My First Finished Comic

I have to admit, I'm a lousy finisher. Great beginner--but when the shine wears off a project, I usual find another distraction. That may be why I never actually finished a comic book. I've had plenty of ideas, and there have been times in my life when I was drawing all the time. But something about the layout, the boxes, all the pre-planning--I dunno, something, kept me just doodling, not pushing it through.

Anyway, that changed. A couple months ago I saw a flyer for a comic book event to be hosted at the Loft in Minneapolis, at the Minnesota Book Arts Studio. The event: 24-Hour Comics, hosted by a bunch of fellow comic book makin' folk, The Cartoonist Conspiracy Minneapolis Local. I'd first read about 24 Hour Comics on Scott McCloud's great site--the idea is for an artist to come to the table with very little, maybe just an idea for a comic, then sit down and do a full 24 pages in a 24 hour stretch. The event would last from 10 A.M. on a Saturday til 10 A.M. on Sunday.

I admit, I cheated a wee bit. I do a lot of collage, so I showed up with my lil' thrift store suitcase full of supplies and a sheaf full of weird old photocopied etchings. If the photocopies were considered an undue advantage, nobody cared. I looked over the mountain of munchies folks had donated, and the pillar-sized coffee urns, and grabbed a chair.

I lucked out--my table mates--whose names I have unfortunately forgotten at the moment--were great. We shared glue and scissors, just like good second graders. Table Scissors, we called them. Table Glue. And after a while they even started giving me some images they found in comics or magazines they had lying around.

"Can you use a weird Hindu god of war?"
Hell, yeah I can. Table War Gods.

About midnight, after we were all juiced up on caffeine, one Fine Fellow (I'll remember his name soon) goes out to his truck and returns with a cooler of beer. Table Beer.

You'll probably be able to tell where in the comic this odd mix of alcohol, intense drawing, caffeine, and loopiness takes hold . . . hint: Teeth Critters.

Okay--this has gone long enough for an Intro to Anything. What will follow is the result of that day, a full 24 page comic (if you count the covers) that sort of starts a series I have been thinking of. It's called Bonestorm. Thanks to all the nice folks at the 24-Hour Comic day for giving me a meaningless deadline that I could actually meet, and thanks to whoever may be looking at this for being curious.

Be well.
David