This is that time of the year when comic and pop culture enthusiasts from all over the country flock together in of Bangalore to celebrate their collective interests and spend three days immersed in them. Bangalore ComicCon 2014 is a hub of fandom culture in India and every year it’s braced with more energy and adoration than the last.
From the launch of comics with religious themes to conversations with video game creators from the entire globe, ComicCon offers a plethora of activities for the con goers to engage in while they’re there.
Here’s a list of 5 things we think you can’t afford to miss this year:
Day 1:
A Conversation with Neil Gaiman
This is perhaps one of the biggest attractions at ComicCon Bangalore this year: a one hour long Skype video conference with the prolific English author Neil Gaiman. Known for some of the best horror and fiction work of this century, which include The Sandman graphic novels, American Gods, Coraline and many other novels, anthologies etc. Neil Gaiman is one of the most popular creators of his generation. Moderated by Samhita Arni, this hour long conversation and Q & A session will be a real treat for lovers of literary fictions.
Cosplay
Every year ComicCon has a costume contest where you can dress up as any of your favorite fictional characters, be it from TV, movies, comics or cartoons. Things have been made more interesting this year with Cosplayers from Japan visiting the scene. If you win the contest you might win an all-expense paid trip to Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo 2014. What better way is there to get in the mood for celebrating all things fiction?
Day 2:
A Conversation with Sana Amant, Editor at Marvel Comics
If you’re an avid Marvel Comics fan you probably know all about Kamala Khan a.k.a. the new Ms. Marvel who is brown and Muslim and whose introduction into the Marvel superhero range changed the face of representation of women of color in the entire comic verse? Or how about Miles Morales, the new African-American and Latino Spiderman? Here’s your chance to speak to the person who made this all happen. Sana Amanat, an Editor at Marvel Entertainment helped create and publish all these revolutionary new superheroes to portray the struggles of various kinds of people in the 21st century world and she’s coming to ComicCon to talk about all this and more with all of us.
Writer and Artist of Archie Comics (in session with Abhijeet Kini)
If you’re a fan of the Archie comics you probably already know who this man is and what he did for the series. Here’s a hint: he introduced Kevin Keller, the first openly gay character in the Comics. You can get a chance to see him talk about his experiences as one of the creators of this beloved series.
Day 3:
Cyanide & Happiness
The awesome web comics Cyanide & Happiness will be at Comic Con this year with exclusive shorts and never before seen behind-the-scenes hilarity. Rob DenBleyker, the writer and illustrator of C & H will be there to regal you with stories from the headquarters and to talk about what all they are holding in store for us this year.
That’s not all, folks! There’s a lot more fun to be found at ComicCon 2014. There’s something for everyone. Fans of Star Wars, Xbox, Amar Chitra Katha and others will be overjoyed with what you’ll find there.
Happy ComicCon Weekend!