Lucca Comics & Games celebrates 60th anniversary with Historic “Legacy”

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Lucca Comics & Games celebrates 60th anniversary with Historic “Legacy”-Themed Edition

24-09-2026
The iconic Italian festival will celebrate six decades of history from October 28 to November 1, 2026, bringing together prominent international figures from comics, illustration, animation, and the video game industry.

Under the themeLEGACY—conceived as a conceptual bridge between six decades of history and the generational passing of the torch to new creators—Lucca Comics & Games organizers unveiled the full lineup for its Diamond Anniversary edition. The event will span the historic city center of Lucca, including its squares, exhibition pavilions, and heritage sites.

The official poster was created by master comic artist Claudio Castellini, who designed the first “meta-poster” in the festival’s history. The artwork brings together iconic characters from past editions and features a collaboration with Louise Stéphant, winner of the Petit Fauve at the Angoulême International Comics Festival, who illustrated a variant cover to be revealed on opening day at the Teatro del Giglio Giacomo Puccini. The initiative is backed by institutional support from the European Parliament and the European Commission.

60th Anniversary Special Projects and Exhibitions

Among the flagship commemorative activities is the interactive exhibition Lucca Legacy: a comics and games story at Palazzo Guinigi, developed in partnership with the POLI.design consortium at Politecnico di Milano, the “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, and cultural partner Rai Teche. The interactive space offers a guided walkthrough led by characters Luke and Clea—created by Sergio Algozzino—and provides a preview of the future Lucca Comics Museum planned at the former Manifattura Tabacchi.

Additionally, organizers launched Luke & Clea – A Quest for Legacy, a 16-bit pixel-art video game for iOS and Android devices. The game features guest appearances by personalities such as Licia Troisi, Cristina Scabbia, and Karl Kopinski, with its final level set to unlock simultaneously with the festival’s opening day.

Rai Cultura joins the celebrations with the documentary 60 Volte Lucca: L’avventura storia di Lucca Comics & Games, written and directed by Enrico Platania. Drawing on archival material dating back to the 1966 “Salone Internazionale dei Comics,” the feature will air on Rai5 and stream on RaiPlay.

The exhibition lineup also includes showcases dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Morris’s Lucky Luke, American cartoonist Tillie Walden’s first exhibition in Italy, a retrospective on Guido Crepax’s Valentina in collaboration with Archivio Crepax, a tribute to manga and anime pioneer Go Nagai (Mazinger Z, Grendizer, Devilman), and the sports manga exhibition SPOKON: SPORT, TEARS AND VICTORY! in Japan Town.

Highlights in Comics, Gaming, and Collectibles

The Comics sector will feature more than 80 publishers and over 400 guests, highlighting a record Asian presence led by Go Nagai, Paru Itagaki, Yuu Watase, Gurihiru, Saka Mikami, Peach Momoko, Korean author JH, and Chinese creator Li Haoling (Link Click). Confirmed Western creators include Frank Miller, Jonathan Hickman, Deniz Camp, Brian Michael Bendis, Tillie Walden, Paco Roca, Jordi Lafebre, Seth, and Argentine artists Eduardo Risso, Fernando Blanco, and Leandro Fernández.

In the Games section, anchored at the Carducci Pavilion, actor Joe Manganiello will serve as special curator for the Dungeons & Dragons programming, which includes appearances by authors Tracy and Laura Hickman. Meanwhile, Christopher Perkins (Darrington Press) and Elise Rezendes (Critical Role) will introduce the first Italian edition of the Hope & Fear expansion for Daggerheart, and Marko Djurdjevic will deliver the European debut presentation of his epic-fantasy project, ORKEN.