The Comic Con, Thessaloniki’s extraordinary huge comics & pop culture convention, talks to us about Cosplay, the event and its work!
THE EPICENTER OF COMICS & POP CULTURE !
Thousands of people every year count the days until it takes place! The highlight of northern Greece, gathers every May for 3 days under its roof all fans of comics and modern pop culture! Comics, series, movies, anime, manga, games, videogames, books, collectibles, and more are there!
Among them being our beloved Cosplay, with The Comic Con of Thessaloniki gathering the largest number of Cosplays in Thessaloniki and the 3rd largest number of Cosplays in Greece during its three-day run every year, reaching 351 Cosplays during its last event, The Comic Con 5!
Starting on May 8, 2015 at Warehouce C’ at Thessaloniki’s Port, it moves in 2018 tο Ioannis Vellidis Convention Center growing dramatically at the same time! It now counts 5 annual 3-day events, with the exception of 2020 and 2021, due to the pandemic! Every year thousands of visitors flood the event , filling the corridors between 140+ exhibitors and artists!
More than 10 famous international guests related to the pop culture scene are present at every event, giving people the unique opportunity to meet them up close for the first time ( find them at the end of the article )! Among them, well known Cosplayers from abroad!
Multiple panels, presentations, exhibitions, signings and much more, provide an extensive schedule, not giving the audience a chance to get bored even for a moment, and bringing to life an experience similar to huge comics & pop culture conventions abroad! The Cosplay Alley provides people the opportunity to check out the work of various cosplayers, while at the same time, Cosplayers//GR was present until its last event with its own booth, providing a Cosplay Photo / Video Booth, Cosplay Photo Albums / Galleries & Videos, Cosplay Repair Station, Cosplay Materials Presentation, Giveaways, Freebies and Cosplayer Luggage Storage
The huge Outdoor Mass Cosplay Photoshoot in HANTH Park up until The Comic Con 4, and the large seaside Cosplay Parade up until The Comic Con 3, both by Cosplayers//GR, were the largest of their kind in Greece , and not only, with up to 109 Cosplays present! AnimeHouse‘s gift draws for all Cosplayers that participated in those two, sealed the deal!
Its repertoire, of course, includes some “firsts” related to Cosplay in Greece!
The 1st Comics Convention with Cosplayers in Thessaloniki, The Comic Con!
The 1st international guest Cosplayer in Thessaloniki and Greece at The Comic Con!
The 1st Cosplay Workshop in a Convention in Thessaloniki and Greece at The Comic Con!
The 1st outdoor Cosplay Parade in a Convention in Thessaloniki and Greece, by Cosplayers//GR, at The Comic Con!
The 1st Cosplay Repair Station in Thessaloniki and Greece, by Cosplayers//GR, at The Comic Con 3!
The 1st time with more than 100 Cosplays at an outdoor Cosplay photoshoot in Greece, by Cosplayers//GR at The Comic Con 3!
The 1st commercial music video with Cosplays in Greece, by Dimitris Mentzelos for The Comic Con 5!
The 1st opportunity to get acquainted with Cosplay creation materials in Thessaloniki and Greece, by Cosplayers//GR at The Comic Con 5!
Let’s talk about everything with The Comic Con‘s organizers, Anastasios Lazaridis and Leontios Papadopoulos!
Find The Comic Con on the following media! Page - Facebook - Youtube - Twitter - Instagram Check out the organizer's profile and events, with all their info and thousands of photos & videos, on our website, HERE!
TURNING MANY WORLDS INTO ONE !
1) Tell us a few words about , 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?
The Thessaloniki Comic Convention “The Comic Con” acts as a dynamic institution for the whole country. It’s the top event for comics, animation, roleplay and card games and of course cosplay. During it’s 3-day run, it presents famous creators and cosplayers from all over the world, many surprises, unique events, workshops & masterclasses, contests, happenings and gives away incredible gifts. In short, we could say that this is the Greek version of the biggest comic conventions that are organized today in the USA and other countries abroad, such as the famous Comic-Con in San Diego or the corresponding one in New York.
As you can easily conclude, we couldn’t have achieved any of what you saw taking place during the first five events if we didn’t love the subjects. We all got our hands on comics before we even learned how to read. We loved them just by looking at the frames. We experienced video games since their inception when entire games were the size of a small text file, on Atari consoles but also on primitive Spectrum, Commodore and Amstrad computers. I won’t even mention Amiga which came much later. And of course we spent endless hours playing board games and watching cartoons. So, yes, we got into those subject decades before The Comic Con was created.
International Guest Cosplayers of The Comic Con
Cyehra Cosplay – Erza Cosplay – Shappi Workshop – Mowky Cosplay – Narga-Chan
2) How long and what exactly did it take until the first event was possible? Ηow do you think The Comic Con differs from other similar events of corresponding theme?
A key principle of all The Comic Con contributors is the emphasis on quality. We’ll never do anything unless it follows the very strict standards we have set. And we follow this philosophy faithfully starting from the first event. You can’t even imagine how many months of hard preparation it took for our first event to take place, in May 2015, at Warehouse C of Thessaloniki’s port. This hard work was appreciated by artists such as Giorgio Cavazzano. Do you think a Disney stories legend would come to a sketchy event? Or even William Simpson at a time when Game of Thrones was the hottest TV series on the planet?
We don’t like to comparing our event with the corresponding very important efforts made in various areas of Greece. We love and support all events because they serve the same purpose. But we are more than just a event about comics. I have to remind you that The Comic Con may start at the “Ioannis Vellidis” conference center but it doesn’t stop there. It spreads throughout Thessaloniki, through a series of activities and synergies, which make “The Comic Con” one of the largest, most participatory and most influential cultural events of spring in Thessaloniki and in Southeastern Europe in general. Is there anyone who doesn’t remember the illustration exhibition of costume designer Christian Cordella taking place in a glass kiosk of Nea Paralia, the two parallel animation festivals in Warehouse 1 at the port, in collaboration with Thessaloniki’s Film Festival, the Game of Thrones storyboard exhibition at Thessaloniki’s International Book Fair or the “Star Wars” concert in collaboration with the Concert Hall and the award-winning Youth Symphony Orchestra “MOYSA”? And all this without taking the huge costs into account. It’s no coincidence that The Comic Con is the top event of its kind.
The Comic Con 4 – Photos by Cosplayers//GR
3) What was the biggest, but also the most difficult The Comic Con you have done so far? What defines them as such?
Each event has its own difficulties. The first one, for example, was difficult, because we hadn’t done it before and therefore didn’t know what problems we would face in practice even though we had done excellent planning. The fourth event was difficult because we had set the goal of bringing Frank Miller to Greece, whatever the cost. And as you can see, we did it. Nevertheless, I ‘ll tell you that bringing a full symphony orchestra of 70 people to play inside “Ioannis Vellidis” was not an easy task. Just think of the instruments that had to be transferred or get the rights for such a big production as “Star Wars”.
As for the biggest The Comic Con this was definitely the last one, that took place in 2019. And if there was no pandemic, with everything we had announced for the 6th one, rest assured it would have been that one. We always make sure keep the event growing.
Cosplays at The Comic Con 4 – Photo by Cosplayers//GR
4) How much effort, time and money does it usually take to set up The Comic Con? What is the usual preparation plan that you follow?
It takes countless man-hours of work by a very large team to get each event going. In terms of finances, I will tell you only one thing: do a simple internet search ( under normal circumstances and not during a pandemic ) to see what it costs to bring an actor, say from New Zealand, such as Manu Bennett as we did. Then add his accommodation, his food, his salary, etc. And then do it for another fifteen guests to find just the amount needed for guests.
The preparation plan is as follows: An event ends. We rest for a week. We start organizing the next one.
Video with content footage of The Comic Con 5 – Video by Cosplayers//GR
5) How did you feel during the first The Comic Con and how after its end? Describe this experience to us.
We don’t remember much from the first event’s three days, other than the fact that we were running, running, running … We wanted everything to work perfectly. In fact, we didn’t feel the event’s joy that visitors experienced. Only at the end of the third day, when the end was in sight and stress was gone, were we able to notice the smiles the visitors’ faces. That was the biggest reward. And of course messages full of praise we kept receiving in our e-mails and on the event’s social mediafor quite some time. Then we realized what we had done and what we had achieved: We put Greece on the world map of comic conventions and paved the way for similar events to take place in other areas of the country. And we’re really happy when we saw other organizers take the baton and put their own work towars this important effort.
Outdoor Mass Cosplay Photoshoot by Cosplayers//GR at The Comic Con 4 – Photos by Cassiel Cosplay Photography
6) What’s your opinion, in proportion to Greece’s size, about the size and level of the audience of the scene towards which The Comic Con is addressed?
Although Greece is a relatively small country, the audience that reads comics, watches superhero movies, watches animated movies or plays video games is much larger than one could imagine. We wouldn’t have initiated an event, a comic convention adhering to the standards of the great American and European ones if we hadn’t done the relevant research and study. We would be content with a small, local exhibition with an artist, as they are being done in different areas of the country and that would be it … So, we are completely satisfied with the audience’s size. However, I must clarify that The Comic Con wasn’t created to address the Greek public exclusively but to comic book fans both in neighboring countries and the rest of Europe. We had visitors though from countries that one wouldn’t guess, such as Japan, Australia, but also from Africa or the Middle East.
International Guests Frank Miller at The Comic Con 4 & Don Rossa at The Comic Con 5 – Photos by Cosplayers//GR
7) Are you satisfied with the people’s response to The Comic Con during all these years?
We aren’t just satisfied with the public’s response. We’re excited by their love and grateful that they honored and keep honoring us. We want to let them know that our thoughts are always with them and how we’ll be able to make their next experience at The Comic Con even better than the previous one.
The Comic Con 4 – Photos by Cosplayers//GR
8) When and why did you decide to include Cosplay in The Comic Con‘s themes? What more do you think does the presence of Cosplays provide to The Comic Con? Are you satisfied with the number of Cosplays attending?
Let’s start with something important: All of us at Thessaloniki Comic Convention adore people who are passionate about what they do, whether it’s called comics, figure building or cosplay. We have proven in practice how important we consider cosplay, since we were the first ones in Greece to invite and bring – already starting form the first event – a cosplayer artist from abroad. And we repeat it in every event.
We also decided to shoot the video clip of the event’s official song titled “Comics”, written and sung by Dimitris Mentzelos in collaboration with Greek cosplayers. The result was excellent. Nothing similar has ever been done in Greece.
And let’s not forget the big parade with cosplayers on the seaside of Thessaloniki that filled the city’s everyday life with color and life. Images of it were reproduced by the press of that time.
So, you understand how important and what an integral part of the event cosplay is. It gives color and liveliness to its three days, while it also acts as the best memory for visitors, since photos they take with the cosplayers – as we’ve seen – flood their personal accounts on instagram and facebook.
Of course, a large part of the success in this field is due to your own effort as Cosplayers//GR, which you serve excellently for so many years. As for their number, let’s remember the popular saying: the more, the merrier. However, I want you to know that we are constantly working on new ideas to enhance the experience called cosplay.
Video of 287 of 351 Cosplays at The Comic Con 5 – Video by Cosplayers//GR
9) Is there a long term goal or personal dream you want to achieve through The Comic Con?
There’s no grandiose goal like getting a boat or a personal jet. The Comic Con started due to the love of a few persons for comics who wanted to get to know their favorite artists up close, talk to them, find out about their work, get their art and share this experience with other fans of the subject. Personally, I once wanted to meet Frank Miller. My wish came true, not at the Comic Con in New York, but in Thessaloniki. And thousands of other visitors met him along with me. And he’s not the only one. There are Colin Cantwell, Dave McKean, Don Rosa. Giorgio Cavazzano, Esad Ribić, Achdé and many others …
Seaside Cosplay Parade by Cosplayers//GR at The Comic Con 3 – Photos by Cosplayers//GR
10) Is there any important or funny experience that happened during The Comic Con that you will never forget?
Stories like the fact that someone didn’t just wash his hands but took a full bath in the men’s toilets of Warehouse C? Obviously there are many such short stories. But you’ll allow us to keep the big and most interesting ones for ourselves. Yes, I’m referring to you, Leonardo Manco.
International Guest Cosplayers Narga-Chan at The Comic Con 5 & Mowky Cosplay at The Comic Con 4 – Photos by Cosplayers//GR
11) What is the first thing you would tell to someone who seriously considers visiting The Comic Con for the first time? And what can he expect to see there in the future?
We don’t want to say anything to anyone who thinks in a serious way. We want all those who wish to cast away any seriousness ( or serious look ) for three days and who will visit us expecting to feel like children again. To have a great time, to live through great experiences and to fill their batteries with color so that they can face everyday life’s gray reality. And if they wear Iron Man’s or Wonder Woman’s costume, then that’s even better.
Cosplayers//GR Booth at The Comic Con 5 & The Comic Con 4 – Photos by Cosplayers//GR
12) Is there anything last you would like to share with our readers?
Just a suggestion: the pandemic may have deprived us of two events but rest assured that the organizers are not sitting idly by. We are constantly in touch with the most beloved artists around the world. We proved that we don’t take the cost into account if we are going to bring them to Thessaloniki. We are constantly looking for new ideas so that we can to offer the public an unprecedented experience of entertainment and fun. And you will see this yourself when things return to normal again. When you’ve established yourself in the public’s consciousness as the top comic convention in the country, you must constantly try to surpass yourself. And that’s what we do.
Video of 218 of316 Cosplays at The Comic Con 3 and the related outdoor mass photoshoot & beachside Cosplay Parade by Cosplayers//GR – Video by Cosplayers//GR
INTERNATIONAL GUESTS OF THE COMIC CON !
EVENTS BY THE COMIC CON ! 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.
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