HYDERABAD: The phenomenal success of the Avenger series movies in India has shown the massive appeal of the characters among the young, urban population. With the movies, there has been an increase in people’s interest about the comic books too. On a whole, this is the time when comic book characters have become an integral part of pop culture, and events associated with them have a large fan following. On that note, we talk to Jatin Varma, founder of Comic Con India, who continues to bring comic book characters closer to the masses. Excerpts:
How did you come to start Comic Con?
I was running a TV production company and publishing comics before I got into Comic Con. Because of my work, I used to meet a lot of people in the industry who used to complain about how there was no platform to discuss comics. That is why, I decided to bring Comic Con to India. The first chapter was held in Delhi in 2011, and there was no looking back from there.
What were the struggles you faced?
Yes, there were a few struggles. In India, people have the general perception that comic books are for children, when in fact, adults enjoy them too. So I had to work towards crossing that barrier and give legitimacy to the event, so that I could woo the sponsors.
How difficult was it to attract crowds?
Luckily, people were curious about the concept, even though they might not understand it completely. It was also the time around which movies and TV shows with popular comic characters were becoming a rage. So we started it at the right time. Initially, the entry to the events was free, but after sometime, they became ticketed events. Even then, the number of participants grew. So from that perspective, attracting crowds has never been very difficult. In India, there is a dearth of interesting events. That is why, people found the Comic Con experience unique.
How much space do you give to Indian artistes?
People in India do not read much, and the number of people reading comics is quite small. However, Indians have now moved beyond Amar Chitra Katha and Diamond comics. There is a large number of new Indie comic artistes who publish independently or online. When you consider comic book characters like Spiderman, they enjoy huge popularity because of the movies. It is difficult to compete with them. So a lot of publishers are trying to create a unique identity for their characters as you cannot compete with the foreign ones. You cannot create a Spiderman overnight. That takes decades and billions of dollars. The industry is trying to keep it small and sustainable through online outlets. Comic Con is also playing a part in it as we feature many Indian artistes.
How was the response in Hyderabad?
It has been great. People there loved the show and it is going to be our 6th show there this year.
What is the main expectation of people who come to Comic Con?
We are an exhibition at the end of the day and people come to Comic Con to buy comics and merchandise. The median age of the visitors is 21 years. The target audience is young adults and older. Our aim is to attract even those people who are not into comics. They might have come across the characters in the movies. We want them to come to the event and have fun.
Do digital comics find space here?
Yes, a lot of people are doing digital comics nowadays either through their websites or social media. We do get a lot of them at our shows and they have a large fan following. Visitors even buy merchandise of these comic strips. These strips are like the abridged version of a comic book. We read these panels every day, we chuckle at it. Strips like Garbage Bin and Brown Paperbag are very popular.
Do graphic novels and comics belong to the same genre?
They are pretty much the same. However, a graphic novel is just one book. It’s not a series like comic books. It is also used to define a more serious or heavy title than comics.
How is India taking to cosplay?
Cosplaying is definitely seeing an upward swing. There are a lot of people who have day jobs, but moonlight as cosplayers to earn some extra money. The idea of dressing up as your favourite comic character is finding many takers. In Comic Con, there is a section where you can cosplay and are treated like celebrities as many want to take pictures with you. While there are professional cosplayers, we also encourage people to do it for fun. It’s a really creative process and has grown by leaps and bounds in India in the last decade.
Do you think physical comic books will become obsolete soon?
In India, we hardly have any bookstores left. People now order books online. When you shop online, you buy only those books that you know of. You cannot really hunt around new titles and authors like you can in a physical bookstore. However, physical copies are always going to be there as there is a unique charm attached to holding and reading a book in your hand. In case of comics and graphic novels where the content is visually strong, you want to have a physical copy. I think the print versions are always going to be there despite the shrinking numbers.
Who is your favourite character?
Superman is my favourite comic book character because of my childhood memories associated with it, but as a whole, I am not much into superhero comics. Books like American Splendour appeal more to me.
— Kakoli Mukherjee
kakoli_mukherjee@newindianexpress.com @KakoliMukherje2