A Guide to Your First-Time at COMITIA as a Creator

For first-time participants as a creator at a Japanese convention, it will be an exotic experience added to your inventory! Remember to follow the etiquette and rules of the event! You don’t need to be shy, greet other creators around you, as it is a culture for local creators to interact with neighboring circles and look out for each other.

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COMITIA

Artist alleys are the section within an anime convention where creators display their artworks through the forms of artbooks, posters, buttons, and many more types of merchandise created by the artist. Despite the diversity of offerings, it is often perceived as a “side-dish” compared to the “main-dish” of enterprise booths in bigger, neighboring halls. However, at Japanese conventions, the situation might be the exact opposite, and that is certainly the case for the event we’re introducing today: COMITIA.

Courtesy of COMITIA
Courtesy of COMITIA

COMITIA is an independent comic exhibition event (自主制作漫画誌展示即売会) in Japan that specifically celebrates original creations: unlike similar events that focus on fan works (creations based off of pre-existing series), COMITIA exclusively features each creators’ original creativity and content. The upcoming COMITIA (as of the time this article is written) will be COMITIA152, taking place on the 1st of June, at the convention venue of Tokyo Big Sight, East Hall 1, 2, 3 and 8. Here’s everything you need to know when participating in COMITIA!

For Creator Participants (サークル参加者向け)

Application Procedures

In order to participate as a creator, preregistration online is required. You would be asked for information such as the name of your circle, the genre of your works and a picture of your work that would be printed on the catalogue, also called a circle cut.

Here’s a list of the types of genre you can choose from when applying for the event:

  • Shōnen Manga
  • Shōjo Manga
  • Seinen Manga
  • Fantasy
  • Science Fiction
  • Boy’s Love
  • Girl’s Love
  • Comedy
  • Essay
  • Illustration (Fashionable)
  • Illustration (Female Characters)
  • Illustration (Male Characters)
  • Illustration (Hand-Drawn)
  • Illustration (Others)
  • Art, Design, Photography
  • Literature
  • Commentary, Information
  • Music, Videos, Games
  • Accessories, Miscellaneous
  • Adult (Male Oriented)
  • Adult (Female Oriented)
  • Adult (Others)
  • Animals
  • History
  • Traveling
  • Others

With a broad spectrum of works representing a vast amount of original ideas created by the large, diverse group of participating creators, your creative spark can find inspiration as well! Taking the “COMITIA Report Manga” by Hikari Vitamin (ヒカリビタミン) as an example, the book is about his/her experience in joining COMITIA, tagged along with a few tips and tricks for everything from preplanning to the on-day work of the event.

Courtesy of ヒカリビタミン
Courtesy of ヒカリビタミン

For exhibition space, participating creators would be sharing 1 table of the size of 180 x 45cm with another fellow creator. The price of each space, which includes half a table space plus one chair, would be 6,900 JPY of Entry fee plus 700 JPY of System fee. You could also add one chair to the space in case you are going with someone else, which would be 7,500 JPY plus 800 JPY instead. There are also rules regarding other miscellaneous matters, such as the size of the table accessories you bring can’t exceed a certain height or that posters should be only printed single-sided.

Discovering new opportunities

One of the highlights for creators on the day of the event, would definitely be the 出張編集部 section, also known as the pop-up editorial office. It is where publishing companies, big and small, have their own booths with editorial staff available for consultation. Creators will be required to fill in an entry sheet listing out their portfolio and past works for editors to take reference.

For the creators who are interested in publishing their works to a broader audience or to seek a chance of serialization on Japanese publications, this is the go-to place for you! If you are interested in bringing your original works to a global audience, be sure to also check us out at NIUHI!

Prohibition of AI Artworks

Please note that COMITIA strictly prohibits the sale or exhibition of AI-generated artworks. As the event celebrates human creativity and originality, all works must be created by the circle themselves without reliance on generative AI tools (e.g. for image generation or text generation).

Violating this rule may result in removal from the event or a ban from future participation.

Conclusion

For first-time participants as a creator at a Japanese convention, it will be an exotic experience added to your inventory! Remember to follow the etiquette and rules of the event! You don’t need to be shy, greet other creators around you, as it is a culture for local creators to interact with neighboring circles and look out for each other. We also have another guide targeted towards general attendees participating in the event, so be sure to check that out if you or your friends are planning to attend as a customer at the event!

Some of the amazing artists who publish their manga on NIUHI — like Umaika and Kyosuke Kuromaru — will also be exhibiting at Comitia! If you’re planning to attend, definitely check out their booths and say hello! We will see you at our NIUHI booth at COMITIA 152 on June 1st, 2025!