The community of comic books, manga, anime, superhero films and all things fun converged at Delhi Comic Con, the pop culture extravaganza, which took place at NSIC Exhibition Ground in Delhi from 8 – 10 December 2023.
Attendees channelized their inner fandom to cosplay and put up their geekdom on display while others interacted and participated in tournaments, and games, among other exciting activities. The 2023 Delhi Comic Con witnessed the fandom and love for anime characters such as Naruto, Pokemon, Hisoka, Halo, Sasuki and more, while a few brought back the classics such as Deadpool, Wolverine, Joker, Ironman, Jack Sparrow and several Spiderman variations among others.
Nearly 5,000 cosplayers participated in the convention across the three-day event. The performance line-up included artists such as RAGA, MC Altaf, 9TEEN and Hashtag who rocked the stage with their performance. Comedians Rohan Joshi, Akash Gupta and Gaurav Kapoor left everyone in splits.
The event showcased comics in a grand way with a slew of comic book creators and artists present as well as special sessions that were held for attendees to soak in all the new launches by Prasad Bhat, Indusverse, Holy Cow Entertainment, Acid Toad, Amrit Pal Singh, Garbage Bin, Corporate comics, Bullseye Press, Bakarmaxx, Art of SAVIO, and Abhijeet Kini and many more along with international artists such as DOALY, Dustin Nguyen and Spiderman India’s writer Nikesh Shukla.
Numerous manga retail experiences featuring Naruto, Death Note, Jujutsu Kaisen, One Piece and other series were on display as well as Indian comics such as Amar Chitra Katha, Raj Comics, Kunzum Comics, which were some key attractions for pop culture enthusiasts. The experiential zones included Warner Bros’ special DC’s Aquaman: The Last Kingdom. Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, Amul: World through the Eyes of the Amul Girl, Crunchyroll, MTR- Minuteverse, BINGO- Mad HQ. which gathered fans in huge numbers as well as a virtual reality experience zone for Maruti Suzuki’s Arena that indulged them in a simulated driving in the future was a hotspot for fans.
From 8 – 10 December, the event featured The Arena (in association with The Esports Club), a gaming arena, featuring racing simulators, virtual reality games, playstation consoles which had daily tournaments, eSports and streamers and gaming experiences for all attendees.
Jatin Varma, founder, Comic Con, India said, “It’s surreal for me to see how we have come such a long way with Comic Con in India growing each year. We started our first convention in Delhi back in 2011 and it all comes full circle here with one of our biggest shows yet again. We saw a total of 46,000 attendees across the three days here in the capital city. It only goes to show the might and strength of our community and it is going to grow only bigger from here on, especially for our next event in Hyderabad and Chennai.”
Preeti Vyas, president and CEO, Amar Chitra Katha, said, “Amid the vibrant tapestry of creativity at Delhi Comic Con, the Amar Chitra Katha team was proud to present a fabulous mix of products showcasing Indian culture, history and mythology along with fun and learning presented through Tinkle. Over the course of the wonderful weekend, we presented our comic books, apparel, games and merchandise to eager readers, customers and fans across age groups. “
“Some of our bestselling products at this event included our epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. Our Tinkle collections, including Tinkle Gold and Tinkle Origins, were runaway hits and our adorable new collection of ACK Junior packs for younger readers was extremely well-received. We were proud as always to showcase this unique offering celebrating Indian stories and preserving our legacy of being one of India’s most loved storytellers,” Vyas said.
Comedian Aakash Gupta shared, “It was my first time performing at Comic Con, and that too in my hometown Delhi. It was a great experience. The crowd was amazing. I took masks and props to the stage to make it fun, and the young crowd was going berserk with fun and energy.”
“It was a sick experience performing here at Comic Con. The crowd was so excited that it got me jumping around the stage with energy. For me, Comic Con is a vibe, and a feeling, to see all your favorite characters around you and then to perform for such a crowd,” said hip-hop artist MC Altaf.
The Hyderabad Comic Con will take place on 27 and 28 January 2024, followed by Chennai Comic Con on 17 and 18 February 2024.
