SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – Comic books can spark a reader’s imagination taking them to places they’ve never been before. A local comic book shop is creating a new initiative to connect comic book fans with creators.

One artist is hoping to share how art turns into a story while overcoming a challenge of his own.

“I’ve always drawn and I have a background in fine art and painting but I’ve always just loved comics,” Comic book illustrator, Victor Alpi said.

Comic books are Alpi’s passion. He’s a 2015 graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design looking to make his mark in the comic book industry.

“It’s a lot of hard work. You basically just have to make pages. I’ve decided I’m going to make a terrible book instead of like the perfect book which is what I’ve been wanting to make,” Alpi said.

He’s getting the chance to do this project through the Comic Artist-in-Residence Program at Neighborhood Comics in Savannah.

“For us, what that means is to have a local comic book artist work in the store for a month on a personal project or a project for a publisher and interact with customers,” Owner, Lee Heidel said. “And show them literally and actually what goes into creating a comic book.”

The program will give Savannah-area comic book illustrators a chance to interact with the public by showcasing their skills, works in progress, commission opportunities, and selling original artwork.

It takes a lot of detail and a close eye to make sure the art turns out perfect, but Alpi’s eyesight is making that a challenge.

“I’ve had days where I can barely see what’s in front of me,” he said.

He dealt with astigmatism throughout his life on top of other eye problems. Alpi had eye surgery to correct the problem and is hopeful it halted the loss of his eye sight.

“Getting to the drawing table and not being able to see is like my worst nightmare,” Alpi said.

He’s powering through to create characters and storylines he hopes fans will love while sharing art and culture with the community.

“It’s a really great place, really good energy, and it’s getting bigger and bigger by the day. I just wanted to draw comics while in a comic book shop,” he said.

Different local artists will share their work each month at Neighborhood Comics. Artists can still sign up for the program.