Happy 15th Anniversary to Grubbmaster Pieces!

One day while hanging out at Independence Comics (Not named because they sold indy comics, which they didn't but due to the area) I was showing off my Dorks comic book. I had just completed the first issue and of course I had to just show everybody. Little did I know that there would be an on looker that was actually interested. The next time I had visited the store the owner, Pete had let me know that there was a customer in the store that saw my book and wanted to get in touch with me. He left his phone number with Pete to give to me if I were interested in doing a project with him. After much thought and hesitation I went ahead and called this complete stranger.

David Gruba was just starting to put together a zine called Grubb Master Pieces. He liked Dorks and wanted me to contribute stories for his new zine. I told him I'd think it over and after much thought (yet again) I decided not to "give" him Dorks. Many people told me that he would steal my ideas and characters and make money off me and I'd never see a dime. Ivan Flores of Unit 1 even told me that I was selling myself short. I felt that instead, if I were going to lose my characters it should be some that I didn't have much attachment to. I ended up developing Rebels (Later renamed Razura) for his zine. Although he wasn't too happy with the change he still accepted it since it was still a contribution.In 1994, a preview of Grubb Master Pieces came out. It was distributed at comics shops across town and promoted at Independence Comics. To me, this was a huge break and my way up in the world of comics. Dave booked us up for a signing at a sports card and hobby convention. The whole GMG crew was out there to promote the book. It was great just sitting in the back corner of the place where we were the only people that dealt with comics were. I got to meet Derrick Martin though and to this day I'm always happy to see him.In June of 1995 the first issue of GrubbMaster Pieces came out. This was now huge and official. My artwork graced the cover and sadly, mine was the only comic that actually was presented in the zine. Dave's artist didn't come thru for him on his two project ideas, Radioactive Roadkill and The Firing Squad.

The same thing happened for the second issue of GrubbMaster Pieces in September. There was a low response to the zine and to much disappointment, Dave had put the project on hold. I had received a very nice letter from him (shown in previous post) with the idea of printing out a mini comic of my choice for free. I picked Dorks. Sadly, I finished the first issue and half of the second but lost interest in that story and did not get anything printed from him.

Here we are, 15 years later. Dave and I are still at it. Free Comic Book Day we made it a day for ourselves to just promote our projects and the response was great. I have to say that we both got the accolades we had been looking for for years and years. Our first collaborative project, Bride of the Wolfman, got a great response and we sold several copies.
We look forward to many more signings together and many more collaborations together. This month I will be going back and featuring Razura and some never before seen material of the title. Also an ad for James (that I bet Dave never knew about) as you'll see below.
Enjoy a look back at GrubbMaster Pieces.