Anyone can make a comic. If you don't have any creative ability, it might not actually be any good, but anyone can make a comic. The only obstacle, for most aspiring creators, seems to be time.

Now, Ninth Art is a website about comics, but we tend to steer clear of articles about how to create them. After all, the old maxim is that one should show, not tell.

But with Scott McCloud's 24-hour comic challenge, we had the perfect opportunity to do exactly that. So, we gathered nine willing volunteers and, as per the rules on Scott McCloud's website, we gave them exactly 24 hours to create seven comics from scratch.

The end results aren't intended to show anyone how to do it, but rather to show simply that it can be done.

To get the lowdown on the whole event, read our journal of the event, which took place from midday on August 24th to midday on August 25th. The journal was updated throughout the 24 hours, so you can experience the ups and downs of the entire day, and even get a look at the creators in various states of exhaustion.

The ultimate test of the event, however, is in the end results. So here, for your enjoyment, are Ninth Art's 24-hour comics.

NAILS, by John Mazzeo and Tony Rollinson

John Mazzeo wrote, inked and lettered NAILS, while Tony Rollinson provided the pencils. They were the only participants in the event not to work at the Ninth Art studio in South London, working instead from Mazzeo's home in East London, where they could raid the fridge for beers and watch the football to their heart's content.

NAILS is an East End gangster story about a mother and her son, with the distance between perception and reality represented by the juxtaposition of words and images - a device that probably also helped the pair to work collaboratively. It also kept the panel count relatively low, which is always a good idea when working to a tight deadline! The story's selective use of red is a nice touch that provides for some splendid effects.

MALTESE HISTORY X, by Sean Azzopardi

The rules of the contest state that you can't start thinking about the story you're going to tell until the clock starts ticking. That doesn't mean, however, that you can't draw on old, buried ideas, which is what Sean Azzopardi has done with MALTESE HISTORY X. It's a difficult story to summarise, although Azzopardi himself describes it as 'an alternate history of the Maltese cross'. It combines elements of crime, fantasy, science fiction and war.

The art certainly seems rushed in places, but Azzopardi's sketchy style - reminiscent of Eddie Campbell - allows for it. I'm particularly fond of Azzopardi's depiction of a tank, for which he drew inspiration from an old issue of COMBAT. Azzopardi admits this is the longest sequential artwork he's ever completed. It's 24 pages including the frontispiece.

SOULLESS, by Rich Johnston

Rich Johnston is well know for his weekly rumour column, which has been running for many years in various incarnations, and can now be found at Comic Book Resources under the title Lying In The Gutters. Johnston was actually conducting correspondences for today's instalment even as he created his comic - in a staggering fifteen and a half hours.

Never one to shy from controversy, Johnston's cartoon tale - inspired by the Saturday newspaper headlines - offers an unforgiving look at the branding of 9/11, and features an encounter with a God who most comic fans should find very familiar.

RISE, by Paul Black

Paul Black was only too happy to attempt McCloud's challenge in spite of an admittedly limited artistic ability. You don't have to be Will Eisner to attempt a 24-hour comic; if stick figures are all you can manage, then stick figures are all you need. In fact, McCloud says the abstraction of the stick figure makes them very easy images to identify with.

There certainly seems to be some identification going on in Black's comic journey through the fantasies and realities of a 21st century male youth. Black didn't make it to 24 pages, but he did wrap his story up in twelve. One reason he didn't make it is that he scrapped his first attempt after several hours of work. Another reason is that he kept falling asleep.

ADE TO ZED, by Ryan Richards

Being unable to draw should be no obstacle to creating visually striking comics. Ryan Richards sidestepped pen-and-ink to create a 21st century fumetti, departing the Ninth Art studio early on in the 24 hours to wander around London with his digital camera.

The inventive and experimental approach has netted some impressive results. ADE TO ZED presents the philosophical musings of a homeless man encountered on London Underground, and covers such varying topics as the mathematics of God, the names for masturbation, anti-Americanism and the blood alcohol levels of Jesus - plus, of course, the things that signs tell us to do.

It's the most graphically intense of the comics, so it may load slowly on a standard modem - but the gradual reveal of images and text actually adds something to the experience. In addition to 24 pages of story, Richards has included a cover and a bibliography.

BIG, BIG DEAL, by Lindsay Duff

After insisting he couldn't draw at all, Lindsay Duff surprised us all with his wonderfully silly cartooning. BIG, BIG DEAL is a cheeky - and extremely loose - adaptation of THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER that replaces the pauper with a porn star and replaces the prince with a beleaguered anger management councillor.

By Duff's own admission - as you will read - the story gets a little lost towards the end, but there's some lovely comic touches along the way, particularly from his perky-bosomed porn starlet. And, of course, he does meet the terms of the challenge, pushing the story to a full 24 pages. Farcical, nonsensical good fun.

ANGEL, by Natalie Sandells and Alasdair Watson

The sheer amount of effort Natalie Sandells put into each panel of ANGEL shines through, though it also demonstrates why she only got as far as page eleven. Well, that and the fact that she snuck in a few hours sleep.

Alasdair Watson, suffering from a terrible cold, wrote the script in approximately twelve hours, then went home to get some sleep before returning in the morning to letter the pages and paste in the Tarot card images.

ANGEL is the story of an angel returning from Earth to heaven, and it's heavily inspired by the Qaballah. It would be nice to one day see the story completed, but failing that, we might be able to persuade Alasdair to post the script online.

To read the full log of 24 Hours @ Ninth Art, visit 24.ninthart.org.To comment on the event or the comics, either e-mail me or post your comments to the Ninth Art Delphi forum. Your comments are extremely welcome!

Andrew Wheeler is a London-based entertainment journalist.

This article is Ideological Freeware. The author grants permission for its reproduction and redistribution by private individuals on condition that the author and source of the article are clearly shown, no charge is made, and the whole article is reproduced intact, including this notice.