25th anniversary poster for Comicon Napoli released & first guests!
Taking place from 1 to 4 May at the Mostra d’Oltremare (Naples, Italy), in the wake of the remarkable success of the 2024 edition which attracted 175,000 visitors, COMICON Napoli reaches the milestone of its 25th edition! This special anniversary is commemorated with a poster created for the occasion by Jamie Hewlett, the British artist known especially for having co-created with Damon Albarn Gorillaz, the virtual band that became an international sensation. The protagonist of the poster is Murphy, an unflinching fan of comic art, animation and pop culture, ready to do anything to get to her favourite festival!
Mini Murphy has a missing tooth and a black eye, the trophy’s of a fun weekend in the woods on her BMX bike. However painful, these injuries are not enough to prevent her from attending her favourite gathering, Comicon! – Jamie Hewlett
As tradition dictates, the XXV edition also celebrates a master of Italian comic art, and this year it is one of the finest authors of modern Italian comic art, an artist who contributed to defining the post-punk aesthetic of the 1980s in Italy and Europe: Tanino Liberatore. As the Magister artist for the festival’s upcoming edition, Liberatore will be the subject of a personal exhibition, he will curate an exhibition dedicated to an international comic artist to be revealed in January, and will be the focus of an extensive programme of talks, meetings and some special initiatives.
The first international guests from the world of comic art will feature: coming to Italy for the first time, the American author and illustrator Jon J. Muth, first known for some of the most innovative painterly works in comic art such as Moonshadow or Havok & Wolverine: Meltdown, and later for his delicate and award-winning children’s books like Zen Shorts; returning to Italy after over 15 years will be Arthur de Pins, the multifaceted French artist and animator known for Péchés mignons, The March of the Crabs, Zombillénium; Paskim, the Korean author known for the hit webtoon Lost in the Cloud; Darick Robertson, the American comic artist and screenwriter who has been on the scene for over 30 years, the co-creator of Transmetropolitan and the comic turned hit tv series The Boys; Boichi the Korean mangaka, author of Sun Ken Rock, Origin and artist of the bestselling Dr.Stone manga, whose anime debuts with its fourth season in January 2025; Thomas Taylor, illustrator and author of children’s books known for having created the book cover for the first British edition of Harry Potter, and author of the The Eerie-on-Sea Mysteries series of novels; Álvaro Martínez Bueno, the co-creator of the post-apocalyptic horror series The Nice House on The Lake, one of the most awarded comics series at the Eisner Awards and Angouleme’s festival awards in recent years. All the guests will be the featured in talks, meetings with the audience and autographing sessions.
A place of honour in this edition has been reserved for Altan, illustrator, one of the most beloved and esteemed comic artists and satirical cartoonists of all time in Italy, who will be awarded the COMICON 2025 Special Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Online sales are now open for passes and tickets to COMICON Napoli 2025, the festival that has, over 25 years, established Naples as a leading centre for major comic art and gaming events on the international stage. Tickets and passes may be purchased at ticket.comicon.it
