Inner heroes

As gloomy skies and cold winds sent many  Bengalureans scurrying to the safety and warmth of their homes during the weekend, hordes of  ardent comic lovers rushed in a different direction - towards the Bengaluru Comic Con! The sixth edition of the event, held at KTPO, saw a galaxy of superheroes descend on the city and hobnob with their fans. From Batman and Superman to manga characters and our very own 'Baahubali',  people showcased their creative best when it came to cosplaying characters. The best-dressed ones won attractive prizes on both days.

International personalities like Gavin Aung Thang, cartoonist  and creator of the popular cartoon blog 'Zen Pencils'; John Layman, comic book writer, known for writing the comic book series 'Chew'; Scott Hampton, illustrator of iconic properties as Batman, Sandman, Black Widow, Hellraiser and Star Trek and Tabitha Lyons, international pro-cosplayer, attended the event and took special sessions.   The show also featured creators from all over India, such as Abhijeet Kini, Aniruddho Chakraborty, Sailesh Gopalan, Saumin Patel, Vivek Goel, Rajeev Tamhankar, Sumit Kumar and more.

Says Vivek Goel, "I  feel this is probably the biggest pop culture event happening in India which is something of an eye-opener for the general  public regarding the awesomeness of comic books and related stuff. It has created a good market for people like us, whose job is to make comics, comics and more comics."

"Comic Con has been a wonderful platform that enabled me to interact with the people who read and enjoy my comics. It was a truly enriching experience in terms of motivating myself to keep creating," says Sailesh  Gopalan.  

 Apart from exclusive experiential and gaming zones, the event also saw live performances by standup comedians and web stars, Sahil Shah from 'East India Comedy'  and Naveen Richards from 'Them Boxer Shorts'.  

The experiential zones include a  first-of-its-kind 'Star Wars Fan Experience', 'Amazon Prime Video Zone'  and the 'Graphic India Zone'. At the 'AXN Experience Zone', fans are indulging in engaging and exciting activities for its iconic shows like 'The Voice', 'Sherlock', 'Vikings', 'Ray Donovan' and 'Breaking Bad' while at  the 'WWE Special Fan Experience', enthusiasts can become a WWE Star with the official championship belt! The stores selling merchandise were also a huge draw.  

Asked about his thoughts on the show as well as the city,  Scott Hampton says," Jennifer and I love love love this show! The city is so vibrant and the crew of 'Bangalore Comic Con' are the best I've ever encountered. Also the fans are incredible."