Cyprus Comic Con began as an idea born from the need to create a meeting place for people with shared interests. Today, behind the event is a large team of people, a constantly growing community and a platform that gives young creators the space to present their work and find their own audience.
Christopher Barnett and Chris Ellinas, Co-Founders and Organisers of Cyprus Comic Con, shared their experience during the fireside chat “The Next Move: A Young Leader’s Journey”, held as part of INSPIRE 2026, outlining the journey behind the creation and evolution of Comic Con.
The event has since evolved into a large-scale production, with around 85 team members involved this year. Behind the scenes, the work required is enormous, with many people dedicating time that, in many cases, amounts to a full-time job.
This team is part of Comic Con’s own story. People who saw what was being created in the event’s early stages decided to join and help, wanting to contribute to its development. The philosophy remains the same: for each edition to be better than the last, and to create more opportunities for those who come after.
This aspect is directly linked to the role Comic Con aims to play for the younger generation. One telling example is the story of a young visitor who, when asked why she had come to the event, said she attended because Comic Con had been created at a time when she felt alone, and she wanted to see whether other people on the island felt the same.
The initial response exceeded expectations. The organisers expected perhaps 500 or 1,000 people to attend, having announced the first event only three months earlier. The sight of people arriving in cosplay showed early on that there was a community looking for exactly this kind of space.
Over time, the platform opened up even further to creators. Artists who had previously been creating on their own, often without believing their work could interest a wider audience, found the opportunity to present what they do. The idea was simple: to give them a space, a table and a chance to showcase their work and see where it might lead.
The same philosophy extends to film. Cyprus Comic Con has created various competitive initiatives for filmmaking, including the 48 Hour Film Challenge, an international filmmaking competition and a competition for short films from Cyprus. These initiatives also offer a cash prize, with the aim of giving local directors, actors and teams more tools to develop their ideas.
Behind this effort lies a broader view of what an event like Comic Con can mean. Beyond the event itself, it can serve as a meeting point, a space for expression and a starting point for people seeking their first opportunity.
This is also what connects Comic Con’s journey with the message of INSPIRE: creating a platform that can give the next generation the opportunity to exist, create and grow.
The discussion was moderated by Nicholas Theodoulou, Journalist at IMH.
