For CoZi Las Vegas Comic and Zine Fest co-founder Gina Parham, comics and zines are a way to form connections. In fact, it was through comics that Parham met co-founder Jean Munson.
“I met my friend Jean through an adult comics writing workshop at [former] local coffee shop the Beat,” Parham says. “She [was] another woman cartoonist in town … and I hadn’t met anybody at that point who does autobiographical content through comics.”
Through that shared interest, third co-founder Nicole Espinosa also came into the picture. The three have helmed two CoZi fests since 2019, and are gearing up for a third, August 5 at Clark County Library.
“It’s taken on a life of its own. … After pandemic shutdowns, we were seeing this zine boom here in town,” Parham says. “We’ve cultivated a physical space for CoZi fest and through workshops and hangouts throughout the year.”
Cultivating that space can start with “demystifying the process” of zine making, Parham says, through workshops like the Teen Zine sessions CoZi recently hosted at local libraries, during which attendees can learn what a zine is and how to make one.
For the uninitiated, a zine—pronounced zeen, as in magazine—is a work with images or text usually reproduced by a copy machine. Essentially, it’s a way to self-publish original or appropriated work. Zines have been used since the early 20th century as a way to disseminate information outside of other conventional, commercial means.
“You don’t have to go through an institution or a major publisher to be able to spread those ideas. You can just do it on your own with a copier and some paper and cheap materials,” Parham says, holding up a zine she edited.
Parham’s I Love Everyone anthology features submissions from multiple cartoonists, writers and artists. It’s just another example of how zine-making can bridge connections among artists, and help get their message out to the masses.
The fest will showcase 25 vendors who have signed up to show their work. And while it’s nice to make a sale, that’s not the main point, Parham says. “A lot of the artists, cartoonists, illustrators and visual artists I know are shy about putting their work out there to the world. … But when [they] do, it’s always worth it,” she says.
“It’s a cool way to connect with other people— to be able to say, ‘I made this’ and being able to support another person by trading and appreciating their art.”
CoZi Las Vegas Comic & Zine Fest August 5, noon-5 p.m., free. Clark County Library, cozilv.com
Click HERE to subscribe for free to the Weekly Fix, the digital edition of Las Vegas Weekly! Stay up to date with the latest on Las Vegas concerts, shows, restaurants, bars and more, sent directly to your inbox!
