A special highlight was probably the most famous throne in the world; the Iron Throne from the HBO hit series Game of Thrones, on which fans could have their picture taken. Boba Fett’s throne, the control chair from Stargate and other movie sets from the STAR WARS universe created by fan groups also delighted the audience.
Comic artists and cosplayers traveled from all over the world to FANTASY BASEL – The Swiss Comic Con: among them were Yaya Han from the USA, Tine Marie Riis from Norway, Maul Cosplay and cosplay streamer Anni The Duck from Germany. Around 200 illustrators showed their art in the Artist Alley, including world-famous illustrators such as Luis and Romulo Royo, John Howe (The Lord of the Rings), Disney cartoonists Ulrich Schröder and Ingo Römling, and Basel-based Batman artist Enrico Marini. Other highlights were the cosplay contests on the main stage, where the best costumes and most creative performances were selected.
The Space Area was larger than ever, with the Swiss Space Museum, the PlanetS research group and other exhibitors spanning science fiction to space travel, new technologies and space exploration. Sci-fi fans met scientists who greatly appreciated this exchange. With Didier Queloz from ETH Zurich was among other experts even a Nobel Prize winner present. Lectures such as “Star Trek and the Future of Artificial Intelligence” or “Learning Physics through Hard Science Fiction” were enthusiastically received by the audience.
The film stars present, such as Dan Fogler (Fantastic Beasts, The Walking Dead), Alfred Enoch (Harry Potter, How to get Away with Murder), Georgia Hirst (Vikings), Daniel Portman and Vladimir Furdik (Games of Thrones), Hans-Georg Panczak (STAR WARS) or Superman Dean Cain, also enjoyed particular attention, with fans lining up for photos and autographs.
Japanese food lovers could indulge themselves in the food zones. The Swiss Mangkas Ban Zarbo and Gin Zarbo were present for an autograph session as well as other talents of the genre. In addition, urban artists from the Swiss and international scene worked live on walls up to 10 meters in size and showed their latest works of art.
In the Gaming Zone, current video games, gaming classics and new Swiss games were played. Also several eSports teams were on site. In the action zone, visitors could not only marvel at wrestlers, but also try out archery, fencing and “pickleball”, a new trend sport from the USA.
The mega-event has definitely established itself internationally through its diverse program and is one of Europe’s leading conventions for pop culture. The organizers emphasize that the primary goal remains to make the visitors happy and to guarantee the high quality of the program: “FANTASY BASEL – The Swiss Comic Con 2022 was a complete success. The diverse program can hardly be described in words, you have to experience the festival live. We are overwhelmed by the positive feedback from all sides. We sincerely thank all exhibitors and artists, our volunteers and, of course, the visitors who make our festival so unique and created an incomparable atmosphere once again this year”.
Contact:
Anouk Brunner
Media & Communication
Phone: +41 44 350 12 04
medien@fantasybasel.ch
