Latinx Comics Art Festival is celebrating fifth year in Modesto. Here’s what it features

The Latinx Comic Arts Festival (LCAF) is returning for its fifth year at the Modesto Junior College West Campus on Friday and Saturday, March 22-23.

“It’s basically a family reunion if your family were a bunch of comic book nerds,” said Paul Meyer, a Los Angeles-based graphic novelist and regular exhibitor at the festival.

The festival highlights Latino creators and features panels, workshops and even a low-rider car show on Saturday, allowing community members to see themselves reflected in the comic book world.

Last year, the festival had its biggest attendance yet, about 1,300 people. MJC professor Theresa Rojas, who is the event’s founding director, anticipates about 2,000 people this year.

Rojas typically recruits the majority of her exhibitors at conferences held nationwide. She said many of them are already familiar with the Modesto festival. “I’m like, ‘How do you know Modesto?’” Rojas said.

Panel discussions encompass topics including “Navigating the Social Media Landscape” and “Creators in Conversation,” delving into the media strategies artists employ to showcase their work and addressing the ongoing challenges within the industry.

Rojas noted that the majority of Latino creators are independent and self-publishing. Festivals like this provide them with a platform to directly market their work to the community.

Robert Liu-Trujillo, a children’s book illustrator from Oakland, urges teachers, parents and librarians to attend the festival and explore potential books to introduce to children in their schools or organizations. He emphasized that such festivals often serve as the primary means for artists to engage with people directly, exposing readers to stories that resonate with their lives and incorporate familiar cultural elements.

One of his favorite artists, who will be attending the festival, is Cathy Camper, creator of “Lowriders in Space,” a graphic novel about lowriders exploring the solar system.

“It’s a window into other people’s stories as well,” he said.

Importance of representation

Meyer said festivals like this are important because they allow college students and kids in Modesto to see themselves represented and to feel as though they could be on the other side of the table one day.

Meyer, who has gone to LCAF every year, said his favorite part is recognizing students from previous years and seeing them grow artistically. “These are needed,” he said about the festival.

E.C. Dukes, co-creator of DUKEScomics with her husband, Ronnie Dukes, noted that artists of color are frequently overlooked in the comic book realm, even those contributing to major projects like Spider-Man.

She and Ronnie prefer to portray the near future in their novels as a utopia for marginalized communities. Their work showcases a resilient Latina protagonist, a representation they deem crucial in an industry predominantly dominated by white voices.

“One of our goals as artists is to insert our identity and our culture and our lived experience but to then push it into the future,” said E.C. Dukes.

How to Approach an Exhibitor 101

Rojas created a guide for first-time festival attendees, advising students on how to approach artists. She recommended initiating conversation with an artist whose work resonates with you and introducing yourself in the process.

Rojas emphasized that the most engaging conversations stem from open-ended inquiries, steering clear of questions that require simple yes or no responses. She also advised against overly broad questions.

Above all, Rojas encouraged bravery, as creators typically enjoy discussing their work.

Rojas’s favorite part of the festival is standing in the middle of the exhibitor room and just taking a moment to listen to the buzz of people talking, laughing and just enjoying being there.

She especially loves seeing kids get excited and feed into the joy of comics.

“You can feel the energy,” she said.

The Latinx Comic Arts Festival

When: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, March 22, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 23

Where: Mary Stuart Rogers Student Center on the Modesto Junior College West Campus, 2201 Blue Gum Ave.

Admission: Free. Parking on campus also is free for the two-day event.