The Bangalore Comic Con: When being ‘regular’ is passé

Whenever the Comic Con comes to town, comic lovers, movies buffs, and gaming fans are infused with unbelievable levels of enthusiasm. A look at what was truly the best weekend of the year for those who like their pop-culture uninhibited.

It’s that one weekend of the year when dressing ‘regularly’ is boring. It’s that time when outlandish costumes, unruly hairpieces, and unbridled creativity all come together. It’s the Comic Con. Held at the White Orchid Convention Centre in Bangalore, this year, Comic Con doubled the area used (80,000 square feet, compared to 40,000 square feet last year).

Now, occurring much sooner than before (the 2014 edition was as recent as September 2014), the Comic Con has surged ahead in terms of popularity, attendance, exhibitors, and of course revenue. With bigger guests and special attendees enhancing each edition, it is widely regarded as being just as good as any internationally organised comics convention.

Hard core comic fans lived it when Mark Millar – the writer of the Kick-Ass, Jupiter’s Legacy and many other fantastic series’ – chatted live via Skype, with event host Ford Seeuws (Actor, Director, Adventurer).

Later, Ron Marz – known for his exceptional work on Silver Surfer, Green Lantern, Batman/Aliens, Marvel VS DC and much more – spoke to artist Abhishek Malsuni via Skype.

Greg Capullo, the acclaimed illustrator and writer of the current Batman series too logged in via Skype and shed light on what it takes to become a reputable self-taught artist.

Fans of Sci-fi were in for a great session via Skype again, with Vandana Verma who logged in from NASA and spoke about space exploration and the Curiosity Rover.

The biggest draws of course, were Natalia Tena and Daniel Portman from the famous American TV series – Game of Thrones. They signed autographs, and clicked pictures. Portman also went on stage to take questions from the audience.

While international characters were well represented, their Indian counterparts weren’t too far behind either. Telugu director SS Rajamouli’s magnum opus Baahubali was showcased, with two of the film’s stars Rana Daggupati and Tamannah Bhatia taking the stage, and then clicking pictures with fans.

Comic Con flagged off the first ever CCI Awards which feted the best in the business of the Indian comic industry. It was an emotional moment when legendary Indian artist Abid Surti was given the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the industry. Surti is best known for his popular character Bahadur.

Comics, gaming zones, merchandisers and food stalls had their task cut out – catering to thousands of people – clamouring and animated – all in good spirit though. Stalls comprising books from well-known publishing houses, to T-shirts, bags and phone accessories, and from toys and models to pen-drives and other accessories made the bulk of the exhibitors. Over 11 new books were showcased and launched, and generated a lot of interest and curiosity.

There were a completely different set of comics on stage as well. The Viral Fever’s Live Out Loud put up a brilliant stand-up set and kept the audiences entertained.

And finally, the best bit – Cosplay. It’s an amazing experience to see so many people dressed up in costumes ranging from the weird to the unknown, from the popular, to the common. There were Superheroes galore, with Batman, Superman and Wolverine being the most popular choices for Cosplay. Supervillains were popular choices too. Joker, Two Face, Harley Quinn, Catwoman and Poison Ivy were seen plotting the downfall of their arch nemesis. With large audiences, come larger problems such as rising levels of heat. Of course, the big prize – a golden ticket to Thailand – was enough incentive for the Cosplayers to brave the mercury and sweat it out!

By the way, if you were at the Comic Con on day 2 (April 4), there was one Cosplayer who didn’t win any prizes, but was quite loved by the crowds. The character chosen was Obelix, and yours truly spent about a week getting that costume ready.