24 Hour Comics dot com

To create a complete 24 page comic book in 24 continuous hours.

That means everything: Story, finished art, lettering, colors (if you want 'em), paste-up, everything! Once pen hits paper, the clock starts ticking. 24 hours later, the pen lifts off the paper, never to descend again. Even proofreading has to occur in the 24 hour period. [Computer-generated comics are fine of course, same principles apply]

A clarification: a true 24 hour comic is done by one person in 24 hours. The point of a 24 hour comics event is that each person is trying to complete a 24 page comic. Working side by side is a matter of mutual support, not mutual effort.

That being said, if you and some collaborators really want to work together in a marathon of comic creation, 24 Hour Comics Day seems a great day to do it!

No sketches, designs, plot summaries or any other kind of direct preparation can precede the 24 hour period. Indirect preparation such as assembling tools, reference materials, food, music etc. is fine.

Your pages can be any size, any material. Carve 'em in stone; print 'em with rubber stamps; draw 'em on your kitchen walls with a magic marker. Anything.

The 24 hours are continuous. You can take a nap if you like but the clock will continue to tick! If you get to 24 hours and you're not done, either end it there ("the Gaiman Variation") or keep going until you're done ("the Eastman Variation"). I consider both of these the Noble Failure Variants and true 24 hour comics in spirit; but you must sincerely intend to do the 24 pages in 24 hours at the outset.

When you're done, send me a photocopy (or link, in the case of webcomics). Yes, this is actually one of the "rules," (sometimes referred to as the "Rumpelstiltskin" rule). Inventor's prerogative! Send your copies (successes and failures alike) to:

Note: if you take part in one of the 24 Hour Comics Day events, the sponsoring store or event host will take care of mailing it in for you. And if you're celebrating 24 Hour Comics Day at home, use this PDF form as a cover sheet to send in your comic and also (if you want) to submit it for possible inclusion in a book.

Thanks, and good luck.

SUGGESTIONS

At one hour per page, some treat the 24-hour comic as a minimalist excercise – how little can you put on a page and still have it be comics – but I like to think of it in the opposite way; how much can you draw in an hour?! If you think about it, the answer is a lot! Figuring six panels per page that's ten minutes per panel. Try it yourself. [Yeah, right now!] Draw a box about 3 inches wide, 2 inches tall, set a timer for ten minutes and see how much you can draw. You might surprise yourself.

As far as planning goes, you can think about it beforehand, but I recommend improvisation as the most satisfying route. Perhaps have some randomizer at startup (like a Pictionary or Tarot Card Deck or a child's picture book of household objects) to actually prevent you from knowing what the story will be about beforehand. The less you plan, the less likely you are to get frustrated.

Some have found the exercise is especially fun to do in big groups. Some even chronicle the food they ate, the music they listened to, etc. Doing it alone can be kind of bleak, but also have a peculiar allure and can feel like a rite-of-passage, crossing-the-desert kind of thing. No, really. I'm serious! Oh, never mind....

My strongest suggestion is: Do it! It's fun, it's exciting, it's mind-altering, it'll teach you all kinds of cool stuff about yourself and – best of all – it's only one day, so what have you got to lose?