A familiar face in the Foothills was seen at the Lethbridge Comic Expo this year.

Steven Charles Rosia is a local comic artist that grew up in the Okotoks and Black Diamond area.

Rosia says he started his career like most artists, as he was probably a little better than other kids at scribbling in his notebook and his parents told him maybe one day he will be an artist.

"It's probably the worst thing that you can tell your child because he will than grow up trying to make it true," Rosia says.

Rosia says that he was influenced by the area around Okotoks, and if you walk down Lions Park you would notice similar scenes that come to life in his work.

Rosia spent time as a kid at the Paint Works on Elizabeth Street, one of the first places to feature his gallery.

"I know growing up in the area that was always my first stop and I took some classes there, since it has been in the community longer than most other places."

Rosia went to the conference as a representative for a local comic initiative called "Panel One".

"It is a group of comic creators fostering a community of like-minded individuals in the Calgary and Foothills area," Rosia says.

Rosia says that some of his main influences in his writing are famed writers like Scott Snyder and is influenced more by smaller artists instead of mainstream superhero characters from Marvel or DC comics.

For more information about Rosia click here and for more on the initiaitve "Panel One" click here.

Questions, comments, or story ideas? Email us at news@okotoksonline.com