The 24 Hour Comics Day event in Guelph, ON, was featured in the Guelph Mercury. The event was held in-store at The Dragon, who sponsored their local event.

Send along your own 24 Hour Comics Day stories.

Article written by: Greg Layson
glayson@guelphmercury.com

GUELPH — Adam Donaldson and fellow up-and-coming comic book artists tried to cram a month’s worth of work into 17 hours Saturday.

Donaldson, founder of The Guelph Society of Comic Creators, and four other locals tried their hands at the 24-Hour Comic Challenge, a friendly international event that sees artists of all skills and ages try to each create a 24-page comic in a day.

Donaldson said the average comic spans 22-24 pages and is published on a monthly basis. So, basically, the pros have a day to work on each page.

“Sometimes, they crank out two in a month,” Donaldson said.

Saturday, the aspiring artists had less than an hour to work on a page.

The Dragon, located in Old Quebec Street Mall, was the host in Guelph — one of seven Canadian sites — and allowed the artists to stay until 1 a.m.

“The energy level was surprisingly high first thing in the morning,” said Donaldson, who arrived around 8 a.m. and was still sipping coffee a few hours later. “But you start to feel the drag a little at dinner time.

“That was the point when people were getting up and walking around the store, maybe reading some graphic novels, looking for inspiration.”

The event drew curious onlookers and part-time participants. But three dedicated people, including Donaldson, lasted until midnight before packing up. Donaldson said some artists had family commitments and left early. And one finished 24 pages early.

“We’re used to sitting down for a couple hours and working on some pages. And then, when you don’t feel it, you go away and refresh,” Donaldson said. “The unique nature of this contest (was) to push through that desire to put aside that piece of paper.”

Donaldson said everyone had their own approach to the contest, for which there was no official winner.

Donaldson readily admits the artwork isn’t his forte. He’s more of a story teller. He had been toying with a story idea — “a sort of fantasy meets superhero idea” — prior to the challenge. Rob Whyte decided to work on the fly upon his arrival. And Walker Haines took the first couple hours to plan his attack. He then hit a speed bump after killing off one his main characters less than five pages into the project.

“This was definitely a unique challenge,” Donaldson said. “But to the credit of everyone, they stuck with it.”

Donaldson said he and The Dragon owner Jenn Stewart are already talking about hosting the event again next year. Donaldson is already toying with the idea of inviting special guests.

“Guelph has a number of graphic novelists and illustrators,” he said. “Jenn was so extraordinarily supportive of the event. She’s up for just about anything that helps the medium.”

The Lulu Awards recognizes the the people and projects that helped to open eyes and minds to the amazing comic and cartooning work by and/or about women.

Voting for the Lulu Awards is open to the public.

To vote, send your selections (one from each category, including Hall of Fame) to Friends of Lulu along with your full name, by Monday, October 19. One ballot per person, please.

There are a lot of great Canadian talents listed on the ballot who are deserving of the attention the Lulu Awards bring.

The Nominees are below:

Kim Yale Award for Best New Talent

(must have first published work within the last three years)

Kate Beaton, Hark, A Vagrant

Liz Baillie, My Brain Hurts

Mariko Tamaki, Skim

Madeline Rosca, Hollow Fields

Kathryn Immonen, Hellcat

Sabrina Jones, Isadora Duncan: A Graphic Biography

Tracy White, Traced

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Lulu of The Year

(awards the creator/s, book, or other project whole work best exemplifies Friends of Lulu’s mission)

Shaenon K. Garrity, Skin Horse

Lynda Barry, What It Is

Danielle Corsetto, Girls With Slingshots

Nate Powell, Swallow Me Whole

Mariko and Jillian Tamaki, Skim

Terry Moore, Echo

Jessica Abel, Life Sucks, Drawing Words and Writing Pictures

**********************************************************************

Woman of Distinction

(nominees work in the comic industry in non-creator roles such as editing, publishing, reporting, or retail)

Joanne Carter Siegel, widow of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel

Gina Gagliano, Marketing Associate at First Second Books

Jackie Estrada, Eisner Committee & Exhibit A Press

Francoise Mouly, Editorial Director of Toon Books

Mimi Cruz, owner of Night Flight Comics

**********************************************************************

Leah Adezio Award For Best Kid-Friendly Work

Korgi, Christian Slade

Sardine in Outer Space, Emmanuel Guibert and Joann Sfar

Gary the Pirate, Scott Christian Sava

Rapunzel’s Revenge, Shannon, Dean & Nathan Hale)

Stinky, Eleanor Davis

Tiny Titans, Art Baltazar

Hereville, Barry Deutsch

**********************************************************************

The Female Cartoonists And Comic Book Writer’s Hall Of Fame

(formerly, The Female Cartoonists Hall Of Fame)

CLAMP for Chobits, Kobato, Cardcaptor Sakura, and many many more

Tove Jansson for Moomin

Natsuki Takaya for Fruits Basket

Gail Simone for Wonder Woman, Secret Six, Birds of Prey

**********************************************************************

Best Female Character

Monica Villarreal, Wapsi Square by Paul Taylor

Kimberly “Skim” Keiko Cameron, Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

Rapunzel, Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon, Dean, and Nathan Hale

Barbara Thorson, I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly & JM Ken Niimura

Mirka, Hereville by Barry Deutsch

Melanie, Melody by Ilias Kyriazis

Julie Martin, Echo by Terry Moore

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About the 2009 Lulu Awards:

This year’s nominations were chosen by a panel. Members of the panel include:

Brigid Alverson – writer, editor, columnist, and blogger
Jennifer Babcock – comic book historian and creator
Abby Denson – writer, cartoonist, and teacher
Cheryl Lynn Eaton – blogger and writer
Chris Eberle – comics retailer
Karen Green – academic librarian and columnist
Robert Randle – purchasing assistant manager, Diamond Distributors

Friends of Lulu is a national organization whose main purpose is to promote and encourage female readership and participation in the comic book industry. Among the goals of the organization are:

1. To increase female readership of comics

2. To promote the work of women in comics

3. To offer networking opportunities and general support to women in comics

4. To facilitate communication among women and men who share the organization’s purpose

In the issue Incredible Hulk #602 Bruce Banner and Skaar take a trip to Legends Comics & Books, winner of the 2009 Harry Kremer Award for Best Retailer.

Examine Panel 2

...and compare to this interior shot of Legends Comics & Books

Of course Legends is located in Victoria, British Columbia and not Arlington, Texas.

Story by Greg Pak, Fred Van Lente
Art by Ariel Olivetti, Michael Ryan
Colors by Ariel Olivetti, Guru-eFX

Credit to Funny Book Babylon.