Tom Grummett goes Exclusive with the House of Ideas

“Tom Grummett is one of the most underrated artists working in comics today, and a real trooper. Its about time he got his due,” said Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada upon signing Tom to an exclusive contract. “Tom’s from that great Jack Kirby school; solid figures, explosive action, and one heckuva professional work ethic. That’s why we want him here at Marvel…oh, and rubble! He draws great rubble!”

The artist, a mainstay of the industry since the late 80s, is best known for his work on such DC Comics titles as Superboy, Robin, Teen Titans, and more recently, Power Company. He was also a co-founder of Gorilla Comics. At Marvel Comics Grummett’s action-packed pencils have been seen on Avengers/Thunderbolts, Generation X, Silver Surfer, X-Men Unlimited, and assorted Spider-Man books. He is presently providing the art for New Thunderbolts.

Grummett anticipates cooking up a storm with the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe. “I’m really looking forward to the opportunity of working with these great Marvel characters…it’s like a whole new toy box to play around in,” he said when approached about his exclusive contract. “I’m particularly excited with my current gig on the New Thunderbolts, and proud to be working with such a great team.” Grummett is joined by Fabian Nicieza on the current Thunderbolts title.

Superstar writer Kurt Busiek, longtime collaborator of Grummett’s, was quick with reminisces and high praise for his artistic compatriot. “I've been a huge fan of Tom Grummett's work ever since I first saw his stuff on a Canadian-published small-press book called Privateers. Back then, I was editing Open Space for Marvel, and tracked him down to offer him work - but that bastard Mark Waid had tracked him down like two weeks earlier, and he was already working for DC. I got a couple of stories out of him at least. Since then, I've always been eager to work with him, and jumped at the chance to offer him both Power Company and Thunderbolts. He's a terrific penciller -- great page design, energetic storytelling, terrific draftsmanship -- he just makes it all come to life so well. Plus, you know, he's got that cool signature. Who could ask for more?”

Grummett is not pausing long to look back at his career or rest on his laurels. He’s viewing the future with a gleam of inspiration in his eye. “I’ve enjoyed working on all my past projects for different reasons…why else would I be in this biz? I’ll be concentrating on the Thunderbolts for the immediate future, with a few little side dishes that may crop up from time to time.”

With a library of over 5,000 proprietary characters, Marvel Enterprises, Inc. is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies. Marvel's operations are focused in four areas: entertainment (Marvel Studios), licensing, comic book publishing and toys (Toy Biz). Marvel facilitates the creation of entertainment projects, including feature films, DVD/home video, video games and television based on its characters and also licenses its characters for use in a wide range of consumer products and services including apparel, collectibles, snack foods and promotions. Marvel's characters and plot lines are created by its comic book division which continues to expand its leadership position in the U.S. and worldwide while also serving as an invaluable source of intellectual property.