Just under a month until the next one Be Comics!festival featuring comics, games and pop culture in general which will be staged at Padova dal 18 to 19 March. Below is the official press release:
The now traditional festival dedicated to comics, games and pop culture in general, the most important in the Veneto region, is approaching, which every year brings together thousands of enthusiasts and onlookers, in a weekend full of emotions, entertainment, contests and special guests who will enliven the two day event. The 2023 edition of Be Comics!event organized by Fandango Club Creators in partnership with Padova Hall, the company that manages the Padua Fair, it will have a program full of appointments, with panels, shows, meet and greets with authors, illustrators, cartoonists, creators and gamers. Appointment for 18 and 19 March 2023at i pavilions 7 and 78open both days from 09:30 to 19:30. I tickets – in limited quantities – are already available online at a Special price presale on the dedicated website becomics.it. For latecomers, don’t worry: it will be possible to purchase the admission ticket directly at the entrance to the Padua Fair at full price.
Between main stage, artist alley and gaming area, Fiera di Padova will be transformed into one hotbed of talent, which fully embody the geek soul. Among the prominent guests, the famous cartoonist and youtuber returns for the second consecutive year SIOwho became famous for his YouTube channel “Scottecs”, which has more than one million subscribers, in which he makes cartoons and music. Also reconfirmed the presence of John Zachariasbetter known as Zeth Castle: one of the reference points for pop culture in Italy and host of numerous comics events, which during Be Comics! will accompany fans with his gems on the world of comics and games in moments of live sessions and talks on the main stage, renamed Be Stage for the occasion.
“The premises for a highly successful edition – he explains Nicholas Rossi, president Of Padova Hall – they are all there. Last year the first edition created in partnership with Fandango Club Creators, despite the uncertainties related to Covid, had marked a decisive leap in quality of the event, both in terms of content and in terms of attendance, which reached 18 thousand. This year the expectation that has arisen around the event is very high and I am sure it will not be disappointed because a further significant expansion is expected both of the exhibition proposal and of the program of events and initiatives, capable of intercepting not only the very young, but also an audience of passionate families and adults.”
“Comics have always been the cornerstone of Be Comics!,” – he says Marco Moretti, CEO of Fandango Club Creators, – “as expressed by the very name of the event. For the youngest, however, entertainment is now by definition ‘cross-media’: the contribution of Fandango Club Creators to the development of this event goes precisely in this direction. So Be Comics! it also becomes Be Manga, Be Games, Be Cosplay and Be Pop, expanding the entertainment horizon with the world of gaming and esports. We are sure that this is the right path, already traced with the 2022 edition, to attract a generation increasingly ready to grasp all levels of entertainment,” he concludes Moretti.
Confirming the myriad of new proposals on the bill, the Be Stage will prove to be the vital fulcrum of the event, with a rich program of entertainment events and dedicated challenges. Thanks to the partnership with Epicosthere will be two contest moments focused on the cosplay world, starting from Saturday 18 with the Cosplay Battle, a non-competitive fashion show that does not include entries or a jury, just show up under the stage at the start to parade and show your costume to the public. Sunday 19, however, will take placeEpic Cosplay Contest, the official contest of the event open to all categories of cosplayers, who will have to register in advance on site and will have the opportunity to compete and parade in front of a jury made up of prominent members of the Cosplay world, associations and industry professionals. With the participation of K-B Junglealways on the Be Stage, on Saturday 18 from 16:30 to 19:00 there is another type of contest k-pop, the only selection for Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Trentino Alto Adige, with random dance, awarding of the best soloists and pre-selected crews. Finally, on Sunday 19 always on the Be Stage from 18:10 to 19:30 there will be a performance of the most famous k-pop crew which will end with a moment of celebration that will involve the public with an exciting random dance.
Comics enthusiasts will be able to feed their passion thanks to the artist alley, where cartoonists of all categories will show off their work and aspiring artists will be able to demonstrate all their skills to the public. Among the guests confirmed in the dedicated area there will be members of the collective Black Listwhich includes more than 50 artists, publishers like Cyrano Comics e Renape and well-known illustrators such as the writer of Myths and Legends Mila Timeswith its images representing classical myths in a modern key, and the painter James Lloydbut also artists especially appreciated on social networks such as Art from Lessiaillustrator with a large following on TikTok, and the illustrator Asunicha. Also shockdom it will also bring its leading artists, such as the aforementioned SIO, Julius Rincionecartoonist from Palermo who boasts important collaborations, such as Walt Disney e Marvel Entertainmentthe author of Ale and Cucca,Elizabeth Ciphonthe cartoonist Marcello Toninelli. Publishers are also returning to participate in the event BeakYellow e Coconino, with the artists Kate.jpgto the century Caterina Costa, Nicholas Targhetta e Icarus Tuttle. And it’s not missing Poliniani Publishers with the artist And De Rizzo. The event will also prove to be a training ground for young cartoonists and artists; in fact, it will be there International School of Comics of Padua, with its teachers with live drawing demonstrations and its wide range of professional courses. And not only that, it will also be there School of Comics in Milan, one of the first schools in Europe with headquarters in Milan, Verona and Palermo, born with the aim of training professionals in the comics and visual arts sector, which over time has transformed into one of the most important Italian training centers for the sector of drawing, illustration, animation, manga, video games and screenwriting. Finally, we cannot forget the film and gaming talents of the future, who will be involved thanks to Side Academy, an Oscar-winning academy. In fact, the prestigious Veronese visual effects school will also be present, specialized in training 3D artists for Cinema and Gaming with artists of the caliber of Sarah Arduini, Oscar winner for Jungle Book VFX or Riccardo Meneghello, visual artist active for Marvel, DC Studios, Dreamworks and video games such as Call of Duty and currently working for Wetathe New Zealand giant of special effects, already known for the Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit and, last but not least, the very recent Avatar film. Also, thanks to the presence of Starshop – the first network of comics shops in Italy, born from a leading company in the sector that has been operating for over thirty years on the national territory – it will be possible for fans to buy dedicated comics and gadgets on site. Always on the subject of comics and books, Re-Belle editions will be present at the fair with the physical version of the boxes “Folklore of Woods and Forests” which includes the new book Rebelle Edizioni, available as a preview just for Be Comics!, in the presence of Blackbanshee e Jacopo Silvestre, the authors of the volume.
Inevitable also this year the gaming & fun zonethe area dedicated to videogames and the latest news from the videogame sector. GameStop it reconfirms Gaming Partner ufficiale event and will provide an area dedicated to this sector, a real paradise for all gamers and the now renowned streaming room with GameStop TV. Among the big brands in the gaming sector, thanks to the presence of Pokémon Millenniumthe world Nintendo is ready to color the new edition of Be Comics!. In fact, with a special area Nintendo communityplayers of all ages will be able to take part in many activities completely free: in gaming stations it will be possible to try all the latest news of Nintendo Switchwhile those who want to test themselves can do so by taking part in the free tournaments with many freebies. In particular, the tournaments of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate e Pokémon Scarlet and Violetwhile the full-speed tournaments of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. There will also be special moments on the Be Stage: a panel dedicated to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and to the future of the Pokémon serieswhile on Sunday 19 March at 14:00 the PokéQuiz with many gadgets for the participants!
There will also be a space for those wishing to take a leap into the future: gamers will even be able to immerse themselves in the metaverso thanks to the platform Roblox.
Furthermore, an area dedicated to esports and the most played video games of the moment will be created, where you will have the opportunity to play on Next Gen consoles such as PlayStation 5, Xbox series X and Nintendo Switch OLED and challenge your friends in titles such as FIFA 23, Call of Duty or Mario Strikers.
For the nostalgic, Artisancab will set up a fun 80s arcade, theArtigiancab Arcade Village: legendary arcade cabinets to relive the excitement of video games that have made history, such as the great classics Pacman, Metal Slug, Bubble Bobble, Street Fighters and many other titles. Be Comics! will also host a demo area dedicated to table games staged by Asmodee, which will allow visitors to play Zombicide Undead or Alive, embarking on an epic fight against Zombies, set in none other than the Old West. Collectible card enthusiasts will instead celebrate the site’s 18th anniversary cardgame-club.it with a big party on the stage of Be Comics!, which will include the participation of tuberze, with the CardGame-Club Super Show: the numbers of some playing card e-commerce customers will be called live by the YouTuber by surprise and will be able to interact via video call or audio only, to win points and other digital gifts from use on the site. Furthermore, if a person present at the event is called, this will be able to go on stage with Tuberanza. The weekend dedicated to geek culture will be supported by partner editorials noteworthy, such as Corriere dello Sport – Stadio and Tuttosport, to conclude with Radio 105, official radio of the event, with a dedicated radio and web communication plan and with on-site management by the radio speaker and influencer Rebecca Staffelli.The programme, with the names of the protagonists and guests, is being updated and will be available starting from the next few days on the digital platforms of Be Comics! and on becomics.it. The countdown has started, the appointment with the nerd world is upon us, enthusiasts just have to mark the 18 e March 19. Passion returns to the fore at the Padua Fair for two days of pure fun, better hurry up and buy advance tickets…they are in limited quantities!
You can see the flyer below.
