The eighth annual 24-Hour Comics Day is Saturday, and the comic book specialty retailer group ComicsPRO is again organizing the event.

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.

ComicsPRO’s Executive Director Amanda Emmert said the all-volunteer project is free to participants.

“We get to work with creators from many different countries, and the main thing they have in common is a love of comics,” she said. “Many hosts use this event as an opportunity to teach their communities about comics and about how anyone can make them. And making comics, or comic strips, or mini-comics, or Web comics, even at an amateur level, increases your understanding and appreciation of this amazing medium.”

The nearest official site to Oklahoma City is Lone Star Comics in Arlington, Texas.

But Emmert said Oklahomans are free to participate on their own and can sign up at www.24hourcomicsday.com as an individual online participant to share their work with others and be recognized.

“That means that you’re agreeing to post your pages online, as you go, so that you can show you’re creating the comic in 24 hours. You can blog or tweet your experience to keep in contact with other individual participants, too,” she said.

There are about 150 host locations around the world, in more than 20 countries.

All venues and individual participants are invited to post updates at 24hcd.blogspot.com. Some venues post live coverage to Web TV stations, as well. This year, ComicsPRO hopes to promote the event via a twitter hashtag as well.

“This year we’re asking people to use the #24HCD hashtag when tweeting about the event so that we can all follow along on Twitter, too,” she said. “It’s great because the tweets come from around the world and are in different languages. Many other volunteers aside from ComicsPRO get involved with the event, and it’s wonderful to see what they bring to the 24-Hour Comics Day idea.”

If you want a crash-course in how to tame a 24-Hour Comic, a team named Blitz Comics is giving away a Survival Kit for creators at its site, www.blitzcomics.com.

Emmert said some host sites suggest themes or provide related activities.

“An event host in Seattle is pairing his event with a local museum during an exhibition on horror movies, so they are asking participants to use the horror theme for their comics and plan to publish a collection afterward,” she said.

Overall, the love of comics and the worldwide audience is what makes 24-Hour Comics Day so rewarding, Emmert said.

“The great thing about this year, in particular, is that we’ve been handling administration of the overall event long enough that we have an opportunity to develop friendships because of it,” she said. “You get to know wonderful, creative people from Greece or Finland and around the world, or people from across the United States who you’ve never met in person, but who put on fantastic events year after year.”

Find out more about ComicsPRO at www.comicspro.org. Find out more about 24-Hour Comics Day at www.24hourcomicsday.com.

- By Matthew Price
WORD BALLOONS
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

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. ComicsPRO, the comic book specialty retailer trade group, organizes the day.  This year’s 24 Hour Comics Day, the 8th annual, is Oct. 1, and ComicsPRO invites comic book artists, whether professional or amateur, young or old, to check out a local venue or try the challenge on their own.

Host sites should register at www.24hourcomicsday.com, and those who wish to participate can go to www.24hourcomicsday.com and look for events in nearby.

I talked to ComicsPRO’s executive director Amanda Emmert about this year’s 24-Hour Comics Day.

NERDAGE: Tell me the basics of the event.

Amanda Emmert: The 24-Hour Comics Challenge is to create a 24-page comic book, from start to finish, in 24 consecutive hours. Each year, comic book stores, schools, libraries and art galleries around the world host event locations where comic creators can take the challenge–they offer a place that’s available for the full 24 hours where anyone can create their comics.

NERDAGE: How many locations are there, and in how many different places?

Amanda Emmert: There are about 150 official 24-Hour Comics Day event locations around the world. So far this year, venues have registered from about 20 different countries.

NERDAGE: And people can participate even if there isn’t a local venue, right? How does that work?

Amanda Emmert: Yes, we encourage people to take the challenge wherever they are! If you can’t participate in at an official event location, but still want to take the challenge and be recognized for it, you can register at www.24hourcomicsday.com as an Individual Online Participant. That means that you’re agreeing to post your pages online, as you go, so that you can show you’re creating the comic in 24 hours. You can blog or tweet your experience to keep in contact with other individual participants, too.

NERDAGE: What does ComicsPRO provide for the event?

Amanda Emmert: ComicsPRO runs the basic administration for the event, so we register host venues, work with national sponsors to advertise the event, and provide materials for host locations to help them run their own events. But the local details are all up to each host–the basic requirements to run an official event are pretty minimal. Host sites can each add their own promotions and details to fit their own locations.

Host sites in the U.S. who register early also receive a physical 24HCD Host Site Kit from ComicsPRO. It includes printed materials, like the tips for promoting and running an event, flyers, a customizable press release for hosts to use as well as some goodies like variant cover comics for the hosts to use as they see fit. Registration and all of the support materials are free.

ComicsPRO promotes 24-Hour Comics Day in the media around the U.S. with press releases and event notices. Retail stores who are members of ComicsPRO already get the benefit of press release support for their events, and 24-Hour Comics Day is included in that. It means that any press release that the national organization sends to a member’s local area will include their individual event information. So along with promoting the event nationally, we help promote individual, local 24-Hour Comics Day events.

NERDAGE: Can people follow along with the event online?

Amanda Emmert: Yes, there are many ways to follow 24-Hour Comics Day online! All host venues are invited to post updates to the main 24HCD blog at http://24hcd.blogspot.com and each year they post videos, pictures, and updates during the event itself. They also post flyers for their events ahead of time and wrap-up notes afterward. Last year, some venues had live coverage of their own events to different webTV stations!

This year we’re asking people to use the #24HCD hashtag when tweeting about the event so that we can all follow along on Twitter, too. It’s great because the tweets come from around the world and are in different languages. Many other volunteers aside from ComicsPRO get involved with the event, and it’s wonderful to see what they bring to the 24-Hour Comics Day idea.

This year, a team named Blitz Comics (www.blitzcomics.com) has created a Survival Kit for any creators who are trying the 24-Hour Comics Day challenge–which they’re giving away for free to everyone. They’re also hosting a 24-Hour Comics Day boot camp to prep for the event and they are tweeting random tips for creators with #24HCD. It’s a fun project!

NERDAGE: What kinds of things can people see at the venues?

Amanda Emmert: The event are varied and depend on the hosts! Some events are hosted by schools and libraries, some by artist studios, and many events happen in comic book stores. Common sights are people of all ages surrounded by paper, art materials, snacks, and large amounts of caffeine. Some events have 3 or 4 people taking the challenge, and some have dozens. I think the largest event held in the last few years had around 80 or 90 people participating at the same time.

NERDAGE: What are the rewards of putting on an event like this, both as an organization, as ComicsPRO, or as a member store?

Amanda Emmert: This really is a fun event to be involved with. It’s an all-volunteer project, completely free, and it takes place around the world. We get to work with creators from many different countries and the main thing they have in common is a love of comics. Many hosts use this event as an opportunity to teach their communities about comics and about how anyone can make them. And making comics, or comic strips, or mini-comics, or web comics, even at an amateur level, increases your understanding and appreciation of this amazing medium.

NERDAGE: What kind of stories have you heard from participating stores?

Amanda Emmert: The people who host 24-Hour Comics Day events are just as creative as the artists who are taking the challenge! Some put a lot into the events, organizing different activities at different times of the night. It’s difficult to keep up for the full 24 hours so we hear many stories of the valiant efforts made by creators to keep going. Some hosts suggest themes for all the participants. An event host in Seattle is pairing his event with a local museum during an exhibition on horror movies, so they are asking participants to use the horror theme for their comics and plan to publish a collection afterward. I’m always impressed by the people who host events each year.

NERDAGE: What’s been most rewarding about setting up this year’s event?

Amanda Emmert: Each year, the most rewarding part of being involved in this event is getting to work with comics enthusiasts from around the world. The great thing about this year, in particular, is that we’ve been handling administration of the overall event long enough that we have an opportunity to develop friendships because of it. You get to know wonderful, creative people from Greece or Finland and around the world, or people from across the United States who you’ve never met in person, but who put on fantastic events year after year. The most rewarding part of this and of any of ComicsPRO’s other projects is getting to work with people who love comics.

- Matt Price

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Oct. 2, 2010 will be the date of the next 24 Hour Comics Day, ComicsPRO’s Amanda Emmert announced at the annual members’ meeting.

The 2009 edition of 24 Hour Comics Day, in which cartoonists attempt to create a full comic book in 24 straight hours, often hosted by comic book stores, had more than 2,000 participants in more than 100 venues.

Emmert said ComicsPRO sent out several hundred individualized press released to help ComicsPRO members who were hosting events to get the word out about the promotion.

- Matt Price

ComicsPRO has lined up BAWLS energy drinks as a sponsor for 24-Hour Comic Book Day.  If your location is near a BAWLS distribution point, the store can pick up free BAWLS Guarana Energy Drinks. Seems like a good idea to me. If you’re drawing a comic book for 24 hours, you’re going to want to be able to stay awake for a good portion of it.

 – Matt Price 

Press release: 

ComicsPRO is pleased to announce BAWLS Guarana as the Exclusive Energy Drink Sponsor of 24 Hour Comics Day.

24-Hour Comics Day hosts near a BAWLS distribution point will be able to pick up BAWLS energy drinks (www.bawls.com) to keep their cartoonists’ minds humming and hands drawing through their 24 hours of comic-book creating.

“As the drink of choice for comic book fans, gamers and geeks alike, BAWLS Guarana is thrilled to be fueling 24 Hour Comics Day!” said Marie Navarro, Marketing Manager. “Our refreshing taste and caffeinated kick is just what these comic fiends need to keep working through the wee hours.”

Registered 24HCD venues will be emailed details about picking up their free drinks.

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.

ComicsPRO, the comic book specialty retailer trade organization, recently assumed the organizational reins for 24HCD with the enthusiastic endorsement of the event’s founder, Nat Gertler, publisher of About Comics.

Register to host a 24 Hour Comics Day event at http://www.24hourcomicsday.com/registration.html

ComicsPRO will continue to add resources to the 24 Hour Comics Day website. Participating artists, host sites, and all other interested parties are asked to bookmark the site and check it regularly!

For more information, please continue to check http://www.24hourcomicsday.com. For further inquiries and to inquire about how your company can sponsor this worldwide creative event please contact ComicsPRO’s Communications Coordinator Amanda Emmert at 24hcd@comicspro.org.

A new blog has been launched for this year’s 24 Hour Comics Day at http://24hcd.blogspot.com/

ComicsPRO will begin signing up host sites in May.

– Matt Price