How COMICPANEL’s legacy and today’s hunger for collaboration could spark a new era for Nigeria’s comic industry
Every year, comic creators around the world take on the audacious mission: produce a 24-page comic in 24 hours. Known as 24-Hour Comic Book Day, it’s a test of speed, imagination, stamina—and a great equalizer: no budgets, just grit. But for Nigerian creatives, today’s challenge carries both urgency and legacy: COMICPANEL (Nigeria’s comic awards and community hub) was one of the earliest organizers of 24-Hour Comic Day in Lagos, back in 2010. That act of pioneering says something powerful: we once dared ourselves before—and we can do it again.
Honoring a Legacy, Inviting a Reboot
Back in the autumn of 2010, 24-Hour Comic Book Day’s website records that Lagos was among the global cities to host the challenge—organized under the COMICPANEL banner. That early courage planted seeds in Nigeria’s creative soil: it showed that local creators could match international ambition, even under tight time constraints. Now, 15 years later, that same spirit calls us back.
By repositioning 24-Hour Comic Day as a national (or pan-African) festival again, COMICPANEL is issuing a dare: not just to individual creators, but to the entire industry. Can we rally teams, build workflows, and push out stories in a single day?
Why Nigeria Needs This Revival
The systemic challenges plaguing Nigerian comics—piracy, patchy distribution, funding gaps—won’t shrink because of a single event. But 24-Hour Comic Day offers a tactical advantage. In a landscape where long waits kill readership, this format demands action. It forces teams to storyboard, script, draw, color, letter, and publish quickly—no room for perfectionism excuses.
Past local comics like Mumu Juju, DARK EDGE, or even earlier issues of Strike Guard faltered when gaps formed in release cadence. That erosion of trust often cost studios their readership. By training creators to deliver under pressure, the 24-hour model builds muscle: we rehearse consistency in micro-form before scaling up.
Collaboration Over Isolation
Many Nigerian creators toil in silos—writers, illustrators, colorists separated by geography and opportunity. But a 24-hour challenge centers teamwork. You’ll see Lagos, Port Harcourt, Aba, Enugu creators co-writing. You’ll see illustrators mentoring rookies mid-challenge. You’ll see skills transferred. That cross-pollination matters more than a polished final page.
Imagine this: a digital room where the writer in Kano, the artist in Lagos, and the letterer in Ibadan drop into voice chat at midnight, pushing each page ahead. Just like the original Lagos event 15 years ago, this re-revival would mean more than comics—it would be a creative renaissance in motion.
What It Teaches Us
- Deadline discipline: In Nigeria, missed deadlines are too often tolerated. This challenge doesn’t allow that.
- Iterative mindset: You learn which scripts are too ambitious, which layouts are too dense, how much color is realistic—fast, before sinking huge resources.
- Showcasing raw talent: Sometimes the best ideas are born in urgency—not overthinking but executing.
- Audience re-engagement: Fans love the drama of creation. Streaming pages, live polls, progress reels—suddenly readers become invested in the process, not just the outcome.
A Call to Arms: How You Can Join
- Get a team: Writer + penciler + inker/colorist + letterer (even if one person wears multiple hats).
- Pick a time slot: A 24-hour window this December (for 2025, perhaps aligned with COMICPANEL Awards).
- Publicize: Use hashtags like #Naija24hrComics, livestream segments, post in comic communities.
- Submit & celebrate: At the end, COMICPANEL can host an online gallery or in-person showcase event, rewarding creativity with spotlights, prints, and community prizes.
The Bigger Picture
We’re not just making weekend comics. We’re training a generation. We’re rewriting what it means to tell African stories—fast, collaborative, bold. The 24-Hour Comic Day revival doesn’t just challenge artists—it challenges perceptions about what Nigerian comics can do, how fast they can evolve, and what they can demand from readers, sponsors, and the world.
Because creators, your time is now. Fifteen years after the first Lagos 24-hour event, it’s time to prove again: we can match global standards not just by mimicking others, but by reminding the world we have stories worth racing.