House of Lief

Online Comics Community

Lief Bennett — Sat, 04 Jul 2026 04:45:56 GMT

Get Involved: Online Comics Community

Back in December, I put out a blog post about the comics community in Columbus, Ohio, where I'm based. But I know that my wonderful readers don't all live in my city so I wanted to put something together for people interested in engaging with the community online. There's a ton of interesting groups and opportunities online for comic creators, but it can be difficult to find them in the fire** **hose stream of information on the internet. Never fear! Here's a breakdown of some places to start in looking for events and community online.

Comics Accountability Club

Long time readers will recognize this name. The Comics Accountability Club was actually my gateway into making comics seriously back in 2023. Look how far we've come! This is a smaller community than the other ones I'll mention here today, but don't let that put you off. This group is a very active, supportive community that really punches above it's weight when it comes to member benefits. Sticker printing, zine printing, mini-grants, annual and monthly anthology opportunities, and more are available to members. Unlike many other online communities, I see CAC members frequently developing IRL meet ups and developing close independent friendships outside of the club. From personal experience, I'm traveling out to New Jersey this weekend for a CAC meetup, and I'm hosting three members at my home as they travel in to Columbus for SPACE (Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo) in March. The group is also very welcoming to new members in spite of (or because of) how close knit the core groups of active members are. CAC members are always eager to get to know new cartoonists and share their love of comics and the community.

Cartoonists Cooperative

The Cartoonist Coop was founded in 2022 to organize cartoonists and related workers to advocate for better working conditions. I joined in 2024 and the group has really come into its own and matured since then. In the past year they've incorporated as a Guild in the state of New York, giving them a better legal standing and leverage to advocate for their members and cartoonists across the world. There are a number of benefits to membership, including discounts for book and sticker printing services, tax prep, and digital and tradition comic making tools.

Now, who should join the Coop? This group is much more formal than the other groups I'll mention here, and it does require members to report on their contributions every year. The contribution expectations are low, but it's still a barrier for membership for folks who might already be at capacity and just looking for cartoonists to chat with. I would say the Coop is a good group for cartoonists who are at least part time working and being paid for comics, whether that's conventions, freelance work, publishing, or other options. There are extremely limited opportunities to convert Coop membership into IRL relationships, which is a drawback for me, but working cartoonists stand to benefit from other aspects of membership.

Comic Resources

Lief Bennett — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT

There's a lot of valuable resources out there for getting started making comics of all kinds, but it can be hard to find them, or to work through the pile to find what works for you. Here I've compiled a list of resources for things like drawing software, fonts, website templates, and more.

Some of the software and services here cost money. I am not sponsored by any companies listed here, I am simply trying to provide a list of resources that I think are useful to new cartoonists.

drawing/design software

name	description	link
Anti-Subscription Catalogue	A collection of free/open source/single payment software.	https://www.a-s-c.org/
Affinity Suite	A single-payment adobe suite alternative with design and publisher software.	https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/

website help

name	description	link
Neocities	A static site web hosting service. Supports html/css/js. Perfect for getting to customize code without having to worry about server architecture.	https://neocities.org
W3Schools	Coding lessons. A great resource to support you while developing your website as a beginner.	https://www.w3schools.com/
Rarebit Webcomic Template	An html/css/js template for starting a self-hosted webcomic. Plug in your pictures and style and go.	https://rarebit.neocities.org/
Sadgrl Layout Builder	Sadgrl.online was one of the biggest names on neocities in 2021 when I first made my site. While the webmaster has moved onto other projects, her resources are still online.	https://goblin-heart.net/sadgrl/projects/layout-builder/
LayoutIt!	This is the layout builder I used for the css on most of my site. It generates css and an html skeleton for you to use.	https://grid.layoutit.com
BawkBox Widgets	BawkBox provides prewritten widgets like contact forms that you can just copy and paste into the code of your website.	https://bawkbox.com/

clubs and webrings

name	description	link
Comics Accountability Club	CAC is a club dedicated to equiping cartoonists with the tools to self publish.	https://www.instagram.com/comix.club/
Cartoonists Cooperative	The Cartoonists Coop is a group dedicated to fighting for fair pay for comics industry workers.	https://cartoonist.coop
Web/Comic/Ring	This webring is hosted on Neocities and basically accepts any applicant, as long as they can add Javascript code to their website and they have an active or completed webcomic.	https://webcomicring.org/
Smallweb Subway	This webring is hosted by Gusbus.space, another neocities website. The Subway is actually several topical webrings for different kinds of content, all linked together.	gusbus.space/smallweb-subway

Comics and Zine Fests

name	description	link
Online Comics & Zine Fair Webring	Online/virtual zine fairs are a great, low-risk way to start getting your comics and zines out there. Check out this webring to see what options there are for virtual events.	https://comicsfair.online
Columbus OH Comic Events	If you're based in Columbus, OH, check out this page to learn about the local comics community.	Comics in Columbus

Annual Comic Challenges

Lief Bennett — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT

I love participating in the various comic challenges that happen on social media or in person. They're a great way to build comraderie with other cartoonists and work on a lower-stakes project from start to finish to get that dopamine hit of having completed something. There's often online or in-person meetups for cartoonists to work on these challenges together - and if you can't find a meetup, let this be your encouragement to start one! People are always looking for ways to get invested in their local comics scene and often just don't know how to start. I feel obliged to provide a disclaimer that you should be mindful of your time and energy and only participate in these challenges to the extent that you can do so and not sacrifice your health or existing commitments. And now without further ado, here are the comic challenges I've participated in:

Hourly Comics Day

Hourly Comics Day is an annual challenge on February 1st started by Simone Veil in 2006. Cartoonists are challenged to draw a comic every hour that they are awake about what they did in the past hour. There are rarely in-person events organized around this challenge, since it centers primarily around drawing the things you're doing during the day - instead, users post to the #hourlycomicsday20XX hashtag on their social media of choice throughout the day. Many creators (myself included) collect their hourly comics for print.

Learn More

24 Hour Comics Day

24 Hour Comics Day challenges cartoonists to create a 24-page comic from start to finish in 24 hours. The challenge started as a personal dare between Scott McCloud and Steve Bissett in 1990. On April 24, 2004, the first annual 24 Hour Comics Day took place, involving local events hosted by comic stores across the US. In 2008, organization of the event was handed off to the Comics Professional Retail Organization who have orchestrated it ever since. Today, the event is held annually on the first Saturday in October. For cartoonists who successfully complete the challenge, the Billy Ireland Comics Library and Museum in Columbus, OH maintains an archive of 24-hour comics.

Learn More

Make a Terrible Comic Day

Make a Terrible Comic Day challenges cartoonists to make a terrible comic on purpose. The challenge was started in 2024 by Emma Elliot, and inspired by this skeet by Daryll Ayo. As a newer comics challenge, there are no known in-person events celebrating this challenge. You could be the first! If you organize an event to celebrate this challenge, email me at lief[at]houseoflief.com and I will add it to this website. Traditionally, this event is celebrated by making a terrible comic and posting it to social media using the hashtag #makeaterriblecomicday20XX. You can read my most recent terrible comic here.

Learn More

Cartoonber

Cartoonber is an annual challenge hosted by the Cartoonist Cooperative and inspired by the various prompt-tober challenges (e.g., Inktober). Cartoonber challenges cartoonists to team up in group of 2-4 to practice different roles in comics-making, such as scripting, pencils, inks, colors, and lettering. There are four prompts, and groups are given two weeks with each prompt to produce a finished page. Groups may choose to produce four sequential pages, or four stand-alone pages. Due to the primarily online nature of the Co-op and the two-month run-time of the challenge, there are no in-person events. I recommend joining the Cartoonist Co-op discord server to find a group. Groups are also encouraged to post their pages on social media using the #cartoonber20XX hashtag.

Learn More

SAWgust

SAWgust is an annual comics challenge hosted by the Sequential Artists Workshop and inspired by the (now defunct) NaNoWriMo challenge. SAWgust challenges cartoonists to draw 100 panels or ~32 pages of comics in the month of August. If that seems like a stretch for you, that's the point - but if it seems impossible, SAW also encourages a Choose Your Own Adventure approach to the challenge, encouraging artists to set their own challenge goals for the month. Cartoonists can sign up for the event through the the SAW website to participate in check-in calls over zoom, receive free stickers in the mail, and benefit from the supportive online community that SAW has cultivated. While there is no mention of SAWgust-specific events on the SAW website, they do have a physical location in Gainesville, FL where they host classes, meetups, and other events.

Learn More

Get Involved: Comics Community in Columbus, OH

Lief Bennett — Tue, 19 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

One of the most common questions I’m asked when I sell comics at local events like the Clintonville Farmer’s Market is how to get involved in the local comics community. It can be difficult, especially for recent graduates or folks new to comics to figure out how to meet other cartoonists. I’ve been in the Columbus scene for a few years now, so here’s some clubs and events to check out, as well as tips on finding more.

Columbus Area Comics and Zines Clubs

The Columbus Comics and Zine Society

Founded by CCAD professor Jaromir Stoll, the Columbus Comics and Zine Society is a great pick if you’re looking for in person co-working. CCZS meets most Sundays at the Global Gallery Coffee Shop for a Drink and Draw session. If you’re unfamiliar, all that means is that we buy drinks and work on our comics projects. You can join the clubfacebook group or follow the instagram page to get updates about meeting times. In addition, CCZS has occasional weekend retreats at Lake Hope State Park in the early spring. The retreats offer an opportunity to unplug, focus in, and recharge. Recommended for folks who like hiking and board games.

Columbus Cartoon Coalition (C3)

C3 is a welcoming community focused on supporting independent and self-published cartoonists in Central Ohio. Most communication and organization in this group happens online, but there is a monthly work session at Brewdog in Franklinton. C3 also organizes annual anthologies and a monthly (online) graphic novel book club, primarily through their instagram and discord servers. While officially organized community events within C3 primarily occur online, it is a valuable space to meet artists in the region and build connections.

Zine Club Columbus

While Zine Club Columbus is not, strictly speaking, a comics club, it’s still worth checking out. This group organizes free monthly zine workshops, bringing in local makers to talk through a practice followed by time to apply those skills. Workshops are announced on the club instagram. To stay connected between workshops, DM the instagram account to join their instagram groupchat.

Columbus Area Comics Events

Small Press and Comics Expo (SPACE)

Organized by Bob Corby of Back Porch Comics, SPACE is the longest running active comic expo in the Columbus area. The next SPACE event will take place March 28-29, 2026 at The Makoy(5462 Center St. Hilliard OH 43026). SPACE features an expo hall, as well as panels and workshops and an annual award ceremony for the SPACE prize, including Graphic Novel, Mini-Comics, and General category prizes. It’s a great event to attend if you’re interested in meeting local cartoonists and getting to know some of the veterans of the local scene.

DISTRACTOR Comics Readings

The DISTRACTOR comics reading series by Drew B Hall is an occasional event that takes place a handful of times each year. If you’re not familiar with the concept of a comic reading, comic pages are projected onto a screen, and the artist reads the comic from the screen, optionally providing sound effects, visual descriptions, or commentary. Each DISTRACTOR features between 4 and 6 cartoonists, typically local-ish, with Drew emceeing. There’s also plenty of time before and after the readings to socialize and get to know the other cartoonists and comic enjoyers in attendance, and free snacks.

Cartoon Crossroads Columbus (CXC)

CXC is an annual comic arts and animation festival in downtown Columbus, first established in 2014. The event takes place over five days, from Wednesday - Sunday. CXC has typically occurred in the fall, but due to scheduling conflicts with OSU and the football team, the next event will take place in Spring 2027. The expo hall at CXC, where you can browse and purchase comics, occurs on the Saturday and Sunday of the fest, with the other days being occupied by panels, workshops and other community events. CXC events are hosted primarily at the Billy Ireland Comics Library and Museum, the Columbus Metropolitan Library, and the Columbus College of Art and Design. It’s a great event to attend if you’re interested in engaging with a diverse group of cartoonists both local and outside Columbus and broadening your horizons through workshops and panels.

Looking Forward

Lief Bennett — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 16:16:36 GMT

These past few months, for the first time in five years, I have been applying to colleges. In some ways it seems like I've picked the worst possible time to go back to school. Generative AI has been sweeping workplaces and schools for the past few years, and I keep hearing horror stories from my professor friends about the state of higher education. My favorite professors from my first go at college have all retired or been laid off because of the hyper-conservative business man hired as president of the university. The country as a whole is also being run by a hyper-conservative business man who has laid off all the best federal employees. Colleges in my city and state have rolled back their DEI programs, and changes to federal financial aid are cutting funding to programs where student's don't earn enough money after graduation-primarily arts and humanities programs. Every week I hear about a new bill being introduced in my state government or the federal government designed to strip away more rights and liberties from transgender people and other minorities. I most likely won't be allowed to compete in sports as I return to college, and I'm choosing to live off-campus not because of money but because I don't want to have to find out what dorm I would be assigned to, or what my prospective roommate's opinions about trans people might be. By the time I graduate, it's possible that I won't be able to get HRT prescriptions or gender affirming surgeries without crossing state or national boundaries.

But even in the face of everything that's happening in my city, my state, my country, and the world, I'm still making the decision to go back to school. I loved college, and I didn't drop out in 2022 because I was bored, or because I was unsure about my major or struggling in my classes. I dropped out because I ran out of money, and I ran out of money because I decided to believe my father when he told me he'd cut me off if I came out. In the three years since I moved to Columbus after dropping out, it has always been my goal to go back to school. I've saved up some money, I've built a social network, a work history, and a credit score. I've progressed in my transition - I've been on testosterone for about two years now and I've changed my legal name and updated almost all my documents. I am eager to go back to school. And I'm hopeful. For all the terrible things that are happening, there are people resisting, sometimes in small ways and sometimes in big ways. We won't be unscathed when we come out the other side of this, but I'm choosing to believe that we will come out the other side.

Thank you all for your support in the four years I've been running this website, and I hope you'll stick around to see what I do next. In the meantime, call your senators, join a rapid response group, maybe make a casserole for your neighbors, and keep fighting.

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