Over 30 titles by Taiwanese artists featured at Italian comic festival

Taipei, May 4 (CNA) The 2025 Napoli Comicon in Italy features over 30 Taiwanese comic books, along with a live drawing and signing event by two Taiwanese artists, attracting comic book fans to the Taiwan Pavilion for a taste of Taiwanese art.

The showcase was a joint effort by the Cultural Division of the Taipei Representative Office (TRO) in Italy and Locus Publishing, the Ministry of Culture (MOC) said in a recent statement.

Napoli Comicon President Claudio Curcio, Toshokan Director-General Matteo Bonno, and Vincent Y. C. Tsai (蔡允中), Taiwan's Representative to Italy, visited the Taiwan Pavilion on the event's opening day, according to the MOC.

Curcio expressed hope that Taiwan would continue participating in the event, saying it would offer Italian comic readers an alternative to Japanese manga and enrich the exhibition, the MOC said.

Among the 30-plus titles by more than 10 Taiwanese artists featured at the pavilion, some have been translated into Italian, others are available in English or other languages, and some remain in their original Chinese, the MOC noted.

Despite the language barrier, Italian visitors showed strong support for the Taiwanese works, with many buying non-Italian editions to have them signed and illustrated live by the artists, said Chien Chia-cheng (簡嘉誠), who appeared at the event alongside fellow Taiwanese comic artist Yuzu (柚子), according to the MOC.

Chien was quoted by the ministry as saying that the enthusiastic response from local visitors seemed driven by their appreciation for the themes and artistic styles, which motivated them to buy the comics even without Italian translations.

Meanwhile, the pavilion also hosted an exhibition of selected frames from Taiwanese comic books, the MOC added.

The TRO Cultural Division said that while it has taken part in Lucca Comics & Games over the past three years, this marks its first appearance at Napoli Comicon in southern Italy.

This helps introduce Taiwanese IPs to a broader Italian audience, the division said, adding that it will continue efforts to raise the profile of Taiwanese comic books, children's books, and picture books in Italy.

The Napoli Comicon opened on May 1 and will conclude on Sunday.