It was touted to be the ‘best three days of the year’ for all the Comic Con fans of Hyderabad. As the three-day event came to a close this weekend, happy comic fans are already looking forward to next year’s edition. There was much hype and hoopla surrounding the event with its past year’s experience in Hyderabad and other cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. As usual Cosplay (costume play) dominated the proceedings and the crowd was so heavy that to a non-Comic Con fan, the venue would have appeared like a hub of bizarre young visitors. From sessions by international writers to exclusive book launches and gaming sessions for tech enthusiasts… a number of major events marked the convention.
Special launches The convention saw 100 participants who brought out local, national and international content. There were five launches — Garuda by Orange Radius, Item Dhamaka by Aayumi Productions, The Seven Beasts by Patridge Publications, Sarvasangraam and Dragon King by Raj Comics. It was the first anniversary for Raveesh of Orange Radius who was here for last year’s Hyderabad Comic Con as well. “It was pure mayhem in Bangalore Comic Con and the fun continues here,” said Raveesh with a laugh. The web comic Garuda focuses on the rise of a warrior. “We take a mythological story but we twist and turn it and churn it for the newage reader. There is no novelty in Ram and the grand tale is set in the alternate universe in the Bronze Age,” he stated.
The name ‘Item Dhamaka’ created quite a buzz at the convention and Pankaj Naik an illustrator-turned-artist loved every bit of the excitement. “It is the story of an apsara who gets banished from swarga and there is an asura who is her protector like a bodyguard,” explained Pankaj of the comic’s plot. Besides a special short comedy play, ‘SuperLosers - When superheroes go through mid-life crisis’ Raj Comics entered the scene with their Sarvasangram and Dragon King .
Sessions by international writers When writers of international fame interacted with young fans, they proved to be big draws at the convention. Sessions by comic book author and screenwriter Nathan Edmondson, author and producer of Broadway shows Vivek Tiwary and well known comic writer Ron Marz saw these writers sharing their experiences. “I make up stuff for a living and it is the best job in the world,” joked writer Ron. A former journalist-turned-writer, he shared how journalism helped him chart a new career in writing. “It is the best training ground for writers. It teaches you to adhere to deadline and create your own style,” he said. About creating characters which are etched permanently in a readers’ mind, he said, “You have a gem of an idea. Sometimes it could be a first scene or the last scene in the comic. You have a visual and the writer builds up from there,” he revealed.
Planning Cosplay On all the three days the convention turned out to be like a carnival, thanks to the Cosplay (costume play) held on all three days; the young crowd of boys and girls made the most of it. There were a sprinkling of characters walking around posing for photographs and selfies. Sai Vivek, a young doctor loved every bit of attention at the venue. He played his role of the clawed hero Wolverine well. “I have been growing a beard since a month,” he stated excitedly. There was this duo of scientist Arun Shankar and son Harsha who stepped out from their Star Wars territory.
Seeing through a comic panel The convention saw more than 100 volunteers from various city colleges. Unlike last year, the stalls selling merchandise were more in number and were seen doing brisk business too. The only sore point was the space, the hall was jam-packed and couldn’t accommodate the floating population. At one point, it became difficult to walk and one had to literally squeeze one’s way through the counters.
Manna for photo-enthusiasts The three-day event also proved a manna for photo-enthusiasts, who walked around with their cameras taking random pictures. “The way people dressed fascinate me and I love taking their pictures,” smiled Niralasa, an Eleventh grader. Engineering students Melvin Sam and his friends who made Happy Hyderabad video walked around shooting a video and talking to people. “We will be uploading the video in a couple of days where everyone shares their experiences,” he said. However, he pointed out more activities should have been planned at the convention. “In the US, if a sci-fi movie is releasing, the entire panel will be at Comic Con interacting with the crowd. We should have had such interactions too here at Hyderabad,” he added.
