Chennai| Comic Con is back in the city with creators, cosplay, comedy and more

In its second edition in the city, Comic Con Chennai has something for all comic book aficionados — artist meet ups, panel discussions, stand up comedy coupled with art, and a cosplay contest

What brings Vecna from Stranger Things, Batman, Goku from Dragonball Z, No-Face from Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away and several katana or sword-wielding Japanese warriors all under the same roof, in Chennai? 

In its first edition in Chennai last year, Comic Con had plenty of this, for superhero, manga, anime and art lovers across ages. Children, teens, and adults all decked up in their cosplay finest, came together to explore merchandise stalls, meet creators from India and abroad, and queue up to meet artists who had worked on their favourite characters and books over the years. “Despite it being the first edition, we were overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the community here experiencing this for the first time. It made me wonder why I took so long to bring Comic Con to Chennai,” says Jatin Varma, founder. 

In its second edition all set to take place on February 8 and 9 at the Chennai Trade Centre in Nandambakkam, there are several things specially planned for the city. For one, every visitor who walks in will get a special number 1 issue of Radiant Black, Image Comics’ superhero comic book series. “As a part of the international artists and creators coming specially to Chennai, fans can meet Kyle Higgins, artists Marcelo Costa and Eduardo Ferigato, all of whom have worked on the Radiant Black series as well as illustrator and graphic designer Kelly McMahon,” Jatin says. 

The slew of experiences over the weekend include gaming, a cosplay competition, panel discussions, artist signings, and stand up comedy. Bringing together art and laughs, comedians Rohan Joshi and Sahil Shah will pack humour and art into a ‘Doodle Duel’ session on stage, and the Hysterical Comedy Collaborative will partner with caricaturist Kannan , as they describe people from the crowd and get Kannan to draw them without seeing them. 

During the initial editions, Comic Con India enjoyed the support of homegrown artists, creators and publishers who came forward to buy booths and participate. “We cannot have a convention without them and now, we have a dedicated creator space. Many of these artists travel with us from city to city, and we have new additions every year as well,” Jatin says. Akshara Ashok, Rajesh Nagulakonda, Savio Mascarenhas, Prasad Bhat, Shubam Khurana and Saumin Patel are among the 18-artists lineup from India, who will be present at the two-day event in Chennai. 

With the city’s cosplayer community read to put their best foot forward, the Chennai Comic Con Cosplay Contest will take place on both Saturday and Sunday. Jatin says, “Among the 35,000-odd people who turned up for the previous edition, anywhere between 3,000 to 5,000 people were in cosplay on each day. We are looking forward to seeing some amazing costumes, and encouraging cosplaying in groups as well — like the Incredibles.” 

On February 8 and 9 at Chennai Trade Centre, Nandambakkam from 11 am, to 7 pm. For tickets, visit insider.in