The fourth annual Verde Valley Comic Book Expo returns to the Cottonwood Recreation Center on Saturday, March 23, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m..
The event, a fundraiser by the Cottonwood Public Library’s Bookmarks group, brings the talents of local Verde Valley and Arizona comic book artists, writers and authors from the world of science- fiction and other fantasy genres together under one roof.
Industry comic book veteran Chris Giarrusso returns as one of the Verde Valley Comic Expo’s guests of honor. Giarrusso is no stranger to the Verde Valley, having last attended the expo in 2017. “When we started planning for year four of the expo, the thought of being able to bring back Chris was on our list of goals to accomplish” Jeff Clark, librarian and the individual tasked with bringing the fourth annual Verde Valley comic expo together, said. With the return of Giarrusso to the comic expo, it is looking to be another successful event for the library.
Giarrusso’s clean and bold use of line and perspective to the characters he draws, from his artist tenure on Mini- Marvels to his own original character G-Man, as well as his family-friendly art style were well-received at the 2017 Verde Valley Comic Expo. Parents and children alike were excited to meet him and marvel at all his artistic work and to watch him draw.
Having recently relocated to North Carolina — a million times less stressful than living in New York City, he said — Giarrusso looks forward to once again having the chance to catch up with the Arizona artists he met on his last visit. “Back when I had the stamina of youth, I would travel for shows maybe eight to 12 times a year. Now I keep it down to two or three” Giarrusso said.
Creating comic books may seem easy to the uninitiated but Giarrusso takes it all in stride. “It’s fun work … but it is still work. And, some days, it’s harder work than others. Some days the ideas don’t come and the drawings don’t flow,” he said.
Looking back on 21 years in the industry, including his time working in the fabled Marvel Comics bullpen in New York City, Giarrusso remarks that his most defining career moment was writing and drawing his own creator- owned series “G-Man” at Image Comics.
Image Comics was formed in the early 1990s when several up and coming artists — Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane, Whilce Portacio, Erik Larsen and Jim Valentino — left Marvel over disagreements in fair compensation that artists were receiving for their work. The company still exists with one of its most notable properties having transcended the medium of comics to television, “The Walking Dead” by Robert Kirkman.
Not one to rest — “It can be fun, but it can also be frustrating” Giarrusso said — he is already hard at work on a new comic book property. “I’m currently drawing ‘HASHTAG: Danger!’ written by Tom Peyer for Ahoy comics. It’s a story about three heroes with three special skills: Brains, strength and unwarranted enthusiasm. The first issue debuts on May 1 and I continue to draw my weekly G-Man webcomics at ChrisGiarrusso.com,” he said.
What advice does Giarrusso give to aspiring comic artists? “Draw comics. Nobody will hire you to draw comics if you can’t show them you can draw comics,” he said.
Proceeds raised from the fourth annual Verde Valley Comic Expo will help the Cottonwood Public Library fund their 2020 summer reading program. Admission is $5 at the door and only $3 with the donation of two cans of food. Children under the age of 10 are free, with plenty of parking available at the Cottonwood Recreation Center’s 150 South Sixth St. location. Contact Clark at jclark@cottonwoodaz.gov for general information about the comic expo.
