When Akshara Ashok created Happy Fluff Comics at 19, most imagined her to be a comic from the West as her account was anonymous. It was during a random question and answer session on Instagram that she finally revealed that she was an artist from Chennai. “The reaction was mixed. Some were happy to hear this but some others were mad. They didn’t like a brown girl talking about body image, sex and menstruation,” she says.
Over time though, the artist has elicited a range of fans from the city who have supported her work, laughed at her toons and inadvertently spoken about the uncomfortable truths of being a woman today.
On February 17 and 18, the artist will come face to face with city-folk who have followed her work for years at Comic Con India’s maiden sojourn in the city. She is nothing short of excited. “Following an artist online is one thing but meeting them in person is entirely different. It is also important as it helps the general public know that creating art can be a viable career option,” she says.
Akshara’s work is only a slice of the large pie that one can get their hands on at the first edition of Comic Con in Chennai.
The two-day weekend promises two interesting sessions with international artists Dan Parent, best known for his work on the Archie comics (including the special Archies in India series) and John Layman who wrote several works including Chew, on their process and techniques. The event will also have VFX Artist Pramita Mukherjee who will speak about the making of the animated film Kung Fu Panda 4. Comic Con India also promises face time with over 15 Indian artists who have created a wide range of characters drawing from mythical superheroes to well-loved Indian comic superstars from Tinkle and Amar Chitra Katha.
Rahil Mohsin, a Bangalore-based comic book artist and the co-founder of Hallubol, the first Dakhni motion comic series, is looking forward to showcase Hallubol: Mard Bann, the first work in series, addressing toxic patriarchs and enablers, at the city. He is curious to find out how his niche and hyper-local series will be received in Chennai but adds that he is excited to meet a fresh audience, eat meals in Chennai and visit the beach.
A cosplayer at Comic Con India’s Bengaluru edition
Besides meetings and performances, massive crowds are expected to flock to the festival in the evening during the cosplay contests on both days of the festival where artistes dress up as characters from comic books to battle it out for cash prizes each day. Expect to see several Batmans and Jokers in your midst.
Jatin Varma, founder, Comic Con India, says that the events in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru have seen great footfalls over the last decade. The event at Hyderabad comes a close second. Although Chennai has been on their radar for several years now, pandemic-induced delays caused them to plan their entry only in 2024. “Chennai has a strong and active fan community, I feel fans will love all the sessions on the main stage,” he says, adding that they are expecting to see a crowd of enthusiasts between 18 and 36.
On trends that one can expect to see at the event, he said, “There has been a massive increase in interest for anime and manga content as we also see it within our exhibitor base with a lot more business catering to this market. There certainly has been a bit of a superhero fatigue, but overall I expect a similar response in terms of trends and crowds, in Chennai as we have seen in other cities,” he says.
Comic Con India’s Chennai edition is on February 17 and 18 between 11am and 8pm at Chennai Trade Centre. A single day pass costs ₹899. Register at www.comiccon.in.
