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4th annual Indian Comic Con 2014

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The 4th Annual Indian Comics Convention organized by Comic Con India impressed the Delhi audience as they not only got a glimpse but also a chance to interact with the likes of Mark Waid (of Superman: Birthright, Justice League of America: Kingdom Come and the Incorruptible fame) and David Lloyd (of V For Vendetta and John Constantine: Hellblazer fame) – all under one roof. The three day fest took place at capital’s Thyagraj Stadium (INA) spread over an area of 50,000 sq.ft, from February 7– 9, 2014.







What started out four years ago as a platform to bring together comic-book creators and their fans, and to popularize the comic-book culture in India, has since evolved into a launching pad for young comic-book publishing companies in India. Smaller publishers, which comprise four to five-member teams, typically struggle to sell their comics across India because the distribution network is unorganized and divided among thousands of small shops and booksellers, Jatin Varma, the founder of Indian Comic Con, said. Now, “a lot of the smaller guys only sell online or at Comic Con,” he added.



The main participants of 4th Annual Indian Comic Con were Amar Chitra Katha, Orange Radius, Abhijeet Kini, Pop Culture Publishing, Random House, Campfire Graphic Novel, Holy Cow Entertainment, HarperCollins Publishers, iComics, DC, Vertigo & Kodansha Comics By Random House India, Viz Media by Simon & Schuster India, Blaft Publications, Chariot Comics, Scholastic India and Meta Desi Comics .



The event was divided into three zones namely, experience zone, exhibitor zone and food court. Special sessions were taken by world renowned comic book writers and artists like Mark Waid, David Lloyd etc. In special partnership with the Charles M Schulz Museum, Comic con highlighted the life and art of Charles M Schulz. Another major attraction of the event was the costume contest with five winners every day each chosen from five different categories of Comic book/graphic novel, Animated Series/Movie, Manga/Anime, Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Gaming. Not just this but one lucky winner out of those five winners stood a chance to win the VIP golden ticket to the New York's comic convention 2014.







For the first time, Comic Con India Awards took place at the convention itself. 3rd CCI Awards honoured the the work of  the professionals of India’s Comics Industry, with nominations in 8 categories. The creator of Chacha Chaudhary, Mr. Pran Kumar Sharma was accorded with Lifetime Achievement Award and Tinkle Magazine was honoured with a Special Award, for its over 30 years of  contribution to Indian comics and graphic arts.



The continuing success of the event is not surprising considering that, since the 1960s, India has had a robust comic book tradition in the form of Amar Chitra Katha comics that are rooted in the country’s rich myth and folklore. 4th Annual Indian Comic Con 2014 saw over 10 exclusive book launches. The most awaited Aghori Issue 9 & 10 got launched by Holy Cow Entertainment and Campfire launched World War 1 and Magical Animals. Zombie Rising part 2, Blind Spot, Pulp Quarterly 2 – The Journal of Indian Comics and Stupid Guy Goes Back To India were amongst the other interesting launches at the convention. Also, one of the major and most interesting attractions at the Indian Comic Con was Inside Peanuts: The Life and Art of Charles M. Schulz exhibit. The exhibit shipped in exclusively for visitors at the convention took the visitors through the journey of Peanuts & Charles M Schulz over the years. And this year as always, Cosplayers won tons of prizes under these 5 categories created to increase one’s chances of winning gifts.







“We  kickstarted our 4th year in a big way by revamping our entire event, adding more exhibitors and content. With the introduction of nominal ticketing, we tried to provide a lot many more amenities to visitors and our participants. We are extremely happy with the kind of response we have received at the 4th Annual Indian Comics Convention from fans, artists, writers and participants all together. There was so much love for comics and pop-culture in the air!” shared Jatin Varma, Founder, Comic Con India.



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