Lucca Comics & Games: sixty years of nerd revolution

There was a time when being a nerd wasn’t exactly something to boast about. Reading comics, collecting action figures, being passionate about fantasy worlds or spending entire afternoons playing video games and role-playing games often meant belonging to a niche group, as well as being regarded as genuine outsiders, labelled as ‘weird’. These were passions to be nurtured in small circles, sometimes almost in secret, far from the spotlight of a culture that struggled to recognise their value. Today, however, being a nerd has even become cool. And Lucca Comics & Games, which will celebrate sixty years of history in 2026, is probably one of the most significant examples of this extraordinary transformation.

When, in September 1966, the International Comics Fair came to the Tuscan city for the first time, comics were still regarded by many as a minor art form, a product intended primarily for children. It is no coincidence that, during those very years, scholars and intellectuals such as Umberto Eco were helping to assert their cultural significance. Sixty years on, those once-marginal art forms now occupy centre stage in the entertainment industry, influencing cinema, television, fashion and popular culture, and helping to shape the identity of millions of people.

But it is not just the stories that have changed: above all, the audience has changed. Communities of enthusiasts, once relatively separate, have gradually broken down their barriers, becoming increasingly cross-cutting and intergenerational. Today, one can be a manga reader, a film buff, a video game player and a board game enthusiast all at the same time. And above all, those passions that might once have caused embarrassment have become something to be proudly displayed.

This is demonstrated by the 60th-anniversary edition, significantly titled ‘Legacy’ – the legacy that this world carries with it from generation to generation. Lucca brings together true comic book legends such as Frank Miller, who revolutionised the American superhero genre, and Go Nagai, creator of Devilman, Mazinger Z and Goldrake, alongside Claudio Castellini, designer of the official poster and the first Italian to have worked in America with Marvel, as well as the Canadian Seth, a leading figure in contemporary art comics and a guest of Coconino Press. For the first time, Scott’s Collectables is hosting ‘Artist Alley’, bringing to Lucca a new space for direct interaction between artists and the public, alongside countless other publishers: among the many, Tunué is worth mentioning, showcasing Jesse Lonergan’s graphic experimentation with his "Drone"; Panini Comics is celebrating thirty years of "PK", with Corrado Mastantuono also in attendance. Also present is Carmine Di Giandomenico, who is presenting his passion project "Manaya" with SaldaPress, and Hollow Press, featuring artists such as Tetsunori Tawaraya, Spugna and Pastaacolazione – the latter being the winner of the 2026 Self Area Award for "Dust Marrow". Different authors, styles and generations, united by a level of artistic recognition that would have been hard to imagine just a few decades ago.

Yet the transformation of nerd culture is even more evident when examining developments beyond the realm of comics. The Funko pavilion has become a must-see, with its collectables evolving into genuine cultural phenomena; the 30th anniversary of Pokémon was celebrated with a vast themed area in the Bacchettoni Gym (and, for those familiar with this world, the fact that The Pokémon Company chose a gym as this year’s venue is rather amusing) and LEGO’s spectacular time capsule – a project set to be reopened in 2086 – all tell the story of a world in which play no longer belongs solely to childhood, but accompanies entire generations. Equally unmissable is the vast universe of gaming – from video games to role-playing and board games – and that of cosplay, which transforms the streets of Lucca into a collective stage.

The film industry also bears witness to this cross-pollination: from the Japanese Oscar-winner Hirokazu Kore-eda, who attended with "Look Back", an adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s manga, to the "Harry Potter" universe, which was present with a major installation in Piazza San Michele ahead of the series’ arrival on HBO Max in December, right through to the unsettling Backrooms, the centrepiece of I Wonder Pictures’ immersive experience, not to mention the Italian series Nord Sud Ovest Est – La leggendaria storia degli 883, available on Sky and Now. Different worlds, now part of a collective imagination that transcends generations and cultural boundaries.

Behind this complex operation lies the work of many people and the Lucca Crea organisation, which every year transforms an entire city into a meeting place for the creative industries, authors and enthusiasts. Perhaps the most significant recognition of this long evolution has come in the last few days: on 29 October, at Palazzo Guinigi, the Minister for Culture, Alessandro Giuli, the President of the Tuscany Region, Eugenio Giani, and the Mayor of Lucca, Mario Pardini, signed the agreement for the establishment of the new Comics Museum, which will be based in the former Manifattura Tabacchi. The institution will be dedicated not only to the Ninth Art, but also to illustration, games, animation and multimedia, with the aim of preserving and promoting this heritage. The move carries profound symbolic significance, demonstrating how what was once considered a subculture now enjoys full institutional recognition, becoming an artistic heritage to be studied and passed on to future generations.

So, when we look for the greatest legacy of sixty years of Lucca Comics & Games, perhaps it is this: not only having helped to transform passions once considered marginal into recognised cultural phenomena, but having facilitated an even more profound change in the way people experience their own identity. Because, after all, being a nerd no longer necessarily means feeling different from others. It means belonging to a community, recognising oneself through stories and, above all, no longer being afraid to show what one loves. And what once might have seemed a weakness has now truly become a form of collective pride.