Jacksonville’s comics have something to say. Comix It Up hands their creators the mic.

A drawn page can hold a whole world. On October 15, five Jacksonville cartoonists will bring theirs into the room, reading their work aloud as the pages appear on a screen at Solune Coffee.

Comix It Up pairs the intimacy of a reading with the visual pleasure of comics. Drew Arnett, Cam Lopez, Tyler Mangus, Haley Howe and Andrew Kozlowski are on the announced bill. Doors open at 6 p.m.; readings begin at 7, with the program scheduled through 9. The benefit supports Duval Comic and Zine Festival, or DCAZ.

For readers, it is a chance to hear the choices behind the drawings: where a creator pauses, what gets emphasized, how a voice changes a scene. For anyone who has thought about making a comic but never quite started, it is also an introduction to people doing that work here in Jacksonville.

Editor's note: Independent print culture grows when people have room to make something.

The community behind DCAZ has its own story of getting started—and starting again. In his account of the festival’s beginnings, Kozlowski credits Jacksonville artists Dan Wiley and Lindsay Anderson with the original idea. A first gathering planned for the Main Library in March 2020 was canceled because of COVID-19. In early 2022, they regrouped with librarian and artist James Greene around the library’s zine collection. Kozlowski, Emily Malo and Anthony Aiuppy joined the effort.

Kozlowski describes bringing his Risograph duplicator to the eventual library festival and helping children and adults turn collages into prints. That is a telling piece of the organization’s history: people were invited to make something, not simply browse what others had made.

DCAZ’s work continues in that participatory spirit. The nonprofit supports self-publishers through free workshops and its festival, making space for zines, minicomics, small presses and other independent print work. Its stated mission includes creators across ages, backgrounds and abilities.

There is a way into that community beyond this one evening. DCAZ’s Art Walk Zinester Meetup meets at the Main Library on the first Wednesday of the month, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Beginners are welcome. Someone inspired by a reading at Solune can take that interest to a table where making a first comic is part of the invitation.

Editor's note: Comix It Up is a live comics reading, with artwork projected on a screen.

That is what makes this benefit worth knowing about. Jacksonville’s creative life depends on people finding places to share their work—and people willing to listen. A coffee shop reading offers a manageable place to begin, whether you already collect local zines or have never opened one.

Solune is at 2650 Rosselle Street, Suite 3B. Seating is limited. Come ready to discover an artist whose name you may want to remember the next time you browse a festival table.

Explore Comix It Up on Errbody.