Comic N' Play, the longest-running comics exhibition in Greece, returns to Thessaloniki for its 23rd edition this weekend, drawing artists and audiences from across the country and the wider Balkans. The three-day festival, taking place from 13 to 15 February at Warehouses C and D of the Thessaloniki Port Authority, unfolds under the evocative title "Immortal Loves", aligning its theme with Valentine's Day celebrations.
Organisers say the event will once again combine comics culture with fantasy and strategy gaming, in collaboration with the ESFIPS association, while maintaining free admission for the public. Recalling a previous edition held in challenging weather conditions, they note that "more than 20 exhibitors, an equal number of collectives, creative teams and dozens of artists and guests from abroad, together with more than 2,500 individual visitors, discovered inspired ideas for gifts, books, comic magazines, games and hobbies" during the three-day gathering.
This year's honoured artist is Thessaloniki-based creator Stavros Kioutsoukis, who designed the festival poster and anthology cover, marking 20 years since the first official release of the organising publishing house, Ninth Dimension. A highlight of the international programme is the exhibition "Dracula: A-Deathless in Comics", produced by the History Museum of Brașov County in Romania, featuring 48 Romanian artists. Alongside around 70 creators from Greece and the Balkans exploring themes of love, myth and folklore, the works will be included in the festival's official anthology, its main source of revenue.
On Friday morning, school groups will attend guided tours and a presentation of a new road safety comic album distributed free to schools nationwide. Visitors can also meet more than 60 independent Greek comic creators and take part in activities ranging from origami and cosplay to miniature painting and tabletop gaming, with contributions from associations in Greece, Serbia and North Macedonia.
