24-Hour Comic Day 2023 is Oct. 7

Word Balloons #1181: Cartoonists are challenged to produce a 24-page comic book in 24 consecutive hours.

24-Hour Comics Day is set for Oct. 7, 2023. 

24-Hour Comics Day is an annual challenge for cartoonists to produce a 24-page comic book written, drawn, and completed in 24 consecutive hours. Comic book artists, whether professional or amateur, young or old, are invited to check out a local venue or try the challenge on their own. The event is organized by the comics retailer organization ComicsPRO.  

The nearest location currently available to Oklahomans appears to be in Denton, Texas, though the site promises more locations to be added by Oct. 3. Participants can also take part in the challenge online.  

Back in 2012, I talked to Oklahoma artist Paul Milligan, who had completed four 24-Hour Comics Day challenges, about his tips for the event. 

“You've gotta take a lot of breaks,” he said in an article that ran in The Oklahoman. “Don't just sit there the whole time, you'll get sick of it.”

The halfway point is particularly relevant. 

“If you make it past the 12-hour mark, you can finish it,” Milligan said. “It's kind of that panic moment, because you've been there so long and you've been doing it so long already. But once you make it past that, it starts to get a lot easier.”

And don’t be too afraid to try wild ideas.

“Don't try too hard, because you can't,” he said. “You can't get stuck on stuff. At some point you just let weird stuff happen.”

And his final tip?

“I drink a lot of coffee, too,” he said.

According to the 24-Hour Comic Day website: 

24-Hour Comic Book Day is an open, free event. There is no national prize, and event details are decided by individual hosts. If you complete a full 24-page comic in 24 hours, you are invited to send your 24-Hour Comic to the national archive hosted by the Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum.

Stores and other locations that wish to host a 24-Hour Comics Day event can still sign up. Information on doing so is here: https://www.24hourcomicsday.com/host-an-event/

Speeding Bullet’s Kraken Sale 2 starts Wednesday 

On September 27, Speeding Bullet Comics will again release the Kraken!

The Kraken Sale will feature 50 percent off hundreds of trade paperbacks.

Find deals on titles including hardcovers, paperbacks, children’s books, and more from publishers including Marvel, DC, Image, Dark Horse, and more!

Keep checking back during each week of October to see what new surprises the Kraken has in store. 

Matthew Price, matthew@matthewLprice.com, has written about the comics industry for more than two decades. He is the co-owner of Speeding Bullet Comics in Norman.