Annual comic book event calls for turning creativity loose – and feeding it lots of caffiene.
Got creativity?

Try creating a comic book – turning out a page an hour – during the fourth annual 24 Hour Comics Day on October 18. This international celebration of comic book creation involves cartoonists from around the globe taking on the challenge.

An artist concentrates on her work during last year’s marathon

You can bring your paper and pencils/pens to Brave New World Comics,

Caffiene helps fuel the artist’s body

More than 1200 cartoonists in 18 different countries celebrated 24 Hour Comics Day in 2007, when more than 15,000 pages of comic book art were created, the equivalent of 57 years of a regular, monthly comic book.

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"24 Hour Comics Day is a great way to see the creative process in action!" said Atom! Freeman, who co-owns Brave New World Comics with his wife, Portlyn. The couple took home the prestigious Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award this year for their role in supporting the medium of the graphic novel both within their community and in the industry.

Some books are a family affair, like this father-daughter artist team

Of course, winning an award like that comes with responsibilities. Atom! now serves on the national organizing committee for the annual event..
"24 Hour Comics Day is really a worldwide live art project that, in most cases, the public is encouraged to view,” he said.

To date, more than 3,000 cartoonists have taken part in the challenge.

An artist flips the pages of his book

“It’s a creativity marathon,” said Portlyn. “The idea is to put away everything you know, everything you’ve ever thought about what it takes to create a comic book, put your pencil on the paper and just go. Turn off your brain and turn on your creativity. The goal is creating 24 pages of a comic book in 24 hours. It doesn’t sound like much in the first four to six hours, but about hour 14, it gets a little tricky.”

Pencils to paper, they work through the night

Portlyn added that fans and friends of the artists have turned up in the middle of the night to see what progress is being made. One year the event coincided with a winter formal at Hart High and they had couples in prom dresses and tuxes at 3 a.m. looking over the shoulders of the creators.

For updated information regarding locations and events tied to 24-Hour Comics Day, please visit www.24hourcomicsday.com.