I’m doing 24 Hour Comics Day again! Tomorrow (Saturday, October 5th) is the big day and I can’t wait to try another round.
I had such a good time last year, I decided to keep it going. (By the way, if you enjoyed last year’s stories, the physical book is now for sale in my Etsy shop.)
This year, I will be adapting another old fairy tale. Actually, this one is more of a folk tale. What story do I have planned? Drop in Saturday for the big reveal.
Where to Read
On October 5th, I will be posting my comic pages as I finish them. These posts will appear in several places:
- Right here in my blog space. Last year, I posted the comic in the blog when it was all finished. This year, I want to post a new blog as soon as I start and keep updating it with fresh panels throughout the day. Check the blog space on Saturday to follow along.
- On Bluesky Bluesky has been my main social media lately. If you have an account there, follow me. If you don’t, try it sometime.
- On Mastodon. I post sporadicly on Mastodon. Got a few friends there.
- On Facebook (Sort of) Facebook tends to mess up the order of my posts, which is pretty important when you’re posting a book. Instead of putting the comic on Facebook, I’ll post the first few panels there, then link back to the blog every time I post a new batch of pages.
- Twitter (I guess) I don’t really enjoy Twitter anymore, but there are some super cool people who I can’t reach anywhere else, so I guess I like people more than I hate Twitter (for now.)
My Rules
Like many others, I will not be following the traditional Scott McCloud rules. Since event is a personal/professional challenge and not a contest, I don’t see the harm in setting your own rules. The way I see it, the only way to cheat is to claim you made your comic differently than you actually did.
Here’s how my 24 hour comic will break down:
- The script is already written. For me, this is an art challenge, not a writing challenge. The script was written in advance.
- I will not follow the 24 page rule. Last year’s comic was 16 pages. This year’s will probably be 18 pages. That’s enough of an achievement for me.
- I already have a blank panel template. Basically, I have a series of empty squares ready to draw in. I haven’t decided on my layout yet (see rule #8), So these are literally just digital files of blank 6 x 6 squares.
- I did place text in some of the blank panels. This one is not totally for my benefit, but for the eventual print version. I do want to make these into paper books one day, so I don’t want the text to turn out too small and eligible. I did some tests to make sure my font size will be adequate for the print dimensions.
- I do have some character drafts. Yes, I did draw the characters in advance, I’m won’t be making my first model sheets on the day of the event. But I have only drawn every character one time each. It doesn’t seem fair if I’m too comfortable drawing them.
- I won’t be following the 12:00 noon to 12:00 noon time table. I’ll start my comic right when I wake up. I’ve already cleared a day for this, I can’t clear part of two days.
- If I go over time, this will turn into a 36 hour comic or a 48 hour comic. I know I just said I can’t take more than one day, but I’m not quitting until it’s done.
- I am not working from a story board. I have a few layouts in my head, but other than that, all of the panel compositions have not been planned or decided. Any boarding will be done on the day of the event.
I think that’s everything. See you at sunrise.
