Comics are no joke: Fans flock to festival

Calling all comic book fans.

The seventh annual Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival is planned from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Nov. 1 at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road.

The free event is set to feature film screenings, live music, vendors and more, according to PJ Perez, planning committee co-chairman and owner of Pop! Goes The Icon publishing company.

“Studies show that if we encourage kids to pick up comic books, they’ll start reading more and actually enjoy it,” he said. “I grew up with comic books, and it made me a better writer and a better person in general. We want to make sure that spirit gets passed on.”

Since its inception, the event had run in conjunction with the Vegas Valley Book Festival. However, the comic book festival is set to stand alone this year.

“With the book festival at the Historic Fifth Street School and the comic book festival at the Clark County Library, it was nearly impossible for families to attend both,” Perez said. “Now that the dates are different, people don’t have to miss out on either one.”

In addition, Perez said the comic book portion of the festival grew faster than organizers expected.

“In 2008, we started with about 800 attendees,” Perez said. “Last year, we had about 3,500 people show up.”

Some highlighted programs are scheduled to feature Howard Chaykin, a comic book veteran who has spent more than 40 years in the industry, and the evolution of Batman, taught by professor Ben Saunders.

Industry professionals are set to provide portfolio reviews from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m for attendees who bring six to eight art pieces.

Workshops are also planned throughout the day, including how to draw superheroes with Spencer Brinkerhoff III, collaborating on comics for writers with Darren J. Gendron and creating crafts using old comics with Very Awesome Girls Into Nerdy Activities.

“We went from having five to 10 programs when we first started to now almost 20,” Perez said. “There’s a lot to pack in a seven-hour period, from movie screenings to workshops to live music and everything else.”

Guest Russell Lissau is set to teach a workshop on how to write comics and discuss how to get involved in the industry. An avid comic book writer, the Chicago-area resident got into creating comics about nine years ago while working as a reporter.

“I write about comic books regularly for the Daily Herald, magazines and webzines,” Lissau said. “Through those stories, I got to know writers, artists and editors of comic books, and some encouraged me to pitch story ideas.”

Gathering the courage, the writer pitched a Superman story to an editor at DC Comics.

“He said he wasn’t looking for a Superman story, but he asked if I had anything else,” Lissau said. “Batman has always been my favorite superhero, so I pitched a Batman story, and he liked it.”

Lissau’s comic became a lead story in DC Comics’ “Batman Allies: Secret Files and Origins 2005.” From there, he ventured into “The Batman Strikes!,” “Shrek,” “Strawberry Shortcake” and others.

“Comic books are an American art form that is finally starting to get nationally recognized,” Lissau said. “They encourage literacy, reading and creativity, and to celebrate all those things is really special.”

For more information, visit vegasvalleycomicbookfestival.com.

Contact Henderson View reporter Caitlyn Belcher at cbelcher@viewnews.com or 702-383-0403.