Stormtroopers, superheroes, Sith Lords and sketches — it was not hard to see that the Verde Valley Comics Expo was in town. For the fourth consecutive year, the Cottonwood Rec Center hosted all things nerdy, including comic book artists, board game aficionados and children from infancy through senior status.
The Verde Valley expo may be smaller than some of the flagship events in the comic world — San Diego Comic Con is famous for hosting Hollywood celebrities for a three-day weekend with over 150,000 fans — but many of the attendees, as well as the vendors and guests, said they prefer the low- key style of the event held in the gymnasium.
“Being here gives me an opportunity that other shows don’t,” Alec Kozak, the Prescott Valley-based artist of “The Quick-Witted and the Dead,” said. “I get to spend [time] talking to people one-on-one.”
“I like the small community shows where I can help new people come in, where I can connect with potential new readers who have seen my work before,” “G-Man” comics author Chris Giarrusso, who flew in from North Carolina as the expo’s most high-profile guest, said. Giarrusso previously came to the comics expo in 2017, and the organizers set about working to get him back. The artist said it was an easy decision to return, especially at the urging of local comic artist Jan “The Janimal” Quisumbing, who helps organize the expo.
“Jan makes it special,” Giarrusso said. He said he appreciated coming to an event like this with a friend, especially one that could compliment his own introverted personality. “Guys like him are what make these things come together.”
For most of the event, Giarrusso sketched characters on an easel, live in front of everyone. He drew comic- book favorites like Spiderman, as well as special requests from children, such as Marvel baddie Thanos as if he was played in a live-action movie by Danny DeVito.
“I feel like I’ve connected with the kids,” Giarusso said. “It’s like when I was their age.”
One of those attendees that got a special sketch from the G-Man was Jasmine Fang, a high-schooler from Camp Verde who came with a crew of other teens through a trip organized by the Camp Verde Community Library. To celebrate her first time at the Verde Valley Comics Expo, Fang displayed face paint on her forehead in the style of the diadem worn by her favorite superhero, Wonder Woman. She got a personalized sketch from Giarrusso of the Amazonian princess.
“It’s way less stressful here and there are a lot better prices,” Fang said, comparing the Cottonwood convention to a previous visit to the Phoenix Comic Con. “It’s more fun. You’re not rushing to see things.”
For kids who wanted to interact directly with comics creators, there was a special sketch-off event, where a panel of professional comics artists were joined by enthusiastic amateurs to briskly draw whatever the audience demanded. The attendees yelled out favorite characters like Alita: Battle Angel and Rick & Morty, but also made requests that leaned more into the absurd, such as Batman riding a basset hound or Superman fighting a unicorn. Much of the art was taken home by enthusiastic audience members.
No comic convention would be complete without the elaborate costumes that can only be found in the most enthusiastic corners of fandom. A Jedi Master walked around with an infant dressed like Yoda strapped to his back, while a Sith Lord spoke to a bookseller on the other side of the convention hall.
“If you’re asking if it’s hand-crafted, yes it is,” said the Sith Lord, who is Cottonwood resident Lidean Aliit in real life. Aliit has for years been dressing up as Darth Revan, a character from the Star Wars video game “Knights of the Old Republic.” Aliit/Revan held a massive red-tinged lightsaber and wore a black cape, along with intimidating black battle clothing. “This one only took two months but I have another one that’s five years in the making,” he said.
Since he first started designing costumes, Aliit has cosplayed professionally for events and has made the circuit of all the biggest conventions around the country. But he also expressed a special appreciation for the chance to dress up more casually in his own town.
“It’s small, but that’s sort of easier for me,” Aliit said. “This is quaint. It’s really nice. I want to see something blossom in our local community.”
For local artists, an event like this is a chance to see that community and try to build it even more. According to Kozak, many of the local creators know each other online, but do not get enough opportunities to get together with their friends in person.
“I love these shows,” Kozak said. “We all know each other, and we get together for a day to hang out together with people who don’t get to go to the big shows.”
