The numbers say it all. Lucca Comics and Games, Europe’s answer to Comic Con, attracted even more attendees this year, even though last year’s event was fortunately a long holiday.
More than 280,000 tickets were sold, and 17,000 experts, manga artists, creators, and 30,000 cosplayers participated. There were exhibits by top manga artists, Netflix promoted the final season of “Stranger Things,” and Hideo Kojima took part in a panel discussion with actors Luca Marinelli and Alyssa Jung to talk to the public about the new game “Death Stranding 2.”
“Compared to last year, the number of participants increased by 3%, which is great considering there were no holidays,” festival director Emanuele Vietina, or Dungeon Master as he prefers, told Variety.
What is his best memory from this week? “I have so many memories of this event. When I entered the Church of Santa Annunziata, I saw the original Fist of the North Star, the most beloved comic book of my life. I grew up with it. I basically cried. We do this for the community. The second moment, of course, was the crowd of 8,000 gathered in the square of San Michael. And last but not least, we screened Manlio.”When I saw Castagna’s documentary “I Love Lucca Comics & Games,” I felt like my life was complete because the audience came out of the theater and thanked me that this really represented us and what we do. ”
The narrow streets of the walled medieval city are filled with human confetti filled with cultural elements. Large groups of teenagers from Livorno gather in a small square away from the main downtown area to have their makeup and costumes adjusted and perfect. Filippo and Isabella are dressed up as Nightmare Foxy and Nightmare Bonnie from Five Nights at Freddy’s, while their friend Faleroo is dressed as Miles from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. “We are from Livorno and this is our sixth comic and game,” says Filippo. “We come every year.” Leonardo wasn’t fully prepared this year, and was embarrassed to buy a mask from a vendor along the way. “We’ll do better next year,” he promises. Mustafa is dressed as Ichigo from the manga “BLEACH,” while Giorgio is dressed as Simon “Ghost” Riley from “Call of Duty.” Nicola wears an inflatable dinosaur costume with a sign that reads, “Please do not place my brother’s bones in museums.” “You have to have a sense of humor,” he says.
Alessio and Sara, both in their 30s from the remote Piedmont region, are completely blue in color with their colored contact lenses, representing their characters in James Cameron’s Avatar. This is Sarah’s first time attending this event, but she assures me it won’t be the last. Ariana, from Modena, dresses up as Cruella from “101 Dalmatians,” “because I love the character and she represents me,” while Alberto dresses as his dog Pongo. “I like to surround myself with people who are a little bit like me,” says Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood, a 50-something from Rome who is not only a big fan of the film series, but also the Lucca experience: “It’s so fun and festive.”
This year’s 59th edition was inspired by France, with the poster “French Kiss” drawn by renowned illustrator Rebecca Dautremer. But an even bigger anniversary is on the horizon next year.
Vietina said: “We want to break down the barrier between highbrow and lowbrow art. Today, Tetsuo Hara, together with a delegation from Lucca Comics and Games, will have his manga art in the Uffizi Collection in Florence.” This is the first time. We want to improve the show and the culture part. We have big plans with the Ministry of Culture to create a new museum. But in terms of the 60th anniversary, we also have to celebrate some historical art publishers.
