You don’t have to be an artist for Hourly Comics Day
By Bronson Kashino on January 27, 2025
This Saturday is Hourly Comics Day. It’s a cartooning challenge that happens every February 1st. People across the world draw a comic every hour they’re awake about what happened that hour. Some keep their comics private. Others, like me, post them online throughout the day.
The tradition was started by Simone Veil, formerly known as John Campbell, in 2006. Veil drew hourly comics for the entire month of January. Other cartoonists, like Kate Beaton and K.C. Green, were invited to join in on February 1st.
You don’t even have to be particularly good at drawing to do it. Simone Veil is known for the webcomic Pictures For Sad Children which is famously poorly drawn. It’s no longer officially available online, but fans have collected and reposted it.
I was a terrible artist when I first started doing Hourly Comics Day back in 2009. I’ve done it so long the journals where I drew my hourly comics can fill a pair of Rubbermaid bins. They’re one part time capsule and one part diary. I can look back and see a snapshot of my life during any of those years.
You should do it this year. It’s this Saturday. Follow #HourlyComicsDay on social media to see others posting their comics throughout the day. Post yours with the tag too.