After New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru, Chennai has finally got its own Comic Con — the event all geeks, gamers, and graphic novel lovers across the world wait for each year in their own cities. From a collector’s edition comic book that’ll cost you a cool Rs 8.5 lakh to cosplayers effortlessly mouthing off dialogues in Japanese, Chennai’s first ever Comic Con had it all. The event is taking place at the Chennai Trade Centre in Nandambakam on February 17 and 18.
The cosplay segment brought out 150 contestants on Day 1. Some were donning costumes for the first time, excited to be at a Comic Con. Others were veterans on the cosplay circuit. One cosplayer, Keeko, came all the way from Kanagawa prefecture in Japan to play Makima from Chainsaw Man. With so many manga and anime characters at the event, Japanese dialogues and punch lines mixed easily with Tamil, English, and smatterings of Hindi among the Indian cosplayers.
Wednesday Adams, Harley Quinn, Princess Mononoke, Spider-Man, Batman, Joker, Darth Vader, Din Djarin, multiple Tanjiros from Demon Slayer, Miguel and his entire family from Coco, various protagonists from One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan, Naruto, Spy X Family, at least one Daemon Targaryen, and many, many other beloved characters were also spotted.
These cosplayers are not here only for the fame. The best costume Grand Prize winners also get to take home an award of Rs 35,000. And there’s a bigger prize money of Rs 75,000 for anyone who clears the Chennai qualifiers to the Indian Championship of Cosplay (ICC). For both, winners are first picked from each category such as Comic Books and Graphic Novels, Manga and Anime, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Gaming, Needlework, Armour, and more. Then, the Grand Prize and the ICC qualifier awards go to overall winners. Though the youngest cosplay contestant, an 8-month-old child dressed as Po (Kung Fu Panda), was outshone by the sheer efforts on display, he certainly beat everyone on the cuteness factor.
But for many, it’s not just about the prize money and the atmosphere of a Comic Con. It’s also about how the characters they’re cosplaying have touched their own lives. Sangi, an architecture student from Mizoram, has come all the way to Chennai just so she can dress up as Malenia from the Role-Playing Game (RPG) Elden Ring. Sangi, who won in the Needlework category for ICC, told TNM, “Elden Ring’s developers come up with really good character designs, but not many people in India cosplay as any of them. I wanted to introduce these characters to cosplayers. This is my first cosplay out of the state. I chose Malenia because she’s a very tough boss-fight in the game and people keep losing to her.” In gaming, a boss-fight is with a character who is significantly more powerful. Such characters are considered a test of a player’s mettle and dedication among gamers. “Malenia is a badass. You don’t get many female boss fights. Cosplaying as her feels empowering,” Sangi added.
Sid Rasvi, who cosplayed as Daemon Targaryen from the Game of Thrones (GoT) spinoff series House of the Dragon, took away the Rs 35,000 Grand Prize and all the glory a true Targaryen would seek. “This replica I’m wearing of Daemon’s armour took me 25 days to make. It’s all handmade,” Sid said, laughing as he recalled how when GoT first released he was legally too young to watch the show, but became a huge fan nonetheless. “I’m surprised that I won,” he added. “This is my first time winning any prize money at a Comic Con. It feels great.”
Serena Varshini is an animator with a love for VFX makeup. Cosplaying for the first time, she came as Vecna from Stranger Things in an outfit and makeup that took several hours to put together. “The first thought I had when I saw the character on screen was, ‘Is it really just makeup?’ After I watched the behind-the-scenes footage of how the look was pulled off, I decided to come as Vecna,” she told TNM. Serena won in the Special Effects category for the ICC for her stunning recreation of the terrifying being that haunts the characters of Stranger Things.
Winners or not, there were several cosplayers who went all out for their characters. Shardul, who has participated in several Comic Cons across the country, has come to the Chennai edition from Bengaluru. His One-Punch Man, the Japanese superhero who knocks out antagonists with a single punch, was a perfect recreation.
Praveen, who came as Spider-Man, has a touching reason for his costume choice. “In the movie, Spider-Man talks about how no matter what happens he always gets back up. No matter how many times he’s knocked down, he always gets back on his feet. That resonated with me deeply in my life,” Praveen said.
Kat, who was dressed as demon-human Raven, one of the core heroes of DC Comic’ Teen Titans, told TNM what ideas about power such a character can give a child. “I watched the show growing up. Raven has many abilities. She’s an empath, she can do magic, telekinesis, and many other things. Her personality and her aesthetics mirrored a lot in my life. I loved the idea of being young and so powerful. She makes me feel powerful.”
Ashwin, who came as Loid Forger from the hit manga and anime series Spy X Family, talked about how the slow opening up of the character’s vulnerability appealed to him. Loid, as Ashwin pointed out, is a spy in a marriage of convenience with another spy. They even adopt a child for appearances, not knowing she’s telepathic. The arc of how Loid grows to genuinely care for his ‘fake’ family felt relatable, Ashwin said.
Is it even a Comic Con if things don’t get just a little bit ‘meta’, to pull an internet slang? The awards ceremony turned hilarious when the bemused presenter had to demand repeatedly into the mic: “WHERE is Batman?” because the cosplayer, who had just won in the Comic Books category of the Grand Prize, was nowhere to be found. When Lokesh finally came to the stage, it was amid many wisecracks about Batman’s exasperating habit of disappearing into the night precisely when people are still speaking to him.
Apart from the cosplay, Comic Con has on offer comic books, graphic novels, merchandise for fans, writers and graphic novelists to meet, and special events. Dropping in to launch the Tamil translation of the dystopian Sci-Fi graphic novel Endwars was none other than director Lokesh Kanagaraj. His presence seemed to fit right in. Not only is the director — a long-time comic book fan — trying to build a Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU) similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), he’s also fondly referred to as ‘Loki’ by his fans. If you’ve missed out on the 15 years of the MCU, Loki is the notorious adopted brother to the Norse god of thunder Thor within the comicbook’s universe. As always when explaining this particular character, I am compelled to point out that in Norse mythology, Loki is actually the blood brother of Odin, the All Father. If anyone wants to hear me complain about how much Thor: Ragnarok, despite being one of the best MCU films, aggravatingly messes up Norse mythology, you know where to find me.
At the event, don’t miss the stall of the well-known Mumbai-based Comic Book Store, who are all set to open a branch in Bengaluru this year. Here’s where, apart from regularly priced comics, you can see the 1963 Tales of Suspense #39 that introduced Iron Man. This particular comic is an edition for the collectors though, costing Rs 8.85 lakh. They also have comic books autographed by Stan Lee himself — the creator/co-creator of Marvel’s most beloved heroes like Spider-Man, Iron Man, Black Panther, Daredevil, the X-Men, and many more. Stan Lee would also go on to make cameo appearances in each MCU film or show as blink-and-you-miss-it characters until his passing in 2018 at the age of 95. The signed comics available at the store start at Rs 1.85 lakh with certificates of authentication.
Comic books that are to be sold as collector items go through a grading system conducted by third-party companies. These editions are graded by Certified Guaranty Company (CGC), considered by many to be the industry standard.
Also on sale is a one-in-a-few-hundred graded edition of Deadpool #1 with a variant cover featuring the late rap legend Notorious B.I.G., which was brought out to mark the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. This 9.8 grade (near mint condition) comic book will cost you Rs 4.5 lakh. If you’re very rich and feeling celebratory about the upcoming Deadpool movie (that in Marvel fashion has managed a way to bring Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine back from the dead), maybe this would interest you?
