24 Hours @ Ninth Art took place from midday on August 24th to midday on August 25th. What follows is the complete log of Ninth Art's 24-hour comic creation challenge, ordered from start to finish.

12:00pm GMT

The challenge: To create a 24-page comic, from conception to completion, in just 24 hours.

The contenders: Sean Azzopardi, Paul Black, Lindsay Duff, Rich Johnston, Ryan Richards, Natalie Sandells and Alasdair Watson in South London, John Mazzeo and Tony Rollinson in North London, all under the watchful eye of overseers Marysia Kolodziej and Andrew Wheeler.

Your host: Ninth Art.

The challenge was first laid down by ZOT creator and UNDERSTANDING COMICS author Scott McCloud. Previous attempts - some successful, others less so - have been made by Neil Gaiman, Kevin Eastman, Dave Sim, Rick Veitch, Alex Robinson and Erik Larsen. Now it's our turn. The time starts now.

And now, a few words from the patron of the day-long comic, Scott McCloud:

"Please pass along my best wishes and good luck to the participants. ... My daughter - age 9 - just did hers, with no prompting from the old man. Finished with an hour to spare!"

If a nine-year-old can do it in twenty-three hours, we should have no trouble. Right? Stay tuned!

12:30pm GMT

It's started. Up in North London, Tony's lit his first roll-up and John's scheming. Down here in South London we've got Ryan and Alasdair sitting at their laptops, working on their scripts, while Natalie is lying back and listening to music, Rich is hunched over a sketchpad, Sean is marking up his pages, and Lindsay's already working on layouts. Paul has arrived twenty minutes late - but he started work on his script at 12.01 on the train.

Natalie and Alasdair are working together as an artist/writer team, as are Tony and John, so the writers are getting to do all the work at the moment while their artists relax. The workroom is a hive of industry though. We'll see how long they can keep up that level of productivity.

If you have any messages of support for the team, drop us a mail at editorial@ninthart.com. We may be asking for your help later in the day, and around 6pm you'll get a chance to talk to some of the creators at the Ninth Art forum.

We'll be uploading photos of the creators soon, so you'll get to see what they look like here at the start, and you'll get another look at them at midday tomorrow!

2:25pm GMT

OK, the updates should start coming a bit quicker, as most of the comics are really taking shape. Ryan has just left to go take photographs of the Tooting area, where we're based. He's creating a story about conspiracy theories and the homeless, and he'll be illustrating his story with photos placed though a dry brush filter. At least, I think that's what he said.

John and Tony are working an East End gangster comic. They've plotted the story, and they're doing the layouts now. They'll then produce the art and the script pretty much simultaneously. While down here in South London we're pigging out on sandwiches and junk food, they're already knocking back the beers.

Rich has brought along a copy of today's Guardian newspaper and is ripping his story from the day's headlines - quite literally, as the comic's going to involve an element of collage. It's a story about soulless advertising execs, which, he points out, could well be a tautology. He's also taking advantage of Sean's huge 'inspiration' file - a binder full of random images torn from magazines.

Sean, meanwhile, is the only person so far to have come up with a title for his story - Maltese History X. It's an 'alternate history' of the Maltese cross. Like most people, he's so far on page two, though Rich is steaming ahead and working on pages three and four simultaneously.

Paul's still only just starting on the first page of his story, inspired by his home town of Brentwood. He's confident that he'll make it to 24 pages, but at the moment he's spent so much time on the first page script that he's lagging a bit behind.

Alasdair's still not sure where his story is going. It's about an angel returning to heaven, but he says he's not written as much as he'd hoped to at this point, because he's been trying to get all the last minute technical jobs done as well as get his story written. Natalie is similarly worried that she's not pencilling fast enough. She's on page two, but her page one looks fantastic.

Lindsay wins the prize for the most unusual art tool. Not only is he using felt tips and ink brushes, he's also got a huge box of Q-tips. We're not yet quite sure what he plans to do with them. He describes his story as "the prince and the pauper - with porn".

If you want to take a look at the participants here in South London (including Andrew, your humble scribe) as they were at midday today, click here. Come midday on Sunday, you'll be able to compare these pictures with the way they look at the end of it all!

3:30pm GMT

Marysia, who is co-hosting this event with me, has decided to make her own attempt at writing a comic in 24 hours - but she says she's unlikely to want to draw it. So if there's any artists out there who think they might be able to turn the script into a complete comic in just a few hours, she's willing to send you a copy as soon as it's done!

Meanwhile, we have a couple of info requests: Sean would like good photo reference on Neolithic man, so if you can find a good ref on the net, drop us a URL (please don't send any graphics via e-mail). Also, Alasdair needs the name of the angel that John Dee and Edward Kelly famously summoned; she was also called the Enochian angel of the seventh aether and the daughter of fortitude. Once again, the e-mail address is editorial@ninthart.com.

Paul's scrapped his comic and has started again. He's decided if he's going to do this, he might as well have some fun, so his new subject matter is 'violence'. We'll see if this one lasts any longer than three hours. Rich has also taken a violent turn - he's decided to throw a random explosion into his story and see where it takes him.

Since Lindsay's comic is about porn, he has a suggestion for how you can help him indirectly. He wants you to conjure a Grant Morrison-style super-sigil by masturbating over some porn on your computer. It's a big demand, we know, but your help in this matter would be greatly appreciated. If you want to think of Lindsay while you're doing it, well, you can access his likeness at our photo gallery.

The latest word from our Northern hub (technically it's in East London, but that's just overcomplicating matters) is that they've finished the layouts and Tony's pencilling the first page, while John frets over the script.

I was considering doing a comic myself, but keeping you updated and keeping the crowd fed and watered is my priority. Oh, speaking of feeding: Rich Johnston has a PayPal account, so if anyone wants to pay for us to order pizza later tonight, pop over to PayPal and make a credit card donation to twisting@hotmail.com! You know it makes sense.

And speaking of incredible generosity - a big thank you to Lee 'Budgie' Barnett, who has donated the scanner we'll be using to make sure you'll get to see these comics. Without you, we're nothing, Budgie!

4:25pm GMT

Natalie's outside having a fag. She spilt some ink on her page, and she's not happy about it. However, Alasdair believes he's found a direction for his story, and is looking into the Qaballah. Rich, on the other hand, is still a little lost after his explosion, but he's still well in the lead - he's up to page seven. He's hoping to get some kip tonight. (And to write Monday's All The Rage for Comic Book Resources. He has interesting news from Joe Quesada, Walt Simonson and the editor of GI Joe - you heard it here first, folks!)

Sean's also hoping to get some sleep, but his story is still stuck in the Neolithic age. Meanwhile, Paul's nearing the end of his second first page, and he's much happier this time around, even though it's taken him four hours to get this far. Oh, and Ryan has returned from his adventures - he's been up and down the Northern Line taking photos of signs.

Coming up next: Some photos live from the scene.

5:25pm GMT

Lindsay, Rich & Natalie.

Natalie and Sean.

Lindsay and Paul (on the floor).

Rich, working on page six.

Paul, still on the floor.

Marysia has finished her script, but we're still looking for an artist with free time on his or her hands to come forward!

5:55pm GMT

Ryan has so far completed his first page and his cover, but he's not downhearted, as he has all his photo references, and now it's just a case of putting the words and images together. Oh, and writing those actual words, of course.

Rich continues to roar ahead, and now has a firm idea where he's going (he's just been sketching my ankles as a reference). In fact, Rich is getting complacent - he's just put the telly on. Due to Alasdair polluting his 'ideaspace', Rich now got an angel in the story. Speaking of which, many thanks to Warren Ellis, Jon Nagl, Marcia Allass and Stacey Capps for helping Alasdair with his angel research.

No word on Neolithic man, but Sean has improvised gamely by exercising his artistic license ("I applied for one yesterday"). He's now up to page six, and isn't quite sure how he managed it, but he intends to take a fag break soon as the arm on the guy he's drawing "looks wooden, to go with the wooden script".

Natalie's in a bit of a panic, as Alasdair has rushed off to the shops to buy vodka, and she doesn't know where the script is. "Tell him to phone it in," Sean suggests. "God knows I am," Ryan adds.

Natalie will also soon be going for another fag, as she's having one every two pages, and she's nearly finished page four. She's been loudly renouncing stick figures, but Paul has fully embraced them with his 'low-fi' approach. He's now on page three.

Lindsay's in a world of his own, listening to music so loud that he can't hear a damn thing anyone says to him. His porn story is up to page five, but he's already included one Star Wars reference, and will have points deducted later. He's making reasonable time, and he thinks he has the story sorted.

Everyone has a bad back from leaning over for the past six hours, and we'd welcome it if someone could hire a masseur.

7:10pm GMT

Everyone's sore all over, and we're still just over a quarter of the way through. Ryan's suffering especially badly, as his foot went through a walkway on his way here, and his leg bent in an improper way. He's been applying the Deep Heat, but we have to keep it away from Paul and his pervy ways.

Sean has happily escaped the Neolithic era at last and has zoomed forward to the 1920s, although we suspect he's playing fast and loose with Malta's geography. Rich is quickly approaching half way on his comic, but we've yet to scan in any of the pages. That said, the boys in our northern hub have a couple of unlettered pages online that you can check out at the foot of the page.

The latest word from up there is that their friend Nathan has been around to give John a haircut, which is unconventional, to say the least. He's also been cooking the pizzas and acting as den mother, though he'll be heading off to a nightclub shortly. Their biggest problem, though, is that they're almost out of beer, which could put an early end to their creativity. John's main challenge now is getting the dialogue aced, while Tony's having trouble getting his 60s and 70s fashions straightened out. If you know any good websites that'll help him, let us know.

The other collaborative effort sees Alasdair up to page nine of his script (Marysia is feeling very smug that she wrote her entire 24-page script in just a few hours, but no-one's read it yet). Alasdair's script is structured on the Qaballah, but he's having a tough time getting that structure to match up to the 24 pages. Natalie's art is up to page four. It's looking fantastic, but she's worried that it's not moving fast enough, and she's refusing to sacrifice quality (though she may yet sacrifice me).

Ryan's lagging behind on three pages, while Paul's on four. I attempted to begin a story of my own, but I don't think I'll get the chance to do much with it.

If anyone out there has any useful tips for getting through the night in good spirits, drop us a mail at editorial@ninthart.com. The alcohol is flowing freely now, and there's fried chicken and piles of chocolate to devour (Natalie's chocolate truffle roulade is in the fridge, waiting for the time when we'll need it most). That'll get us through the next few hours, at least. But the sky's slowly darkening, and the hardest part is still to come.

8:40pm GMT

Spare a thought for poor Greg Rucka. While we're slaving over hot paper for 24 hours, he's been in touch to tell us he's spending roughly the same amount of time trapped in Arizona, where he's doing a signing. He doesn't seem too taken with the place.

Thanks go out to our volunteer researchers Greg McElhatton, Sarah Harrison, Alistair Kennedy, Stacey Capps and Matthew Craig. We now have a new task for everyone out there. Ryan is collecting euphemisms for male and female masturbation - especially the latter, as he has plenty of the former. So get in touch! (We now have plenty on fashion, angels and Neolithic men! Thanks guys!)

Rich has broken the back of his comic (while everyone else is breaking their own backs), having now hit page 13, with a guest appearance by one Alan Moore. Meanwhile, Alasdair has stolen back from Rich's ideaspace by making one of his characters an ad exec.

Sean's story is now stuck in Malta, looking for a boat to England, and just about everyone is indulging in a few splash pages (which is not a euphemism for masturbation). When Natalie hit a splash page we all cheered, and Alasdair has promised her another one in a few pages' time.

Spirits seem generally high, and most of the comics seem roughly on course, with people actually picking up speed as they find their rhythm. Expect them to flag soon, though. It's dark outside, and there's no sign of a masseur arriving any time soon.

Oh, we're ordering pizzas soon, but for some reason no-one has made a donation to Rich's PayPal account (twisting@hotmail.com) to help us pay for them!

Alasdair and Ryan, plugged in.

Natalie, crashed out.

Paul, as seen from above.

Lindsay, in confessional mood.

Rich being smug, Marysia checking his handiwork.

9:25pm GMT

The scanner's fired up, so you'll get to see the first few pages from South London soon. In the meantime, here's a sneak preview:

Alan Moore, by Rich Johnston.

Natalie's latest works.

Perky breasts, courtesy of Lindsay.

Sean gets spacey.

Paul's 'rustic', 'naïve' approach.

Your humble reporter, and the relative calm of Ninth Art mission control.

10:45pm GMT

You people are marvellous. First of all, a big thank you to everyone who sent us their masturbation euphemisms - especially our friend Sarah, who pointed us in the direction of World Wide Wank. Secondly, a huge thank you to Nich Maragos and Lee Barnett, both of whom made substantial donations to our pizza fund! We now have more pizza than we know what to do with! And we're all claiming we're now comics professionals! You are gods among men.

Marysia now wants someone to send us dancing boys, and Rich wants a car.

On a more practical note, John's looking for a suitable computer font for 'an old lady voice'. So if anyone out there can dig one up and send it our way, we'd be eternally grateful!

John and Tony, with five completed pages in the bag, are taking a break at the moment to watch Premiereship football. Rich has also had to take some time off due to hand cramps - but then, he is up to page sixteen - and Alasdair and Ryan have sloped off to divert some of the pizza fund towards Chinese food.

Rich is up to 16 pages, placing him firmly ahead of Neil Gaiman, who only managed 13. Linds is on page 10, with an average of two dick jokes per page. Paul says he's about to pass out, and Natalie is pretty much inking in her sleep, due to the soporific effects of her chicken pizza. Considering the time, it seems we're all a lot more tired than we should be. How we're going to manage the next thirteen hours, I can't imagine.

Ryan's back! He says the hot and sour soup is surprisingly good.

12:45pm GMT

We've passed the half way mark! And somehow, people are still going. Sean went briefly AWOL, so he has some catching up to do, but he's made the coffee, and even I, a lifelong conscientious objector, am partaking of the vile darkness in order to stay energised.

The big news of the hour is that we now have sample pages for almost all the comics online. You'll have to wait until the morning to see any more, but these pages should whet your appetite. It's a diverse range of stories told in a diverse range of styles - whether everyone finishes at midday tomorrow or not, the results should be worth the effort.

The latest word from John and Tony is that they're at around page eight - but remember, all their layouts are finished already. The lettered versions of their early pages are now online, but they're still subject to revision.

Alasdair has more-or-less finished his script, but is now making revisions so it doesn't smack quite so much of Alan Moore. He's got a nasty cold, and was planning to get some sleep to recover, but the creative bug is having the greater sway at the moment.

Rich has earned everyone's ire by starting work on page 20 - his comic should be completed within a few hours. Lindsay is struggling at page 11 - but he's almost on target. Paul's close behind on page 10, and though he says it's shit, he seems to be enjoying himself.

Ryan's on page nine. We'll have photos of Ryan's nastily swollen ankle on line for you to view later, you lucky people. Sean is attempting to draw the town of Valetta on page nine of his comic, and is regretting it. Natalie's on page seven, and only the promise of black pudding courtesy of our friend Ade - who'll be arriving in the morning to make the breakfast - is giving her any hope at all.

When asked if they were feeling optimistic, the team mustered the energy for a loud snort of derision. All except Rich, of course. The swine.

The journey's only halfway done, and the updates will keep coming - as and when we have the strength and the inspiration. Thank you to everyone who's followed the story so far, and welcome to anyone joining us at this halfway stage in the proceedings!

1:15am GMT

Lindsay at his most studious.

We can no longer tell if Paul is asleep or awake.

The last resort of the exhausted reprobate.

Marysia busies herself at the scanner.

The unstoppable Sean Azzopardi.

Ryan's stubble grows by the hour.

Natalie sneaks out for another crafty fag.

2:30am GMT

England sleeps. So does Natalie, curled up in a corner of the sofa, and so does Paul, who has been fighting sleep for the past couple of hours - but it looks like the fight ended in a knockout.

Rich has gone to get some kip, and Alasdair, still under the weather, has headed home in a cab to rest and revive his spirits. If he's expecting a sleeping Natalie to make much progress while he's gone, though, he's in for a surprise.

Sean is still gamely ploughing ahead - he says this is the only time he's ever likely to do this, so he might as well give it his all. He's on page eleven, and there's a good chance he'll make it, although he's gone from using over a scant few panels to putting tons on every page, which is pretty much the opposite approach to everyone else. Lindsay has become particularly avant-garde and experimental in his page layouts, which is to say he's forsaken structure for a sort of pictorial melange.

Ryan is slowly making his way through the list of hundreds of masturbation euphemisms you people were kind enough to send him. The process may have set him back about an hour. He complained recently that he can't feel his... and then couldn't even remember the name of the thing it is he can no longer feel. That just about sums up the feelings of those gallant few who are still at least pretending to be conscious.

The most recent word from John and Tony is that they're still ticking along and feeling artfully stimulated. Of course, we've not heard anything from them in an hour or so, and given the state of the people here, I'm too afraid to phone them in case I wake them from their slumber.

It feels like we're just waiting for the sun to rise.

4:00am GMT

At fifteen-and-a-half hours into the challenge, Rich Johnston completed his 24-page comic. 'Soulless' will be available to read in its entirety here at Ninth Art later on today. Needless to say, Rich is enormously self-satisfied about the whole thing.

Word from John and Tony is that they're still plugging away, and though they may be slowing down, they remain confident that they'll make it. With eight hours left to go, there's actually still plenty of time, but it's whether there's any willpower left that's the question.

Just about everyone here in South London has caught some shut-eye, but the kettle's on as we embark on the final third, and the race is afoot once more. Sean and Lindsay have actually kept going throughout, and Lindsay is now on page 15, and Sean has also crossed the half-way mark and is busy on page thirteen.

Paul has finally returned to us, but he says he never meant to fall asleep, and he now doubts he's going to get to the end of his opus. He's made it as far as page eleven, though. Ryan's on page twelve, and when asked if he thinks he'll make it, he gives the standard reply: "We'll see". (Actually, Sean's reply to the question was, "I'll keep going until I... until I..." - and then he trailed off.)

After a brief revival for chocolate roulade, Natalie has begged our leave once more. She says she'll be back around 5am, but there's now really no question of her completing 24 pages, so we're just hoping to see her get to 12.

It's cold outside, and we've drawn shut the windows. It's the depth of night, but we're highly caffeinated and we're taking no prisoners.

5:30am GMT

We've reached that point in the proceedings where people are giggling deliriously from the combined effects of sleep deprivation and alcohol. Tony and John have completed up to page 11. Lindsay's made it to page 17, and though he claims his standards are slipping ever further, he should make it to the finish if he resists the temptation to get a few hours of sleep.

Sean's grip on reality is getting tenuous, but he's up to page fifteen, and Ryan guesses he's in roughly the same place. They both look to have a reasonable chance of making it to the finish. Paul's stuck back on eleven pages, though, and Natalie has only just this moment revived, having resisted Rich's previous attempts to wake her.

The sun's coming up, and the birds have started their morning song. Including the damn crows from the graveyard. Rich is attempting to get everyone to watch The Iron Giant on DVD, but I'm damn well putting a stop to that.

7:45am GMT

The updates may be a little short and infrequent, but even California probably isn't checking in on our progress very regularly right now, and, of course, since we're into the final few hours, there isn't a huge amount to tell. I'm chomping chocolate and guzzling juice to keep myself innervated, but we're all on our last legs. Even the unsinkable Sean Azzopardi is getting woozy, and my last message from the boys in the East End claimed that their computer wallpaper was talking to them.

Ryan's up to page 19. I haven't had a look at his stuff in a while, but what I've seen certainly looks interesting: a philosophical fumetti largely inspired by London Underground. Sean's Maltese saga is on about page 17, but he says he has a trick up his sleeve to save him some time on the final few pages.

Lindsay's broken through to 20 pages for his bawdy sex comedy - probably 21 as I write this - and should certainly get the job done. It also looks like Natalie should hit the halfway mark on Alasdair's occult story, as she's now finished her tenth page. It's just a shame that her schedule's apparently too tight for her to be able to finish whatever pages she doesn't complete today any time in the near future.

Paul's given up completely and gone back to sleep. Still, what there is of his comic is funny stuff, and fully embraces the idea that anyone can attempt this challenge - he's done the whole thing with stick figures, and it works.

I've read John and Tony's pages up to 15, and it's shaping up very well indeed - they've even added some colour. Whether they'll really get the last nine pages done in time remains to be seen. And, of course, Rich's comic is long since finished, and while it's not available for you to read just yet, I can promise it'll be worth the wait - although it's bound to touch a few raw nerves.

One thing you can say about the output from tonight: It's certainly diverse.

Alasdair's just arrived back from his warm bed to start lettering his comic. With any luck, we'll also be able to get a few more pictures - and even a few more pages - put up soon.

8:30am GMT

Yawn!

Ryan's nastily swollen right ankle.

A rare shot of Paul awake.

A much more common sight: Paul asleep.

9:30am GMT

We're into the final three hours, and Ade has yet to arrive with the promised breakfast, so Natalie's eating cold pizza and Paul is risking last night's special fried rice. Marysia - the only person who I allowed to get a full night's sleep - is now making up for it, scanning in the comics. With any luck, we'll have most of it done by midday.

Speaking of which, here's the current state of play. Lindsay, with the aid of some desperate padding, is on page 24. Ryan has also reached his final page. Both could be finished within 22 hours total. Sean is still on page 21, and with just over two hours to go we're confident he can make it. Paul, back from the dead, is working on his twelfth page, and we've decided the only way he's going to meet the challenge is if we cut all his pages in half.

Natalie is still back on page ten or eleven, but it's been a noble attempt. Maybe she can cut her pages in half as well. Alasdair's computer is rebelling against him, but once he has it tamed, the lettering will get under way. Tony is pencilling page 21, Mazzeo is scanning and writing dialogue, and they remain convinced that they'll get to 24 complete pages in time.

And this just in: Ade has now arrived and has been put to work in the kitchen. Lindsay has finished his final page and is going back to work on his backgrounds. Everything's going suspiciously well.

10:35am GMT

Final hour and a half. We're all enjoying Ade's traditional fried English breakfast. It looks like being a beautifully sunny day, and the sunshine has recharged everyone's batteries. For people who've had little or no sleep, we're in surprisingly high spirits.

It also helps that we're almost done, of course. Lindsay and Ryan are applying the finishing touches, Sean's been studying foetuses for his big finish, Tony's laying out page 23, and Alasdair and Natalie plan to wrap their story up on page 11. Even Paul is sort of on his penultimate page.

It's been one hell of an experience. Would we suggest anyone else give it a go? Well, we'll get back to you on that one.

11:55am GMT

We're still waiting for Alasdair to finish lettering, and we still have some uploading to do, but our time is almost up, so if you click down to the comic listings you can view the two comics that made it in ahead of our midday deadline - SOULLESS, by Rich Johnston, and BIG BIG DEAL, by Lindsay Duff.

NAILS, by Tony Rollinson and John Mazzeo, ADE TO ZED, by Ryan Richards and MALTESE HISTORY X, by Sean Azzopardi, are all complete and met the challenge, but we haven't uploaded them yet. You can view a sampling of each of these, though, as well as the unlettered version of ANGEL, by Alasdair Watson and Natalie Sandells. ANGEL comes in at just eleven pages, but they've managed to give it an ending, as you'll see when the lettered version is uploaded. We also have Paul Black's RISE to come, which is only 24 pages long if you cut each page in half.

And that's how to make a comic in 24 hours.

Stick with us - we'll have those final uploads done within the hour.

12:00pm GMT

And it's all over!

1.30pm GMT

This is the final update. All the comics are now online. If you have any comments on any of them, please visit the Ninth Art forum or send a mail to andrew@ninthart.com and I'll pass your comments on. As well as the comics, you can also check out the photo gallery to see a comparison of how the contributors looked at the start of their journey, and how they all looked at the end!

Today's comics were brought to you by the number 9 and the letter A, and by the careful application of the following controlled substances:

Chinese food.

Chocolate.

Coffee and pizza.

We owe a great debt of thanks to everyone who went scouring the web to help us with research, and everyone who sent us their good wishes and helped buoy our spirits during those long hours. Extra special thanks once again to Budgie - for the use of his scanner and the donation of pizza funds - Nich Maragos, Warren Ellis, and our most dedicated researchers, Stacey Capps and Sarah Harrison.

My personal thanks, as well, to the creators. It's been one hell of an undertaking, and there were times when I was really flagging, but you made it all worth while.

That's the end of 24 Hours @ Ninth Art. Have a nice day.

Jump to top

Please note that while Ninth Art generally endorses the principle of Ideological Freeware, the author of this article wishes to reserve all rights, and the article may not be reproduced without the author's express written permission.