From suits to superheroes: Comic Con 2024 kicks off in Hyderabad with diverse crowd

Fans flocked to The Creator’s Cut, which featured exciting comic book debuts by Holy Cow Entertainment, Bullseye Press, and Savio Mascarenhas, alongside the launch of The Adventures of Kikiboo

The eighth edition of the pop culture extravaganza Comic Con started with Hyderabad in 2024 as a three-day fest from November 15 to 17 at HITEX Exhibition Center.

Fans flocked to The Creator’s Cut, which featured exciting comic book debuts by Holy Cow Entertainment, Bullseye Press, and Savio Mascarenhas, alongside the launch of The Adventures of Kikiboo. Enthusiasts were treated to a day packed with exclusive experience zones such as The Yamaha Zone, Maruti Suzuki Arena and Ultimate Gaming Experience by Dreamhack.

As the gates opened at 11 a.m., the place was soon crawling with colourful pop culture characters with a surprising number of adult cosplayers outnumbering the younger attendees.

Pavan Kumar Reddy, 42, a corporate lawyer and businessman from Hyderabad, was unrecognisable as an extraterrestrial predator from the movie The Predator. “I have been cosplaying for half a decade and the craze is so much that we started a store which rents out costumes,” he said.

Pavan was among many individuals who otherwise work in serious IT jobs and handling ventures but trade their coats for capes during the one weekend of Comic Con every year.

A model from Bengaluru cosplaying Misty from Pokemon, Kanak said that though she was here at work and was unaware of many pop culture figures, it was fun to see the characters walking in real life and just guessing their names.

Aravind, 32, who claimed he is more popularly known as ‘cosdemon’, cosplays yearly. “I love portraying new characters. It’s just the fun of making costumes yourself and dressing up for the fans,” he said. He cosplayed as Strife, a game character.

Surjit, 31, who came as Spiderman, a private employee from Hyderabad, said he applied for leave a month in advance to attend the event. “I have been attending Comic Con since it came to India about 10 years ago. It just makes us happy to don the costumes of characters we grew up reading and watching. We also get to meet new people and make new friends,” he said. Surjit was at the event with his friend and colleague, Sharan, 33, who came dressed as Beetlejuice. They said that they are planning to attend the event in other cities this year.

The evening continued with stand-up comedy from Azeem Banatwalla and the collective called The Internet Said So (TISS). Varun Thakur from TISS said that Hyderad has the smartest audience. “All kinds of humour works here. Moreover, the public always gets niche references from other cities too. We come to Hyderabad knowing that we will have a good time,” he said.

The attendees also had the chance to enjoy a special session with Amar Chitra Katha and Crunchyroll, delving into the rich world of Indian storytelling and anime culture.

Parallelly, the event also witnessed moments from some of the biggest esports competitions as fans cheered on top teams and players at the Snapdragon Pro Series, Pan Fest, and KO Fight Night stages in the adjacent hall.

Published - November 16, 2024 10:29 am IST