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 stores
already enlisted to host events can be found here.
“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@24hourcomics.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.
Found in 1997, About Comics is
a small publisher whose select list of titles are not limited
by the usual categorization of the comics field. Working with
some of the most respected names in comics, About Comics publishes
titles ranging from traditional superhero material to all-ages
humorous graphic novels to adult-themed prose material aimed at
comics fans. For more information, go to www.AboutComics.com |