CHENNAI : Cosplayers roamed around the halls, their costumes ranging from elaborate anime characters to iconic superheroes like Spiderman, Loki, and so on. Booths were adorned with neatly arranged stacks of rare comic books, merchandise to collectible figurines, drawing in crowds of eager fans. Panel discussions and workshops buzzed with eager listeners as professionals shared insights and the latest developments in the world of comics and pop culture.
The first ever Chennai Comic Con 2024, at Chennai Trade Centre, which welcomed artistes like Dan Parent and Rob, was thus an unforgettable celebration of fandom.
YouTuber Vijay who runs Otaku Monkeys shared, “ Every major comic-con usually happens in Mumbai or Bengaluru and this is the first time it is happening in Chennai. It is a great experience for anime and comic fans. This is also a place to meet like-minded people. It is definitely a great start.”
Stalls of superfandom
With around 56 zones, the enthusiasts were greeted to a world of camaraderie and fandom. Despite four entrance doors, out of which two doors marked fangirls and fanboys, there was no gender-neutral entrance. Bobbleheads of characters like Laxmi, Krishna, Rama, Ganesha, Hanuman, and Mahadeva welcomed the audience to the Tinkle and Amar Chitra Katha stalls. Deepesh, vice president at Amar Chitra Katha said, “The experience in Chennai has been an unexpected one. Children and adults are equally excited to be here. The elder generation is introducing what they have read growing up and seen throughout the years to the kids. As the oldest comic publishers that present creations like Tinkle, we are happy to be a part of the Comic Con.”
While Tinkle served as a nostalgia corner with their character collections and limited edition full volumes, Penguin Books offered a wide range of graphic novels and comics like Manga, DC, Marvel, and books by Guy Delisle and Art Spiegelman. To send the message of Sufism to more people, Bengaluru-based Sufi Comics shared their collections.
Mohammad Arif Vakil, the owner, said, “My brother Mohammad Ali Vakil and I heard a lot of stories from Islamic history while growing up. Being deeply inspired by Tinkle and other regional comics, Ali learnt to draw and we started Sufi Comics. The stories and verses of the Quran are incorporated into the book. First, it came out in black and white. We worked with Rahil Mohsin and since then the art style has evolved.” Reflecting on Sufism, Arif said, “The message of Sufism is very important to today’s India. We have to learn the message of love, harmony, respect, and courtesy.”
The Comic Con was not just a space for displaying love for a character. Pioneering an exclusive opportunity for young talent, RR Donnelley, a creative studio and digital powerhouse, emerged as an inventive haven for visionary minds to spotlight their design prowess. “For Comic Con Chennai 2024, we created an interactive, steampunk/tron-themed booth with an original game called Voxbot, specifically to engage attendees. The booth intends to interact with potential talent and recruit creative people like designers, developers, etc and Comic Con attracts that kind of creative people,” said Amardeep Devadason, chief marketing officer, RR Donnelley.
For the gamers, there was a gaming arena that buzzed with fans immersed in diverse games such as dance simulators, PC gaming, VR, and more. Capturing the allure through synchronised moves on the screen, Muteshri and Shriniti engaged in the dance stimulator, said, “We never expected the expo to be this immense. It’s an excellent place to chill with friends and unleash your fun side, as there’s no judgement here.”
The two-day extravaganza also featured captivating performances by renowned crews like Kvarakuta and Paal Dabba. Engaging quizzes, enticing giveaways, and a discussion with the Tamil dubbing artistes, unravelling the art of dubbing and reciting iconic dialogues, added to the vibrant atmosphere. Seizing the spotlight in their comic-inspired attire and choreography, Kvarakuta, a dynamic cosplaying and dance group from Bengaluru, reflected, “Immersed in cosplay since 2017, we decided to bring characters from the game League of Legends to the Indian cosplay scene, aiming to inject fresh energy. Despite uncertainties about the crowd’s response, we were determined to deliver a stellar performance.”
Crowd to the cosplay
Goku, the indomitable Saiyan warrior from Dragon Ball Z, had fans gathered around to click pictures. Having cosplayed the same character in more than 20 countries and comic-cons, Ashwini said, “As a 90s kid, I grew up watching Goku and had always wanted to cosplay this character someday. Crafting the costume took me around 20 days, meticulously combining 16 wicks to replicate Goku’s iconic hairstyle.” Characters from the ninja-filled world of Naruto and the high seas adventure of One Piece, too, joined the fray, each bringing their own charm and charisma to the stage. With boundless energy and enthusiasm, Goku exchanged nods of recognition with Naruto, the spirited shinobi donning his trademark orange jumpsuit, and Luffy, the rubber-bodied captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, his straw hat perched jauntily atop his head. Amid the inspired characters, Praveen stole the show with his Shakthimaan costume. He said, “When I came for the first day, I didn’t think of dressing up, but the fact that nobody dressed up as a local superhero made me do it. People are excited to see me, especially 90s kids.”
Raghul, a cosplayer, had to drop his own costume to help his team. He said, “I have gone to six comic-cons and this one is personal for me. Here, we get a lot of kids and a mature audience which doesn’t usually happen. Yesterday (on day 1), I got a request from a parent asking me to teach kids to cosplay.” Affirming that the Comic Con was a success, Madhan, a business development executive, attending Comic Con for the first time said, “I didn’t expect a lot of crowd here, especially on the first day. I thought it would be a bit cringy, but it is cringy in the best way.” Rian Nath, a class 6 student, shared his enthusiasm while visiting the event with his family. “I met Luffy, Batman, Spiderman, Ironman, and Thor. I watch a lot of anime and my friends, family and I are extremely happy to be here.”
Amid cheers and applause, the comic lovers found themselves sharing their nostalgia for reading comics. Arunkumar Sekhar, a freelance writer said, “I started reading comics from Murugan
Lending Library, Ashok Nagar, where there would be random collections. Then the Internet was a great boom. With piracy, you get all comics. The love for comics flourished and when you become an adult the first thing to buy is your childhood. Comic books are like gateways to childhood.” Dhiraj who runs Nerd Arena selling comic merchandise expressed the same sentiment and added, “In India, fans find it tough to get the merchandise. Stalls like us aim to bring everything to the audience. When artistes like Ram V are now writing for DC Comics, it is such a great time to be a comic fan.”