John Carpenter’s The Thing Getting Second Artbook From Horror Publisher Printed in Blood (EXCLUSIVE)
In 2017, fledgling horror publisher Printed in Blood released The Thing Artbook, a 400-page collection chock full of original artwork inspired by director John Carpenter’s 1982 film, The Thing.
The handsome, six-pound, $40 tome—which also featured an introduction by Thing super-fan Eli Roth and an afterword by Carpenter himself—sold out its 10,000 copies in four-and-a-half years, making it something of a rare collector’s item among individuals looking to get their hands on everything to do with the sci-fi/horror classic starring Kurt Russell and Keith David.
“For as long as the book’s been sold out, I’ll get at least a couple emails a month asking if it’s ever going to go back and print again,” Printed in Blood co-founder and publisher Steve Hoveke revealed in an exclusive interview with SYFY WIRE. “People see it at a friend’s house and go looking for it. They go on eBay [where sellers are asking] 100 bucks and they’re just like, ‘Are you guys ever going to bring this back?’”
That overwhelming response has led Printed in Blood to line up a brand-new edition of the project.
Get an exclusive first look at the new art book inspired by John Carpenter’s The Thing
It will take the form of a hardcover slipcase containing the original artwork spread across two books and a third volume containing all-new pieces. The publisher is currently accepting submissions through Jan. 1, 2026, with artists asked to send their pieces to [email protected] or [email protected] for consideration.
“This was a chance to bring in another whole group of artists and give them that shot that they didn’t have before,” Hoveke explained.
He continued: “We’ve gotten a lot of people who have sent in multiple pieces … So, if somebody’s got six pieces in right now and we end up only getting in 230 or 240 pieces, they may all go in. But if we end up getting 250 or higher (leaning into 300 pieces), we’ll go back and start curating down those people that sent in five or six pieces and maybe drop them down to one or two—just to make room for more artists.”
Jan. 1, 2026 is also the date on which the slipcase collection goes on sale for pre-order. By that time, Hoveke hopes to have a celebrity name or two confirmed to write the introduction and afterword. Considering just how influential The Thing became in the decades after its inauspicious release, there is no shortage of creatives willing to talk about their undying love for the movie.
“We have a couple of guys in mind that we want to reach out and talk to,” Hoveke teased, “a couple we’ve talked to because of previous projects we’ve done. I’m keeping those a little close to the vest for now.”
As an added bonus, Printed in Blood is also reaching out to the original crop of illustrators to see if they’d like to contribute “a little write-up” to accompany their previously published piece (something the publisher has done since The Thing Artbook).
“We’re going to be reworking it from a layout standpoint to match with what we’re doing now,” Hoveke said. “But you’ll see some more commentary in it from some of the artists as well, talking about producing pieces for the book.”
Raised on a steady diet of Fangoria, Starlog, and the ’50s-era science fiction of his mother’s generation (think Earth vs. The Flying Saucers and Them!), Hoveke didn’t hesitate to see Carpenter’s The Thing during its original theatrical run in June of 1982.
“The critics lambasted it,” he remembered. “And it’s just one of those things where you’re like, ‘Oh, man!’ But then you finally get to see it yourself and you’re like, ‘I don’t know what they’re talking about! This is sheer brilliance from start to finish.’ I was sold from the first moment I saw it. I would have been 14 when it came out, so that was one I ended up sneaking into to see in the theater. I was lucky that I was a big enough kid for my age that I could usually pass for older if I needed to. Plus, back in those days, no one cared.”
