Milan's WOW Spazio Fumetto museum risks closure due to pandemic costs

WOW Spazio Fumetto, Milan's major comic museum, risks closure after nine years of operation. Director Luigi F. Bona cited unsustainable costs including rent to the municipality, warehouse storage for archives, and fixed management expenses. The pandemic halted professional collaborations that sustained the museum's activities. Despite attracting over 80,000 visitors last year, hosting dozens of exhibitions and about sixty events annually, and enrolling 5,000 participants in workshops and courses, the financial burden has become critical. Bona noted that agreements with companies willing to support culture, as was common in Milan's past, remain pending due to the epidemic. He called for more attentive institutional support and welcomed small donations from friends of the museum. The museum's situation highlights broader fragilities in the Italian comic and publishing industry.