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.

ToonSeum brings together children's tv legends for special panel at New York Comic Con, october 10th

The ToonSeum brings together children’s television legends for special panel at the New York Comic Con

New York: The 2010 New York Comic Con will include a panel discussion featuring cast members from several iconic children’s television shows. The discussion, presented by the ToonSeum, includes performers from Sesame Street, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, The Great Space Coaster,Bear in the Big Blue House, and more.

Children’s TV Legends: A Celebration of Childhood Memories will take place Sunday, October 10th, and will feature these special guests:

Caroll Spinney (Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch of Sesame Street)

Noel MacNeal (Bear in the Big Blue House,Eureka’s Castle)

Jim Martin (Gary Gnu of The Great Space Coaster and Ben from Puzzle Place)

David Newell (Mr. McFeely of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood)

Judy Sladky (Alice Snuffleupagus of Sesame Street)

Joe Wos, Executive Director or the ToonSeum, will serve as moderator.

"This is a rare gathering of children’s entertainment legends, and is sure to bring back fond memories and create moments to share with your own children," said Wos. "The panel represents 50 years of children’s television history on one stage."

The esteemed panel will share stories of their work in children’s television, and discuss their thoughts on the future of children’s entertainment.

The panel discussion kicks off a three month long celebration of childhood memories at the ToonSeum. A new exhibit, The Art of Caroll Spinney, opens on November 5th, and features paintings, cartoons and comics by Mister Spinney. Best known for his portrayal of Big Bird and Oscar, Caroll is an accomplished artist whose fanciful work often features the beloved characters he has portrayed throughout his career. The exhibit opening will be followed on November 6th byKA-BLAM!, the ToonSeum's annual fundraiser.

Children's TV Legends takes place on Sunday, October 10th, from 2:45-3:45 PM. Panelists will appear at the New York Comic Con throughout the weekend event, and will sign autographs at the ToonSeum booth.

The ToonSeum is Pittsburgh’s Museum of Cartoon Art. The ToonSeum booth is supported in part by VisitPittsburgh, and was inspired by the Pittsburgh based Kids and Creativity Movement.

Children’s TV Legends: A Celebration of Childhood Memories
New York Comic Con
Sunday, October 10
Panel Room 6 (1A21)
2:45-3:45 pm
www.newyorkcomiccon.com

The Art of Caroll Spinney
The ToonSeum, Pittsburgh
November 5, 2010 - January 30th, 2011
www.toonseum.org

www.ka-blam.org

For additional information, biographies or interview inquiries please contact:
Joe Wos
412-232-0199
joe@toonseum.com

PIX: Pittsburgh Indy Comics Expo October 16th and 17th

The ToonSeum Announces PIX: The Pittsburgh Indy Comics Expo
On Saturday and Sunday, October 16 and 17, 2010,
The ToonSeum will present PIX, Pittsburgh’s first ever exposition devoted solely to
creator-owned, self-published, small-press, and handmade comics. Admission is free
and the event is open to the public.
PIX will be held at the newly refurbished 17,000 square foot top floor of the Guardian
Storage facility located at 2839 Liberty Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, just outside of
downtown. The event will highlight the heretofore hidden and tenaciously talented
comics artists and cartoonists that are currently flourishing in the Pittsburgh region in
surprising abundance. In addition, PIX attendees can expect to experience examples of
independently produced and published, creator-owned work from around the world.
“This is something that Pittsburgh area comics creators have been asking about for
years, so I’m really happy that we have been able to put PIX together and make it
happen,” said ToonSeum director, Joe Wos.
PIX will run from 10:00am to 5:00pm on both Saturday and Sunday.
Further information can be obtained at the event website: http://www.pixcomics.org.
The ToonSeum is located at 945 Liberty Avenue, downtown Pittsburgh's Cultural District.
The mission of the ToonSeum is to celebrate the art of cartooning. Our goal is to promote
a deeper appreciation of the cartoonists and their work through hands-on workshops,
community outreach, cartoon-oriented educational programming, and exhibitions of
original cartoon art.
PIX is being overseen by ToonSeum partner, The Copacetic Comics Company.