JOIN USBedecked in dramatic, arresting comic character costumes, the cosplay combatants beckoned the selfie-bugs. Posing for a thousand camera clicks, they donned masks that mimicked every expression.
The Bengaluru Comic Con had just returned to the city with a bigger bang, and the cosplay addicts knew how exactly to grab every eyeball!
Packed with super heroes of every hue, the massive 80,000 sqft venue had a whacky range of illustrators and merchandise peddlers, comic publishers and vintage designers. But what stood out beyond the cosplayers were the show-stoppers: Actors Daniel Portman of the “Game of Thrones” fame and Natalia Tena, best known for her Tonks’ avatar in the Harry Potter films.
Trending big time on Twitter, the Comic Con had both Portman and Natalia oblige both photograph and autograph hunters even if that cost the fans a bomb! The crowds knew her as Nymphador Tonks, a role that she perfected once she joined the Potter cast in 2007. Portman had also appeared in the 2010 supernatural thriller “Outcast.”
Japanese anime was the clear favourite among the cosplay (costume play) boys and girls. Sudiksha Kumar looked the part as she turned the Female Vegeta from the ‘Dragon Ball Z’ animated series for Comic Con. “When growing up, this was one pop character I was addicted to,” said she, as a dozen fans queued up to take selfies with her.
Donning Monet’s role from the Japanese Manga series “One Piece,” cosplay girl Preeti had perfected that art of getting the crowd hooked to her avatar. “When they come and take pictures with you, you make their day and you make yours,” she quipped. It was Preeti’s third cosplay attempt, an affair she had now learnt to love!
But for Niha Novacaine, cosplay was beyond a hobby. It was her job! For Comic Con, she had turned the Grand Archer Rena from the South Korean action gameplay series.
“I’ve been doing this for the last 10 years, but since 2013 it has become more than a hobby. I’ve been Spiderman’s Mary Jane, Lust from Full Metal Alchemist and much more,” she explained to Deccan Herald.
Back on the big stage, a crowd had collected for a skype chat with Mark Millar, the New York Times bestselling writer of Wanted, the Kick-Ass series, The Secret Service, and Jupiter’s Legacy. But that buzz couldn’t outdo the pace set by the youngsters who thronged the Game of Throne’s special photo-op booth.