24 Hour Comics Day 2012

There are many comic books in this world. This past weekend especially has seen a surge in the number of them in many cities around the United States. This is because of a phenomenon now known as 24 Hour Comics Day, an annual challenge where artists and fans of the comic medium get together with a single mission in mind: to write, draw and produce a comic book within twenty-four hours.

24 Hour Comics Day officially started in 2004, as a continuation of a challenge originally started by a small group headed by comic theorist Scott McCloud who decided to challenge each other to the project as a dare–to write and produce a 24 page comic book in a single 24 hour period, a comic artist’s equivalent to National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and the 48 Hour Film Project. News of the challenge quickly caught on, and within a few years groups were meeting all around the country to take on the challenge themselves, in addition to the online-option for people who can’t make it to a group.

For amateur and professional artists alike, the challenge is a fascinating opportunity to push your imagination to the limit. No planning beforehand is allowed, and there is an infinite number of ways in which the goal can be accomplished. Webcomics, penciled comics, and watercolors are all welcome, and in the end awaits the satisfaction of having completed a comic book in a day.

This year, 24 Hour Comics Day was once again a success for many. The companionship and camaraderie combined with an atmosphere of artistry allowed for many people to achieve their creative goals. In the next few weeks, links to the comics will be provided on location-based blogs, where recovering participants can appreciate the results of the imagination gone wild as they look at their own comics next to the projects of others.