24-Hour Comics Day 2011

Finland: 24hcd gallery (not comprehensive)

2011-10-13T01:59:00.000-07:00

http://24tuntiasarjakuvaa.info/main.php

Liminka School of Arts (Finland) presents Sisko Hiittenkallio's 24 pages...

2011-10-06T11:41:00.000-07:00

...because she translated the story in english:

(By the way, she drew that all without sketching.)

Post-event update from Greece

2011-10-05T08:27:00.000-07:00

Photos of the 24HCD event at ComicWorld Editions in Greece here!

Schwarwels neuer Schweinevogel-Comic vom 24-Stunden-Comic-Tag

2011-10-03T08:06:00.001-07:00

Die ersten 6 Seiten auf http://www.schwarwel.de/?p=6039

Schwarwels Tagebuch vom 24-Stunden-Comic-Tag

2011-10-03T08:03:00.000-07:00

http://www.schwarwel.de/?p=5973#more-5973

Liminka School of Arts, Finland, final report:

2011-10-03T03:40:00.000-07:00

Picture: Juho Nevalainen

from 11.00 am 1.10. to 11.00 am 2.10.2011:

64 participiants started
39 finished their 24 pages

24 Hour Comics Day 2011 in Seattle

2011-10-02T20:30:00.000-07:00

We had a great 24 Hour Comics Day in Seattle, at the Phinney Center this year. We had a great group of people this year including Randy Wood, Tom Dougherty, Breanne Boland, Marc Palm, Nikki Burch plus a few others working remotely. Henry Chamberlain coordinated the event again this year at the Phinney Center and thanks the center for the use of its venue. Henry also established a contact with the Experience Music Project and their new horror exhibition: "Can't Look Away: The Lure of Horror Film." We all created comics with a horror theme in honor of the event. Here is a video recap on CNN iReport.

Thanks from Montpelier, Vt.!

2011-10-02T18:16:00.000-07:00

I was way too tired (and my laptop battery way too low) to do a final post when we finished up at 10am this morning at Montpelier City Hall. Our event this year was a huge success, with more than 20 people taking attempts at 24-Hour Comics, about half finishing successfully and many, many amazing comics drawn.

Above is a page from Ed Epstein's gorgeous and moving 24-Hour Comic story.

We also had a great media coverage for the event, including this story in the Times Argus and Rutland Herald newspapers. And tomorrow morning - at the crazy time of 6:20am - I'm being interviewed live in the studio at WCAX about the 24-Hour Comic challenge!

We had so much fun. Thanks to everyone who made this event a success. See you next year!

24 Hour Comics Day Is Over In Albuquerque

2011-10-02T12:21:00.001-07:00

All done in Albuquerque — another great 24 Hours Comic Day in New Mexico has successfully concluded.

Thanks to the 7000 BC members who worked so hard to put this all together; Media Arts Collaborative Charter School for hosting; Winning Coffee Company and Downtown Java Joe's for their food donations; Astro-Zombies, Comic Warehouse, and the new Kaboom Test Labs for their prize donations. And, of course, to all the participants who made this such an amazing time.

Chuck was liveblogging the day; check out hour-by-hour updates and photos at:

HOUR ONE: And So It Begins…

HOUR TWO: The Wheels are Turning…

HOUR THREE: The Fun Continues…

HOUR FOUR: Moving Right Along…

HOUR FIVE: Raffle Winners!

HOUR SIX: They Say a Picture is Worth 1000 Words…

HOUR SEVEN: And a Few Thousand More

HOUR EIGHT: PIZZA!!!

HOUR NINE: Some Words of Thanks!

HOUR TEN: Still Cookin'

HOUR ELEVEN: Still More Raffle Winners!

HOUR TWELVE: We're Halfway There!

HOUR THIRTEEN: And They Say the Arts are Dying in America?

HOUR FOURTEEN: The Kids!

HOUR FIFTEEN: Getting Closer…

HOUR SIXTEEN: We're Still Here…

HOUR SEVENTEEN through NINETEEN: Z-Z-Z-z-z-z…

HOUR TWENTY: Almost at the Home Stretch

HOUR TWENTY-ONE and TWO: The Final Raffle!

HOUR TWENTY-THREE: The Finish Line

HOUR TWENTY-FOUR: It's All Over, Even the Shouting…

2011-10-02T10:34:00.000-07:00

Scenes from The Short Box's 24 hour comics event, hosted by the fantastic folks at The Darjeeling Cafe in historic Staunton, VA, and organized by the amazing Megan Hillary.

The event included art supplies for those who needed them, coffee stations, and chair massages by massage Kristine Sensenig.

For more information about the events, check out the Staunton Newsleader's article or the WHSV story.

Thank you to everyone who helped us and participated in this event. It was an amazing experience. Also, thank you www.24hourcomicsday.com for all of your thoughtful insight, especially that survival kit - that was a good call.

When in Staunton, Virginia, please be sure to stop in to The Short Box comic book shop (3 Lawyer's Row - 540-887-3366), and treat yourself to some gourmet vegan cuisine and sumptuous teas at The Darjeeling Cafe (103 W. Beverley Street, 540-886-2851).

Finished at Muhos , Finland

2011-10-02T09:50:00.000-07:00

Finished at Muhos , Finland with 29 participants and 13 complete comics.

Into the home stretch in Albuqurque

2011-10-02T09:38:00.000-07:00

That's Chuck, the documenter of the Albuquerque 24 Hour Comics Day event. After the power nap, he's got plenty of updates at the blog, and pictures of completed comics.

Watch all the 24 pencil made sketches!

2011-10-02T07:35:00.000-07:00

They are online, freshscanned at my page!
here is some samples - Watch all the others!

Follow the link: www.vargie.blogspot.com

Watch #24HCD unfold on Twitter

2011-10-02T06:49:00.000-07:00

Over the last few days, artists across the globe have been posting 24-Hour Comics Day updates and links to their comics on Twitter! It's a wonderful opportunity to see some of the 24HCD comics and to be part of events everywhere.

Congratulations to the artists who finished up yesterday! We're in the final hours of many 24HCD events which started Saturday afternoon. You can do it, superstars!

HOUR 20 in Kitchener, ON, Canada

2011-10-02T04:43:00.001-07:00

Hour 20.

Wrap up after the event in Madeira Island (Portugal)

2011-10-02T04:34:00.000-07:00

Officially, we just finished our 24 HOUR COMICS DAY in Madeira Island @ 10:00 AM.

After gathering all the comics drawn and statistical information we concluded the following:
- This year we had 43 participants, 20 male, 23 female
- Of these 43, only 6 created a 24-page comic in 24 hours
- All contestants created 318 pages during these 24 hours, some of them with outstanding quality - and using several sizes and techniques: from watercolors to pencils and india ink. Colored comics, Grayscale, Black and White, Collage - with several themes, from romance to philosophy.

Everyone enjoyed the event, and here is a photo of the "survivors" that were present at 10:00 AM today, when we wrapped up the event. Such a wonderful crowd!

We hope to do an exhibition later this year, showcasing all the artwork created during this event!

Thank you for such a wonderful experience! Lots of hugs to all of you from Madeira Island!

Comic Combo Leipzig

2011-10-02T01:06:00.000-07:00

One hour to go in Portugal...

2011-10-02T00:51:00.000-07:00

... but there is something we all agree about 24 HOUR COMICS DAY, as we show in the following video!

Half of our participants finished their stories (some achieving the goal of 24-pagas, others with smaller stories) - and we are getting ready to publish the final page and story count in an hour when we finally wrap up the 2011 event!

Now starting hour Eighteen...

2011-10-02T00:25:00.000-07:00

My slow progress! --Kristin

It's just 3 a.m. as I check in here...

We've dwindled to a small group, but Jim Gorman is the first to have completed his 24 page story, and is getting ready to start another. Yep, he's going to try and keep his original goal of getting two 24 page stories down on paper in one 24-hour session. That's twenty-four pages in six hours if he can do it. Jim wins his pick of the Canson Fanboy prizes either way.

Rocky's Pizza arrived with fresh fresh pizza pie earlier this evening, which is a wonderful motivator year after year (Thanks John & crew!) the box of snack treats from Sweet Clover Market is a never-ending treasure-trove (I'm now hooked on orange & rosemary flavored pecans...) Delicious coffee from Phoenix Books & Cafe has lasted us these past eighteen hours. We tip our hats to you all!

24 HCD from NORWAY :D

2011-10-02T00:18:00.000-07:00

Follow me drawing LIVE from Norway :D

Now I´ve got just 14 hours to go!!

www.Justin.tv/vargie
www.vargie.blogspot.com
www.vargie.deviantart.com

Watch live video from vargie's channel on Justin.tv

Eight hours to go!

2011-10-01T22:48:00.000-07:00

There's about a dozen of us left drawing comics at Montpelier City Hall with eight hours and ten minutes left in the challenge. It's still a quiet, studious bunch, but I'm sure everyone will loosen up when the wackiness of the 3-5am stretch hits. Anyway, I'm halfway through my comic and listening to Joy Division on my iPhone. Whatever keeps you going!

Liminka School of Arts (Finland) by night

2011-10-01T22:23:00.000-07:00

About 60 drawing people in several buildings finishing their 24 pages from Saturday 11 am. to Sunday 11 am.

Escape Velocity Comics, Colorado Springs, CO

2011-10-01T22:01:00.000-07:00

I stopped by Escape Velocity in Colorado Springs for their 24-Hour Comics Day event to speak with the artists who are taking the challenge. They're hard at work, 9 hours into the full 24.

Good luck, all of you!

Almost 4 Hours to go in Madeira Island (Portugal) ...

2011-10-01T21:57:00.000-07:00

... and some of our artists were able to finish their 24-hour comics! From A3 Comics to Pocket Comics, we've had great stories created here today. Here are the covers of the 5 completed 24-pages-comics done until now!

Hour 13 in Williston VT

2011-10-01T21:17:00.000-07:00

Bob, Kira and Geoff

Bob, Kira & Rick (tilt your head)

Rick's storyboard (what was that little scribble supposed to be?)

Greg, inking in progress

Reverend Jim: Copic!

Geoff, nothing distracts him

Kira, going from paper to screen to paper

HOURS 6-12 in Kitchener, ON, CANADA

2011-10-01T20:56:00.001-07:00

We're currently down a few people...but we'll keep going. XD

Past the half way point in Montpelier, Vt.

2011-10-01T20:01:00.001-07:00

Wow, we are now in hour #13 in Montpelier's 24-Hour Comic challenge. We've lost a handful of participants, but most people are going strong on their comics. There's plenty of coffee on the burner, bagels to be tasted, chocolate to be eaten and a few pieces of cold pizza hanging around.

One of the cool aspects of doing 24-Hour Comics at such a public venue (we're in Montpelier City Hall and most of the cartoonists are drawing in the City Council chambers) is the steady stream of locals coming in to see what the fuss is all about. So far, everyone has been blown away by the talent.

See you again in a few hours!

Lone Star Comics Arlington

2011-10-01T19:15:00.000-07:00

One third of the way through, here are some close-ups of some of the artwork so far!

Albuquerque Underway!

2011-10-01T18:39:00.000-07:00

24 Hour Comics Day in Albuquerque is well underway at Media Arts Collaborative Charter School, with around 40 participants hard at work on their comics as of about 3 hours ago. Regular updates are posted at Chuck's liveblog of the event; in a spectacular bit of poor planning we haven't quite worked out how to share content over here.

Lone Star Comics Arlington

2011-10-01T18:06:00.000-07:00

Our hungry artists were thankful to Pizza Hut for generously donating some pizzas for the event!

24 HCD @ Dragon's Lair Comics & Fantasy in Austin, Texas!

2011-10-01T17:56:00.000-07:00

Everyone is hard at work on their comics! We are up to 45 people working now!

Um zwei in der Comic Combo Leipzig

2011-10-01T17:52:00.000-07:00

24 Hour Comics Day 2011 at Lone Star Comics Arlington! 13 participants signed on for the challenge!!

2011-10-01T16:55:00.000-07:00

24 HCD @ Dragon's Lair Comics & Fantasy in Austin, Texas!

2011-10-01T16:41:00.000-07:00

We have a whopping 37 people here participating in 24 HCD! We had a late start time of 5:00 pm due to restrictions on our events here at the store, so we are thrilled to have this many people show up to burn the late night oil and work on their comics!

24HCD in Kitchener, ON, CANADA

2011-10-01T16:02:00.000-07:00

Artery Gallery in Kitchener: Hours 0-3...still going strong!

Schwarwel & Schweinevogel zum 24-Stunden-Comic-Tag

2011-10-01T14:26:00.000-07:00

Schwarwel zeichnet seinen neuen Schweinevogel-Comic in der Comic Combo Leipzig.

www.schwarwel.de

24-Stunden-Comic-Tag in der Comic Combo Leipzig

2011-10-01T14:24:00.001-07:00

Schwarwel, Hirntot Comix, Zenker und Artur

Almost hour #7 in Montpelier, Vt.

2011-10-01T13:39:00.000-07:00

Wow, everyone is quiet here at Montpelier City Hall!

The cartoonists are working silently on their comics in the City Council chambers. There are about 20 of us in total now. I've only gotten three pages of my comic done, but I want everyone to keep an eye on the work of Jeff Potter. Jeff is the editor of The Commons newspaper in southern Vermont and a relapsed cartoonist. He's working on his first comic in years with us in Montpelier and drawing about ... what else? 24-Hour Comics.

24HCD - PulaPirata - Brazil

2011-10-01T12:53:00.001-07:00

See our progress here!

The Film & Television Institute, Perth, WA, Australia

2011-10-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

Update from The Film & Television Institute:

Some pictures from the event are here: http://24hcdperth.wordpress.com

And a list of the participants, along with links to their stuff, can be found here: http://24hcdperth.wordpress.com/participants-2

PulaPirataComics in Brazil

2011-10-01T11:03:00.000-07:00

PulaPirata Comics is updating their progress here!

24-Hour Comics in Montpelier, Vt.

2011-10-01T10:43:00.000-07:00

Hello from Montpelier City Hall!

We have a dozen cartoonists in Montpelier today drawing their 24-Hour Comics. We expect a few more coming in later from southern Vermont and New Hampshire. Great turnout on a rainy fall New England day. Most of the participants are drawing their comics in the City Council chambers - the room where all the decisions are made in Vermont's capitol city.

Also this morning, horror cartoonist Denis St. John taught younger kids how to draw monsters during a three-hour comics workshop at the Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier. That program was a huge success - we had two dozen kids drawing spooky creatures!

A big THANK YOU to our local sponsors, the Drawing Board, Capitol Grounds, Positive Pie, Cabot Creamery, Hunger Mountain Co-op, Julio's Cantina, Wonder Cards & Comics, Montpelier Arts Fund, Montpelier City Council, Montpelier Alive! and many, many others who are giving us coffee and pizza and comics to keep us going. The event was also organized by the Trees & Hills comic group, a cartooning organization for creators in Vermont, New Hampshire and western Mass.

Everyone still drawing in MADEIRA!

2011-10-01T10:32:00.000-07:00

8 hours and a half gone... and we wanted to say hello to everyone! The day is still lovely outside, and we are in the lovely QUINTA DA RIBEIRA - a XIX Century Villa with gardens and benches and two rooms full of creativity!

Here is our video message from Madeira - with a hello to all the creators willing to lose the night today!

Hello from Madeira Island (Portugal)

2011-10-01T07:47:00.000-07:00

Hello from Madeira Island (part of Portugal, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean) - we started at 10AM with 43 participants - and even if the day is lovely and sunny outside, everyone is eager to keep drawing.

We have two "drawing rooms" - this is a photo of Room 1, right after lunch:

We are also streaming "live" via ustream: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/24h-comic-day

Williston Vermont is ROLLING!

2011-10-01T06:32:00.000-07:00

Seven of our group here in VT have begun, and I'm about to join them. Excpecting a few more participants to trickle in soon... especially now that the coffee has arrived :)
It's a cold dreary day, perfect to be inside making comics and consuming hot beverages!

art by Rick Evans

--Kristin

Liminka School of Arts (in Finland) started

2011-10-01T02:50:00.000-07:00

63 participants so far.

Pictures shall be available here.

Greetings from newcastle NSW

2011-09-30T19:22:00.001-07:00

Short hello because we have 5 hrs left for 13pages. EEk.

Almost half time in Sweden - Time for some banjo music!

2011-09-30T19:12:00.000-07:00

First 24 hour comics is ready in Rovaniemi

2011-09-30T18:22:00.000-07:00

24 sheets is ready, time to celebrate it by eating pizza.

Liveblogging 24 Hour Comics Day in Albuquerque

2011-09-30T18:16:00.000-07:00

Once again, Chuck will be blogging Albuquerque's 24 Hour Comics Day. Follow New Mexico's only event at 24 Hours From Q-Town and 7000 BC: 2011 Edition

Half way through in Rovaniemi

2011-09-30T17:36:00.000-07:00

Soon it is 4 a.m. in Rovaniemi, half way mark is approaching. About 30 participants are still awake and they keep on drawing. Tough and hard-working youngsters :)

Sweden is ON!

2011-09-30T16:06:00.000-07:00

Yet another fantasticular video blog from the comic school in Sweden. For you guys. All in english :D

Britney Victorious!!

2011-09-30T15:29:00.000-07:00

Dear Bloggosphere:

I'd like to introduce you to the mastermind behind this year's 24-Hour Comics Day event on the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus, and a brand-spanking new 24-Comic Artist:

Congratulations: Britney Winn

YOU MADE IT!!! And you made it look easy!

A few words from Miss Britney:

This is “an indescribable sense of accomplishment.”

[She turns to me and asks if she has to use her right hand for anything--apparently it's thoroughly knackered. I tell her no. Ice that baby and put it to bed for a few days!]

When I ask her what victory feels like, she smiles sweetly and replies: “I BEAT NEIL GAIMAN!!!!”

Also, CONGRATS!! to all the 24-Hour Comic Artists worldwide (especially you, Stefan *wink!*), and a big THANK YOU to the UWM Library, Collector’s Edge, my English 236: Intro. to the Graphic Novel class (especially you, Britney!), and everyone at ComicsPRO and 24-Hour Comics Day!!!

Rovaniemi is still going strong!

2011-09-30T14:49:00.000-07:00

Here we are still awake and new stories and comics are coming out.
Atmosphere is nice and some of us are singing! Outside is dark but not so cold, there are
+6 degrees. This is quite good in Lapland in October...

2 Hours Left of 2011 24-Hour Comics Day

2011-09-30T13:11:00.000-07:00

Howdy from the UWM Library on a perfect autumn afternoon (I can say that now, right? Wasn't the equinox this week??).

We've got just three short hours left of this year's 24-Hour Comics Day. Just 2 hours left to claim this is my first 24-Hour Comics Rodeo. 2 hours of penciling and inking left for Britney Winn, my superstar student who is getting a boatload of extra credit for pioneering this event on the UWM campus. Here's the score at the 22 hour mark.

True Confessions: I'm black-dogging it. I've listened to Dead Man's Bones a gazillion times. I've probably misspelled more words than I can currently count because basic math has left the building. I know this because filling in the blank on "ONLY ____ HOURS LEFT!" just now left me stumped.

True Confessions: people only want information when I want to nap. I haven't eaten a proper meal since the PB&J that almost killed me about 7 PM last night. Britney's taken two breaks in 21 hours: one to have a lie down and the other to go to class. CLASS! Can you believe it? To take a test. On the Japanese language. And she's just as happy now as she was yesterday, sketching away, with 3 pages left to go before she's finished her 24-page comic.

True Confessions: when I heard about 24-Hour Comics Day, I was all "it's no NaNoWriMo!"

True Confessions: 24-Hour Comics Day makes NaNoWriMo look like a hot rock massage. 24HCD is difficult, y'all. Artists can spend a week on one page. ONE page. This event means you bust it for 24 hours and ~~walk~~ stagger away with at least 24-pages. Plus cover art. Plus finished, edited lettering. To say this is extreme is to put it mildly.

True Confessions: I get it now. This is so much bigger than I could have anticipated a week ago, or 22 hours ago. I set this up so Britney could have a quiet semi-public place in which to challenge herself. I set this up so comic artists and enthusiasts in Milwaukee would know that there's a NaNoWriMo for them, and that it's kind of a bigger deal. But when I set this up, I had no idea just how much I would learn from one of my students.

Final True Confessions: when I was trying to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up, I came up with this wild fictitious scenario to help me decide. I asked myself: what's the one thing that you could do happily for the rest of eternity, even if you were stuck in Hell and demons were flogging you while you worked? What's the one thing that could turn demon whips into tickles? I know, I know. You're probably thinking it has something to do with BDSM. But that's not what I'm getting at.

When I asked myself this question, the only answer that fit was writing. Through writing, I could be so transported as to be on another planet, even while enduring the most horrific torture imaginable. Writing is my Sucker Punch dance. Somewhere in grad school, pressured to publish and give public readings, I lost the pleasure I once associated with writing. I lost writing as a coping and survival skill. It became a chore.

In the span of 22 hours, hanging out with a young artist a hardly know, and watching her work, I've been reminded of my one thing. Seeing her transported as she works, beyond the need for food, for sleep, for diversion or change of scenery--I remember. Writing is alchemy. Like Grant Morrison said, writing is magick.

Maybe it's the 22 hours sleeplessness talking, but damn it feels good to be a wizard.

Go Sweden! Serios makes comics day and night!

2011-09-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

One of Sweden's three comic schools joins in for the international 24 Hour Comics Day! We are making videos every hour from 5 pm, september 30th to 5 pm, october 1st. Every fifth video or so will be english friendly, for you guys to enjoy :)

kindly Stefan (head teacher :D)

Intensive drawing at Rovaniemi City Library, Finland

2011-09-30T10:11:00.000-07:00

People seem to be very concentrated on drawing. They get strength from chocolate, coffee and energy drinks. We have a head of us still a long night. Hopefully many will survive those hard hours without sleep and get their comic ready before time is up!

Rovaniemi joins in!

2011-09-30T09:29:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Rovaniemi City Library near Artic Circle. We have arranged 24hcd in our main library now for few years and it has always been great fun. This time we have 39 really enthusiastic young artist here and the mood is right. It's darkening outside but nice and cosy inside the library.

Getting kids involved in 24HCD

2011-09-30T09:25:00.000-07:00

During their regular 24-Hour Comics Day event, Time Warp Comics and I Want More Comics in Colorado are working with Comic Book Classroom to let kids to create their own 24-minute comics while the other creators take the 24HCD original challenge.

What a great way to get kids involved and to make the day accessible to even the youngest creators! Somebody remind to me add the idea to the 24HCD host kit next year.

All In a (FULL) Day's Work

2011-09-30T07:06:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the UWM Library in Milwaukee, Wisconsin!

We're coming up on just 8 hours left of our first ever 24-Hour Comics Day on campus, and things are falling into place. Britney's drawing hand is moving so fast we've had to put out six fires. I'm no longer sleepy (thanks to six fires). Hopefully our third participant, Lydia, is out there working it, too. Looks like it's just going to be the three of us this year, but that's okay. I'm shooting for exponential growth of nine next year, then eighty-one the year after that...

Besides, party of three this year means more bananas and donuts for everyone. Thanks Molly Mathias!!!

Update: 13 Hours In

2011-09-30T04:08:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been awhile since my last blog and the news is there's really no news. In the past 12 hours, I've had two people register for the UWM version of 24HCD. Both are students in my Intro. to the Graphic Novel class. One of them is the student for whom I set up this event on campus. And let me just tell you, Britney is a warrior!!

After ten straight hours of non-stop work, Britney is about 12 pages into her finished comic. Her beau brought her a huge can of Red Bull she hasn't even touched--she's that on fire for comics! I think she may be saving that Red Bull for her 9 AM class.

She puts me to shame, her with her 12 finished pages and me with my two naps. This is what it's all about, and this is exactly why I wanted this event to happen on campus. Even if no one else signs up to participate today, I will consider this event a success. Britney got to make her comic in a public place, with someone nearby who loves comics (even if I'm not the best at keeping everyone awake!). And we both got to spread the word about 24-Hour Comics Day to people on campus and in the community.

My hope is that this event is fifty-people strong next year, with food donated by Pizza Shuttle and Ste Martaen, coffee supplied by Alterra, tea donated by Rishi, supplies for everyone from Utrecht and prize give-aways from Collector's Edge. But even if it's just me and Britney, some carrots and a Red Bull again next year, I'll be more than okay with that. Cause next year, I'm bringing my pajamas.

Even Warriors gotta sleep!!

Story-boarding Like Nobody's Business!

2011-09-29T15:38:00.000-07:00

Hello from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee library!

We're about a half-hour into our first annual 24-Hour Comics Day on the UWM campus and I'm super stoked!

Yes, I over-packed, and yes, that first PB&J is already calling my name, but it's for a great cause: getting people excited about comics in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Molly, our Library Event Coordinator, hooked us up with some sweet tables in the middle of the Grind coffee shop, and she printed up signs for us. The library is abuzz with Thursday night energy.

Got two of my students in the thick of it, working on story boards, and I'm here with registration forms at the ready! First cup of green tea steeping, Drive soundtrack playing, drafting pencils working overtime...it's gonna be a great night.

If you're in the Milwaukee area and want to groove on this synergy, come on down!

Check back in with y'all in a few hours. Until then, happy drawrings!!

Drawing Words & Writing Pictures on 24HCD

2011-09-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

Matt Madden, co-author of Drawing Words & Writing Pictures (written with Jessica Abel), talks about his first 24-Hour Comic at the DW&WP blog!

The Drawing Words & Writing Pictures blog has many resources for comic book creators! If you're about to take the 24HCD challenge, check out their page for cartoonists. Great stuff!

The Night Before 24-Hour Comics Day: A Host's Tale

2011-09-28T18:04:00.000-07:00

Hey 24-Hour Comics Day Fans!

Mel here, at Nefarious Fiddlesticks, getting ready for the big event!

This is the first year we're bringing 24-Hour Comics Day to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus, and I'm really excited to be a part of bringing 24HCD to Milwaukee.

The week before last, I was in week two of the Fall 2011 semester, teaching the usual First-Year Comp class and a brand-spanking new class I'm super stoked about: Introduction to the Graphic Novel. Oh, what? Spend an entire semester reading and talking about comics? Oh NO! DON'T make me do THAT!! Hang out with comics enthusiasts and aspiring writers and artists?! That sounds just horrible!! Folks, we're only four weeks in and already this is the best class I've ever taught. I really dig my students, and I love this opportunity to share my stoke for comics and graphic novels with students.

So, the week before last, one of my Graphic Novel students asked me if I'd ever heard of 24-Hour Comics Day. I said no. Here we are using Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics and Making Comics as our course textbooks, and I'd never heard of 24-Hour Comics Day! My student had signed up as a online participant, but I wanted more people involved. So I proposed setting up the event on campus.

Here we are, almost two weeks later and the night before the first 24-Hour Comics Day kicks off on the UWM campus!

I'm excited, and anxious. I didn't have the time to pull together the kind of event I want to set up next year, with local sponsors, prizes, rare comics in the library display cases, and plenty of free food and supplies. But we're doing this thing!!

Kinda like the night before Christmas, I'm having a hard time getting to sleep. The PB&Js are made, got some tea and my favorite commuter ready to go for tomorrow, and I've got my 24-hour outfit laid out. Got my overnight stuff, art supplies, and 24-Hour Comics Day Survival kit packed! Next step is to have wonderful dreams of endless comic possibilities.

See y'all at 5PM in the UWM Library!

Although I'm bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, I imagine, at some point between Thursday and Friday, I'll look a bit like this:

24-Hour Comics Day in Seattle, at the Phinney Center

2011-09-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

Here is the poster for the 24HCD in Seattle, at The Phinney Neighborhood Center.

Q&A with Nerdage about 24HCD

2011-09-23T07:20:00.000-07:00

I recently answered some questions about 24-Hour Comics Day sent by Matt Price, the Features Editor of The Oklahoman and author of the comics & pop culture blog Nerdage.

You can find the interview here!

Everyone here at ComicsPRO is impressed by what you all do with 24HCD--the hosts who do so much to promote the event and the thousands of creators around the world who take the challenge. Fantastic work, and good luck with your event this year!

24 Poster - Muhos

2011-09-23T05:20:00.000-07:00

At least thirty participants at Muhos County Library 1.10.

Poster made by Jessi.

Year #5 at Artists' Mediums in VT!

2011-09-21T15:22:00.000-07:00

We are looking forward to getting pencil to paper, stylus to screen, etc.

Let the creative output begin!

Our event this year is open to comic artists of all abilities, ages 16 and up (younger participants are allowed with an accompanying parent.) Anyone interested in participating with us at Artists' Mediums* should email their name, address and telephone number to info@artistsmediums.com

or call (802)879-1236 or (800) 255-1290

You can find Rick's handy "Tiny Beginner's Guide" as a pdf here!

*Artists' Mediums is located in Williston, VT, conveniently near I-89

Host Site Resources

2011-09-20T20:27:00.000-07:00

Official host venues in the U.S. who registered by September 1st received a 24HCD Host Site Kit which includes tips for running an event and promotional items for the host to use!

Did you miss the deadline? You can still get copies of the printed materials here!

(Don't forget to register early next year to get the free goodies!)

24 Hour Comics Day 2011 in Albuquerque

2011-09-20T19:58:00.000-07:00

24 Hour Comics Day | Saturday, October 1–Sunday, October 2 | noon–noon | Media Arts Collaborative Charter School | 4401 Central Ave. N.E., Bldg. #2 | Albuquerque, NM

Accept the challenge — be a part of 24 Hour Comics Day 2011. Join 7000 BC and make a 24-page comic book pages in 24 consecutive hours. No experience or special skills needed — this free creative exercise is open to everyone.

Test your stamina and learn you what you're capable of, along with thousands of artists of all skill levels from around the globe. Albuquerque has consistently been one of the largest gatherings in the world for this international event. See photos from past years here and here.

This year's location is Media Arts Collaborative Charter School (MACCS) in Albuquerque, at 4401 Central Ave. N.E. If you plan on participating, please send an email so we can get a count of participants.

This event is open to all ages (with guardian's permission for minors). Bring your papers and pens and join us at New Mexico's only 24 Hour Comics Day location in 2011!

Update: thanks to our sponsors …

Media Arts Collaborative Charter School

Downtown Java Joe's

Winning Coffee Company

Comic Warehouse

Astro-Zombies
and to ComicsPro for puttting it all together.

Participant Resources

2011-09-01T15:48:00.000-07:00

We just added a new page to the 24-Hour Comics Day website: Participant Resources!

The Blitz Comics Survival Kit is listed there as well as the Event Locator. Use the Event Locator to find an official 24-Hour Comics Day event near you!

Keep an eye on this page for more resources for all of you who are taking the 24-Hour Comics Day Challenge this year!

Coming soon: Host Site Resources

Participants: Get your Survival Kit today!

2011-08-31T10:35:00.000-07:00

Blitz Comics has released their "Survival Kit" for 24-Hour Comics Day.

You can download your free copy here: http://blitzcomics.com/go/content/resources

24HCD Host Sites are also welcome to download the Survival Kit and print copies for your local participants!

We're also including a copy in the 24HCD kits that are going out this week to U.S. host venues who register by tomorrow. The 24HCD kit for Host Sites has many pages of tips & tools to help you run your event along with many other goodies!

Tweet tweet #24HCD

2011-08-29T09:20:00.000-07:00

Event hosts & 24-Hour Comics Day participants: tell us about your comics & plans! The conversation has started on Twitter with the #24HCD hashtag.

Get tips for surviving 24HCD, get news about the event, and tell us about your event! Tweet #24HCD

24HCD Survival Kit for participants

2011-08-19T08:51:00.000-07:00

Blitz Comics has recently announced the creation of a free "survival kit" for anyone taking the 24-Hour Comics Day challenge.

You can get some initial details here: http://blitzcomics.com/go/content/blitz-comics-survival-kit

Blitz Comics will also be tweeting advice for aspiring artists via www.twitter.com/blitzcomics24h

24HCD news!

2011-08-16T12:54:00.001-07:00

Thanks to our sponsors:

Thanks to Diamond Comic Distributors, a Sponsor of 24-Hour Comics Day, our new full-page ad for the 24HCD event just came out in the August 2011 edition of Previews Magazine!

With it, we hope to encourage comic fans around the globe to participate in this year's event!

---

Reminder for official 24HCD locations:

News just went out to the 2010 official host venues: if you register as a Host Site for 24HCD by September 1, you'll receive a kit from ComicsPRO including flyers, tips, comics and more! Don't forget to register at www.24hourcomicsday.com.

24HCD Registration is live!

2011-06-01T14:15:00.001-07:00

We have a new site for 24-Hour Comics Day!

You can register now to be an official host venue or to take the challenge as an online participant (online participants are individuals who aren't going to a host venue to take the challenge--they're going to do the 24 pages and upload them as they go over the 24 hours).

Once the Event Locator is live, event hosts will be able to log into the site and fix and update their event listings!

As we get closer to the event, more content will be available for official hosts when they log in.

If you have questions or problems with registration, please contact us! 24hcd @ comicspro.org

Drawing Words, Writing Pictures

2011-05-13T13:41:00.001-07:00

Creating your own comics? Check out the Drawing Words and Writing Pictures blog!

http://dw-wp.com

From the site:

DW&WP is a website and a book (and soon to be two books), wherein we (Jessica Abel and Matt Madden and our crew of busy interns) help you learn to make, read, and teach comics. Our book is for cartoonists and teachers of all kinds, but sometimes the book alone isn’t enough to get you started and keep you inspired, so we’ve built this site to hold all the ancillary, important, interesting stuff we can find or make.

24-Hour Comic combats bullying

2011-04-27T09:41:00.000-07:00

From press release posted at Graphic Policy:

April 26, 2011 -Northwest Press, a publisher of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender graphic novels and comics, is raising funds on the website Kickstarter to produce an anti-bullying comic book for youth and teachers’ groups. The Power Within tells the story of a junior high schooler who imagines himself as a superhero to deal with his constant harassment at school. The project is written by Charles “Zan” Christensen and drawn by Mark Brill, and features bonus material by Dan Parent (creator of Archie Comics’ first openly gay character, Kevin Keller), Phil Jimenez (Wonder Woman, New X-Men), Gail Simone (Secret Six, Wonder Woman), Carla Speed McNeil (Finder), Andy Mangels (Gay Comics), Donna Barr (The Desert Peach), and others.

The project was conceived in October 2010 for 24 Hour Comics Day, an international event where comics creators attempt to produce a complete comic book in a single day. The previous month, there were numerous, high-profile news reports of gay teen suicides all over the U.S., prompting a public outcry and the creation of the It Gets Better Project to combat LGBT teen isolation and bullying. Christensen and Brill decided to tackle the topic in their book and by the end of the event, they had completed a rough version of the story.

Brill continued to polish the artwork, and the book was completed and published in a limited run in March 2011, selling at comic book conventions in Seattle and Chicago. In order to mass-produce the book and provide free copies to gay-straight alliances and other youth groups, Christensen sought the participation of some high profile artists and writers for bonus features and began a fundraising effort to cover printing and shipping costs. In six days, the project reached a third of its funding goal; The Power Within must receive a minimum of $3000 in pledges on Kickstarter by March 20th in order to be funded.

(More information about the book, donation incentives, and contact information at Graphic Policy.)

CBCA Amateur Art Contest

2011-04-21T07:17:00.000-07:00

A note from the Comic Book Collecting Association:

Sharpen your pencils!

It's time for the Second Annual CBCA Amateur Art Competition.

The Comic Book Collecting Association (CBCA) is pleased to announce the Second Annual CBCA Amateur Art Competition. The competition allows amateur artists to showcase their finest work, with the winning submissions determined by voting by the comic collecting community.

There will be two categories of competition: adults and minors (under age 14). For the adults, a $100 grand prize will be awarded to the winner with $25 awards to two runner ups. For the minors, a $25 grand prize will be awarded to the winner with $10 awards to two runner ups.

Entries will be accepted now though May 20. Entries will be posted online for voting the week of May 23. The format and length of the voting is contingent upon the number of entries received, and will be announced at the commencement of voting.

Who is eligible?

The spirit of the contest is to host a competition among those generally considered to be amateur illustrators. Anyone may enter with the exception of: individuals who regularly receive income from illustration, and/or individuals who are widely recognized as a professional illustrator, past or present. (Aspiring artists who occasionally receive income for illustration are eligible to compete.) CBCA membership is not required to enter.

CBCA Directors and Officers may enter the competition, however they are not eligible for the cash award. If a CBCA Director or Officer is a finalist, the cash award will go to the entrant with the next highest amount of votes.

The CBCA reserves the right to deny eligibility to any participant at their discretion.

Who can vote?

Anyone can vote one time in the online poll. The link to the poll will be posted when voting commences.

Submission guidelines

Submissions must be an original piece of artwork. There are no limitations on the type of format – entries may be a single character, group, splash style page, a paneled page, pinup style pose, strip art, color, black and white… whatever format you think best showcases your work.

Reproductions of artwork originally created by other persons are not permitted. For example, an illustration that is an homage to the cover of Fantastic Four #1 is acceptable, however a nearly identical reproduction of the cover of Fantastic Four #1 is not. Submissions should be tasteful and suitable for all ages. The CBCA reserves the right to deny any submission at their discretion.

Because submissions will be posted anonymously, be sure your signature is not an integral part of the artwork – it will be digitally obscured.

Submissions should be sent as a .jpg, .png or .gif file to art@comiccollecting.org no later than May 20, 2011. Be sure to include your name, address and phone number with your submission. Please send in a size large enough to showcase the detail of your work, but very large images may be resized by the CBCA to an appropriate screen size.

Questions?

Contact the Comic Book Collecting Association at info@comiccollecting.org or visit the CBCA forum at www.comiccollecting.org/forum/index.php.

Have you seen this? Mini-Comics Day April 2011

2011-02-25T09:39:00.000-08:00

Mini-Comics Day is not administered by ComicsPRO, but the organizers of that day have been participants in 24-Hour Comics Day since the very first year, and they sent us this a link to this new event!

Brought to you by the International Cartoonist Conspiracy:

MINI-COMICS DAY, April 9, 2011

Making a mini-comic is a great exercise and can help you prepare for the next 24-Hour Comics Day challenge!

Good luck with your mini-comics!

24HCD 2011 is October 1st!

2011-02-15T10:31:00.001-08:00

The date for the next annual 24-Hour Comics Day was announced at the ComicsPRO Annual Memebership Meeting, during the session on Friday, February 11th.

Add it to your calendar: the date for 24HCD 2011 is October 1st!

The 24-Hour Comics website will be updated in the next few months and sign-ups for host locations will begin in June. We'll keep you posted!

When is the next 24-Hour Comics Day?

2010-10-25T10:10:00.001-07:00

As hosts plan their 24HCD event for the upcoming year, this is the first question they ask us! Here's how it works:

ComicsPRO is a trade association for comic book retailers. The organization focuses on providing member benefits which help lower the operating costs of comic book stores as well as providing services to raise the profile of comic books around the world. ComicsPRO provides administration and promotion for the 24-Hour Comics Day event each year.

The next official 24HCD date is announced at the ComicsPRO Annual Membership Meeting which is usually held near the beginning of each calendar year. The next ComicsPRO AMM will be held February 10-13, 2011 in Dallas, Texas.

When the new date is announced by the 24HCD Committee at the Annual Membership Meeting, we will post it here at the blog and on the main 24HCD website.

Registration for the event usually goes live in June or July, and for the past few years the event has been held in the late 3rd quarter or the early 4th quarther of the year.

Thank you for participating in 24-Hour Comics Day or hosting an event. We'll be back in a few months with more information about 24HCD 2011!

Photos from 24 Hour Comics Day in New Mexico

2010-10-21T18:26:00.000-07:00

Created with flickrSLiDR.

And you can read about it all at the 24 Hour Comics Day from 7000 BC blog, where the whole day was documented.

All participants — and all those who want to see what was produced that day, or are interested in producing comics — are invited to the 24 Hour Comics Day Follow-Up Meeting.

One week later - 24HCD reports Newcastle upon Tyne

2010-10-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

It's almost exactly one week since we staggered out of 24 hour comics day and onto the trains to find our way to what each of us laughingly calls civilization.

Ten members of the Newcastle based Paper Jam Comics Collective, plus friends, took part in the event, mostly at our venue (a methodist church, complete with a choir rehersal to keep us company for a few hours), and a couple of folks working on their comics and keeping in touch during the dark hours.

You can read about how we did, our suffering, despair, elation and epiphanies on our newcastle 24 hour comics blog, which we'll be updating as we do more of these. We will.

I think everyone really appreciates the creative benefits of an event like this, success or fail, you always learn something, and we had a fantastic time.

This is what it looked like to us:

Congratulations on another successful 24HCD!

2010-10-05T07:06:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to all of the venues around the world who hosted a 24-Hour Comics Day event! And congratulations to all of the creators who took the 24-Hour Comics Day challenge--even if you didn't finish your comic this year. Great work!

24HCD Venues: if you HOSTED a 24HCD event this year, don't forget to email your total participation count. Just send the number of people who tried the challenge; you don't need to send individual names and you can count them even if they didn't finish their comics.

24HCD Participants: if you COMPLETED all 24 pages in 24 hours and your venue isn't sending in a copy of your comic to the main 24-Hour Comics Day collection (not all venues do), please send in a copy of your completed comic!

You can use the form on this web page marked "Cover Letter to Submit Your Comics to the Official 24-Hour Comics Day Collection." Mail that cover letter, along with a copy of your completed 24-page comic to the address on the form.

Thank you!

24 Hours Later in Seattle

2010-10-03T16:03:00.000-07:00

There is nothing quite like a 24 Hour Comics Day. We did it right, here in Seattle, at the Phinney Neighborhood Center. I coordinated this event from the ground up and made every effort to bring together as many cartoonists as I felt would make a great mix and not exceed too big a number. I even left some wiggle room for the unexpected. We ended up having some last minute additions to our crew and it all worked out great. Now, the next step will be to put together a book. I want to edit a book that captures the spirit of what we experienced. We may excerpt here and there and see where our page count takes us.

Our gang of cartoonists: Henry Chamberlain, Jennifer Daydreamer, David Lasky, Sean Robinson, Chyna Frey, Xochitl Briones, Marc Palm, Eroyn Franklin, Tiphoni, Stefan Gruber, Tom Doughery, Breanne Boland, Randy Wood, Andrew Davis and Sean Poppe.

I want to thank Comics Dungeon, Peaks Frozen Custard and the Seattle Folklore Society for their friendly support. We have certainly made a lot of friends along the way. As you'll see in the photos, we had quite a nice spot of our event. I mean this is a schoolhouse with a real old school feel, dating back to 1904. We cartoonists, with a soft spot for retro, really digged our location.

And, yes, we did start to feel the chill of sleep deprivation and people did worry if they would be able to complete the challenge. But we had a great time and created some very interesting results. Out of our group, Sean Robinson carried away the honors of completing every last bit of his comic down to the last ink stroke.

I had a great time allowing my story to take on a life of its own. I highly recommend coming into this with at least an idea of what you want to do. Better yet, create something tangible you can hook into: set up a premise, prepare a layout. You could even go much further and come in with a script. For me, I set up a premise about a week or so before the event and let that roll around in my head. As the days past, I'd notice this or that, something in the news or something that happened to me, and I'd see if I could add to my emerging story. I kept that up all the way into the event. I also had a layout of where I wanted the story to go. Maybe I should have had a preliminary set of thumbnails. I like to keep something to chance so I went with a rough Plan A and the option for a Plan B. It worked out, at least this time!

For more info and to keep up with details on our upcoming book, visit http://comicsgrinder.com/

DONE!!

2010-10-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

Well.. the final lines have been inked... out of 15 starting artist 9 survived to finish their creations...

It has been an extremely long 24 hours with a gambit of emotions running throughout the course of the day... anticipation to get it going.... determination to finish the job... agony of defeat for some... and the thrill of accomplishment for others!!

They came ready to go.. full of energy...the laughs kept going until the wee hours of the morning and then the silence hit.. when everyone decided it was time to work hard on getting the books done... when the sun started to rise, the atmosphere in the shop became fun and light due to the fact that they knew they would be going home soon. One by one the projects completed and weary artist after weary artist bid farewell as they carefully drove to their beds putting this years 24 Hour Comics Day Challenge behind them.

Here is a small sample of this years books, but check our web site at www.4colorfantasies.com on Monday October 11, 2010 to see the complete books!!!

This is Chris Brady from 4 Color Fantasies saying thanks to everyone that watched on our Ustream and read the blogs.. stop by and say hi sometime!!!

1st one done!!

2010-10-03T04:05:00.000-07:00

Ok.. only 4 hours past his self imposed deadline, Julian Aguilera just finished here at 4am. His Vampire & Werewolf comic called Tooth & Nail will be posted on our website later this week. Congrats to Julian and Alan for participating for the third year in a row!!

2010-10-03T01:40:00.000-07:00

And with the late hours setting in the wackiness starts

COMICPANEL, CEO HAPPY ABOUT SUCCESS OF EVENT

2010-10-03T01:03:00.000-07:00

Ayodele Elegba, CEO of COMICPANEL and organiser of the 24 Hour Comics Day is so happy at the success of the 24 Hour event that began almost 4 months ago. "The turn out was very encouraging. Next Year is going to be BIGGER and BETTER" he says. Watch out for more about the Nigerian Comic Industry on www.comicpanel.net.

COMICPANEL HOST SUCCESSFUL 24 HOURS COMIC BOOK DAY IN NIGERIA

2010-10-03T00:31:00.001-07:00

Its a time for bonding among comic lovers in Lagos, Nigeria as COMICPANEL hosts the 24 Hour Comic Book Day for the first time in Nigeria. Particpants that decided to stay and finish up at the close of the event (24 Hours later) came together to take a group picture. Those that survived the 24 Hours with Ayodele Elegba include Alade Olatunji, Ehon Joseph, Segun Oluwayomi, Imuse Osaze, Muhammed Mustafa, Olusanya Babajide, Obende Stanley, Ibrahim Ganiyu and Veta Salubi who helped out in the planning and organisation of the event.
They mentioned that they enjoyed themselves and arealready getting ready for next years edition. till next year. See ya all. For more information about the Nigerian Comic Industry please visit www.comicpanel.net.

THE STANCH BEATS SLEEP

2010-10-03T00:11:00.000-07:00

Just after Midnight!!!

2010-10-03T00:08:00.000-07:00

And only 10 hours left. Everyone is still going strong..although some are behind. They still think they can catch up... Oh wait...is that Julian I still see there.. I guess he didn't make his Midnight deadline....

And then there was John

2010-10-02T22:13:00.000-07:00

Three years ago a small publishing company approached me about doing our 24 Hour Comics Challenge and had their two artists come on down. This is where I met John Narcomey who at the time was the Creative Director. He and I hit it off from the moment we met, but he is a person that you have to meet to understand. The book he did the first year at our store was Cholo Libre and this year he decide to follow it up with the sequel Cholo Libre in To Hell and Back. No matter what I say about this book it can't be enough so here is John!!

First Timer

2010-10-02T21:13:00.000-07:00

This year we are seeing a few new participants here at 4 Color. Most of them are recruits from previous year participants, which is how Chris Baird found out about us and decided to get it a try.

His book he is working on is about a prisoner who is a witness to nothing. The main character is a prisoner who sees a his new neighbor being brought in. Sometime in the night the new guy breaks out and murders his guards and the main character is questioned by the warden, but when he doesn't have the answers they want....

The thing that is making this book most ambisious is the fact that he is watercoloring his book too!!

Hope he has time to finish it.....

it's 4.30am here. 7 hours to go

2010-10-02T20:17:00.000-07:00

2010-10-02T19:57:00.000-07:00

With the night moving along.. the artists and others are enjoying the best part of the night....FOOD!!

Pizza, hot dogs, chips and sodas...everything that you need to keep the energy up for 24 hours

We are up on Ustream!!!

2010-10-02T19:34:00.000-07:00

Come join us via the interwebs!!

Past the half-way point in VT....

2010-10-02T19:30:00.000-07:00

Henry's work says it all...

Bridget finished her 24 pages an hour ago!

Rick isn't sure if he's going to finish at all, but he's having a great time...

Brittany is plugging away (little distracts her!)

Kira hard at work before she had to call it a night

2010-10-02T18:37:00.001-07:00

here are more pix