Ruptured Troll Shoppe of Curiosities

As part of this Kickstarter, we thought it would be interesting to ask Chris Perguidi a few questions about his character, Erika Amerika, and what drives Chris to diligently work to create a world and numerous other supporting characters for his comics. Chris’s characters and the saga of the Yellow Wizard play a big part in the Cthulhu Crisis Kickstarter and it is his group of artists and the combined talents of Chris, Steve Crompton and Ken St Andre that help bring it all to life in these upcoming comics and games – all with a connection to Zimrala and the City of the Gods. Its part of a shared universe that Ken and Steve are creating with the help of people like Chris…

So, Chris, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got interested in comics.

Chris Perguidi: “I’m from a family of comic fans. My great uncle Lucky was involved in the underground scene of San Francisco in the 60s and seventies. My grandmother was an avid collector of pop memorabilia, and My Uncle Billy had a sizeable comic collection and I shifted through them as a boy. After my Mom had a severe head injury, an old boyfriend tried to kill her and tossed her down the stairs to cover it up (she is fine now); I was sent to live with my grandparents and stayed in her old room. My Grandparents lived way out in the countryside in an old junkyard. I read the adventures of characters like Batman and saw that he used his trauma to improve himself so that he didn’t have to be a victim. He didn’t let his Traumatic experience turn him bitter, he used it to strengthen his character and protect people around him. People miss the point of Batman. He’s not out for revenge and wants to ensure what happened to him does not happen to anyone else. My Mom now owns a vintage store with comic books and related goods. “

Did you get to meet many comic artists and creators because of the comics shop?
Chris Perguidi: “Yes, a bunch, and we used to go to all the conventions to sell off our goods. There’s a sizeable comic community in the Bay Area, but I met most people who inspired me while we were selling at the conventions. Jhonen Vasquez came into the store several times, but I doubt he’d remember. I also met Don Levine, Creator of G.I. Joe. We met a lot of people on the convention circuit, Including Stan Lee and Brian Pulido. I actually had one of the earliest comic book podcasts that also ran on local cable, and it is now on YouTube.”

Do you see a connection between comics and wrestling?:
Chris Perguidi: “Indeed. They’re both visual mediums featuring muscle men (and women) in costumes fighting the forces of evil. I’ve always thought of them as extensions of one another. There was a wrestler in the 80s called Sgt.Slaughter;
He was also a member of the G.i.Joe toy line, which had a cartoon and comic he appeared in. He also appeared in the Super Mario show. It created a grand experience that blurred the lines between reality and unreality. A multi-media experience that allowed you to meet your comic/wrestling heroes. It’s almost a mystic experience. The comedian Andy Kaufman was great at this. Something I’ve strived for in my work .”

Tell us about your wrestling career:
Chris Perguidi: “I was trained at PWR (owned by Gabe Rameriez) wrestling, Dragons Den 209 in Lodi, and Takedown; They are Considered the top schools on the West Coast, among many others. My trainers included Kafu Santos (who trained Batista in Marvel films), James Calderon, Robert Gray (Who was a bronze bomber in WWF), and a ton of the top trainers in California. I also trained in MMA and Tae Kwon. Many people I trained alongside became T.V. stars like Shotzi, Thunder Rosa, and Jungle Boy or just considerable stars in the local circuit Like Matt Freeman, C.J. Dirt, and Michael Sean. I mostly wrestled in the Lucha circuit, where I held five different titles after I sustained an injury(it’ll be healed soon); I appeared in a discovery documentary on lucha Libre which was the first wrestling show filmed in 8k and 3-d; I was in a film with Andy Dick as a Wrestler which might become a T.V. series (we hope). I’m semi-retired and now run a wrestling promotion with Matt Freeman and manage my daughter, a wrestler; she was trained by the same people who trained Bayley.”

How did you come up with Erika Amerika? What inspired you to create her and the other main characters in your comics?
Chris Perguidi: “There is no short answer to this, but I’ll give as brief an answer as possible. The first version was created when I was inspired partly by my friend Patch Bruno and the games we played as kids inspired by Island of the Blue Dolphin, Conan, and Tarzan. This is why Erika is half-Italian, and another Childhood friend, a native American girl, would dress as Pocahontas, and I’d dress as Wolverine, and we’d explore the junkyard together. She disappeared (not in the junkyard), and I’ve never been able to find her again. Other influences are nightmares I’d have about the Virgin Mary fighting Transformers and Daleks, which are most likely influenced by the plot of the Terminator and stories my grandmother told me of her youth and love of native culture and a Native Girl she was friends with that’d take her on adventures. My sister and I came up with the name From a McDonald Pocahontas figure. We glued to a G.i.joe lady Jay’s body and called “Erica America. “We had her go on adventures inspired by the games I’d played with Patch Bruno. I still have drawings of her from circa 1998 and a few mini-comics. Years later, I was Drawing Erica America at my friend Peter’s house. His sister saw it and said, “It’s Erika with a “K.” I realized she thought it was supposed to be of her, and
I changed the spelling. Though it only influenced the spelling of her name.

When I created Erika, I wanted her to be the best friend I never had, A friend to all people, the ultimate big sister who knows the best stories and could teach you all the tricks to get by in this crazy lonely world. Always dependable. She is serious because she has to be there to fix the world. She won’t die or abandon you. She’s got your back even when the odds are against you. If she dies, she’ll be back, and the adventures will return. Maybe she’s real, and I keep her secrets. Perhaps I’m waiting for her to return.”

Tell us about Vampirooni and her creator, Randy Vogel:
Chris Perguidi: “Randy was a unique specimen; never was there before or since someone as genuinely unique as Randal Vogel. My friendship with him would take whole books to cover. He was friends with my Mom while they were growing up, though I learned this later. I thought he was two different people for some time, but that’s another story. Randy was a local celebrity in the Bay Area. He is a sort of modern Emperor Norton; Everyone Has a Randy Story. He Created the Character Vampirooni, an Egyptian girl who became a rebel vampire and a club kid in the 80s, 90s, and now. He liked my character, Erika Amerika, and we planned a cross-over in 2007 or earlier. We never really did anything with it. He disappeared for some time, and we promoted it again in 2011 with posters; we got a separate cross-over out with another publisher. He was pouring out ideas too many to put in one book! I became overwhelmed with the project and handed it off to Steve, and it’s becoming CthulhuCrisis: Rise of the Yellow Wizard. Randy was an all-around creative genius. ” (Editor’s note: Sadly Randy passed away in 2023 and he is greatly missed, But Vampriooni lives on in this series along with art that Randy did for this book.)

What is it like working with Steve Crompton on the Cthulhu Crisis project?
Chris Perguidi: “It’s been an honor to work with Steve Crompton; He saved this project. My grandfather had many Demi the Demoness comics in his auto shop at the junkyard, unconnected to Randal. So Demi was always around. These sorts of Syncronocities sort of start to add up, and when they do, you know you’re headed in the right direction. Steve has done so much to take mine and Randal’s insanity and make it something legible while adding his own unique words and art to the mix. I am grateful to Steve for getting this out, and I know Randal would be, too. It’s been a tumultuous 13-plus years, but Steve has stuck with it. He’s been very generous with his time and talent .”

What did you think of Ken St Andre’s Monsters! Monsters! RPG and the work of Zimrala?
Chris Perguidi: “Incredible. Ken St.Andre is a legend in the RPG world, and working with him is a massive boon to my career. The depth he puts into his fantasy worlds is unmatched, and it truly immerses you in the game. I appreciate him allowing us to play in his world and cross over our worlds with him. If you are a fan of his, this is something you need to have.”

Do you have any other thoughts or comments about this Kickstarter or the audience in general?
Chris Perguidi: “If you don’t get this comic, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life !” LOL

Check out our Kickstarter which is active till April 27th 2024! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stevecrompton/cthulhu-crisis-comic-and-monsters-monsters-rpg-adventures