ToonSeum Hosts 24 Hour Comic Day

LOCAL CREATORS ACCEPT 24 HOUR CHALLENGE TO CREATE COMICS


PITTSBURGH - Time Tunnel Comics is proud to announce that this year’s 24 Hour Comics Day will be held at The Toonseum, 945 Liberty Avenue, in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District. The ToonSeum, Pittsburgh’s Museum of Cartoon Art, is one of only three museums in the United State dedicated exclusively to the cartoon arts.

"We are very honored to be able to hold this international event at The Toonseum. Many thanks to Director Joe Wos and his staff for their enthusiasm and hospitality," said guest host Patrick Donley of Time Tunnel Comics.

What is a 24 hour comic?
It's a challenge: one cartoonist tries to create a full 24 page comic, normally months of work, in 24 straight hours.

What is 24 Hour Comics Day?
It's an international celebration of comics creation. Cartoonists all over take the challenge of trying to create a 24 page comic story in 24 straight hours.

Barry Linck, creator of Phineus Magician for Hire and survivor of last year’s challenge said, "The Pittsburgh comics scene has always had a great turnout for this annual event. The city has some great talent and really vibrant scene. We are the envy of a lot of artists from larger cities for our 24 Hour Comic Challenges and this year looks to be even better with Patrick Donley hosting at the Pittsburgh Toonseum. Going to be a great time!"

Learning from last year, the 2010 event will begin at 10 am, Saturday October 2nd, and go until 10 am Sunday October 3rd.

"Last year, we started at 3 pm. By midnight, everyone was pretty wiped out," said Donley. "So this year, by concenus, we decided to start earlier so that more creators could participate and get their projects done. I’m really looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with this time!"

Understanding Comics author, Scott Mc Cloud, originally came up with the challenge for himself and artist Steve Bissette (Swamp Thing, Taboo) as a creative exercise. In 2004, writer Nat Gertler organized the international challenge. Over 1500 creators took part in last year’s challenge.

"We had about eight artists stay for most of the time last fall, though many others wandered in and out of the store through the day and night. This year, we have over twenty artists signed up. We’re hoping that this event at The Toonseum will serve as a launching pad for PIX, the Pittsburgh Independent Comics Expo, set for the weekend of October 16th and 17th," said Donley.

Dan Greenwald, co-host of the Comic Book Pitt pod cast, said, "24 Hour Comic Book Day is a fun experience, a great exercise for artists of all skill levels. It's one of those things that you should try at least once, but be warned, you may find yourself coming back for more."
Jon Towers, creator of The Nonstandard Assembly, and another 24HCD veteran, added, "The best thing about the 24 hour comic challenge is to catch up with all the local creators. It is a chance to be inn a really creative environment with really creative people and a lot of caffeine."


24 Hour Comics Day - Pittsburgh begins at 10 am, Saturday October 2, 2010, at The Toonseum, and concludes at 10 am, Sunday, October 3, 2010. The Toonseum will be displaying the finished projects, and many of the creators will be present at the upcoming Pittsburgh Independent Comics Expo. All creators are welcome to participate or just stop by to add their encouragement and fuel the enthusiasm.