An IT worker who moonlights as a comic book writer, Charlie McElvy credits a stint on the TV competition show American Ninja Warrior with helping him find his superhero alter-ego: Spider-Squirrel.
McElvy was a contestant in the show’s tenth season in 2018. While filming his audition video in 2016 at a local gym, McElvy caught the attention of two kids who were debating about what kind of animal he most closely resembled.
“One kid thought I was like a spider and the other thought I looked like a squirrel,” he said. “They got into an actual heated argument and I told them I’ll just be the Spider-Squirrel.”
McElvy worked with artist Ray-Anthony Height to develop Spider-Squirrel into a comic book character with influences from characters such as Spider-Man, Daredevil and Nightwing. Since its debut in 2021, “Spider-Squirrel” has gained a dedicated audience and is McElvy’s most popular creation to date.
While the story of Spider-Squirrel is set on the University of Richmond’s campus, several of the books include nods to Fredericksburg. On one cover, two characters argue over the merits of pineapple on pizza while holding fliers for local slice joint Benny Vitali’s. The iconic Carl’s ice cream sign appears on another cover. He said he chose Richmond over Fredericksburg for one simple reason: the quantity of high-rise buildings.
Originally from Hampton Roads, McElvy and his family moved to the Fredericksburg area in 1998. Six of his seven children were born in the area.
But comic book success didn’t come quickly or easily for McElvy. His first attempt came in 1997 when he gathered an art team, only for it to be hired away by CrossGen Comics after producing just five pages of work. CrossGen was bought out by the Walt Disney Company in 2004 and re-established as a short-lived brand within Marvel Comics in 2011.
Undeterred by the false start, McElvy tried again in 2007 with a book called “The Watchguard,” which he co-created with veteran comic book artist Andy Smith. The book was heavily influenced by popular superhero groups like the Avengers and The X-Men. The Watchguard Sourcebook followed in 2009 and became a role-playing game supplement through Mutants and Masterminds and published by Green Ronin Publishing.
A lifelong comic book fan, McElvy’s notoriety has grown over the last 12 years. He’s produced five issues of “The Scintillating Spider-Squirrel,” with a sixth set to be released through Xion Studios. This year, he debuts his latest creation, “American Yakuza” and will be a featured guest at the upcoming Fredericksburg Comic-Con on July 12.
“American Yakuza”, a murder mystery set in Japan, is the story of a retired mixed martial arts fighter-turned-philanthropist who investigates the death of his friend.
McElvy made his protagonist African American and collaborated with a pair of Black indie comic creators, Chris Moses and Anthony Stokes, to nail down the character’s personality. Moses and Stokes share ownership of the book with McElvy and have raised over $20,000 in separate campaigns on Kickstarter to produce the series for a five-issue run.
In addition to the characters and plot, McElvy also contributes his knowledge of the Japanese language and writing to the story.
“I want my creations to be my creations,” he said. “I don’t think I’d ever be as fulfilled or satisfied as working on my own or working with another indie comics team.”
If You Go
Fredericksburg Comic Con
Saturday, July 12
10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Fredericksburg Convention Center, 2371 Carl Silver Parkway
More than 200 vendors, artists, authors and crafters. Plus special guests: John “Dak” Morton, Mike Federali, Mike Hawthorne, Tim Shinn, Kat Maus, Bill Maus, Charlie McElvy and more.
Tickets $18.10-$28.45. Kids 10 and under free with purchase of day, weekend, or VIP pass.
McElvy also commented on the recent dissolution of Diamond Comic Distributors, one of the largest English-language comic book distributors in the world. Diamond was the sole distributor of comic books in the 1990s and held a monopoly for nearly three decades. Today, companies such as Penguin Random House, Lunar and others have broken the monopoly while Diamond has been acquired through bankruptcy by Universal Distribution and Ad Populum, whose brands include pop culture toys and designs.
McElvy considers the situation an inflection point, which, he said, many in the business saw coming. He attributes Diamond’s situation to its inability to grow and other businesses disrupting its monopoly.
He’s in the process of signing with Philbo Entertainment Promotions to distribute his books.
“Diamond suffered the innovator’s dilemma,” he said. “They weren’t even on electronic digital catalogs for a long time, well after the internet was established. That should have been the first thing they did.”
