A man dressed in Elvis Presley garb while fighting a chupacabra sounds like a totally unimaginable situation, but it's perfect fodder for a scene in a new comic book created by a local artist.

Big Jackson Vol. 1: Opening Act, the brainchild of Steve Mardo, follows Big Jackson, an Elvis impersonator who fights wild monsters and crazy circumstances while he does gigs at shabby, shady bars. The story is largely inspired by Mardo's love of music and ’80s films. Plus, he said, it was just a funny character to depict.

"People have celebrity worship this day and age, and he was an interesting person in general. I thought it would be out there and weird to have an outlandish music icon be part of the book," he said.

Mardo was born and raised in Warwick. Though he left for a while to pursue education at the School of Visual Arts in New York and Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston, he returned to the Ocean State. Today, he is a full-time freelance illustrator who has worked on illustrations for children's books, Motif magazine, Rhode Island Monthly and magazines in Boston. He also contributes to Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles, which has pop culture exhibits.

Mardo had come up with the character of Big Jackson for a school project, and the idea stuck with him. He recalled the comics "boom" in the ’90s and visiting comic book stores as a boy. He had always wanted to do comics when he was younger, but realized when he was older that the art form wasn't largely popular in the mainstream. Today, however, Mardo has observed that comics has become a massive industry, largely thanks to the popularity of Marvel and DC Comics films. In addition, he has seen Kickstarter and the Internet allow for readership to diversify. A book like Big Jackson probably wouldn't have flown 10 years ago, Mardo said, but such a concept is no longer a foreign idea.

"I think the culture has grown a lot since I was a kid," he said. "The word 'geek' meant something different than it does now."

Big Jackson was originally self-published in black and white under Mardo's label Angry Baby Comics (this name was inspired by his daughter Gwen, who was "angry at everyone" when she had colic as a baby; she'll turn two next month, and Mardo said she's much happier now). He and his team brought the book to different comic conventions, where he said it got good reviews and feedback. He is eager to share it with even more readers.

"I'm very excited myself. It's a very original idea and I'm not just saying that to be cliché. It's not your normal comic book hero type of book," Mardo said.

Mardo is crowdfunding an effort through Kickstarter to get the first volume of Big Jackson published. He is seeking to raise $5,270, which will in part go toward paying the talent that helps put together the book. His team consists of writer Steve Viau (Mardo said Viau wrote the second half of the book on his own), letterer Rob Jones, colorist Guilherme Lindemberg Mendes, and guest artists Rich Pellegrino and Simon Kercz.

Mardo has been speaking with comic book retailers in hopes they will carry it on their shelves and/or purchase it wholesale from his website. The success of his Kickstarter will play a role in whether the book is picked up to be sold. Mardo cares a great deal about having local support, saying it is imperative to his work.

“If I can’t get support from my own backyard, why is the rest of the world going to care?” he said.

To help fund Big Jackson, visit www.kickstarter.com/projects/bigjackson/big-jackson-vol-1-opening-act-graphic-novel?ref=nav_search. The project must raise all $5,720 by April 3 at noon in order to be funded. For more information on Mardo and his work visit www.stevemardo.com.