All in the Timing

Page from Patrick Joseph's Now

For those artists who participated in the recent 24-Hour Comics Day, the reward was in the work they produced while taking on the creative challenge of trying to create a 24-page comics story in 24 hours. (See Wayne Alan Brenner's "In Person," Arts, May 14.) But for Austin's Patrick Joseph, whose locally produced work includes the mini graphic novel Mondo Simian (with Justin Colussy Estes), the Peanuts parody Slacknuts, and Pornocopia: Filthy and Anonymous, there's a little lagniappe: His story, NOW, illustrating important moments in his life that led him to where he is today, has been chosen for the anthology 24-Hour Comics Day Highlights 2004, being published by event organizer About Comics. The 496-page collection will include work by Paul Smith (Leave It to Chance), Christian Gossett (The Red Star), and Josh Howard (Dead @ 17), plus professional and amateur creators from around the country.

Joseph was one of about 40 artists who spent the day (and night) at Austin Books & Comics – the largest turnout of any comics shop in the country. He says that the experience of writing and drawing for 24 hours wasn't as grueling as you might think. "I did go into it very determined to both finish and get published," he admits, "so I planned a bit. The idea for the actual story popped into my head right before bed the night before, so I didn't walk in totally cold. What made the day go smoothly was the support of various friends that stopped by with pep talks and food. I imagine it was not unlike running a marathon. In fact, that's how I described it to people that didn't quite get the idea of the challenge that was involved."

If you want to talk challenges, try learning that you're one of only 24 creators nationwide whose work will be published in this commemorative collection. "Getting the news that I was in the book last week has been alternately thrilling and terrifying. More so than the original experience of creating the work," Joseph says. "I've been creating and self-publishing comics for years. This is the first time I've been accepted into something that wasn't part of an amateur press collective. It's my first work that will have a spine, a distributor's catalogue listing, and royalties attached to it. In light of that, I am freaking out a bit." Here's hoping he calms down by July when the $24.95 anthology hits the stores – and Austin Books plans to hold a booksigning event with their local hero.