Local Artists Compete Against the Clock in Challenge at Granby Studio

A recent timed challenge at Granby’s saw six area artists each attempt to create a 24-page comic book in 24 hours.

The group of hard-working artists began creating at the studio, located at 518 Salmon Brook Street, at noon on July 28 and worked continuously until noon on July 29. While not all of the participants finished their respective stories, the six creators strengthened their skills, learned new techniques and networked with other local artists.

“It’s not an easy experience,” said Free Lunch Studios co-owner Steve Kanaras, “But it’s a fun one,” said studio president Matt Ryan.

Kanaras said the creators came in without preconceived notions for their stories, crafting them from start to finish in the 24 hours allowed by the event’s rules.

“Each person writes and draws [their own work],” Kanaras said.

The group of six included John Lawson, Ryan McCarthy, Peter Roohr, Ryan, Amelia Schwencke and Zach Zemantic.

Those stories expressed what was on the mind of their creators, with comics ranging from a caper story set in Paris and featuring a clown thief by attendee Ryan McCarthy, to an aquatic quest story featuring a favorite original character called Tenta by Ryan, to, in the words of Kanaras, “a heartfelt coming-of-age message” by attendee Amelia Schwencke.

To finish the story on time, participants had to aim for a completed page each 45 minutes, leaving 15 minutes each hour for corrections, revisions, planning and quick breaks. Those 45-minute pages are quite a challenge, as Ryan said an average, professionally produced page takes between four and eight hours to complete.

“It’s really compressed,” Ryan, a professional illustrator and sequential artist, said.

Participants relied on snacks, especially those containing sugar and caffeine, a strong sense of camaraderie, including helping each other through creative challenges, and what Kanaras and Ryan tamely called some “bizarre conversations” to get through the 24 hours and finish their work.

Kanaras said Ryan’s presence helped the group persevere.

“Matt serves as a mentor to a lot of these people,” Kanaras said. 

Ryan, who has participated in 24-hour comic book days for the past 10 years, said the 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. span is especially dangerous to creators worn down by the deadline grind. He has seen participants drop out and fall asleep exhausted on the couches at the front of the studio during past events, especially during that early morning time period.

Free Lunch Studios, which publishes its own line of comics as well as projects brought to the studio by others, will likely print one of the 24-hour stories in the coming months.

“[Getting published] makes the experience all the more concrete,” Kanaras said.

Kanaras and Ryan paid special praise to Schwencke and McCarthy, first-time participants who completed their stories despite the lack of previous experience.

The studio is registered for the official, nationwide 24-hour comic book day that occurs in October.