I’m beginning to repeat myself on this blog… Well, there are a lot of annual appointments, so even this year we have an edition of Romics, the Roman convention of comics and cosplay (with some boardgames, wargames, videogames too). It was spread on 4 days, but usually I’m very busy, so I went only to the last day, Sunday. It is weird, but you live in full mode only far events, local events are always discriminated because they are easy to follow. So I passed one day for Romics while I will be present five days in Lucca for Lucca Comics and Games at the end of this month. However Lucca is maybe the greatest event for comics in Europe, and for sure the more important event of the year in Italy for cosplayers, comic fans and maybe even for gamers, even if there are sectoral events for gamers that are more significant for specific games (historical wargames, boardgames,…). But here we are speaking about Romics! This is Rome not Lucca! So what can I say? Romics this year was bigger and better: three hangars, one for comics and some games, one for videogames and fantasy (and sci-fi) re-enactment , one for cosplay contest.
There were a lot of people, with a huge amount of cosplayers. Romics is the comic convention of Central Italy, for sure. The only weak part is the cultural one, because there aren’t seminars, presentations and these sort of things. And there are only a few publishers, because the structures are very expensive and they can wait 30 days for cheaper and bigger Lucca. However I had fun, I spent an entire day in that bedlam and I wasn’t tired of nothing. When you have fun you don’t feel fatigue, so I stayed inside for 5.5 hours always walking around, absorbed by thousands of visual stimuli.
The photo was took at the end of the day, so you can see the floor. Instead during the day there were more people, you couldn’t easily walk among stands.
I passed even a scary moment. The place of the event is in a nowhere land between Rome and the coastal part of the city hinterland. There is a railway to the airport with a stop to the new fair of Rome. Sunday there are less train available, although a big convention as this one can running. At the station the trains were late. After a long wait passed the train before. Full at doors. After others 15 minutes, our train. When we arrived, 40 minutes late for a trip of 30 minutes, at the Fiera di Roma station we found the people of the previous train still on the little train platform because they couldn’t easily exit. And so you couldn’t exit from the train. The station exit is a metal stair to a metal bridge, very narrow. People, to exit quickly, crossed tracks or climbed over fences between a small swamp, dry in this season. When I reached the stairs a third train arrived on the train platform. So I began to walk on the bridge. All the structure vibrated. Too much. For a bridge it is not the best. I couldn’t go back. So I went straight. No railwayman, no vigilant, no fireman, no policeman. This is the classical situation that you read on newspapers, with dead people in it.
Three hours trip from my house to the inside of the fair. At the return with a car in the middle of traffic only one hour and a bit more.
Let’s go with more easy stuff. I spoke about cosplay. I took some photos but they cannot give you the real aspect and atmosphere of the event. So if you want to see more go on flickr!
A company from ancient D&D roleplay times, but in 2011! With more women than when I played it…
Another transposition from world of games, a real life dimension for Cluedo.
Victorians in the future: streampunk…
Teen X-men, with a wheelchaired friend like Professor Xavier.
Star Wars is a real cult, even a religion in Australia (the Force. Here we have the 501st Legion, the Italian re-enactors. I like the imperial armoured troops and dislike the rebel scum in bathrobe.
An AT-ST (All Terrain Scout Transport), not in a real 1:1 scale as they said, maybe in 1:2 scale. However a great view.
Some cosplayers are real professionals. There are a lot of contests and some designate participants to finals. The girl in the middle was the Italian representative to a big contest in Nagoya, Japan.
The queue for the final parade only for who survived after various selections. For the tension of the moment a girl cried. And the make-up dripping.
Another view. The last adjustments.
A female centaur. Very sweet.
I admit that, other the appreciation for the work behind the costumes, the fantasy and the dedication to this hobby, I like girls. So here I had no difficulties to admire them.
At the end I was so used to see girls in bikini that I didn’t give attention to some of them, only the pretties…
I took photos that I cannot show here. A hard choice, I have to censure myself because this is not a porno blog with young exhibitionist girls. Instead I have no photos of comics, because I was distracted by costumes. If you want exposed sex, see what are doing Batman and Robin in the green castle.
The mess after the party. On the ground you can see a lot of cups for ramen (Japanese spaghetti). Japan is idolised so every thing from Japan is good, even ramen for two euros.
Appointment to next year for Romics, to next month for more comics, cosplay and games in Lucca. With a presentation of Zen Garden added to them!
