Lucca Comics and Games 2017

The International Comics and Games Festival in Lucca celebrates its 51 anniversary!

From 14 October 2017 to 05 November 2017

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Preparations are underway for the new edition of the popular Lucca Comics 2017! From October 14^th to November 5^th the historic centre of Lucca will turn into a magical realm inhabited by strange characters. You can watch fights between legendary samurai, have your photograph taken with Hallo Kitty, the cute Lupin, the protagonists of the most popular cartoon characters or see elves and fairies chasing and play jokes. It is not a dream ... it is the incredible atmosphere offered by the Lucca Comics and Games Festival  2017, which this year celebrates its 51^st anniversary, and the many events in Lucca 2017 organized for the occasion.

But what is the Lucca Comics and Games Festival and how did it begin? Since 1995 it has been considered one of the most prestigious festivals of Comics for games, cinema and illustrations, recognised at an internationally level. The Lucca Comics exhibition attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world every year. Over the years the fair Lucca Comics has become the most important event of its kind in Europe, while, globally, occupies the third place, surpassed only by the famous Comitek in Tokyo and from Comic-On in San Diego, California.

In fact, the origins of the International Lucca Comics cosplay Festival date back to 1966, when the Tuscan city hosted the International Exhibition of Comics: the experience turned out very positive, a cultural association started out with a private nature which for years took care of organizing the event which gained an incredible success year after year. 1990 was a momentous year for the show because it was transformed from a free public event to a charged one with the obligation to purchase a ticket. An area was introduced for role-playing games, board, card and video games: hence the decision to change the name of the event that, in 1995, became 'Lucca Comics and Games Italy Festival', still in use today.

The Lucca Comics and Games Festival continues to expand its horizons with new initiatives and events: exhibitions, competitions, tournaments, role playing games, such as cosplay - the art of interpreting a known character wearing a costume and imitating the behaviour of the characters - workshops, meetings and discussions with authors, that have greatly enriched the program of the Lucca Comics, making the event even more magical and spectacular.

There are great expectations for the Lucca Comics 2017: dates and the Lucca Comics programme 2017 have now been disclosed and this year the festival promises to be as exciting as ever and therefore should not be missed! ‘Heroes' will be the title and theme of this year’s edition, a title which refers not only to the world of videogames and comics. The guests on the Lucca Comics 2017 programme manifesto, which seem like they have come straight out of a fantasy book, are there to represent visitors, considered the real Lucca Comics and Games heroes in 2017. Can you keep a secret? Great, because we would like to tell you a secret about this image: the bridge visible in the background is Ponte Maddalena, also known as Ponte del Diavolo (‘the Devil’s Bridge’). On the boy’s t-shirt there is the letter ‘C’ inside a comic bubble – a clear reminder of the workd of comics – whereas on the girl’s dress there is the Lucca labyrinth. Dulcis in fundo, the poster’s atmosphereremids of the cinema and tv series of the 80s, a very productive period in the life of Michael Whelan, the author of this masterpiece.

At Lucca Comics and Games 2017, guests will delight the audience by explaining their work and signing autographs. Among the Italians: Mirka Andolfo, colourist and illustrator for Walt Disney, D Comics, Marvel Comics and Panin Comics. Marco Taddei and Simone Angelini, authors of several books, achieved great success with the graphic novel 'Anubi'. Leo Ortolani - the creator of 'Rat-Man', a parody of Batman, has become famous all over the world - will present ‘C’è spazio per tutti’, where his creature will fly in space.

In the Lucca Comics 2017 program there is also the much-awaited American comic book author Raina Telgemeier, one of the world's most renowned graphic novel authors, will be the protagonist of the usual personal exhibition at the Doge’s Palace. Winner of the Eisner Award with 'Smile' and ‘Sorelle’, she is working on the comic version of the famous saga for girls 'The Baby Sitter Club'. At Comics Lucca 2017 she will present the Italian edition of 'Ghost', her latest work which has already sold 500,000 copies in the United States.

At Lucca Comics and Games 2017, one of the most anticipated Lucca events in 2017, on the literary front there will be Timothy Zahn. A special guest, Zahn is the most beloved - and sold - author of George Lucas-inspired novels. The enthusiasts of this genre will be able to get his autograph on their volumes of Thrawn Trilogy, set five years after the end of the ‘Return of Jedi'.

At the Comics festival Italy 2017 the events organized for the occasion of the comics festival will range from music to photography, from art to cinema and parades to cosplay competitions. This year, ample space will be given to the exhibitions hosted at the Doge’s Palace in Lucca:

• ‘Raina Telgemeier: teenagers’ point of view’. One of the most important authors of contemporary comics, the only one able to talk about the world of teenagers with teenagers themselves, playing the first person. With sympathy and naturalness, Telgemeier talks about her adolescence, first with 'Smile', where she explains her teeth problem, and then with 'Sister', where she deals with her difficult relationship with her younger sister. Lucca Comics 2017 is proud to present 'Ghosts', her latest work, ranked first in the best-selling books of America.

• The Lucca Comics 2017 program also features the exhibition 'Igort: Life of an artist'. And you could not describe it with any other term since he is a writer, screenwriter, drawer, cartoon editor, musician, composer, radio producer. Furthermore, many of his works have become cartoons but also teddy bears, toys and watches. Among Lucca Comic's guests, surely he the most multi-faceted: this exhibition will try to talk about him from the beginning of his career right up to the latest works published in a journey full of suggestions and emotions.

After the extraordinary success during the last edition, Japan Town is back: in Lucca, the district of San Francisco will be entirely dedicated to the fantastic Japanese world with action figures, colourful cosplay costumes, meetings and workshops with important guests. Among the new features of this year it is worth mentioning the Mangaka Contest, a competition dedicated to aspiring manga-style cartoonists, now in its fifth edition.

So, why wait any longer to purchase your Lucca Comics 2017 tickets, one of the most anticipated Lucca events in 2017? From October 14^th to November 5^th,the  Lucca Comics 2017 dates, Lucca will turn into a metropolis of entertainment where, for a few days, everyone can escape from everyday reality to assume the role of superheroes, knights, fairies, cartoon characters and other original and quirky characters.

For the tickets for Lucca Comics 2017, you can purchase them in advance from 5 September, while the office of the Lucca Comics will open on site from the beginning of October.

Book one of our magnificent hotels in Lucca and get carried away by the sparkling atmosphere of one of the most anticipated events  in Tuscany in 2017: the Lucca Comics and Games! Make the most of one of the best events in Lucca to explore this wonderful city: book our tour 'Lucca and Pisa departing from Florence'... We are waiting for you!

Lucca events 2017 presents the LUCCA COMICS AND GAMES FESTIVAL 2017!

LOCATION: Lucca historic centre and Doge’s Palace

LUCCA COMICS DATES: October 14th to November 5th, 2017