The most important comics fair in Europe recently came to a close: we are, of course, talking about the Lucca Comics & Games Festival, which ended on 3rd November with record sales in terms of tickets sold (270,000!), thus confirming an increasing passion in Europe for the fantasy genre in all its forms.
There are nine different spaces at the fair: “comics”, “games”, “fantasy”, “videogames”, “junior”, “music”, “cosplay”, “japan” and “movie”, which find their dimension in dedicated themed areas. The theme of the 53rd edition was “Becoming Human“, an important choice at a historic moment in which physical and digital space, man and machine, are becoming one.
Here are some gems from the Festival, which generated excitement thanks to its 1,600 activities including concerts, performances, autograph sessions, workshops and gatherings.
Role playing: Dungeons & Dragons in an epic battle at Lucca Comics & Games
A unique homage to the undisputed king of role play, Dungeons & Dragons was one of the most exciting surprises at the fair. On 1st November, the biggest session of D&D Epic in Europe took place with 180 participants and 30 Masters in a setting worthy of its name: an out and out medieval-style underground space. And not only that. On 2nd November, D&D publisher Wizards of the Coast announced the release of the first non-English version in the world of D&D Beyond: the Italian community will be the first to enjoy the local platform in its own mother tongue!
Videogames: unmissable debuts in Lucca
The first star of the LC&G 2019 was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” released for the different consoles on 25th October. To celebrate its release alongside all the members of the community, there was a branded stand at the fair equipped with tanks, and game sessions and experiential activities were also available.
The second star of the show which was showcased at the Festival seven months prior to its actual release was “Marvel’s Avengers“, an action and adventure game in which the protagonist embarks on several missions, bringing together all the Avengers, personalising them and using their powers to protect the Earth from new threats. Avengers fans were able to immerse themselves in this super-world by playing at one of the 20 play stations set up for the event and could ask questions to the game developers who were present at the stand.
Innovative and celebratory board games at the Festival
Lucca Comics & Games awarded “Atelier da Vinci” with the title of 2019/2020 Exclusive Game. This game will be released by the partner publisher of the competition, dV Giochi, and sold at upcoming LC&G fairs and editions. This year, the constraints to be followed pertained to the type of game and theme: in this case, a card game and the pictorial context of the world of Leonardo da Vinci, who we celebrate 500 years since his passing.
International guests from the world of cinema and comics at the LC&G
We just have to mention some of the stellar guests who this year graced the festival in Lucca. Let’s start with one of the patriarchs of the Disney empire: Don Rosa. To comics’ enthusiasts, this name means a lot – if not everything: he is Carl Barks‘ successor; he is the man who brought Duckburg and the likes into the new millennium; he gave depth and personality to the characters and created chronological continuity in the stories of the world of the donald ducks up until that auto-conclusive moment. He was awarded the prestigious Eisner Award in the USA for the “Life and Times of $crooge McDuck”. “The man behind Donald Duck” really appreciates events such as Lucca Comics & Games, because it really does keep its promise of talking about comics and not only the technological developments of this world.
For superhero lovers, it was a very exciting moment to meet Chris Claremont, the father of the Marvel mutants, the X-Men. His greatest strength is his ability to give depth to his characters, to see them as people who grow and change within the complexity of the human race, but also give space to the creation of icons, which remain etched in people’s memories.
Marvel fans also got to meet Jim Starlin, Thanos’s father, who we saw on the big screen in “Avengers: Endgame”. Starlin is particularly attached to this character and believes he escapes the classic dichotomy of good and evil, because Thanos saved the universe many times, at least as many times as he threatened it. Another important encounter was the one with Donny Cates, modern-day champion of many Marvel characters. To name but a few: Venom, followed by Doctor Strange, the Guardians of the Galaxy and many more.
We change universe and head to the stars: Star Wars lovers got to meet Joonas Suotamo, famous for his role as Chewbacca, which he inherited from Peter Mayhew. The wookie, and Joonas, will return to the cinema on 18th December with “Star Wars: the Rise of Skywalker”. Without giving any spoilers, Suotamo spoke of his great passion for the saga since being a child, so much so that his biggest dream was to be part of it, even though he never imagined it would actually happen.
While we await all these changes, fans of the fantasy world can whet their appetite by renewing their themed tech gadget collection! Visit our website for the Star Wars, Marvel, DC, Pixar USB collections and much more!
