From June 13th to June 29th 2025, Coconino Fest, the auteur comic art festival, returns.
In the year in which Coconino Press celebrates its 25th anniversary, the festival theme revolves around the word Future and becomes an opportunity to question about the future, both of the world we live in and of storytelling through images – tracing the history of the publishing house, from timeless classics to the future of new talent.
From George Herriman, one of the founding fathers of Ninth Art with the Krazy Kat strips, to international masters David B. and Maruo Suehiro, with the participation of many Italian guests: ZUZU, Alessandro Tota, Daniele Kong, Roberto Grossi, Cleo Bissong, Chiara Fazi and others.
A rich program with eight exhibitions and a weekend of author meetings, events and performances from 13 to 15 June Coconino FEST
Exhibitions at MAR
George Herriman: Krazy Kat
Krazy the cat (or female cat?) adores Ignatz the mouse, pining for him and is living waiting his gesture of affection. Ignatz, on the other hand, detests Krazy, mistreats him and as soon as he can, hits him by throwing a brick at him. On this simple story of unrequited – but relentlessly dreamed and longed-for love – is based one of the strips that underlies the history of comics: George Herriman’s Krazy Kat, published from 1913 to 1944 in major American newspapers. With its mix of surreal humor and poetry Krazy Kat has won illustrious fans, from Pablo Picasso to Umberto Eco, Charles Schulz to Art Spiegelman. The exhibition in Ravenna is a unique opportunity to take a close look at some 20 of Herriman’s very rare original plates, a master of sign, language and composition.
David B.: Il grande male
David B. is one of the most important contemporary French cartoonists, and is among the founders of the publishing house L’Association. Beginning in 1992, he has collaborated with Lewis Trondheim, Christophe Blain, Didier Tronchet, Joann Sfar, Emmanuel Guibert, and Émile Bravo, giving rise to what has been called “la nouvelle bande dessinée.”
His exhibition in Ravenna hinges on The Big Bad, a milestone of the graphic novel: David B. tells the story of his family, marked by the painful story of a brother suffering from epilepsy. And he widens his gaze to universal History, seen as an eternal theater of conflict, and to the artist’s escapes into fantasy and dreams.
Maruo Suehiro: Paradiso
A unique opportunity to admire the elegant mark and refined compositions of a master of Japanese horror and disturbing manga: Maruo Suehiro, author of cult masterpieces such as Midori and The Laughing Vampire. The original plates in this exhibition were made for a long story that is part of the anthology Paradise, in which the horror drawn by Maruo is grimly real.
ZUZU: Ragazzo
A high school student suddenly disappears. Around this absence is built the new graphic novel Ragazzo by ZUZU, a young and already established voice in Italian comics, previously the author of the award-winning Cheese and Happy Days. ZUZU is grappling this time with a choral story about the anxieties of youth that continue to echo within us into adulthood.
Alessandro Tota: La magnifica illusione
After George Herriman, the exhibition of Alessandro Tota, one of the most highly regarded writers and illustrators of Italian comics, takes us back to the United States. The plates on display are from his latest graphic novel The Magnificent Illusion: the story of Diana Morgan, a young aspiring writer who arrives in 1938 New York to fulfill her dream and finds herself inventing superhero tales for the burgeoning American comic book industry.
Daniele Kong: Bestie in fuga
A new author who immediately established himself as a genuine revelation on the Italian comics scene, with a 600-page river work nominated for the Premio Strega 2025 by journalist and writer Simonetta Sciandivasci and fresh winner of Napoli Comicon’s Micheluzzi Award for Best Debut.
Nuove autrici in casa Coconino: Cleo Bissong e Chiara Fazi
Coconino Press is constantly on the lookout for young authors to be highlighted in the vibrant and diverse Italian comics scene. This exhibition turns the spotlight on the talents of Cleo Bissong, who in her first graphic novel Ma siamo ancora qui a parlarnearne? addresses issues such as the relationship of the very young with the body, feminism and body positivity, and on the evocative plates of Chiara Fazi, a well-known illustrator making her comics debut who together with screenwriter Johnny Mox has created Polifonia, a touching tale about migrants and the saving power of music.
Other events not to be missed
In addition to the exhibitions scheduled until June 29, including an exhibition at the Classense Library dedicated to Roberto Grossi’s The Great Removal, the best graphic novel of 2024 according to Internazionale magazine, the MAR will host Ccocnino FEST a dense program of events over the weekend of June 13-15. The authors featured in the exhibitions will meet the public and hold signacopying and dedication sessions. Other cartoonists and well-known artists will join them to bring to life a series of special events, shows and performances.
On Saturday, June 14, the festival will move to Hana Bi in Marina di Ravenna, with an explosive party to celebrate 25 years of Coconino Press.