People adorned in costumes at the annual Comic Conventions are a commonplace sight. But C Varghese finds out that there is a lot going on behind the flashy outfits and shiny props
For those of you who follow anime, Comic Con is something which needs no explanation. The largest annual gathering of comic lovers and manga aficionados, the Comic Con India’s Delhi chapter, which is just around the corner, has been generating a lot of excitement amongst Delhiites.
Comic Convention Delhi which featured for the first time in February 2011 was put down as a major success, with over 20,000 people attending the maiden event. The last appearance of Comic Con in Delhi was no let down either, with approximately 40,000 people checking in at the venue on February, last year.
Those who have attended the previous Cons can attest to the atmosphere at the crowded venue, but something that just about everyone can remember vividly is the numerous cosplayers. To those of you who are not familiar with the term, cosplay is derived from two words - costume and play. Those who play around with costumes are called cosplayers. A regular feature at the Comic Cons, cosplayers add colour to the event.
In the run up to Comic Con Delhi 2015, Comic Con India had organised a cosplay workshop by veteran cosplayer, Ajay, aka The Procrastinator Man, at Anti-Social, Hauz Khas Village, recently.
The Procrastinator Man, who had went on to win the cosplay event, on the last day of last year’s Comic Con in Delhi, adorned in the attire of Angemon from the popular Digimon series did not need to explain his stage name courtesy his lethargic movements and talking style. “I adopted the name, Procrastinator Man, simply because I am a lazy old fellow. Now that you see me talking and walking right in front of you, I’m sure you must have deduced that for yourselves,” Ajay explained with a hint of a smile.
After winding up with the introduction quickly, he got down to business right away, and it was not difficult to understand that Ajay is really passionate about what he does, cosplaying. “Though India is still lagging behind on this count, there are a lot of people out there who earn their bread and butter solely through cosplaying on the international circuit. America alone organises a hundred comic conventions throughout the year, so I have to say that this profession has no dearth of chances,” he said.
Ajay went on to explain the numerous intricacies attached to cosplaying, to the wide-eyed, innocent audience, in great detail. He displayed his resourcefulness by providing a list of contacts that could provide different materials for construction of costumes as well as the props, to those who were really interested in cosplaying.
Ajay felt that first-timers don’t pay enough attention to the props of their respective characters, while it is well understood that if you are trying to get into a character, you have to get every aspect right. “Armed with basic common sense, an avid cosplayer can create the best outfits and props from simple items like plain cloth, wood and cardboard. But if you’re seeking perfection in your trade, you would have to walk the extra mile and persevere to explore the unknown,” he said, while grinning cheekily. But he was not a bit stingy with his array of contacts and website links to the best deals on the best possible materials; everyone was making copious notes on whatever that was said. After the workshop concluded, The Procrastinator Man was flooded with a lot of queries which must have sent his lazy cells into overload, but he was visibly happy amongst people who shared his love for cosplaying, we inferred.
This year, Comic Con Delhi boasts a spectacular line-up of events; including cosplay contests, autographing sessions, gaming tournament along with sales of the coolest comic book and pop culture merchandise. And to those of you who are not aware, Kristian Nairn of the ‘Hodor Hodor Hodor’ fame from the fantasy series, Game of Thrones is set to make an appearance besides Rob Denbleyker, author of the animated webcomic series, Cyanide & Happiness.
If that isn’t inspiration enough to attend the Comic Con Delhi 2015 slated to be held from December 4th-6th, then what isIJ