Getting to Know: Chris Giarrusso, Mini Marvel and G-Man Part 5

Please read Part 4 of the interview before reading Part 5

Marvel Comics & Image Comics, Inc. continuation

So with the combined years of experience, I wanted to know what was his most memorable moment working at each company? At Marvel, that moment was when he first started working on the Mini Marvel comic strip. Someone told him that Joe Quesada, who is an editor, writer and artist, had a laughed at one of his strips. This was the first time that Giarrusso felt that “‘maybe this will work out after all.’” At Image, a noteworthy experience for him was when his character G- Man met Erik Larsen’s Savage Dragon character. “I drew the Dragon into a few strips myself, but that excitement was later trumped by having Erik himself drawing the Dragon on the same art pages I drew G-Man on.” Here’s the best part, Giarrusso was able to keep that artwork!

Another thing that I wanted to know was what did he learn from his work experiences that helped him improve in his career? When he was an intern at Marvel, it was “not a glamorous job.” He was the “go-for for the editors and making photocopies and sending out mail.” However, during his down time, he was able to learn a variety of things. According to Giarrusso, “I learned how to letter by hand the old-school way, which was my first experience using “real” pen nibs and India ink, rather than markers.”

Afterwards, he became part of the production staff, “Marvel Bullpen,” where he was able to learn “all the ins and outs” of comics production by using computers.” Here is a general idea on what he learned from the steps involved in the work:

1. Scan the original art that was sent in by the artists
2. Format it for colorists and letterers
3. Assemble colored art and lettering digitally
4. Format it for the printer

“Real nuts-and-bolts stuff,” said Giarrusso, “the production staff is the elves behind the scenes that do the heavy lifting that nobody really knows or cares about until something goes wrong, in which case they get all the blame.”

Now at Image, he worked as a staff for a year doing similar production work like at Marvel. However, there were no editors in acting as the creator liaison. This was something new for Giarrusso, because he was in direct contact with the creators whose books he was working on. “It was a lot more hands on and intimate, working on creator-owned books, than on properties governed by a corporate entity.”

Afterwards

Over all as an artist, he learned that “It’s never as hard as it looks, and it’s never as easy as it looks.” Although he has Mini Marvel and G-Man on his resume, he feels that this is just the beginning. “I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface,” said Giarrusso, “that I haven’t capitalized on my potential yet. I feel like I haven’t given myself a fair shot yet, and it’s time to get my act together and start becoming the cartoonist I want to be.”
© 2011 Linda Thai

Thank you Chris Giarrusso for participating in the interview and all the Mini Marvel and G-Man cover art and pages! Thank you for reading!

To learn more about Chris and G-Man, check out his official website. You can also play games that feature G-Man!