Comic Con is a yearly convention that brings comic fans together. Though the convention has not found its way to Chennai, many fans travel to other cities to show their support to the comic scene in India. It gives them an opportunity to cosplay (dress up as their favourite characters), meet fellow fans and fraternise with comic artists.
Here, some city-based comic enthusiasts, who are currently at the Bangalore Comic Con, tell Raveena Joseph what defines the event for them.
Jeevan V. Jawaher is going to the Bangalore Comic Con for the third consecutive year this time, with his friends from the Bangalore Anime Club. He’s a sales executive who has taken two days off just to attend the event.
What are the most interesting things you've sighted at Comic Con in the past?
My favourite part about the Con is meeting so many like-minded individuals under one roof. I also love seeing someone cosplaying my favourite characters and having a fan of the character I’m cosplaying come up and ask for pictures.
What are you most looking forward to in this year's Convention?
Apart from the cosplay contest, I’m really looking forward to the sessions with renowned artists such as David Lloyd (illustrator for V for Vendetta ) and Rob Denbleyker (co-creator of my favourite web comic strip series, Cyanide and Happiness ).
Ashwin Shakthi is a freelance digital graphic artist, who is a seasoned attendee of the convention.
What are the highlights of comic con for you?
I like being able to interact with fellow geeks and hunt for potential converts to my fandoms. It’s just really nice to be able to keep up with the scene, as I have a comic in the works myself.
What are you most looking forward to in this year's Comic Con?
I’m exhibiting a stall! I’ll be selling fandom buttons and art prints. I’m also really excited about my cosplay; I’m going as Carlos from Welcome to Night Vale and my friends and I are building a Glow Cloud.
How did you put together your costume?
I rigged up a lot of wires, ran around shady streets looking for umbrellas and brushed my teeth extra vigorously. It also helps that I have naturally perfect hair (as Carlos’ is described).
Vaishnavi Prasad has been fascinated by Comic Con for years and is finally going to her first ever Convention. She is excited about taking pictures of cosplayers, buying merchandise and showing her support to the comic scene.
What are the highlights of Comic Con for you?
Meeting like minded people, seeing how the cosplay scene in India is developing and learning about independent artists and cartoonists who are rising to fame in the arena.
What's your cosplay? How did you put your costume together?
Cosplay isn't really huge in India and investing in it is rather expensive, especially if you want your costume to be authentic!
I am going as Madame Hydra/Viper, whose costume was very difficult to do. I did a lot of research for this one and pulled out images from the comic. I hunted for a comic tailor in Chennai, to whom I had to explain what I wanted, and give him a sketch.
Shalini Selvarajan is a periodontist and senior lecturer at Meenakshi Ammal Dental College. She was at the inception event of Comic Con in India and says the convention is getting bigger and better each year.
What are the highlights of Comic Con for you?
Everything from the joy of meeting someone with the same interests as you to forgetting the humdrum of day-to-day life and work. It’s great to escape to a seemingly alternate reality where your favourite characters are walking around, albeit, in cosplay.
Who are you going with?
It only seems fitting that I go to Comic Con with the friends I made at the Convention over the past two years. Although we're all from different cities, we've become really close and I’m looking forward to seeing them again and doing the group cosplays we have planned.
Chandrasekar Venkataramanan is a Karateka at Arakawa Stanly Wado Kai and is very excited to attend his first Comic Con.
What's your cosplay? Why choose this character?
I'm going as “Mutou Ryuuji” from the manga Karate Shoukoushi Kohinata Minoru because he is a brilliant Karateka. This manga, among others, has inspired me to push myself and work hard and I'm currently a Tamil Nadu State Karate Champion.
How did you put together your costume?
Well, I just borrowed my own uniform and a black belt. Nothing like living your dream, after all!
Sadhana Kalyanaraman is a software professional who is attending her second Comic Con. For her, it’s a chance to socialise with other fans, meet new comic-book writers and cosplayers
What are the most interesting things you've sighted at past Comic Cons ?
The cosplay events are always intriguing, fun to watch and participate in, as are the comic-book launches. In last year’s Con, I got to meet some aspiring comic writers who had just launched their first comics. There was also a lecture conducted for fans to learn about various aspects of comic making, like penciling, inking and lettering.
What are you most looking forward to in this year's Comic Con?
I'm looking forward to the debut of Dark Horse comics in India and the video address by author Neil Gaiman. I’m also keen to meet two guest Cosplayers from Japan, Miya and Akira.
