Co-Zi Las Vegas is Las Vegas’s first small comics and zines festival. Co-Zi was founded in 2019 as a group effort by three friends who wanted to make a safe and inclusive space for creators to share niche or express their thoughts and ideas. These could be things that aren’t often discussed in mainstream media. Our first event was held in the Summer of 2019 at the LGBT Center of Las Vegas.

Mission Statement

Co-Zi LV Fest is a Las Vegas-based community event that promotes zines and other forms of DIY print culture. We strive to cultivate accessible safe spaces for marginalized communities and encourage the creation and consumption of self-published content through meet-ups, workshops and the festival itself.

Meet Team Co-Zi

 
A drawn version of Gina, a white Latina, with shoulder length brown hair and blue eyes. She is wearing a black mask with blue writing reading "Stay Away From Me."

Gina

Gina is 1/3rd of Co-Zi and a comic artist and illustrator in Las Vegas. She makes autobiographical comics, including comics about her job as a barista. Gina loves her dogs, iPad, and Nintendo Switch. She holds her Associate's degree in Art and sporadically posts comics, zines, and illustrations on her Instagram, @artofgina.

A drawn version of Jean, a brown Filipina with big hair and bangs. She is wearing a monochrome purple outfit and glasses. She has a mole on her chin and is shrugging.

Jean

Jean Marie Pilario Munson is a Pinay Polymath banned from her birthplace, the island of Guam. Just kidding! Sort of. Based in Las Vegas, Jean is a longtime content creator, rabble rouser and wrangler of this motley crue of zinesters. She wears many professional scrunchies: educator, historian, researcher, program director, artist and entrepreneur. In her non-spare time, she also co-hosts the Bruha Baddies podcast. You can find examples of her work and her cute, wild-haired selfies on Instagram @jeanbeanmarie

Nicole, a brown Filipinx wearing glasses. They are wearing a white t-shirt and laying on a green couch. Biscuit, a fluffy Himalayan cat is laying on their chest. A star is drawn on Nicole's nipple so because modest is hottest.

Nicole

Nicole Cristina Espinosa is not an artist by trade, but by passion...and academic burn out. Since developing the ability to hold a writing instrument in the early 1980s, doodling is Nicole’s preferred method of catharsis. Nicole is a McNair scholar at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Their major is in Gender & Sexuality Studies with a minor in Asian & Asian-American Studies. Their research is on media representation, fan-created content, and activist mobilization in queer fandom spaces. TL;DR? They are a huge nerd. Nicole is also a researcher on the upcoming Neon Pacific podcast and co-host on the Bruha Baddies podcast (“a Pinay podcast to magically disappoint your parents”). You can find their Quaranzine series on Instagram @colesmcgee