Apple tree, apple tree, oh my little apple tree

A few variations on 24-minute comics.

Doubler, based on the words 'apple' and 'wizard' AND 'nomadic wasp' and 'x-men'.

The tripler variation, based on 'apple' and 'wizard' AND 'nomadic wasp' and 'x-men', AND 'poodle' and 'awkwardness' (cheatingly, inked and coloured waaay after the 24 minutes):

And finally the particularly unusual write-two-words-then-when-it-gets-picked-ignore-the-other-word-that-gets-drawn-with-it variation, based on 'nomadic wasp':

Ewww. Educational.

Finally, a jam comic:

Over-Powered Freaks (VARIOUS)

Well.

Apologies for the delay. Scanning has been occurring so let's get this show on the road again!

A vague jam (not totally sure who was involved) from aaaages ago, showing Paper Jammers' remarkable insight into the superhero genre.

Imagine seeing this lot in the next summer blockbuster.

Collaborative Minicomics in the Pub, May 2012

We sat around a table, some of us drank beer, some of us ate food.

We talked above the noise of the bar.

We folded some paper, did a little tear in it and turned it into 8 page mini comics.

We put words into a hat, and the combinations drawn out were 'super/desperado shirts' and 'homeopathy bean'.

For 2 minutes we each drew a cover (see above), and then we passed the paper to our left. Some of the things then drawn on paper were frankly obscene (see snippets below).

And we're not sorry, WE SHALL DO IT AGAIN!

More images here.

BMX Jester (Paul Thompson)

Based on word association on facebook, a 24 minute* comic in which I try not to draw horror. Yup, I'm nicking facial elements from Oscillating Brow - that's the best way I can think of to start to learn how to do the comic minimalism funny.

*not technically within the rules as I was thinking of ideas while I was cooking and facebook was making words. Drawn in 24 minutes. Whaddaya want?

Detective comics condensed (Oscillating Brow)

Something doodled last year at the Whitley Bay book festival.

COFFEE AND COMMUNIST CATS (AND THE X-MEN) (MIKE THOMPSON)

Mike Thompson, one part of our glorious two-headed Leaderbeast, did this 24-comic that manages to cram in "cats", "communist" and "coffee", as well as everyone's favourite boarding school mutants.

And as if this wasn't enough, he also did me this lovely drawing of Frank Castle, The Punisher.  I don't know if that was his idea of a sexual advance, but it worked.

- Andy

SMOOTH AS A MONKEY'S BOTTOM (BEN CLARK)

Another beauty of a 24-minute comic from Ben Clark, rescued from behind the counter at Travelling Man. This one was so long ago that I don't remember the themes that were drawn out of the hat. I think they were "smooth" and "monkey's bottom", but I can't be sure.

Anyone?

- Andy

SUGAR GLIDER (GARY BAINBRIDGE)

A bit of a break from the 24 minute comics here, this is the result of learning about Sugar Gliders earlier in the week and reading a couple of graphic novels by the wonderful Darwyn Cooke. For those of you keeping score, the comics in question were The Spirit and Parker: The Hunter, which is possibly the most satisfying comics adaptations from a novel I've read. You really should invest.

So understandably, a marsupial themed, Darwyn Cooke inspired superhero appeared in my sketchbook during that comics night.

Cheers me dears.

- Gary

PIE! CHART! (BEN CLARK)

To kick things off here's a very funny 24-minute comic from Paper Jam member and small press star Ben Clark which he left at the shop and I rescued/stole.

To explain the already quite self-explanatory format, the 24 minute comic is a speedier variation on the popular 24-hour comics day, where comic creators do a strip for every hour of a day. In this case we restrict ourselves to one comic completed within 24 minutes. Random words and phrases are written down and popped into a hat, then two are pulled out to form the inspiration for the strips. It's a quick and refreshing way for comics types to test their imagination and drawing power and a way to get a comic strip done without slaving away at a drawing table for days on end.

The phrases pulled out this time were "pie chart" and "starting now!".

- Andy