Lucca Comics & Games is an annual

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

and gaming convention in

Lucca Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as one ...

, Italy, traditionally held at the end of October, in conjunction with

All Saints' Day All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, the Feast of All Saints, the Feast of All Hallows, the Solemnity of All Saints, and Hallowmas, is a Christian solemnity celebrated in honour of all the saints of the church, whether they are kn ...

. It is the largest comics festival in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, and the second biggest in the world after the Comiket.

History

The Salone Internazionale del Comics ("International Congress of Comics") was launched by a Franco-Italian partnership, consisting of Italians Rinaldo Traini and Romano Calisi and Frenchman (forming the International Congress of Cartoonists and Animators) in 1965 in

Bordighera Bordighera (; lij, A Bordighea, locally ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Imperia, Liguria (Italy). Geography Bordighera is located from the land border between Italy and France, and it is possible to see the French coast with a nak ...

. In 1966, it moved to a small

piazza A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

in the center of Lucca, and grew in size and importance over the years. Funding issues reduced the frequency of the festival to every two years, beginning in 1977. In the 1980s, the festival was moved to a sports center outside the city walls, where it remained until 1992, when it was moved to another city. (Funding issues also forced the cancellation of the 1988 festival.) After the Salone internazionale del Comics ended in Lucca, city leaders launched a new convention called simply Lucca Comics that was a reprise of the old one. In 1996, it changed its name to Lucca Comics & Games. The festival attracted 50,000 attendees in 2002. Meanwhile, the Salone internazionale del Comics was held in Rome from 1995 to 2005. In 2006, for the festival's 40th anniversary, the Salone merged with Lucca Comics & Games and moved back to Lucca's city center, with numerous tents and pavilions arranged in different squares within and outside the walls of the medieval city. In 2022 the festival sold 319,926 tickets, beating the record established in 2016 when it had attracted 270,000 attendees.

Awards

Comics awards

From 1970 to 2005, the festival presented the — named in honor of

Richard F. Outcault Richard Felton Outcault (; January 14, 1863 – September 25, 1928) was an American cartoonist. He was the creator of the series ''The Yellow Kid'' and ''Buster Brown'' and is considered a key pioneer of the modern comic strip. Life and career ...

's seminal comic strip character

The Yellow Kid The Yellow Kid (Mickey Dugan) is an American comic strip character that appeared from 1895 to 1898 in Joseph Pulitzer's ''New York World'', and later William Randolph Hearst's ''New York Journal''. Created and drawn by Richard F. Outcault in t ...

— in such categories as Best Cartoonist, Best Illustrator, Best Newcomer, Best Foreign Artist, and Lifetime Achievement. Yellow Kid Awards were also presented to publishers, both domestic and foreign. The festival also (since 1967) presents a special award called the (named after Lucca's

Guinigi Tower The Torre Guinigi is a tower in Lucca, Tuscany, central Italy. It is a typical example of local Romanesque-Gothic architecture. The height of the tower is 45 meters with a total of 233 steps to reach the top. The tower dates from the 1300s, wh ...

). In 2020, as the festival redubbed itself Lucca Changes amidst a shift to virtual programming during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, the awards shifted to a new system under the umbrella term Lucca Comics Awards, consisting of 9 categories (3 Yellow Kids, 5 Gran Guinigis, and one Stefano Beani Award named for a former festival director), "regardless of nationality, editorial format or distribution method."

Yellow Kid Award recipients

* 1970:

Johnny Hart John Lewis Hart (February 18, 1931 – April 7, 2007) was an American cartoonist noted as the creator of the comic strips '' B.C.'' and ''The Wizard of Id''. Brant Parker co-produced and illustrated ''The Wizard of Id''. Hart was recogni ...

, for Best Cartoonist of the Year — first time this award was given to an American cartoonist * 1971:

Mauricio de Sousa Mauricio Araújo de Sousa (; born October 27, 1935) is a Brazilian cartoonist and businessman who has created over 200 characters for his popular series of children's comic books named "Turma da Mônica" or "Monica's Gang (Currently known as: ...

, for Best Cartoonist of the Year. His work, the first edition of

Monica's Gang ''Monica's Gang'' or ''Monica and Friends'' (Portuguese: ''Turma da Mônica''; British English: ''Monica & Friends'') is a Brazilian comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simp ...

, also won Best Publication. * 1972: **

Hergé Georges Prosper Remi (; 22 May 1907 – 3 March 1983), known by the pen name Hergé (; ), from the French pronunciation of his reversed initials ''RG'', was a Belgian cartoonist. He is best known for creating ''The Adventures of Tintin'', ...

, for "una vita per il cartooning" (lifetime award) ** ''

Tintin Tintin or Tin Tin may refer to: ''The Adventures of Tintin'' * ''The Adventures of Tintin'', a comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé ** Tintin (character), a fictional character in the series ** ''The Adventures of Tintin'' (film), 2011, ...

'' magazine, for Best Publication * 1973:

Guido Buzzelli Guido Buzzelli (27 July 1927 – 25 January 1992) was an Italian comic book artist, writer, illustrator and painter. Biography Buzzelli was born in Rome into a family in which his grandfather had been a decorator, his father a painter, and his m ...

, for Best Illustrator and Author * 1974:

Vaughn Bodé Vaughn may refer to: Places in the United States *Vaughn, California, former name of Bodfish, California *Vaughn, Montana * Vaughn, New Mexico * Vaughn, Oregon * Vaughn, Pennsylvania * Vaughn, Virginia * Vaughn, Washington Name *Vaughn (surname) ...

* 1975: **

Jean Giraud Jean Henri Gaston Giraud (; 8 May 1938 – 10 March 2012) was a French artist, cartoonist, and writer who worked in the Bandes dessinées, Franco-Belgian ''bandes dessinées'' (BD) tradition. Giraud garnered worldwide acclaim under the pseu ...

, for Best Foreign Artist **

Dan O'Neill Dan O'Neill (born April 21, 1942) is an American underground cartoonist, creator of the syndicated comic strip ''Odd Bodkins'' and founder of the underground comics collective the Air Pirates. Education O'Neill attended the University of Sa ...

Frank Hampson Frank Hampson (21 December 1918 – 8 July 1985) was a British illustrator. He is best known as the creator and artist of Dan Dare and other characters in the boys' comic, the ''Eagle'', to which he contributed from 1950 to 1961. Biogr ...

, declared ''Prestigioso Maestro'' and the best writer and artist of strip cartoons since the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

* 1977:

Fred Fred may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Rod ...

* 1978: ** Bobby London, Best Artist-Writer **

Milo Manara Maurilio Manara (; born 12 September 1945), known professionally as Milo Manara, is an Italian comic book writer and artist. Career After architecture and painting studies, he made his comics debut in 1969 drawing for ''Genius'', a Fumetti neri ...

Carlos Trillo Carlos Trillo (May 1, 1943 – May 8, 2011) was an Argentine comic book writer, best known for writing the '' Cybersix'' comics. Biography Born in Buenos Aires, Trillo began a prolific career as writer at the age of 20, penning his first story fo ...

, for Best International Author *1980: ** Didier Comès, for Best Foreign Artist **

, for Best Foreign Author **

Frank Margerin Frank Margerin (born 9 January 1952, in Paris) is a French author and illustrator of comics. Biography After secondary school, Margerin went to a school of applied art, where he met Denis Sire. He joined Sire's band, Los Crados, as a drumme ...

* 1982:

Art Spiegelman Art Spiegelman (; born Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev Spiegelman on February 15, 1948) is an American cartoonist, editor, and comics advocate best known for his graphic novel '' Maus''. His work as co-editor on the comics magazines ''Arcade'' and '' Ra ...

, for Best Foreign Author * 1983: **

Gilbert Hernandez Gilberto Hernández (born February 1, 1957), usually credited as Gilbert Hernandez and also by the nickname Beto (), is an American cartoonist. He is best known for his ''Palomar''/''Heartbreak Soup'' stories in '' Love and Rockets'', an alterna ...

Jaime Hernandez Jaime (sometimes spelled Xaime) Hernandez (born 1959) is the co-creator of the Alternative comics, alternative comic book ''Love and Rockets (comics), Love and Rockets'' with his brothers Gilbert Hernandez, Gilbert and Mario Hernandez (comics), M ...

* 1984: Strip Art Features, for Best Foreign Comics Publisher * 1986:

Bill Sienkiewicz Boleslav William Felix Robert Sienkiewicz ( ; born May 3, 1958) is an American artist known for his work in comic books—particularly for Marvel Comics' ''New Mutants'', ''Moon Knight,'' and '' Elektra: Assassin''. Sienkiewicz's work in the 1980 ...

, for "bridging the gap between American and European artistic sensibilities" * 1990: ** Neil Gaiman **

Massimo Rotundo Massimo Rotundo (born 11 April 1955) is an Italian comics artist. Biography After attending the Academy of Fine Arts in his native city, Rome, Rotundo made his debut as comics artist in 1978 in collaboration with Eura Editoriale. Later he worked ...

, for Best Italian Comics Artist **

Leonardo Ortolani Leonardo Ortolani (born 14 January 1967), better known as Leo, is an Italian comics author, creator of the comic book series '' Rat-Man''. Early life He was born in Pisa. In 1968 Ortolani moved to Parma, where he still lives with his wife Cater ...

, for Best Newcomer * 1993: ** John ByrneOriga, Graziano. "Lucca Exhibition is Un Grande Successo: Yellow Kid Awards for John Byrne, François Boucq, Frank Thomas, and Ollie Johnston", ''The Comics Journal'' #156 (Feb. 1993), p. 41. ** François Boucq ** Frank Thomas **

Ollie Johnston Oliver Martin Johnston Jr. (October 31, 1912 – April 14, 2008) was an American motion picture animator. He was one of Disney's Nine Old Men, and the last surviving at the time of his death from natural causes. He was recognized by The Wal ...

* 1998: Paul Gillon * 1999: Jeff Smith, Best Author

Gran Guinigi recipients

* 1969:

Hugo Pratt Ugo Eugenio Prat, better known as Hugo Pratt (15 June 1927 – 20 August 1995), was an Italian comic book creator who was known for combining strong storytelling with extensive historical research on works such as ''Corto Maltese''. He was ind ...

, for ''Una ballata del mare salato'' * 1975:

for ''The Penny-Ante Republican'' * 1978:

* 1986:

* 1990:

* 2001: Aldo Di Gennaro * 2005: Grazia Nidasio * 2006: Gino D'Antonio * 2007: Sergio Toppi * 2008:

Vittorio Giardino Vittorio Giardino (born December 24, 1946) is an Italian comic artist. Biography Giardino was born in Bologna, where he graduated in electrical engineering in 1969. At the age of 30, he decided to leave his job and devote himself to comics. Two ...

* 2009:

Robert Crumb Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American cartoonist and musician who often signs his work R. Crumb. His work displays a nostalgia for American folk culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and satire of contem ...

* 2010: Jirō Taniguchi * 2011:

Enrique Breccia Enrique Breccia (born 1945) is an Argentine comic book artist and writer. Biography Enrique Breccia, the son of noted comic artist Alberto Breccia, drew his first work in 1968, when together with his father illustrated '' Vida del Che'' ("Life ...

* 2012:

Hermann Huppen Hermann Huppen (born 17 July 1938) is a Belgian comic book artist. He is better known under his pen-name Hermann. He is most famous for his post-apocalyptic comic ''Jeremiah'' which was made into a television series. Biography Hermann was bo ...

* 2013:

Silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...

(Guido Silvestri) * 2014:

Gipi Gianni Pacinotti, better known by the pseudonym of Gipi, is an Italian cartoonist, filmmaker, and author. Biography Born in Pisa in 1963, he began his career illustrating for the publishing and advertising industries. He began illustrating stor ...

* 2015:

Alfredo Castelli Alfredo Castelli (born 26 June 1947) is an Italian comic book artist and writer. Biography Born in Milan, Castelli began his comic book career at an early age, creating the strip '' Scheletrino'', a humor series for Italian comic book ''Diabolik' ...

* 2016:

Albert Uderzo Alberto Aleandro Uderzo (; ; 25 April 1927 – 24 March 2020), better known as Albert Uderzo, was a French comic book artist and scriptwriter. He is best known as the co-creator and illustrator of the '' Astérix'' series in collaboration with ...

* 2017: José Muñoz * 2018:

Leiji Matsumoto is a Japanese mangaka, creator of several anime and manga series. His wife Miyako Maki is also a manga artist. Early life Matsumoto was the middle child of a family of seven brothers, and, in his early childhood, Matsumoto was given a 35m ...

* 2019: Chris Claremont

Games awards

* 1999: Murat CELEBI's kirmish_miniature_game_''[CONFRONTATION',_for_Best_of_Show. *_2002:_Emiliano_Sciarra.html" ;"title="ONFRONTATION.html" ;"title="kirmish miniature game ''[CONFRONTATION">kirmish miniature game ''[CONFRONTATION', for Best of Show. * 2002: Emiliano Sciarra">ONFRONTATION.html" ;"title="kirmish miniature game ''[CONFRONTATION">kirmish miniature game ''[CONFRONTATION', for Best of Show. * 2002: Emiliano Sciarra's Wild West-themed card game ''Bang! (card game), Bang!'', for Best of Show * 2003: ''Sine Requie'', for Best Italian Game * 2004: Helena Bulaja's ''Priče iz davnine'' ("''Croatian Tales of Long Ago''"), for Best Multimedia Award * 2010: ** '' 7 Wonders'', for Best Card Game ** ''Eden: the Deceit'', Side Award for Best Game Mechanics * 2011: ** Vincent Baker's '' Apocalypse World'', for RPG of the Year ** ''

Twilight Struggle ''Twilight Struggle: The Cold War, 1945–1989'' is a board game for two players, published by GMT Games in 2005. Players are the United States and Soviet Union contesting each other's influence on the world map by using cards that correspond to ...

'', for Best of Show in Boardgame for Experts

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lucca Comics and Games Comics conventions Gaming conventions Multigenre conventions Lucca Tourist attractions in Tuscany Recurring events established in 1965 1965 establishments in Italy