LCCAF26: The Comics World’s Stars Descend On Lake Como This Weekend
by Tom Smithyman
While sports fans are descending on Pittsburgh this weekend for the NFL Draft, enthusiasts of a different persuasion are headed to northern Italy for the annual Lake Como Comic Art Festival.
Located in Cernobbio, LCCAF is a comic art collector’s nirvana. It includes a who’s who of comic artists located in what must be the most picturesque location imaginable — the banks of Lake Como. This year’s invited artists include show regulars like Frank Cho, Simone Bianchi, David Mack, Gabriele Dell’Otto, and Enrico Marini along with newcomers Carmen Carneno, Dustin Nguyen, Laurence Campbell, and Paolo Rivera. (Brian Bolland was to be another first-time headliner, but he canceled a few weeks ago, much to the chagrin of festival goers.) Other big names include Bill Sienkiewicz, Alan Davis, J. Scott Campbell, Sanjulian, Stanley “Artgerm” Lau, and Terry Dodson.
VIP attendees will have a chance to rub shoulders with the artists during Friday night’s opening reception, held in the gorgeous Vila Erba (which was featured in the films Ocean’s Twelve and Casino Royale). The swanky affair kicks off the festival in a way few shows could even dream about.
On Saturday and Sunday, the action shifts to a nearby convention hall, where attendees will line up early in the hopes of getting a coveted place on an impossible-to-get-artist’s commission list. In a move that always rankles some attendees, the show auctions off the first commission slot of several artists. For popular illustrators like Artgerm and Dell’Otto, the guarantee of just getting on the commission list can cost more than $3000 — and that’s before the price of the actual commission.
Once the rush for commissions dies down, attendees can interact with the artists in a more casual way. With a very favorable attendee-to-artist ratio (the show caps attendees to 1,000, but it’s never come close to that number), having a detailed conversation with an artist is more than possible. For example: during the festival’s first year in 2018, I had a chance to sit down and talk to Greg Capullo and Dave Gibbon for over 30 minutes. Try doing that at New York Comic Con!
While LCCAF is not a traditional con, it has started offering some exclusives to attendees. This year, there’s an Artgerm Catwoman exclusive, a portfolio of Liam Sharp’s art from his run on Conan, and a Bruce Timm Vampirella. That’s in addition to popular portfolios or high-quality prints from many of the other artists.
You can see how easy it is to spend money — and quickly — at the show. Ultimately, though, it’s a con unlike any others. And Comicon.com will be there all weekend to bring you the comings and goings. There are worse ways to earn a buck!
