Romics

Photo: romics.it

Romics is a comic book, animation and gaming convention held twice a year in Rome, Italy. The spring addition usually takes place in April, while the autumn one is held in October. Romics is one of the largest fan conventions in Europe. For instance, its 18th edition (October 2015) drew 200,000 attendees from all over Italy and abroad.

The inaugural edition of Romics was held on November 22–25, 2001. Its artistic director was Luca Raffaelli, a well-known Italian journalist, essayist and screenwriter who is considered one of the biggest Italian experts in the field of comics and animation. Raffaelli held the post until 2011. It is when he retired the convention became semiannual. Originally, Romics was an annual even that took place in late September – early October.

Romics focuses on all genres and aspects of modern popular culture. Its programming features comic books, animation, movies, television shows, video games, cosplay, science fiction, fantasy and anything else related to pop culture. An important place in the convention programming is allotted to seminars, round tables, workshops and meetings with industry professionals. Numerous comic book publishers hold presentations of upcoming projects featuring Italian and foreign comic book authors.

At Romics, a lot of attention is paid to the movie industry. The convention hosts Movie Village where attendees can watch movies and TV shows, see previews of upcoming blockbusters, meet actors and other people involved in the film production, attend an exhibition of costumes and props from film sets, participate in workshops and other interactive activities.

Every year Romics welcomes thousands of cosplayers who come to the convention to demonstrate their costumes and participate in the cosplay contest. In addition to the Romics Cosplay Award, the winners get a round-trip ticket to the World Cosplay Summit in Japan. The convention’s programming also includes a karaoke contest, an area completely focused on entertainment, technology and gaming in all its forms, special programs for kids and teenagers, and other activities.

Over they years, Romics has become the largest pop culture conventions in Italy and one of the largest shows of its kind in Europe. Each year, its list of special guests includes famous comic book authors and publisher who eagerly tell the latest news to comic book fans and share their professional experience and knowledge with rookie authors and artists.