4.24.04 IS 24-HOUR COMIC DAY

[MattBrady]

Press Release

The comics community gets a new holiday this April 24th with the introduction of 24 Hour Comics Day, a day to not only celebrate but to engage in the creation of comics. Based on the creative experiment created by Scott McCloud, this holiday encourages everyone from comics fans to big-time pros to try to create their own full 24 page comic book in 24 consecutive hours.

“Most 24 page comic book stories that people buy are the result of literally months of work, when you consider all of the writing, drawing, lettering, and coloring that goes into them,” explains Nat Gertler, publisher of About Comics and a driving force behind this new holiday. “Years ago, leading comics theoretician Scott McCloud invented an exercise where you set aside 24 consecutive hours and try to create a complete 24 page comic book story in that time. Hundreds of people have taken the challenge. Obviously, with an hour per page you’re not going to get the most polished possible work, but in the works people have created there is an amazing strain not only of raw energy but of cleverness, wit, and pure human emotion, plus a surprising amount of grace.”

To help creative individuals participate in 24 Hour Comics Day, various comics retailers across the nation will host special 24 Hour Comics Day events. They’ll be offering creators space in which to work on their comics in a group atmosphere, so that everyone keeps each other’s energy up. Food and drink will be supplied. And while some stores are simply renting some working space in a nearby hotel, others will have the creators actually working inside the store, so that curious fans can actually watch this comics creation taking place. Some shops will even stay open for the full 24 hour period of the event, giving comics readers that rare opportunity to buy comics at 4 AM.

A list of participating stores will be released in February. “When I first planned this,” says Gertler, “I expected three or four stores to be involved. Within 24 hours of having mentioned this event to a group of retailers, more than a dozen expressed an interest – and that’s with most stores not having heard about it yet.” Retailers who are interested in hosting a 24 Hour Comics Day event should email info@aboutcomics.com to get more information.

About Comics is also celebrating this day by releasing a book entitled simply 24 Hour Comics. This book features 9 of the best stories created as part of the 24 hour comics challenge, selected and introduced by Scott McCloud himself. Creators include such big names as best-selling writer Neil Gaiman and long-time Swamp Thing artist Steve Bissette, as well as lesser-known folks who really managed to show their stuff. This paperback, released in the convenient and affordable About Comics Reader Format, is scheduled to hit stores on April 21st, the Wednesday before 24 Hour Comics Day.

Scott McCloud is positively beaming about 24 Hour Comics Day. “For years, people have told me what a great idea the 24 hour comics challenge is, and how they have to do it – someday. Well, the day is coming -- and it’s 4-24-2004, you couldn’t ask for a better date than that!”

24 Hour Comics (ISBN 0-9716338-4-3) is a 240 page black-and-white paperback with a full color cover. 5.5” x 7.75”. Published by About Comics at a price of $11.95 US, the book does include artistic nudity and harsh language, and is not recommended for those whom that would offend. The book will be distributed to the comic book specialty market through Diamond Comics Distributors, FM International, and Cold Cut Comics Distribution, and to the bookstore market by Diamond Book Distributors.

[OM]

...And history will note on this day that some 20,000 fans produced ~480,000 pages of output that prompted Matt Feazell to hire an attorney to file 20,000 lawsuits for look-n-feel infringement on Stickfigure Man :-P

[BriGuy]

Well this sounds cool to me...

[Hdefined]

Wow. Scott McCloud is a very bright and innovative guy. I'll definitely be looking out for this. Keep us updated when schedules for individual stores show up.

[OM]

...Ok, humor aside this time, here's some food for serious thought - and Matty, I expect your input on this as well: Hypothetically speaking, if I were to accept this 24-hour challenge, would it count if:

1) I did my images in Poser, 3D Studio, Lightwave and/or Photoshop, and did the page layout & arrangement in Frontpage as HTML?

1a) What about a simple bitmap drawing program, a la Mike Saenz back in his Shatter days?

2) Am I disqualified if I finish before the 24-hour deadline?

2a) So should Sergio Aragones bother entering if the answer to 2) is yes? :-(

3) Am I disqualified if I import photographic images as, say, backgrounds or key elements?

3a) If yes, does this disqualify anyone from submitting a Fumetti?

4) Are we restricted to our own creations, or can we play with someone else's sandbox?

4a) If the answer to 4) is yes, are we disqualified and castrated if all 24 pages are of Desaad torturing Scott McCloud for not producing any new Zot! material since his online experiment? :-)

[TheFoo]

Originally posted by OM
...Ok, humor aside this time, here's some food for serious thought - and Matty, I expect your input on this as well: Hypothetically speaking, if I were to accept this 24-hour challenge, would it count if:

1) I did my images in Poser, 3D Studio, Lightwave and/or Photoshop, and did the page layout & arrangement in Frontpage as HTML?

1a) What about a simple bitmap drawing program, a la Mike Saenz back in his Shatter days?

2) Am I disqualified if I finish before the 24-hour deadline?

2a) So should Sergio Aragones bother entering if the answer to 2) is yes? :-(

3) Am I disqualified if I import photographic images as, say, backgrounds or key elements?

3a) If yes, does this disqualify anyone from submitting a Fumetti?

4) Are we restricted to our own creations, or can we play with someone else's sandbox?

4a) If the answer to 4) is yes, are we disqualified and castrated if all 24 pages are of Desaad torturing Scott McCloud for not producing any new Zot! material since his online experiment? :-)

Details, details...

[xadrian]

For those that don't like looking for rules

THE DARE: To create a complete 24 page comic book in 24 continuous hours. That means everything: Story, finished art, lettering, colors (if you want 'em), paste-up, everything! Once pen hits paper, the clock starts ticking. 24 hours later, the pen lifts off the paper, never to descend again. Even proofreading has to occur in the 24 hour period. [Computer-generated comics are fine of course, same principles apply]. No sketches, designs, plot summaries or any other kind of direct preparation can precede the 24 hour period. Indirect preparation such as assembling tools, reference materials, food, music etc. is fine. Your pages can be any size, any material. Carve 'em in stone; print 'em with rubber stamps; draw 'em on your kitchen walls with a magic marker. Anything. The 24 hours are continuous. You can take a nap if you like but the clock will continue to tick! If you get to 24 hours and you're not done, either end it there ("the Gaiman Variation") or keep going until you're done ("the Eastman Variation"). I consider both of these the Noble Failure Variants and true 24 hour comics in spirit; but you must sincerely intend to do the 24 pages in 24 hours at the outset. When you're done, send me a photocopy (or link, in the case of webcomics). Yes, this is actually one of the "rules," (sometimes referred to as the "Rumpelstiltskin" rule). Inventor's prerogative! Send your copies (successes and failures alike) to: Scott McCloud Box 115 Newbury Park CA 91319 Then use my forms on the 24-Hour Index Page to get your name listed with the proud and the few! Thanks, and good luck. SUGGESTIONS At one hour per page, some treat the 24-hour comic as a minimalist excercise – how little can you put on a page and still have it be comics – but I like to think of it in the opposite way; how much can you draw in an hour?! If you think about it, the answer is a lot! Figuring six panels per page that's ten minutes per panel. Try it yourself. [Yeah, right now!] Draw a box about 3 inches wide, 2 inches tall, set a timer for ten minutes and see how much you can draw. You might surprise yourself. As far as planning goes, you can think about it beforehand, but I recommend improvisation as the most satisfying route. Perhaps have some randomizer at startup (like a Pictionary or Tarot Card Deck or a child's picture book of household objects) to actually prevent you from knowing what the story will be about beforehand. The less you plan, the less likely you are to get frustrated. Some have found the exercise is especially fun to do in big groups. Some even chronicle the food they ate, the music they listened to, etc. Doing it alone can be kind of bleak, but also have a peculiar allure and can feel like a rite-of-passage, crossing-the-desert kind of thing. No, really. I'm serious! Oh, never mind.... My strongest suggestion is: Do it! It's fun, it's exciting, it's mind-altering, it'll teach you all kinds of cool stuff about yourself and – best of all – it's only one day, so what have you got to lose? Best, --Scott THE ONLINE VARIATION: The above applies to printed comics or online comics with "pages" but if you'd like to try a 24-hour Online Comic that doesn't break down into pages (like the expanded canvas approach I use in most of my own webcomics) then try this: At least 100 panels AND it has to be done, formatted and ONLINE within the 24-hour period!

Sorry for the jumble-ness

[Erik K]

1) I did my images in Poser, 3D Studio, Lightwave and/or Photoshop, and did the page layout & arrangement in Frontpage as HTML?

Sure thing, McCloud has said for a long time that computer is fine. In fact, I think he's working on computers almost exclusively now.

1a) What about a simple bitmap drawing program, a la Mike Saenz back in his Shatter days?

Very retro. See above. Can you even get simple bitmap programs anymore?

2) Am I disqualified if I finish before the 24-hour deadline?

You know, I'm guessing that it's okay, but to quote an old teacher of mine: "If you finished that fast, maybe you didn't do the best job you're capable of..."

2a) So should Sergio Aragones bother entering if the answer to 2) is yes? :-(

Well, maybe Sergio should be required to do a 24 hour graphic novel...

3) Am I disqualified if I import photographic images as, say, backgrounds or key elements?

3a) If yes, does this disqualify anyone from submitting a Fumetti?

Again, knock yourself out. But remember, you can't gather all this stuff in advance. The 24 hours includes writing the script and gathering the materials, with no preparation except making sure you have the tools you'll need. Don't cheat!! WE WILL TRACK YOU DOWN AND YOUR CHANCES OF GOING TO AN IVY LEAGUE COMIC BOOK SCHOOL WILL BE RUINED.

4) Are we restricted to our own creations, or can we play with someone else's sandbox?

We represent all comic book makers, past, present and future. Cease and desist from even thinking about using our creations for your 24-hour hippie comics love-in thingie.

4a) If the answer to 4) is yes, are we disqualified and castrated if all 24 pages are of Desaad torturing Scott McCloud for not producing any new Zot! material since his online experiment? :-)

Scott owns a high-end castration knife. What is your address, please?

[Nat Gertler]

An easier-to-read version of Scott's dare can be found on the new website (so new, we're still polishing off the rough edges): www.24HourComics.com

But I do want to clarify that 24 Hour Comics Day is a creative exercise, not a contest. No one need worry about being "disqualified". If you're worried about whether your comic will be considered a "24 hour comic", the guidelines to that are pretty loose. Basically, if you honestly set out to try to make a 24 hour comic, then what you end up with is considered a 24 hour comic.

I did my entire 24 hour comic last year on computer -- Photoshop and Illustrator on a Mac laptop. I had a scanner on hand in case I wanted to draw something on paper and then scan it, but never used it. I reckon that when I do my second one, it will be all hand-done. (I won't be doing one on 24 Hour Comics Day, simply because I'll be too busy with coordinating efforts.)

[Logan X]

That's a cool idea. I'll probably do that.

[Nat Gertler]

Let me note that now not only is the website up:

http://www.24hourcomics.com/

But we now also have a nice animated flash banner for folks who want to push this event on their website:

http://www.24hourcomics.com/24HCDbanner.html

The initial event site list will be up next month, probably sometime next week. While we're already in talks with dozens of locations, most of which are now definitely aboard, we'd love to have more. If you're interested in being involved in a 24 Hour Comics event, tell your local comics shop and steer them toward the website.