Napoli Comicon

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Napoli Comicon
A Napoli Comic pavilion, near the Mostra d'Oltremare, in 2013
StatusActive
Location(s)Napoli (1998–)
Bergamo (2023–)
CountryItaly
Inaugurated1998
Attendance170,000 in 2023[1][2][3]
Organized byComicon[4]
WebsiteComicon.it

COMICON – International Pop Culture Festival, also commonly known as Napoli Comicon, is an annual Comic book convention and pop culture festival in Naples, Italy, traditionally held since 1998 during spring season. It is one the largest and most influential comics and pop culture festivals in Europe.[3]

History[edit]

COMICON Napoli, or Napoli Comicon, is an international cultural festival, focused on comics and multi-genre entertainment, which takes place every year in Naples, Italy, for four days (three days until 2011, except in 2008, which was held for four days) usually in late April or beginning of May. The festival is located at the Mostra d'Oltremare exhibition and convention center (until 2009 at Castel Sant'Elmo,[5] except the 2000 edition, held in Villa Pignatelli).[citation needed] The first edition dates back to 1998.[6] In the 2010 and 2011 editions, the two venues of Castel Sant'Elmo and Mostra d'Oltremare both hosted the event.[citation needed]

In 2001, comics journalist and Disney expert Luca Boschi became Cultural Director of the event, taking care of the comics program until 2016. In 2006, the same organisation launched, also in Naples, Gamecon, a gaming convention.

After the 2009 edition's succes, with far more visitors than expected, the event was moved to the larger and more spacious convention center Mostra d'Oltremare. In January 2010, the organization determined that COMICON would be divided into two venues for the 2010 edition, one focused mainly on comics and cinema/TV contents, the other on video games, games, cosplay: the traditional festival venue, Castel Sant'Elmo, hosted publishers (except Panini and J-Pop Manga), screenings, talks, awards, the Imago contest and the comics related exhibitions; the trade show venue, Mostra d'Oltremare, hosted the cosplay contests, booths of games and video games publishers (including a particularrly large Nintendo area, with several Wii consoles available to the audience), and the comic book stores, game or video game stores and distributors.[7] That merge of COMICON and Gamecon events resulted in a single multi-genre convention that spans a wide range of entertainment contents: comics, cinema, TV series, video games, board games, animation, cosplay. Also since that year, the winner of the cosplay competition is selected for a competitive cosplay contest in a foreign country (in 2010 : the finals of the Eurocosplay Championship, in London).[6]

Since 2011, the spin-off event Salerno COMICON has been held in Salerno, Italy, until 2015.[6] In 2012, COMICON moved the entire event to the Mostra d'Oltremare convention center. The decision was made following a survey done by the organization itself, through its official Facebook page.[8][better source needed] Also in 2012 edition, the « Asian Village» area was created within the festival, as a space entirely focused on anime, manga and Asian culture.[9][10]

In 2014 the same company started VideoGameShow, co-organized with ESL Italia, an "innovative" convention focused on gaming, creators and digital entertainment that lasted for five editions, some in Naples and others in Milan, Italy.

In late 2018, comics expert and media scholar Matteo Stefanelli was appointed COMICON's first artistic director.[11] COMICON Naples was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but a smaller-scale "COMICON Extra" offline and online program was held both years, followed by the return of the main show in 2022. In 2023, COMICON expanded with a second edition in Bergamo from June 23 to 25 on the occasion of Bergamo – Brescia Capital of Culture. The first edition of COMICON Bergamo was held in the pavilions of the Fiera di Bergamo.[12]

Features[edit]

The festival offers panels, workshops with authors and professionals, screeenings, previews of upcoming feature films or TV series, meet & greet opportunities with creators and/or 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 floorspace for exhibitors, indoor and outdoor, an autograph area, and an area devoted to fanzines and self-published comic books, Small Press Area. Among the companies exhibiting : comics publishers, retailers and sitributors ; video games publishers and retailers; esports organizers and teams ; toys and RPG companies and collectible merchants ; anime and manga publishers, retailers and distributors ; movie/TV companies and streaming services.

In the various editions, numerous artists in the industry, both national and international, have been present 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 also added that could be visited on days preceding and/or following the event itself, as well as other exhibitions and events (included in the so-called "COMIC(ON)OFF" program) placed in urban locations outside the main venue of the event (e.g., cultural institutes, museums, stores, galleries).[13]

Themed Editions[edit]

Some COMICON editions have had one or more countries as guests to whom part of the event's program is dedicated: several exhibitions, screenings, lectures and meetings have been devoted to artists and works of comics and animation from those countries.[citation needed]

Since the 2007 edition, the central theme has shifted from nation (to which a comics school corresponds) to color, chosen from the five basic colors of letterpress printing (cyan, magenta, yellow, green and black). Each of these colors is associated with references and symbolism of various types and kinds that serve as a common thread for the various initiatives presented.[6]

Starting in 2011 COMICON inaugurated another four-year cycle that aims to link Comics, understood as "Ninth Art," with the other arts, showing in the program the interactions and mutual influences. Each year one of the arts was the protagonist in a specific way: in 2011 it was the turn of Music, while in 2012 the relationship between Comics and Literature was explored,[14] taking the place of the announced Architecture, which was the protagonist of the 2013 edition.[15] In 2014 the main theme, which closed the cycle of the interaction of comics with the arts, was Comics and Cinema.[16]

Awards[edit]

Characteristic of the event are the Micheluzzi Award (named after Attilio Micheluzzi),[17] which are awarded each year in various categories to the authors and publishers of comics of the moment, and, since the 2005 edition, the COMICON Cosplay Challenge (also with various prizes),[18] which takes place in the auditorium (since 2010 on an outdoor stage in the Mostra d'Oltremare) on the last day of the fair (Sunday, in the 2012 edition).[citation needed] Other fixed activities of the event include the Imago competition, a drawing contest with a social theme (each year with a different theme) reserved for elementary and junior high school students, and whose winners for the various categories are decided by the visitors themselves, through a secret ballot.[citation needed]

Editions[edit]

  • First edition (2-3-4 October 1998) staged at Castel Sant'Elmo
  • Second edition (5-6-7 May 2000) staged at Villa Pignatelli.
  • Third edition (15-16-17 June 2001) staged at Castel Sant'Elmo – Guest countries: Spain and Latin America
  • Fourth edition (8-9-10 March 2002) staged in Castel Sant'Elmo – Guest countries: Italy
  • Fifth edition (7-8-9 March 2003) staged in Castel Sant'Elmo – Guest countries: United States of America and Canada
  • Sixth edition (5-6-7 March 2004) staged in Castel Sant'Elmo – Guest countries: France and Belgium
  • Seventh edition (4-5-6 March 2005) staged in Castel Sant'Elmo – Guest countries: South Korea and Japan
  • Eighth edition (3-4-5 March 2006) staged in Castel Sant'Elmo – Guest countries: Great Britain and Germany
  • Ninth edition (27-28-29 April 2007) staged in Castel Sant'Elmo – Colour: Cyan/Blue
  • Tenth edition (24-25-26-27 April 2008) staged in Castel Sant'Elmo – Colour: Magenta/Red – Tickets sold: 27 000[13].
  • Eleventh edition (24-25-26 April 2009) staged in Castel Sant'Elmo – Colour: Yellow[14] – Tickets sold: 26 000[15].
  • Twelfth edition (30 April-2 May 2010) staged at both Castel Sant'Elmo and Mostra d'Oltremare (merged with Gamecon, dedicated to games and video games) – Colour: Black – Tickets sold: 32 000[16].
  • Thirteenth edition (29 April-1 May 2011) staged 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[17].
  • Fourteenth edition (28 April-1 May 2012) held at the Mostra d'Oltremare[18] (merged with Gamecon, dedicated to games and videogames) – Theme: Comics and Literature – Tickets sold: 50 000[19]
  • 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.[20]
  • 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[21].
  • Seventeenth edition (30 April-3 May 2015)[22] 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)[22] 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)[22] 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[23].
  • 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[24].
  • Twenty-second edition (22–25 April 2022): staged at the Mostra d'Oltremare.[25] Visitors: 135 000.[26]
  • 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, mainly online, called 'Comicon Extra'[27] were held.

A second edition of Comicon will also be held from 23 to 25 June 2023 in Bergamo, which with Brescia will be the Italian Capital of Culture.[28]

Guests[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Comicon, quest'anno sarà un'edizione da record: verso il sold out, al via il 29 aprile". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 2023-04-20. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  2. ^ "Le date dell'edizione 2024 di Comicon Napoli". Fumettologica (in Italian). 2 May 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  3. ^ a b https://www.fareastfilm.com/eng/archive/catalogue/2005/mangashi-il-fumetto-in-giappone-da-toba-sojo-a-internet/?IDLYT=31711
  4. ^ Comicon – Chi siamo
  5. ^ http://www.paulgravett.com/articles/article/xiv_napoli_comicon/
  6. ^ a b c d "La storia di COMICON, raccontata dall'inizio". Comicon (in Italian). Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  7. ^ "La mappa di Comicon Napoli 2023". Fumettologica.it (in Italian). 18 April 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ "Comicon nomina un nuovo direttore artistico". Fumettologica.it. 14 November 2018. Archived from the original on 18 March 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  12. ^ "Comicon si espande: dopo Napoli nel 2023 a Bergamo". Fumettologica (in Italian). 26 April 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  13. ^ "Le mostre di Comicon Napoli 2023". Fumettologica.it (in Italian). 19 April 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  14. ^ "Letteratura e fumetti, in arrivo Napoli Comicon". la Repubblica (in Italian). 20 February 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  15. ^ Alessandro Di Nocera (31 March 2013). "La primavera di Comicon: l'architettura a fumetti". la Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  16. ^ "Comicon racconta i rapporti tra fumetto e cinema". la Repubblica (in Italian). 25 April 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  17. ^ "I vincitori dei Premi di Comicon Napoli 2023". Fumettologica (in Italian). 29 April 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  18. ^ Cosplay Challenge
  19. ^ "Sound & Vision viaggio nella musica per immagini". Napoli COMICON. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  20. ^ "Tre Allegri Ragazzi Morti Setlist at Napoli Comicon 2015". setlist.fm. Archived from the original on 5 July 2020. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  21. ^ "Ospiti 2017". Archived from the original on 13 March 2017.
  22. ^ "jpg Ospiti 2017". Archived from the original on 13 November 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  23. ^ "Comicon 2019 Setlists". setlist.fm. Archived from the original on 5 July 2020. Retrieved 2020-07-05.

External links[edit]

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