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Napoli Comicon

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Napoli Comicon
A view of the Mostra d'Oltremare during the 2013 Napoli Comicon
StatusActive
VenueCastel Sant'Elmo (1998–2010)
Mostra d'Oltremare (2010–)
Fiera di Bergamo (2023–)
Location(s)Napoli (1998–)
Salerno (2011–2015)
Bergamo (2023–)
CountryItaly
Inaugurated1998
Attendance170,000 in 2023[1][2][3]
Organized byComicon[4]
Websitewww.comicon.it

COMICON – International Pop Culture Festival, also commonly known as Napoli Comicon, is an annual comic book convention and pop culture festival held in Naples, Italy. Established in 1998, the event takes place each spring and is one of the largest and most influential comics and pop culture festivals in Europe.[3][5]

History

[edit]

Napoli Comicon is an international cultural festival focused on comics and multi-genre entertainment. It takes place annually in Naples, Italy, over four days (three days until 2011, except in 2008, when it was also held for four days), usually in late April or early May.

The festival is hosted at the Mostra d'Oltremare exhibition and convention center (previously held at Castel Sant'Elmo until 2009,[6] except for the 2000 edition, which took place at Villa Pignatelli).[citation needed]

The first edition was held in 1998.[7] In the 2010 and 2011 editions, the event took place across two venues: Castel Sant'Elmo and Mostra d'Oltremare.[citation needed]

In 2001, comics journalist and Disney expert Luca Boschi became the Cultural Director of the event, overseeing the comics program until 2016. In 2006, the same organization launched Gamecon [it], a gaming convention, also held in Naples.

After the success of the 2009 edition, which attracted far more visitors than expected, the event was moved to the larger and more spacious Mostra d'Oltremare convention center.

In January 2010, the organizers decided to divide Comicon into two venues for that year’s edition: one focused primarily on comics and cinema/TV content, and the other on video games, tabletop games, and cosplay. The traditional festival venue, Castel Sant'Elmo, hosted publishers (except Panini and J-Pop Manga), screenings, talks, awards, the Imago contest, and comics-related exhibitions. Meanwhile, the trade show venue, Mostra d'Oltremare, featured cosplay contests, booths for game and video game publishers (including a particularly large Nintendo area with several Wii consoles available to attendees), as well as comic book stores, game stores, and distributors.[8]

This merging of Comicon and Gamecon resulted in a single multi-genre convention covering a wide range of entertainment, including comics, cinema, TV series, video games, board games, animation, and cosplay. Since that year, the winner of the cosplay competition has also been selected to compete in an international contest. In 2010, for example, the winner qualified for the finals of the EuroCosplay Championship in London.[7]

From 2011 to 2015, a spin-off event, Salerno Comicon, was held in Salerno, Italy.[7] In 2012, Comicon moved the entire event to the Mostra d'Oltremare convention center. This decision was based on a survey conducted by the organizers through the festival’s official Facebook page.[9][better source needed] Also introduced in the 2012 edition was the "Asian Village" area, a dedicated space within the festival focused entirely on anime, manga, and Asian culture.[10][11]

In 2014, the same company launched VideoGameShow, an "innovative" convention focused on gaming, creators, and digital entertainment, co-organized with ESL Italia. The event lasted for five editions, held in both Naples and Milan, Italy.[12][13][14]

In late 2018, comics expert and media scholar Matteo Stefanelli was appointed Comicon's first artistic director.[15] Comicon Naples was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a smaller-scale "Comicon Extra" program, featuring both offline and online events, was held during both years.[16][17] The main festival returned in 2022.

In 2023, Comicon expanded with a second edition in Bergamo, held from June 23 to 25 as part of the Bergamo–Brescia Italian Capitals of Culture 2023 initiative. The first edition of Comicon Bergamo took place in the pavilions of the Fiera di Bergamo.[18]

Features

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The festival offers panels, workshops with authors and professionals, screenings, previews of upcoming feature films and TV series, meet-and-greet opportunities with creators and actors, portfolio review sessions with top comics publishers, and the COMICON/Micheluzzi Awards ceremony.

Like most comics and pop culture festivals, COMICON features a large exhibition space, both indoor and outdoor, an autograph area, and a dedicated Small Press Area for fanzines and self-published comic books.

Exhibitors at the festival include:

  • Comics publishers, retailers, and distributors
  • Video game publishers and retailers
  • Esports organizers and teams
  • Toy, RPG, and collectible merchants
  • Anime and manga publishers, retailers, and distributors
  • Movie and TV companies, including streaming services

Over the years, numerous artists from the comics industry, both national and international, have attended as guests, including Milo Manara, Frank Miller, Sergio Toppi, David Lloyd, Jim Lee, and Gō Nagai.[citation needed]

In addition to the main event, exhibitions were introduced that could be visited on the days preceding and/or following the festival. Additionally, other exhibitions and events, part of the "COMIC(ON)OFF" program, were held at various urban locations outside the main venue, such as cultural institutes, museums, stores, and galleries.[19]

Themed Editions

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Some editions of COMICON have featured one or more guest countries, with a portion of the event's program dedicated to them. This has included several exhibitions, screenings, lectures, and meetings focused on artists and works of comics and animation from those countries.[citation needed]

Since the 2007 edition, the central theme of the event has shifted from focusing on a specific country (and its corresponding comics school) to a color chosen from the five basic colors of letterpress printing: cyan, magenta, yellow, green, and black. Each of these colors is associated with various references and symbolism, serving as a common thread for the different initiatives presented.[7]

Starting in 2011, COMICON inaugurated a new four-year cycle aimed at linking comics, understood as the "Ninth Art," with other forms of art, showcasing their interactions and mutual influences. Each year, one art form took the spotlight in a specific way. In 2011, the focus was on Music, while in 2012, the relationship between Comics and Literature was explored,[20] replacing the initially planned theme of Architecture, which became the focus of the 2013 edition.[21] In 2014, the main theme, which concluded the cycle exploring the interaction of comics with other arts, was Comics and Cinema.[22]

Awards

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A characteristic feature of the event is the Micheluzzi Award (named after Attilio Micheluzzi),[23] which is awarded annually in various categories to the authors and publishers of contemporary comics. Since the 2005 edition, the COMICON Cosplay Challenge (also with various prizes)[24] has taken place in the auditorium (and since 2010, on an outdoor stage at Mostra d'Oltremare) on the last day of the fair (Sunday, in the 2012 edition).[citation needed]

Other regular activities at the event include the Imago competition, a drawing contest with a social theme (changing each year), reserved for elementary and junior high school students. The winners of the various categories are selected by visitors through a secret ballot.[citation needed]

Editions

[edit]
  • First edition (2—4 October 1998) held at Castel Sant'Elmo
  • Second edition (5—7 May 2000) held at Villa Pignatelli.
  • Third edition (15—17 June 2001) held at Castel Sant'Elmo – Guest countries: Spain and Latin America
  • Fourth edition (8—10 March 2002) held in Castel Sant'Elmo – Guest countries: Italy
  • Fifth edition (7—9 March 2003) held in Castel Sant'Elmo – Guest countries: United States of America and Canada
  • Sixth edition (5—7 March 2004) held in Castel Sant'Elmo – Guest countries: France and Belgium
  • Seventh edition (4—6 March 2005) held in Castel Sant'Elmo – Guest countries: South Korea and Japan
  • Eighth edition (3—5 March 2006) held in Castel Sant'Elmo – Guest countries: Great Britain and Germany
  • Ninth edition (27—29 April 2007) held in Castel Sant'Elmo – Colour: Cyan/Blue
  • Tenth edition (24—27 April 2008) held in Castel Sant'Elmo – Colour: Magenta/Red – Tickets sold: 27,000.
  • Eleventh edition (24—26 April 2009) held in Castel Sant'Elmo – Colour: Yellow – Tickets sold: 26,000.
  • Twelfth edition (30 April—2 May 2010) held at both Castel Sant'Elmo and Mostra d'Oltremare (merged with Gamecon, dedicated to games and video games) – Colour: Black – Tickets sold: 32,000.
  • Thirteenth edition (29 April—1 May 2011) held both at Castel Sant'Elmo and at Mostra d'Oltremare (merged with Gamecon, dedicated to games and videogames) – Theme: Comics and Music – Tickets sold: 35,000.
  • Fourteenth edition (28 April—1 May 2012) held at the Mostra d'Oltremare (merged with Gamecon, dedicated to games and videogames) – Theme: Comics and Literature – Tickets sold: 50,000.
  • Fifteenth edition (25—28 April 2013) held at the Mostra d'Oltremare (merged with Gamecon, dedicated to games and video games) – Theme: Comics and Architecture – Tickets sold: 60,000.
  • Sixteenth edition (1—4 May 2014) held at the Mostra d'Oltremare (merged with Gamecon, dedicated to games and videogames) – Theme: Comics and Cinema. – Tickets sold: 60,000 in the first 3 days alone.
  • Seventeenth edition (30 April—3 May 2015) held at the Mostra d'Oltremare (merged with Gamecon, dedicated to games and videogames) – Theme: Comics and Media. – Tickets sold: 100,000. Visitors: 160,000
  • Eighteenth edition (22—25 April 2016) held at the Mostra d'Oltremare (merged with Gamecon, dedicated to games and videogames) – Theme: Comics and Audiovisual Image.
  • Nineteenth edition (28 April—1 May 2017) held at the Mostra d'Oltremare (merged with Gamecon, dedicated to games and videogames) – Theme: Comics and the impact of the web on our cultural landscape.
  • 20th edition (28 April—1 May 2018) held at the Mostra d'Oltremare (merged with Gamecon, dedicated to games and video games) – Theme: 1998–2018: twenty years of Italian comics. Tickets sold: 150,000.
  • Twenty-first edition (25—28 April 2019) staged at the Mostra d'Oltremare (inside were incorporated the sections CartooNa – Cinema and TV Series, Gamecon – Games and Videogames, Asian Village, Neverland) – Theme: A new beginning. Tickets sold: 160,000.
  • Twenty-second edition (22—25 April 2022): staged at the Mostra d'Oltremare. Visitors: 135,000.
  • Twenty-third edition (28 April—1 May 2023): staged at the Mostra d'Oltremare.

In 2020 and 2021, the convention was not held due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, a series of events, primarily online, called 'Comicon Extra' were organized.

A second edition of Comicon will also be held from 23 to 25 June 2023, in Bergamo, which, along with Brescia, will be the Italian Capital of Culture.

Guests

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References

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  1. ^ "Comicon, quest'anno sarà un'edizione da record: verso il sold out, al via il 29 aprile". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 20 April 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Le date dell'edizione 2024 di Comicon Napoli". Fumettologica (in Italian). 2 May 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Mangashi - The cartoon in Japan from Toba Sojo to Internet". Far East Film Festival.
  4. ^ "Comicon – Chi siamo". Napoli Comicon (in Italian).
  5. ^ "Comicon – Napoli". Italy by Events.
  6. ^ "Napoli Comicon | PAUL GRAVETT". www.paulgravett.com. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d "La storia di COMICON, raccontata dall'inizio". Comicon (in Italian). Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  8. ^ "La mappa di Comicon Napoli 2023". Fumettologica.it (in Italian). 18 April 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  9. ^ "Eccoci, vogliamo cominciare dall'argomento che ci sta più a cuore? In realtà dai commenti sembra così, ma davvero volete tutti che concentriamo le attività solo alla Mostra d'Oltremare, lasciando il Castello? Votate (e fate votare)!". Pagina ufficiale di Comicon su Facebook. 27 February 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  10. ^ "Napoli si colora di Giappone: il Japan Village al COMICON". Animeclick.it. 18 April 2012. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  11. ^ "Gli ospiti e le prime novità dell'area Asian di Comicon Napoli 2023". Fumettologica.it. 20 March 2023. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  12. ^ "«VideoGameShow», 3 giorni di giochi e incontri con i youtubers più famosi". Corriere del Mezzogiorno (in Italian). 5 December 2014.
  13. ^ Pagano, Giuseppe (1 December 2016). "VideoGameShow, Napoli capitale di console e Youtuber". Dire.it (in Italian).
  14. ^ Valerio, Marco (2014). "Sbarca a Milano il VideoGameShow: tre giorni dedicati agli Youtubers e ai videogiochi". Milano Weekend (in Italian).
  15. ^ "Comicon nomina un nuovo direttore artistico". Fumettologica.it. 14 November 2018. Archived from the original on 18 March 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  16. ^ "Comicon rimandato al 2021, rilancia con Comicon Extra per il 2020". Fumettologica.it (in Italian). 18 June 2020.
  17. ^ Digioia, Alessandro (13 April 2021). "Napoli Comicon 2021/2022, annunciata una nuova edizione: date e tutte le novità". Everyeye.it (in Italian).
  18. ^ "Comicon si espande: dopo Napoli nel 2023 a Bergamo". Fumettologica (in Italian). 26 April 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  19. ^ "Le mostre di Comicon Napoli 2023". Fumettologica.it (in Italian). 19 April 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  20. ^ "Letteratura e fumetti, in arrivo Napoli Comicon". la Repubblica (in Italian). 20 February 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  21. ^ Alessandro Di Nocera (31 March 2013). "La primavera di Comicon: l'architettura a fumetti". la Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  22. ^ "Comicon racconta i rapporti tra fumetto e cinema". la Repubblica (in Italian). 25 April 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  23. ^ "I vincitori dei Premi di Comicon Napoli 2023". Fumettologica (in Italian). 29 April 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  24. ^ Cosplay Challenge
  25. ^ "Sound & Vision viaggio nella musica per immagini". Napoli COMICON. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  26. ^ "Tre Allegri Ragazzi Morti Setlist at Napoli Comicon 2015". setlist.fm. Archived from the original on 5 July 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  27. ^ "Ospiti 2017". Archived from the original on 13 March 2017.
  28. ^ "jpg Ospiti 2017". Archived from the original on 13 November 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  29. ^ "Comicon 2019 Setlists". setlist.fm. Archived from the original on 5 July 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
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