The III Edition of Serra Comics & Co. ended with an extraordinary success, which on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 August transformed the historic center of Serra San Bruno into a large village dedicated to comics, illustration, dubbing, cosplay, gaming and pop culture.
Tens of thousands of people reached Serra San Bruno over the course of two days, crowding the squares, Corso Umberto I, the Municipal Garden, the Amphitheater and Palazzo Chimirri. An extraordinary turnout which involved visitors from all over Calabria and numerous Italian regions. With over 4,500 square meters of the historic center involved, five squares, the entire Corso Umberto I, the Municipal Garden, the Amphitheater and Palazzo Chimirri, the III Edition gave life to a truly widespread festival, capable of intertwining comics, illustration, dubbing, cosplay, gaming, music, scientific dissemination, fantasy, nature and valorisation of the territory. Over 65 stands animated the historic center among cartoonists, illustrators, artists, publishers, bookshops, comic shops, associations and realities of the geek world, alongside exhibitions, videogames and retrogaming, tournaments, LEGO area, board games, escape books, medieval re-enactments, archery, food area and nature excursions to discover the Serre Regional Natural Park.
A festival increasingly connected with the great network of pop culture
One of the elements that characterized the III Edition was the ability of Serra Comics & Co. to consolidate and expand a network of collaborations with important companies on the national scene. The collaboration with the Palermo Comic Convention, already started in the previous edition, continued in 2026, strengthening a relationship between two events that share the desire to promote comics, entertainment and pop culture. The III Edition also marked an important milestone on a cultural level with the twinning with the Associazione Sentieri Tolkieniani, created to develop a common path of valorisation and dissemination of JRR Tolkien’s work. The twinning brought scholars Pierluigi Cuccitto and Antonino Intagliata to Serra San Bruno, protagonists of a meeting dedicated to the universe of Middle-earth, in addition to the exhibition Visions of Middle-earth – Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings, dedicated to the works of Sara Elia. Particularly significant was also the collaboration with the State Police, present at the III Edition of Serra Comics & Co. with a dedicated stand and with Inspector Mascherpa, protagonist of the successful graphic novel edited and published by the official magazine Poliziamoderna. The presence of the State Police represented an important moment of meeting between institutions and the public, bringing issues related to legality and citizenship into the event.
From dubbing to dissemination: a program full of talks and meetings
The Amphitheater stage hosted a rich calendar of talks, interviews, meetings, editorial presentations and shows, with protagonists from the world of dubbing, scientific dissemination, comics, illustration and pop culture. Great attention for Leonardo Graziano, historic Italian voice of Naruto Uzumaki, Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory and Killua from Hunter × Hunter, and for Valeriano Corini, voice actor of Dustin Henderson in the animated series Stranger Things: Stories from 1985, of Okarun in DanDaDan and numerous other contemporary animation characters. The two voice actors were the protagonists of interviews, live dubbing sessions, meetings with the public and copy signing. Space for dissemination and technology with Danilo Lucirino, Explainabro, digital creator and founder of the Is It Possible? project, and with Lorenzo Gagliardi, researcher at the National Research Council and founder of the Non è la Zebra project, protagonist of the talk The behavioral science of How I Met Your Mother, dedicated to psychology, cognitive biases and pop culture. Among the events dedicated to the world of publishing, the talk by Galileo Editore, dedicated to the theme “Comics, illustration and independent publishing”, was of particular importance. A discussion dedicated to the path that leads an idea to transform into a book, a graphic novel or an illustrated volume, describing the world of independent publishing and the opportunities offered to new talents. The protagonists of the meeting were Angelo Gallo, Maria Soria, Marco Serravalle and Fabiana Barreca, who addressed topics related to creativity, publication, collaboration between authors and publishers and new professional paths in image narration. Among the special guests Shorii, a content creator dedicated to anime, manga and Japanese pop culture, and Shizen, an artist, singer and performer among the protagonists of the Italian idol scene, who brought to the stage a musical show dedicated to the most beloved anime theme songs and Japanese pop music. There is also a lot of space for comics and illustration with Veronica Guitti, the first woman in the history of the famous Alan Ford series to create a book for the historic magazine, the mangaka Fabiana Barreca, the illustrators Aldo Pipicelli and Dario Tavormina, as well as the scholars Pierluigi Cuccitto and Antonino Intagliata, protagonists of the events dedicated to Tolkien’s universe.
Cosplay, fantasy and pop culture for all generations
Great participation also for the Cosplay Contest, one of the most anticipated events of the event, with a jury made up of cosplayers of national and international importance. Among the judges Novareey, who in 2025 represented Italy at the Cosplay World Masters, winning first place at the COMICON Challenge Pro, and who in 2026 placed second in the Italian selections for the Nordic Cosplay Championship and for the Yamato Cup. Also on the jury were Mary Avril, awarded with “The Best” recognition at MessinaCon and Lamezia Comics, and Bitter Choco, winner of the Special Mention for Interpretation at Nuvola Comics 2026. The program also offered exhibitions, editorial presentations, meetings with authors, musical performances and numerous activities designed to involve visitors of all ages.
Culture, territory and social responsibility
The III Edition confirmed the desire of the Serra Comics Association to build an event capable of combining entertainment, culture and valorisation of the territory. Among the most important initiatives is the International Illustration and Comics Contest “Mangiatorella and Parco delle Serre”, promoted by Mangiatorella SpA and the Serre Regional Natural Park in partnership with the Serra Comics Association and the Serra Comics & Co. festival, with the aim of enhancing the naturalistic, historical and cultural heritage of the Serre through the language of illustration and comics. During the event, the official presentation of the Contest also took place, with speeches by Dr. Francesco Federico, representing Mangiatorella SpA, and the Commissioner of the Serre Regional Natural Park, Dr. Francis Constantine. There will also be space for the awareness campaign against bullying and cyberbullying “The weight of words”, promoted by the Arte che Parla Association, confirming Serra Comics & Co.’s commitment to combining pop culture, entertainment and social responsibility.
Serra San Bruno at the center of Calabrian pop culture
The success of the III Edition represents an important result not only for the Serra Comics Association, but for the entire territory. The tens of thousands of visitors, the participation of guests and artists from different parts of Italy, the over 65 exhibitors and the growing number of collaborations confirm the ability of Serra Comics & Co. to establish itself as one of the main events dedicated to pop culture in Calabria, transforming the event into a tool for aggregation, cultural promotion and tourist enhancement of the territory. For two days Serra San Bruno became a point of reference for thousands of enthusiasts, young people and families, creating a bridge between the world of comics and entertainment and the historical, cultural and naturalistic heritage of the Serre. The claim “Where fantasy becomes reality”, chosen for the Official Poster of the III Edition, was the underlying theme of an event that continues to grow and build, edition after edition, its own identity in the panorama of Italian pop culture.