24-hour Comics and Beyond was spawned from Mel's entry in last year's Philippine 24-hour Komiks challenge and was originally entitled 'Astigin', a play on the theme of the contest 'Bakit Astig ang Pinoy' (Why are Pinoys awesome?). The author was not able to finish his comics within the time limit for the competition but he opted to continue 'Astigin' and release it as a stand-alone indie.
The indie came in a green cover with standard photocopied insides. The art is standard Mel fare with homages from a number of art styles ranging from classic Pinoy to cartoonish to manga. The original 4 pages seen in the Philippine 24-hour Komiks challenge website were enhanced and the remaining 20-pages were completed by the author, telling the tale of a Pinoy warrior in an international gladiatorial match that will determine who's the best in the world. The Pinoy warrior is pitted in the finals with America's representative with whom he had an tumultuous but otherwise successful battle with. Thus, the author was able to stick to the theme and give a very gripping and dynamic story at the same time with the action never letting down up until the very end of the story.
I have to say that if Mel Casipit could have finished his story in the 24 hour contest, he could have earned a spot in the top ten. Nevertheless, he was generous enough to share 'Astigin' in the form of 24-hour Comics and Beyond, an act that truly worthy of merit among komiks creators here in the Philippines.
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