Comicdom CON (established by Comicdom Press) is one of the most well-regarded annual cultural festivals in Athens. It is free to join and offers a wide variety of activities for the public. Although CCA 2023 was marked by controversy, it is still the hotspot for comics, manga, anime, and cosplay enthusiasts in Athens. HWBusters were there and will share with you the magic of the CCA 2024. Join us for the ride.
The 18th Comicdom CON Athens 2024, the popular comics, art, and culture international festival, opened its gates to the public, loyal to its annual appointment. In the heart of Athens, near Keramikos Metro station, fans of every age attended the popular meeting in Technopolis Athens for the second consecutive year. Since 2006, Comicdom CON has bridged the world of comics, anime, and manga culture and their enthusiasts, following the high standards of the respective international events of this kind. And with great success, as it seems. HWBusters had the chance to take this ride and share it with you. Art and technology have shared tight bonds, as we all know, and we are happy to offer you a taste of this three-day festive art event.
From May 17 to May 19 (Friday to Sunday) and 10:00 (Friday at 11:00) to 21:30, Technopolis Athens dressed in the festival’s colors and greeted thousands of people daily. We visited the exhibition on Saturday and Sunday and were amazed by the dazzling number of people who joined it. And when I write about thousands, I mean it. Every alley and event was full of people, and it was challenging passing by without hassle. The festival was free, so many people had the chance to enjoy its events and activities daily.
Japan, the “mother” of manga and anime culture, was the honored country of this year’s Comicdom CON. And with a good reason. The influence of Japanese art culture was present everywhere. You would have met Luffy, Nezuko, and other popular anime and manga characters wherever you went. Literally. From people wearing their costumes to books and events. Fairies, superheroes such as Batman, and other favorite characters of Western culture were almost nonexistent. I believe this shows how much Japanese art culture attracts the newer generation. Of course, Netflix helped its spread with its popular Japanese anime shows—more people to join the ride.
I was happy to see this turn into anime culture. I couldn’t imagine how broad it is in my country, but I would have also liked to have seen more Western superheroes. It was also funny that I didn’t see more people wearing costumes of anime and manga heroes from Dragon Ball, Naruto, Pokemon, and other popular anime TV shows in Greece. Most wore One Piece, Demon Slayer, and JuJutsu Kaisen costumes. I spotted Attack on Titan and other lesser-known anime costumes, but these were the minority. It was strange and funny at the same time.
Back to the festival’s main events, Technopolis was full of kiosks selling a variety of books, comics, action figures, and whatever you might think of, even katanas. It was tough for someone to resist wanting to buy something. I wasn’t, at least. There were artists’ alleys where you could meet famous comic-book artists, events with any cultural activity, and exhibitions. Of course, there were food kiosks; food is a significant player. You can’t stand for too long without the necessary supplies.
People were everywhere, literally, as you will see in our photos. The festival has honored artist Corinna Mei Veropoulou as this year’s honored artist for her contribution to art, and her exhibition was accessible to the public. The highlights of this year’s event were the tribute to Hugo Pratt (better known for Corto Maltese), a tribute to Giorgos Tasioulas (Tass), Make Mine Manga, supervised by the artist Paul Gravett, and the Manga Originals exhibition, which was a journey into the manga world through its artists and their art.
Of course, Comicdom CON honored Akira Toriyama (RIP) through its 40 years of Dragon Ball tribute. Regarding manga and anime, Dragon Ball is one of the most influential franchises of all time. The so-called Agora is also essential, offering native artists the chance to get in touch with international and well-regarded studios and publishers. Congratulations on this excellent initiative. I hope it will help more talented people set out. And I believe it will. Moreover, this event couldn’t be organized without a cosplay contest. This year’s competition was even more critical because it was upgraded to the Europa Cosplay Cup preliminary. The winner will have the chance to participate in one of Europe’s most important cosplay contests—another win of this year’s event.
The festival offered three-day sketching activities, movies, lectures, and other events. With more than 170 artists, 40+ kiosks and bazaars, and thousands of visitors, CCA2024 was a welcome breath of fresh artistic air to Athens’s center. For those of us who had the chance to join it, it was an intoxicating experience. For those who didn’t, I hope they will join the next one. The Comicdon CON Athens 2025 is not so far. We shall renew our appointment for next year’s festival for now. See you all at the next CCA!
