ver the past three days if you encountered someone dressed straight out of a comic book on the Metro, or pull up in a car next to you, they were probably heading to the Delhi Comic Con that was organised by Comic Con India.
The event saw comic enthusiasts dress up as their favourite character and visit the NSIC Grounds, Okhla, that was transformed into a world that would seen strange to someone not familiar with popular culture.
In its fifth edition, the Comic Con hosted a range of events that, including a guest appearances by actor Kristian Nairn, who played the role of Hodor in the HBO fantasy drama series ‘Game of Thrones’, Rob Denbleyker, author of ‘Cyanide and Happiness’; Ty Templeton, who was nominated for the Eisner Award; comic book artist and writer and Dinesh Shamdasani, CEO, Valiant Entertainment. Visitors could browse stores selling comic books, visit experiential and gaming zones, interact with artists at an Artist Alley, meet fellow enthusiasts, take part in Cosplay competitions, attend book launches and meet people for whom the fantasy world extends into their life.
Suvir Singh, who attended the event with his young son said: “The event has something to offer my son who loves the Marvel and DC super heroes, as well as for a Manga enthusiast like me. It was a perfect day out. It is interesting to see how the culture has caught on in India. My son wants to shake hands with all the people dressed up. He actually thinks he has met Spiderman.”
The various categories for the cosplayers to sign up for were comic book/graphic novel, animated series/movie, Manga/Anime, sci-fi/fantasy and gaming. The event saw some serious competitions as winners were given a ticket to attend the Beijing Comic Con.
The artist alley and “Indian Comics Village” saw participants from across India interacting with artists, illustrators, and designers working for comics and related fields and even buy exclusive merchandise that you do not find at stores in India.
Some visitors were, however, disappointed that the culture was alive in the city only because of movies and not comic books.
They said the emphasis was on gaming zones and other technology driven experiences. Sneha Gupta, an aspiring writer, commented: “There are not many stalls selling paper versions of comics, which reflects how people are not reading comics. It is a niche genre. Perhaps a great way to popularise them would be to have a new take on our Indian comic characters and re-imagine them while keeping the basic character alive.”
