. I can't thank Matt and Becky enough for their hospitality and good company.
Besides reconnecting with other creators and guests, I used this opportunity to get more Star Wars sketches.

Jawa Robot Sale by Matt Wendt.
Check out more of Matt's work at www.myspace.com/mattroplex.
Princess Leia by Jessica Hickman.
You check out Jessica's blogspot under my links.

Yoda by Dan Brereton of Nocturnals.
Check out Dan and Nocturnals at www.nocturnals.com.

Butch and Sundance

Paul Newman passed away Friday at the age of 83.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is my favorite movie. (Yes, even over Star Wars.) I remember going to the Logan Theater with my dad to see it every time it was there. Back in the day, there were no VCR's, no DVD players and no cable. And, it took several years for a movie to come to regular television. So, they would re-release movies at the theater.

If this movie is on television, no matter what scene is on, I have to sit and watch it till the end. There are no bad scenes in this movie. Newman and Redford are the ultimate buddies in the ultimate buddy film.

I think another reason this movie means so much to me is that I shared the experience with my dad. Sometimes when we would be walking home at night, and it was raining, he would sing "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on my Head."

Star Wars Episode I: A New Sketchbook

Since I go to a lot of comic book shows and meet many artists, I decided it was time to start a sketchbook. The following are the first three pieces in my Star Wars Sketchbook.

Admiral Ackbar by Dave Losso
You can check out Dave's blog, Drawing Staches, from the links on the left.


Han Solo by Aaron Pittman
Aaron's blog is also linked on the left.



Yoda by Frank Fosco
Frank was the artist on Image's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He is currently working on his own project, Ethrian, which will appear in Savage Dragon.


I will be at FallCon in Minnesota on October 4th & 5th. I'm hoping to pick up several sketches there. Watch for more to come.

A Little History

GrubbMaster Pieces was the title of a 'zine that I published in 1995. The plan was to showcase writings, art and comics by various talented people who were not getting published elsewhere. Due to a lack of participation, it consisted of my writings and the comic Rebels by Rene Castellano. It lasted only two issues.


About ten years later, Rene and I created Current Issues magazine. This time, Rene was the publisher. The plan was basically the same with a focus on comics. We did publish a variety of comics, and each issue featured an interview with an independent creator. It also lasted only two issues.

First Post

I'll keep this one short. I am a writer and editor. My comic book White Knife will be coming out as a one-shot in 2009. I have produced Gruba Fiction, a collection of four short stories. I am also the creator and writer of Gondor, Son of Olympus, a two-issue comic book mini-series. I have edited and contributed to Current Issues magazine, and I have edited various comics for Instant Press Comics.
I'll be posting stories and art, and info on events and whatever else interests me. In the meantime, check out some artwork.