It was October 2001 when Romics made its debut: twenty-five years later we have reached the 37th edition, because since 2013 the cross-media event has been held twice a year, in spring and autumn. A quarter of a century spent witnessing the changes in the media: comics, animation, cinema, gaming, illustration, visual effects, documenting them and presenting them to an ever-growing audience. It is estimated that since 2001 there have been as many as 6 million admissions. The new edition, as always at the Rome Fair on five pavilions, will take place from October 1 to 4. Let’s take a look at the most important appointments, keeping in mind as always to dive into what interests you on the Romics official website.
Romics 37: Romics Gold for a Lifetime, Romics Special and Other Prestigious Guests
If there is one author to receive a Romics Gold for a career, it is certainly Luciano Secchi, known as Max Bunker, creator of Alan Ford, Kriminal, and Satanik, just to name three of his greatest successes among a vast body of comic material written over the last six decades: Bunker will be present at Romics on Friday, with a signing session. In the cinema and animation area, three other Romics Gold awards go to veteran Takeshi Koike (recently author of a more adult and raw revival of Lupin with five films, part of the project culminated in Lupin The IIIRD – The Movie: The Immortal Lineage), to director and animator Stefano Bessoni, a Gothic, fairy-tale spirit (some have nicknamed him the “Italian Tim Burton“), and to Simone Legno (co-founder and creative director of the tokidoki brand). The program will also acknowledge the careers of screenwriter Paola Barbato (who, together with Barbara Canepa, will also host a session on writing for younger audiences) and Ian Livingstone (cofounder of Games Workshop, the company behind the Warhammer brand). There are two Romics Special awards for new creative frontiers, given to graphic novel author Laura Pérez and concept designer Dan Walker. Concept art is a recurring leitmotif at Romics, because this edition will offer the opportunity to listen to and admire another major name in the field: Pietro Scola di Mambro (Pinocchio, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Wicked, Dogman). In the cinema area, the participation of a cornerstone of makeup and special effects on Hollywood sets is anticipated, Mark Coulier. The freshly minted Wacom Visionary Artist Award, in partnership with the company that produces peripherals widely used by graphic professionals, will be awarded to Mirka Andolfo.
Artists Darick Robertson and Northern Irish John McCrea will discuss The Boys at the session “The Boys and the Narcissistic Charm of Antiheroes“, while other colleagues such as Leandro Fernandez, Otto Schmidt, and R. M. Guera will debate the very bad guys in the panel “Stealing Souls from Antiheroes, False Heroes and Formidable Villains“. On the same topic, the discussion with Mikel Janin and Elena Casagrande (active at DC Comics), “Adorable Villains! Drawing and Reinterpreting a Villain, an Antihero or a Simple Antagonist“.
Romics 37, the other appointments of the event
Zerocalcare will be at the fair for an open talk moderated by journalist Riccardo Corbò. In the Movie Village pavilion, besides hosting the aforementioned Coulier, the upcoming release of the horror cine-comic Clayface from DC/Warner will be celebrated. The composer Pino Donaggio, within Musicomics, will receive the Special Prize for Foreign Productions, precisely as the 50th anniversary of his music for Carrie – The Look of Satan is observed; accompanying him will be Gianni Mazza (Premio alla Carriera Luigi Albertelli) and Piero Cassano (Premio della Critica Andrea Lo Vecchio). One can enjoy live music with Cristina D’Avena (40 years in the business!) and the concerts “Oliver Onions & Animaniacs: The Theme Songs and Soundtracks that Made History” as well as “Between the Theme Songs Sprint and Go!“, the latter to celebrate Vince Tempera’s 60 years of activity, a long-time Romics friend (as is illustrator Paolo Barbieri, who marks a personal milestone with the exhibition “30 Years of Imagination“).
There are also interesting events in the dubbing realm, as usual: there will be meetings with voice actors from beloved series such as Squid Game, The Boys and Hazbin Hotel (attendees include Rossa Caputo, Edoardo Stoppacciaro, Emanuela Ionica, Perla Liberatori, Alex Polidori, Davide Perino, Omar Vitelli, Livia Amatucci, Marco Briglione and Guendalina Ward).
Highlighting the guests should not make us forget that Romics’s fixed sections will be more active and vibrant than ever: the Romics Cosplay Award for the oldest participants and the Romics Cosplay Kids for the youngest (for whom the fair always hosts the Kids Area), then the Artist Alley (featuring a sturdy Disney presence, with artists such as Paolo Mottura, Marco Gervasio and Fabio Celoni), the Area Games dedicated to video games and role-playing games, and the Self Area: a continually expanding zone dedicated to self-published works in comics, illustration, board games and card games, a showcase for original and independent projects.
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