Update: Due to impacts of the ongoing pandemic, the Pfau Library's 4th Annual Comic/Zine Expo and Career Workshop, scheduled for Feb. 18 has been postponed until February 2022.

The John M. Pfau Library at Cal State San Bernardino will host the fourth annual Comic/Zine Expo and Career Workshop on Thursday, Feb. 18.

The all-virtual program, to be held via Zoom, will have two sessions: one in the morning from 10 a.m.-noon and the other in the afternoon from 2-3:45 p.m. Go to the “Comic/Zine Expo & Career Workshop: Program Schedule” website for the day’s lineup.

Panelists will discuss career pathways into the comics and zine industry; multiculturalism, equity, and social activism in today’s comics and zines; the creative and artistic process; advice on writing for non-binary audiences; the changing complexion of the comics and zine world; and other related topics. 

The names of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners who compete in a comic/zine contest will be announced during the program.  Winners of the contest will each receive a cash prize.  The first place winner will also receive 200 color copies of their submitted work.

The contest is free to enter and open to all CSUSB and Palm Desert Campus students. Submissions must be related to diversity, environmental justice, climate change, green technology, or species extinction prevention, among other topics listed in the competition’s rules and guidelines.

“This year’s expo highlights artists of color and their pioneering contributions to the comics and zine sphere,” said Cesar Caballero, dean of the John M. Pfau Library, who is a sponsor of the program. “These individuals have invaluable insight, perspective, and in-the-field experience from which aspiring comics and zine artists would doubtless benefit. We invite everyone to participate in this rich, educational, career-oriented event.” 

Panelists include:

  • Cabrina Alviar, a designer, art director, and artist who has received numerous recognitions from Graphic Design USA (GDUSA), American Inhouse Design Awards, UCDA Design Competition, ArtCenter Behance gallery, and Art Served. GDUSA recently acknowledged Alviar for her work on the Advancing Women in Leadership Conference identity system and overall conference design.  In her most recent art gallery viewing, “Through the Iris,” she participated in a national touring exhibition of five universities that featured women artists.
  • Hector Cantú, co-creator of the nationally syndicated Baldo newspaper comic strip, which appears in nearly 200 newspapers nationwide, including The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the Houston Chronicle, The Denver Post, and the Los Angeles Daily News.  He is co-author of “The Lower You Ride, the Cooler You Are: A Baldo Collection” and “Night of the Bilingual Telemarketers: A Baldo Collection.” His writing has appeared in The Los Angeles Times Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, and D Magazine, and he has been a guest on PBS’s NewsHour and NPR’s All Things Considered.  He is editor of The Intelligent Collector magazine.
  • Carlos Castellanos, co-creator of the nationally syndicated Baldo newspaper comic strip.
  • Dominic Glover, who has been working as a professional illustrator and graphic designer since 2013, creating works that have been published and licensed by Marvel Entertainment, Warner Brothers, Pulsar Entertainment, and more.
  • Eric Koda, a CSUSB Art & Design instructor, book artist, and former Marvel Artist.
  • MariNaomi (she/they) is the award-winning author and illustrator of “Kiss & Tell: A Romantic Resume, Ages 0 to 22” (Harper Perennial, 2011), “Dragon's Breath and Other True Stories” (2dcloud/Uncivilized Books, 2014), “Turning Japanese” (2dcloud, 2016), “I Thought YOU Hated ME” (Retrofit Comics, 2016), and the “Life on Earth” trilogy (Graphic Universe, 2018-2020). Her work has appeared in over 80 print publications and has been featured on websites such as The New Yorker's Daily Shouts, The Rumpus, LA Review of Books, Midnight Breakfast, and BuzzFeed.
  • Robert Schmidt, a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and owner of Blue Corn Creations, who is best known for publishing Peace Party, a multicultural comic book featuring Native Americans.  He is producing graphic novels in the same genre.
  • Miguel Angel Tarango, a multidisciplinary artist, experimental/documentary filmmaker, and founder of Gato Feliz Media, LLC, in Redlands. Born in Chihuahua, Mexico, Tarango grew up in El Paso, Texas. In April 2020, he completed a documentary covering his good friend Jon Gate’s return to competitive yo-yo play.  In 2021, he will travel to Iowa to premiere the documentary, currently in post-production, at the Belle Plaine Historical Museum. He teaches film history and digital editing part time at San Bernardino Valley Community College.

“I'm delighted to participate in the Pfau Library’s Comic Book/Zine Expo and Career Workshop,” said Cantú, Baldo co-creator. "Comics are an important part of the American pop-culture stage, and it’s imperative that all of America's diverse voices have a chance to tell their stories.”

University archivist Eric Milenkiewicz, one of the expo’s main organizers, is excited about the lineup of panelists.  “We’re delighted to have as guest speakers the co-creators of the ‘Baldo’ comic strip, which focuses on Latinx characters and experiences, along with the creator of ‘Peace Party,’ a multicultural comic book featuring Native Americans.  The opportunity to hear directly from these accomplished industry professionals, who have successfully published diversity-themed comics, will inspire the next generation of aspiring comics creators both at CSUSB and beyond.”


The event is free and open to the public. Register online at the event’s webinar registration webpage. Please note that registration is required to receive the Zoom link and password.

For questions or more information, contact Pat Ricé-Daniels at (909) 537-4307 or email archives@csusb.edu.