Comic N’ Play in Thessaloniki, the oldest comics & board games convention in Greece, talks to us about Cosplay, the event and its work!
19 YEARS AND GOING !
19 years! The longest-running convention in Greece that combines comics and board games, located in Thessaloniki! Every November, all eyes of fans of those two fanbases are set on it! Comics, board games, artists, exhibitors, collectibles, and generally anything they could ask for is there!
Starting in 2001 as part of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki‘s Student Week, it relocates to the French Institute of Thessaloniki in 2011, and finally to Warehouse C at Thessaloniki’s Port in 2019, growing dramatically with each transition! It now counts 19 annual three-day events, with the exception of 2020 where it was executed in digital form, due to the pandemic! Every year thousands of visitors flood the event, filling the corridors between the many exhibitors and artists!
Multiple panels, presentations, workshops, exhibitions, and much more, compose an extensive program, not giving the audience any chance even for a moment to get bored! Starting from 2015, corresponding Cosplay activities are included in this set! Cosplay Workshops ( 2015, 2016, 2018 ), Online Cosplay Photo Contest ( 2016 ), Cosplay Show ( 2017 , 2018 ), Cosplay Props Showcase ( 2018, 2019 ) and Cosplay Face / Body Painting ( 2017, 2018 , 2019 ).
Among them, our favorite Cosplays, which started to make their gradually increasing appearance from 2017 onwards, reaching 55 Cosplays during the last physical event, Comic N’ Play 2019! Cosplayers//GR was there until the last event to fully cover all of its content and Cosplays, as always.
Let’s talk in detail , with Comic N’ Play‘s coordinator Nikos Dalabiras!
Find Comic N' Play on the following media! Page - Facebook - Youtube - Instagram Check out the organizer's profile and events, with all their info and thousands of photos & videos, on our website, HERE!
COMICS & BOARD GAMES !
1) Tell us a few words about Comic N’ Play, its history and contents! When and how did it start? What themes is it about? Are those themes based on the organizers’ personal interests, and if so, when did you start taking an interest in each of them, before your first event?
Our event is neither the first that took place, with its content being about comics and board games ( although it was probably the first one to combine them ) in our country, nor the biggest of course, but it’s definitely the one that proved to be the longest running of all – 19 events so far (!), starting in 2001 and based in Thessaloniki, Greece.
Regarding Greek comics, our exhibition is a product of the need for extroversion of a core group of young ( then ) comic creators, who met at the end of the 90s through a self-created – and in a embryonic form – distribution network of self-published Greek comics.
Regarding board games, we tried to integrate and develop further, the first corresponding activities of the oldest club in our country ( E.S.F.I.P.S. – year of foundation 1993, Thessaloniki ).
Of course, the fact that the creative team of these first exhibitions included people who shared their interest in those two creative spaces, also played a big role in the development of the event’s character. Each of us involvement with these hobbies naturally dates back to our childhood and pushed us in search of people with corresponding hobbies / interests during our student life. Because there were no places back then ( referring here to the almost unreal distant 1997 ) that provided systematic support or understanding around our hobbies, it didn’t take long before we decided to create them ourselves!
Exhibitors at Comic N’ Play 2019 – Photo by Cosplayers//GR
2) What led you to proceed with organizing Comic N’ Play? How long and what exactly did it take until the first event was possible? What can one find there and how do you think it differs from other events of similar type or theme?
The reason was and always will be one: the need to discover other people with the same interests as us and our enthusiasm to share ( or initiate ) others in our hobbies’ fantasy worlds! Because some significant personal experience from participating / organizing music events / festivals already existed, we immediately managed to use this knowledge to convince a number of institutions to entrust us with venues / infrastructure and secure some minimum expenses. The rest was done as time passed.
Since then, we haven’t made any particular effort to differentiate ourselves from other events – after all, most of them have only appeared during the last 5 years – but we tried mostly to focus on what we liked most, during this twenty-year period: meaning, the event’s educational aspect, since we consider young people’s education and visual literacy as a necessary condition that nurtures the love for reading comics and their dissemination and the love for learning history ( as far as strategy games are concerned ). So, every year, we organize activities that target parts of all levels of education.
We also consider the original exhibition part of our event to be of primary importance, since we believe that the catalog / album that accompanies it each year is a reflection of both its character and a recording of participating artists. In other words, it’s a form of documentation of our organization, which also has emotional weight for us, besides its historical aspect. And all this is done in light of supporting Greek creators, because they are the ones we believe, whether young ones or veterans, that have a real need to get in touch with the public.
Cosplay Show at Comic N’ Play 2018 – Photo by Cosplayers//GR
3) What was the biggest, but also the most difficult Comic N’ Play you have done so far? What defines them as such?
Each year had its own difficulties and surprises, so it’s not easy to answer this question, although it’s certain that the best Comic N’ Play is always … the next one! We learned to deal with any problems that arise with humor and … by improvising! Let’s not forget that this is a non-commercial event – meaning it doesn’t have any entrance tickets. It relies therefore on private initiative, work, time and money of people who believe in Comic N’ Play’s vision, professionals and individuals, but also institutions who identify with our vision sometimes.
Panel at Comic N’ Play 2018 – Photo by Cosplayers//GR
4) How much effort, time and money does it usually take to set up Comic N’ Play? What is the usual preparation plan that you follow?
For almost 20 years we’ve never stopped thinking about things we would like to incorporate or improve in our events and the end of each convention signifies also the beginning of preparations for the next one. That’s because Comic N’ Play is a product of our love for our hobbies and since we never give them up, our next concern is that we are constantly confronted with the desire to find ways, resources and people to present our inspirations to the general public better.
Video of 47 of 55 Cosplays and general content footage of Comic N’ Play 2019 – Video by Cosplayers//GR
5) How did you feel during the first Comic N’ Play and how after its end? Describe this experience to us.
The words “exhibition of comics and strategy games” were almost unknown to the uninitiated among people in Thessaloniki in 2001. We mostly encountered confusion and complete ignorance on the faces of representatives of institutions we addressed, and then their enthusiasm, because of the unexpected success of our event. Some people at that time had still a very vague idea of what the ninth art or its representatives might represent, especially when they were not yet of known value. So, I’m very proud by now that, as the coordinator of Comic N ’Play, I met artists who participated with their work in our exhibition, either sporadically or on a more regular basis, that are now enjoying nationwide and above recognition of their art!
Artist & Self Publishers at Comic N’ Play 2019 – Photo by Cosplayers//GR
6) What’s your opinion, in proportion to Greece’s size, about the size and level of the audience of the scene towards which Comic N’ Play is addressed?
In our country, the culture of reading, especially comics, is clearly quite limited, but we won’t stop trying to nurture it, since we believe that the production of titles and publications is constantly improving, both in number and in terms of art and quality standards. Of course, on the other hand, comics are a form of people’s art and that’s why we don’t treat the creators as some kind of elites, nor do we have the illusion that we are exclusively “evangelizing” some superior / hidden message of the ninth art to the masses. Our goal is simply to provide the right conditions so that free artistic expression and communication between creators and the public can exist.
Opening of Comic N’ Play 2018 – Photo by Cosplayers//GR
E.S.F.I.P.S. at Comic N’ Play 2019 – Photo by Cosplayers//GR
7) Are you satisfied with the people’s response to Comic N’ Play during all these years, as well as with the number of Cosplays attending?
I must admit that the publishing image in our country has changed rapidly during the last twenty years and certainly, cultural actions such as ours have helped in this direction. This is reflected in both attendance and people’s response. The more people are introduced to our hobbies, the more they will want and seek corresponding creative outlets!
Board Games at Comic N’ Play 2019 – Photo by Cosplayers//GR
8) When and why did you decide to include Cosplay in Comic N’ Play‘s themes? What more do you think does the presence of Cosplays provide to Comic N’ Play?
Because Comic N’ Play was more oriented towards the Greek comics scene from the beginning, it didn’t immediately appear on the “radar” of cosplay creators, as a matter of fact. Besides, and that’s something that old friends of Cosplayers//GR know very well, let’s not forget that any community of cosplayers that existed before 2009, was limited to self-referential parties in Athens and Thessaloniki, where the first fans of anime and manga were gathering bit by bit. But cosplay is not limited only to that. So when some of the more dedicated cosplayers realized that Comic N’ Play is an extra channel of communication between hobbies and nothing more, we clearly embraced them, as we do with anything that includes original creations!
Video of 32 of 36 Cosplays and the Cosplay Show of Comic N’ Play 2018 – Video by Cosplayers//GR
9) What can one find related to Cosplay at Comic N’ Play? Are there any specific activities and events related to it? Do you think they are sufficient or is there something more that you would like to provide regarding Cosplay? Do you think that Cosplay as a theme will continue to be a key part of Comic N’ Play for a long time?
Every year, depending on the available infrastructure and funds, we try to provide fans of this hobby with friendly environment where they are able to show their creations, but also learn how to improve them, by coming in direct contact with the public and other participants. The circumstances are never ideal, this hobby combines many aspects and is therefore quite demanding and lonely, but I think it can flourish as long as older creators are in the mood to introduce new people to it. We are always open to suggestions of people who represent and know the hobby better than we do. Let us not forget that Comic N ‘Play is, as far as I know, the first exhibition in our country that acquired its own character / mascot ( LadyComics©, designed / inspired by comic book creator Kioutsioukis Stavros ) and probably remains the only one, in that respect.
Exhibitors at Comic N’ Play 2019 – Photo by Cosplayers//GR
10) Is there a long term goal or personal dream you want to achieve through Comic N’ Play?
As I mentioned above, every year we set a goal to return in a new form with our next event. We are now in talks related to the implementation of our 20th convention, after a whole year of global pandemic, which however failed to leave us stranded. We tried, adapted and found a way to get creative. So I hope that both me and my colleagues remain committed to our hobbies and healthy so that we can keep trying to enjoy them!
Presentation by Apocalyptic Knights at Comic N’ Play 2018 – Photo by Cosplayers//GR
11) Is there any important or funny experience that happened during Comic N’ Play that you will never forget?
Every year we give it our all, but also have a great time in the meantime! We meet new people who become part of our company and therefore moments of laughter, but also of emotion, are reflected in our desire to meet again at the next event! I want to believe that this mood towards a creative meetup is something that we’re conveying to our guests too, but also to professionals who support us. Therefore, I would not like to focus on a specific moment, since 19 years is almost a lifetime for some of the readers!
Exhibitors at Comic N’ Play 2017 – Photo by Cosplayers//GR
12) What is the first thing you would tell to someone who seriously considers visiting Comic N’ Play for the first time? And what can he expect to see there in the future?
I wouldn’t say anything at all, since if someone thinks about it seriously, then he has already looked up information on the next Comic N’ Play’s dates and venue! So he’ll surely know that he’s about to visit a “colorful” place, full of smiling people who are in the mood to share their hobbies!
Video with general content footage of Comic N’ Play 2018 – Video by Cosplayers//GR
13) Is there anything last you would like to share with our readers?
Many thanks to Cosplayers//GR, as well as the numerous cosplayers we met through Comic N’ Play during the last decade, thanks to whom we had the pleasure to discover a new universe full of creation! I wish our efforts and our future collaborations will introduce even more people to this special hobby!
Artists & Self Publishers at Comic N’ Play 2019 – Photo by Cosplayers//GR
EVENTS BY COMIC N’ PLAY WITH COSPLAYS ! INFO, PHOTOS & VIDEOS !
Cosplayers//GR, the Greek Cosplay community ( 2007 – today ), the only big non-profit neutral and independent Greek Cosplay community network, dedicated to providing -all- existing news about the community, coverage, recording and promotion of all Cosplayers, Cosplay events and anything associated with Cosplay in Greece.
Follow us on social media and share:
