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Last Sunday, I threw on my Zelda T-shirt and headed out to attend Comic Book Ink's 24 Hour Comic Book Day. The event, which is in its second year, was organized by C.L.A.W. (the Cartoonists' League of Absurd Washingtonians) in order to raise money for their student scholarship fund.  Amateur and professional illustrators alike were invited to participate in the challenge: to complete a 24-page comic book within 24 hours.  The madness started at 10 a.m. Saturday morning and didn't conclude until the same time Sunday.

I, freshly established intern and comic-book novice, arrived during the final hours (7 a.m.-ish on Sunday) hoping to learn a little about how comic books are created, but more hoping to see grown men in full fantasy costume. 

This was my first time ever in a comic book store.  And I have to admit I've made fun of those who are "into that sort of thing." Generally, I lump them in the same category as those who dress up for Harry Potter movies, and those who prefer hentai to real porn.  But, I was ready to cast aside all previous judgments and explore the comic book world with an open mind.   

I entered Comic Book Ink and took in the enormous wall of colorful action figures, realistic Spiderman weaponry, and a long line of comic books.  At 7 a.m. it appeared as though I'd missed most of the action (and all of the spandex).

C.L.A.W. member Mark Monolux

I was immediately greeted by a very friendly and enthusiastic staff. I'm not sure if their enthusiasm spurred from their love of the Weekly Volcano or if having a female want to talk to them was just that much of a rarity. Comic Book Ink owner, John Munn, gave me a quick tour around the mostly empty shop, telling me, "The party peaked at around 3 a.m. with about 25 people, which was a lot more than last year."

"The whole point of the event is to raise money," Munn continued. Between a crystal skull mug stuffed with small bills and a Paypal account setup for donations, C.L.A.W. had already raised a total of $734.40 - more than doubling last year's total. The donations are granted to students attending or just graduating art school.

The biggest draw of the event, besides the warm fuzzy feeling of donating to a good cause, was watching the comic writers at work. Several tables were lined up in a large corner of the store, and in the 22nd hour only five comic writers remained. They sat diligently sketching on electronic pads and drawing in notebooks, pausing only for coffee, and also, thankfully, to talk with me.

James Stowe, freelance illustrator and full-time cake designer ("If you've bought a cake at DQ, chances are I designed it," he told me.) set up a live feed on Ustream so anyone interested could watch his comic scenes unfold.  Stowe took suggestions through the website, Mad-libs style. Some creative suggestions he incorporated into his storyline included: "bearded dragon" and "wedgie corset."

Guest star Clayton Crain, best known for his work on Ghost Rider: Road to Damnation, Venom vs. Carnage and Sensational Spider-Man (vol. 2), according to a quick Wikipedia search, labored out a tedious design for an upcoming Marvel comic book. Just how tedious? He'd cranked out three pages in 22 hours.  But it was three pages of the most graphically intricate work I've ever seen.

So, what did I learn from my maiden exploration into the comic book world? Are comic book writers nerds? Hell yes. Probably the nerdiest of nerds. But DAMN, are they talented. These guys are imaginative writers, talented illustrators and masters of technology for the medium.

Intern Julie Holt punches a Comic Book Ink employee.

The bottom line: If you missed this year's Comic Book Ink marathon, make sure you mark next year's calendar. The talent is beyond, the action figures aplenty, and tights and capes are optional ... but highly encouraged (by me).