G-Man Cape Crisis #5 is in store's tomorrow, Wednesday, January 20th!!!
Stephen: In Gregg'sabsence I'm lucky enough to be joined by another friend of mine and afantastic creator to boot. Many of you have probably already met him atlast year's Marvel March Madness event or the G-Man's Greensboro Cape Crisisevent in October, but I'm very pleased to welcome Chris Giarrusso asthe first ever RE: Comics! guest star!Chris: Thanks, it's great to be here!
2:41 PM Stephen:On December 23rd the world got an early Christmas present when the MiniMarvels Ultimate Collection graphic novel came out from Marvel. Whilewe'd already sold the heck out of some Rock, Paper, Scissors and SecretInvasion Mini Marvels digests, this was pretty special because it's gotEVERYTHING!
Chris: The "Ultimate Collection" indeed.
2:43 PM Stephen: Now some of the earliest Bullpen Bits (proto-Mini Marvels strips) aredated back to 1999. How did it feel to hold something that encapsulatedover a decade of your career in comics?
2:45 PM Chris: I can't believe how fast time flies. It doesn't feel like it's been that long, but ten years went by really quick.
2:46 PM Italso seems like there should have been more material after ten years,but the Mini Marvels has always been a very small feature. Not atremendous amount of comics there, really.
2:47 PM Stephen: I think that in itself it's a great snapshot of Marvel as a brand over those 10 years, though. Things like Civil Wards and Secret Invasion are obvious plays on theircontemporary events, but introducing the Sentry, changing up Thor'scostume, Professor X wearing a pseudo Star Trek uniform as PatrickStewart, it's fantastic.
2:48 PM Chris: Yeah, I don't want to complain. I'm thankful I had the opportunity.
2:49 PM I'mkind of surprised by how crude some of the early stuff is. I can'tbelieve they ever gave me the opportunities they did in the beginning,but I'm glad they did.
2:50 PM Stephen: And you started doing Bullpen Bits as an assistant editor, right?
2:51 PM Chris: I got my first comic strips published at Marvel as an editorial intern.
But those weren't the Bullpen Bits strips. My earliest strips ran in the letters pages of WHAT IF...?
2:52 PM Stephen: Oh ok.
Chris: They were gag strips, but they didn't feature the kids that would become the Mini Marvels.
After my internship, I got a staff position at Marvel in the production department, a.k.a. the Marvel Bullpen.
2:53 PM I did a few more of the WHAT IF back-ups before WHAT IF was cancelled.
2:54 PM Thenthe Bullpen Bulletins editor offered me a spot (at Gregg Schigiel'ssuggestion, actually) in the Bullpen Bulletins page to continue doingstrips.
2:55 PM After going through a few more unused WHAT IF ideas, I tried a "what if they were kids" kind of strip.
I wanted to do PEANUTS with the Marvel characters.
And then I realized I could just continue the strip that way.
And that's how the Mini Marvels started.
2:56 PM Stephen: Awesome. What else did you do in the Marvel Bullpen besides the strip?
2:57 PM Chris: The Bullpen is where the books are digitally assembled and prepared to send off to the printer.
2:58 PM When I was there, we'd typically scan the original art, and then format the scans for the letterers and the colorists.
2:59 PM The letterers would send in their digital lettering files, and the colorists would send in their digital color files.
3:00 PM Thenthe Bullpenners would put the color art and the lettering filestogether digitally, making sure everything was formatted properly forthe printer.
The same would go for covers, letters collumns, ads.
Stephen: Gotcha.
Chris: We'd put it all together digitally, formatted for the printer.
The bullpenners are the unsung heroes at Marvel.
3:01 PM Stephen: And when did you break out to do full-time illustration?
3:02 PM Chris:I left Marvel in 2004 to do full time illustration. But I didn't getmuch work right away. By then I'd already done the GIANT SIZE MINIMARVELS and SPIDEY AND THE MINI MARVELS one-shots.
3:03 PM Chris: Atthat point, the word from Marvel was that they couldn't sell MiniMarvels. They "couldn't make the numbers work" was the phrase I heardrepeatedly for a few years.
3:04 PM So in 2004 I put out the first G-Man one-shot. I didn't do much else.
Stephen: And you'd said before that Erik Larsen was always urging you to do more G-Man, right?
3:05 PM Chris: Yeah.
I was kind of spinning my wheels though.
For a couple of years, I wasn't sure what to focus on. I wasn't very motivated or inspired.
3:06 PM After that first G-Man one-shot, I didn't do much other than the G-Man back-ups in SAVAGE DRAGON.
Stephen: But around '06 your Mini Marvels work seemed to pick up again with Civil Wards, etc.
3:07 PM Chris: Yeah, in '06, I got a call from Nate Cosby, an editor at Marvel, to bring Mini Marvels back.
I was somewhat skeptical, since I'd been told over and over that Marvel "couldn't make the numbers work."
3:08 PM But Nate championed the Mini Marvels.
He was able to put Mini Marvels back-up strips in the Marvel Adventures books.
And he had me doing 4-page back-ups in the Power Pack books.
3:09 PM Our plan was to prove to the people at Marvel that we could make the Mini Marvels work.
At this point we were riding the coat-tails of the success of Franklin Richards.
FRANKLIN RICHARDS: SON OF A GENIUS was the strip by Chris Eliopoulos.It began as a Power Pack back-up and graduated to it's own quarterly.
3:11 PM
We were hoping we could graduate Mini Marvels to a quarterly in the same way.
Stephen: You had other writers on those strips, with Sean McKeever doing Spideyand his Amazing Co-Workers, Marc Sumerak on Civil Wards, and Paul Tobinon Lo There Shall Come...a Go-Kart.
Chris: Yeah,early on, I was having trouble coming up with ideas that Nate liked, sowe agreed it would be a good idea to bring in other writers.
3:12 PM The first team-up was with Sean McKeever.
3:13 PM Natewanted to give me some pages in a Spider-Man Family book. Sean was thewriter of that book, so it seemed smart to pair us together for theMini Marvels feature.
3:14 PM Stephen: Sean's a good guy. Lots of fun.
Chris:Then we went to the Power Pack back-ups. Marc Sumerak was the PowerPack writer, and he'd also worked with Chris Eliopoulos on Franklin, soagain, it seemed like a smart match-up.
3:15 PM Then Paul Tobin wrote some Power Pack stories, and I was matched up with him as well.
All of those match-ups turned out well. The fans really liked them.
At some point, Nate decided I needed to start writing the strips myself.
I think it was just easier for him to coordinate. The other writers hadfull books to work on, and it wasn't always convenient for them tofocus on a few pages for me.3:16 PM Stephen: And you came back full force on World War Hulk.
3:17 PM Chris: I think the first story I did by myself after the guest writers was "Hulk Date."
World War Hulk may have been next. I'm not sure. It might have been the "Pass the Torch" story.
3:18 PM Stephen: World War Hulk made quite a splash with the haiku, right?
Chris: Yeah, that ended up getting a good reaction.
I'm glad it worked.
3:19 PM That came from me trying to address the way Hulk's intelligence and speech patterns will change as his personality changes.
I'd done the first installment of the Mini Marvel WWH trilogy with a dumb Hulk.
3:20 PM But the second part necessitated a smart Hulk if I were going to follow the actual WWH storyline.
3:22 PM Hulk needed to be smarter to make the story work. So I had to figure out a way to transition him from dumb Hulk to smart Hulk.
3:24 PM Stephen:It worked really well. While you gained more exposure from World WarHulk, you've said before that it's your work on the alwayscontroversial Red Hulk series, drawing back-ups written by Jeph Loeb'sdaughter Audrey, that's garnered the most compliments. Were you excitedmoving from back-ups in Marvel Adventures books to back-ups inmainstream books?
3:28 PM Chris:Yeah, the mainstream books always got me more attention, simply becausethey always sold much better than Power Pack or the Marvel Adventuresbooks. And the strip with Audrey was the most regular mainstreamfeature I'd ever been on. I continue to get more praise for the Audreystrips than for anything else I've done.
3:29 PM Andto go back to the Nate Cosby plan, this seemed to help us prove thatpeople would be willing to take a chance on Mini Marvels. There wassuddenly a lot more positive Mini Marvels feedback after the Hulk stuff.
3:30 PM Stephen: Is it fair to say that then Marvel Super Hero Squad happened?
Chris: No, Super Hero Squad hadn't actually started yet.
3:31 PM It had existed for a few years as the toy though already.
But there weren't any plans for the comics yet.
3:32 PM By then, we just wanted Marvel to put out a Mini Marvels collection.
Some people were in favor of it, some were not.
It was considered a very big risk to put out a Mini Marvels digest.
Stephen: The same sales concerns?
3:33 PM Chris: Yeah. They kept pointing to the performance of the one-shots. They weren't sure the numbers would work.
3:34 PM Butfinally they decided to give it a shot. This is my speculation, but Ithink the announcement of Tiny Titans and the DC kids line is what gotMarvel to finally take the risk with Mini Marvels.
Stephen: To my knowledge, your Rock, Paper, Scissors digest was the only Marvel digest to have sold out and gotten a reprint.
Chris:Yeah, even the doubters at Marvel acknowledged that the performance ofthe Rock Paper Scissor digest went beyond their wildest expectations.
3:35 PM Stephen: I remember I was against Tiny Titans when it first came out because I thought that Art and Franco were just copying you.
3:36 PM
Chris: Iwas actually glad DC put the Tiny Titans out. I'd be lying if I said Iwasn't somewhat envious of Art and Franco, but a) they are really good,and b) kid versions of stuff was never my idea to copy. Thekid-versions angle had been done before in so many other places(including Marvel), it's not fair to say anybody was copying or rippinganybody off.
Stephen: I know, but it was even in the alliteration of the title.
Chris: I didn't invent alliteration either. I think everyone knows Stan Lee invented alliteration.
Stephen: HAHAHA!I, of course, came around and became a big fan of Tiny Titans and thework that those guys are doing on Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam.
Chris: Yeah, exactly, Tiny Titans is too strong to deny.
3:42 PM
So while it was a bummer that I couldn't be involved with this newmovement in the kids' comics arena, I thought it would eventually begood for me in the long run.
Maybe that's why I speculate that the Rock Paper Scissors digest was a direct result.
Stephen: Ithink you've spearheaded a whole different movement. There were bookslike PS238 and Amelia Rules putting great all-ages kids books on theshelves for a while, but in the wake of Robert Kirkman's call forAll-Ages books, you're the main guy making it happen at Image on amonthly basis.
3:44 PM Chris:Well, if you want to assign the spearheading to somebody, I think AaronWilliams with PS238 and Jimmy Gownley with AMELIA RULES deserve thattitle.
3:45 PM Thoseguys have been at it for years. They've accomplished a lot, and withoutthe support of the instant character recognition or corporate power ofa Marvel or DC comics.
3:46 PM The same goes for Art and Franco, who worked on Patrick the Wolfboy for years before ever getting Tiny Titans.
Stephen:I hadn't read Amelia Rules until the Free Comic Book Day Special 3years ago. I was really blown away by the tone and the power of thecontent.
3:48 PM Chris: It's great stuff, and I'm glad it's there helping pave the way for me. With G-Man, it's like I'm starting all over again.
3:49 PM Stephen: Is it more fulfilling to be working on your own character, or just different?
3:50 PM Chris: It's both.
3:51 PM Idon't think it's anything new to say it's more creatively fulfilling tocreate your own thing and your own characters that you can control.
3:52 PM It's also different because I've never told stories with a scope this large.
Sure, they're still comic book stories, but G-MAN: CAPE CRISIS was my first ever mini-series.
3:53 PM Most of my Marvel work was confined to single page installments.
Also, there's less freedom with Marvel by design. I've never been able to walk in there and say, "here's what I want to do."
3:54 PM It's always been "we can give you three pages to do something with the Hulk" or something like that.
Not that I'm complaining about that.
I just want to be clear, I appreciate every opportunity I've had at Marvel.
Stephen: You seem to be able to add more personal flares working in your own universe.
Jen Grünwald as Princess Roja, the Acme Crew in the background, andDave G shares a first name with your own brother, right?
3:56 PM Chris: Ohyeah, I'm a lot more emotionally connected to G-Man's world, notonly by virtue of the fact that I created this stuff myself, but as youmention, many of the characters are translated from people I know inreal life.
It's very much an autobiographical sort of thing with a superhero twist.
3:58 PM Stephen: What are the upcoming plans for G-Man? Another mini series soon?
3:59 PM Chris: Yeah, I'd like to get another G-Man mini-series out before the end of 2010. I'm still trying to figure out the schedule.
4:00 PM Stephen: You do a great job of promoting and designing stuff for G-Man.
As we've been talking I've been trolling around your website.
4:01 PM One of my favorite things about the Cape Crisis mini is the ads on the back of the books that look like retro video game ads.
4:02 PM Chris: I love those ads.
Those ads and most everything that looks cool on my website are the results of my brother's designs.
4:03 PM Without him, my website would probably be nothing more than a neglected blog.
Stephen: The video games as well?
Chris: Yeah, he customized all the video games too.
4:04 PM Stephen: That's fantastic.
Chris: Yeah, I really dig it.
4:05 PM Stephen:Pie-in-the-sky, shoot-for-the-moon, where would you like your career tobe headed? G-Man action figures? G-Man Saturday morning TV show?
4:07 PM Chris: Aw, yeah, that sounds great to me! And movies!
4:08 PM But I'd settle for just being able to make a living making G-Man books.
4:09 PM Stephen: Here's hoping for a long and fun run for G-Man!
4:10 PM Chris: Thanks!
Chris Giarrusso set Acme Comics sales records with his first two Mini Marvels digests, ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS and SECRET INVASION, and he's poised to do so again with the newly released MINI MARVELS ULTIMATE COLLECTION graphic novel. Chris is also the creator, writer, and artist for G-Man from Image Comics, and he's set to finish up his first mini series, G-MAN: CAPE CRISIS, this week. To say that Chris's artwork and specific brand of all-ages fun have sparked the imaginations of Greensboro's youth is an understatement. Check out sketches, games, and comics at Chris G Comics.com.
Stephen Mayer makes his mama proud by downing too many energy drinks and keeping his house at a cool 65 degrees to keep the power bill in check.
