Comic Con, India, is right around the corner, and it’s the perfect time to head to Delhi or Mumbai. This year’s editions take pop culture celebration in the countryย to a whole new level, bringing some amazing guests to the Delhi and Mumbai Comic Cons on December 4-6 (Delhi) and December 19-20 (Mumbai) respectively. The tickets are also insanely cheap!
With some starryย personalities, brilliant graphic novels and comic books, and of course, a whole lot of cosplay, there’s no dearth of things to look forward to. Here are 10 things that we think you should be excited about.
1. Rob Denblyker, Artist and Author of Cyanide & Happiness
Cyanide & Happiness might just be one of the most popular web comics in existence. The strip is ripe with dark humour and sly dirty jokes, funny enough to make anyoneย laugh out loud. Aided by the stark, almost ridiculous nature of its stick figure drawings, C&H hit the perfect formula for laughter. At Both Delhi and Mumbai Comic Cons, one of the comic geniuses behind the strip is coming to answer all of your questions, and entertain the hell out of you.
(Images via: twitter.com & explosm.net)
2. Kristian Nairn, a.k.a Hodor
If you attend Comic Con Delhi, you will actually get to see and speak to the on-screen version of Hodor. Kristian Nairn, who plays the character of gentle giant in the immensely popular television series Game of Thrones is goingย to be around on all three days, with Q&A sessions, meet-and-greets, and just general Game of Thrones fun. You can talk to him about his experience filming, George R.R. Martin, and the plot of the series itself!
(Image via:ย history-behind-game-of-thrones.com)
3. Ty Templeton, Artist of Batman, Spiderman etc. Comics
If comics are your life, this guy should definitely be one of your heroes. After first gaining attention for Stig’s Inferno (now a cult favourite), a comic parody of Dante’s Divine Comedy, Ty Templeton shot to fame in the world of comic books and graphic novels for his artwork. Going on to do titles forย Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Bongo Comics, and Moonstone Books, including Batman Adventures, The Simpsons and many others, Templeton is definitely one to meet at Delhiย Comic Con. Maybe he’ll even draw you something!
(Image via: nofilmschool.com)
4. Sylvester McCoy, Seventh Doctor Who
Sylvester McCoy was the seventh protagonist of Doctor Who, the sci-fi series that has quite a cult following. Appearing for the first time in 1987, the seventh Doctor was incredibly popular. With every new reincarnation, his appearance and personality changes, and McCoy played a character who wasย a whimsical and thoughtful but eventually becameย more layered, secretive, and manipulative. You can see him at Mumbai Comic Con, where he’s going to answer all your questions in an in-depth discussion of the series.
(Image via: www.youtube.com)
5. Gavin John Aung Than, Author of Zen Pencils
Mumbai has yet another brilliant comic artist lined up for this year. Zen pencils is a web comic that takes inspirational quotes from a number of people, and translates them into comic form. It’s more than just a visual representation, though. Gavin John Aung Than interprets each quote in a unique manner, and the strip has received accolades from people all over the world.
(Image via: zenpencils.com)
6. Joe Harris, Author of The X Files
American comic book author and screenwriter Joe Harris is also going to be at Mumbai Comic Con.ย He made his big screen debut in 2003 with his screenplay for the Sony Pictures release Darkness Falls. He is currently the writer of the ongoing monthly comic book series Great Pacific from Image Comics and The X-Files: Season 10,ย which have become very popular. The latter is also a hit television series! You can meet and talk to him in Mumbai!
7. Biggest Cosplay Competitions
This year’s Comic Con will feature the largest cosplay contests either city has ever seen. This is the year to let your individuality shine, and let that freak flag fly! Pick a character that you love, rent a costume, or even create it! The most instricate, creative and amazing costumes win prizes, along with the chance to attend Comic Con in Beijing.
(Image via: sumariam.com)
8. An Amar Chitra Katha Quiz
If you’re talking about comics in India, the discussion is incomplete without the mention of the legendary Amar Chitra Katha. Comic Con, India plans to test how much you loved this series of cartoon interpretations of mythological stories. And let’s face it, a lot of what we know about Indian mythology did in fact come from Amar Chitra Katha’s pictorial genius. If you think you’re the ultimate expert, you should probablyย enter the quiz to see how you fare.
(Images via: searchingforlaugh.blogspot.com & vintagesareeblouse.com)
9. Can comic books fight gender violence?
In a release of the follow up to the wildly popular, brilliantly drawn feminist comic book Priya’s Shakti,ย there will be a discussion on whether comic books and graphic novels can actual become tools for social change. The popularity of this theme does point in the right direction, especially since it features India’s first super hero who’s a surviving rape victim. The second book is also backedย by the the World Bank, the first graphic novel project to be funded by them.
(Image via:ย english.alarabiya.net)
10. Exclusive releases of some brilliant graphic novels
Some amazing new titles will be released at Comic Con, India this year. These include Kalam: A Graphic Biography, The Vanished Path, Holy Hell Vol.2, the World War II box set, Munnu – A Boy From Kashmir, possibly one of the most awaited – Amar Bari, Tomar Bari, Naxalbari, a graphic novel that delves deep into the dark history of two facets of the communist movement in the country- the Naxalbari uprising and the current Maoist conflict in Central India.
For more info, go HERE.