Up-and-coming comic book artists will have the opportunity to churn out a 24-page comic book in 24 hours during this month's 24 Hour Comics Day.

The event is scheduled at sites around the world. So far there are 82 venues where comic book artists can gather to write and illustrate a comic book, said Nat Gertler, a Newbury Park resident and the man behind the aroundthe-clock event, which was launched in 2004.

Gertler, an artist, author and owner of a comic book publishing company called About Comics, said the event was sparked by his friend Scott McCloud, a Thousand Oaks artist and author who devised the 24 Hour Comics Challenge in 1990.

"Most 24 Hour Comics Day participants never before spent so many consecutive hours doing anything," Gertler said. "The ones who succeed have not only 24 pages of comics and 24 hours of memories of a room full of fun, creative, sleep-deprived folks, but also the pride of accomplishment."

"I think it's just a terrific challenge for an artist to discover what they're capable of," McCloud said. "Whether they do it in a group or alone, there's no way to know what you are capable of until you put it to the test."

McCloud's first 24-page comic completed in 24 hours is "A Day's Work." Apparently McCloud's all-nighter conjured up a pretty weird story, so strange he couldn't quite describe the plot.

The comic-creating marathon bug has spread around the globe. On Sat., Oct. 20, comic book aficionados from Canada, Mexico and Brazil to the Netherlands, In

donesia, Greece and other distant lands will be sketching out art and scheming up plots.

In the U.S., events are scheduled in 30 states. Southern California events are scheduled in Newhall, Santa Monica and Manhattan Beach. According to Gertler, there's still time to host a session. Comic book shops, educational institutions, museums, civic organizations, arts organizations, businesses and other venues are welcome as hosts.

Some requirements apply; visit the event website, 24hourcomics.com, for lists of everything that's entailed in hosting. Hosts need to have a room with tables and chairs, a nap room, restroom and food, and must be near a 24hour convenience store.

Gertler suggests not allowing the artists to drive home after being awake for 24 hours. He even offers "random story seeds" to get an artist's creative juices going.

"'Round about page 19, when cartoonists are worried if they'll finish at all, their characters sometimes fall into a cavern, turn out the lights or get lost in a snowstorm, so that the cartoonist has a page or two that is allwhite or allblack with dialogue balloons, a cheap and obvious trick for catching up quickly," Gertler said.

Artists will do what they must to meet the challenge.

On Oct. 20, Gertler will field calls from all the event locations around the world from his Newbury Park home. He said he'll be available to answer questions about technical points, and will maintain a blog at the website.

As for the folks who don't complete the challenge, Gertler isn't worried about them.

"They have not just the memories and some creative pages, but also a better understanding of what they are capable of and usually a belief that next year they'll pull it off," he said.

Last year more than 1,200 cartoonists wrote and illustrated about 15,000 pages of original comic art, Gertler said.

For further information on event locations or hosting, visit 24hourcomics.com, or call Gertler at (805) 499-4091.