India has a sizeable 'Geek' community: Jatin Varma

Changing a mindset can be a difficult task but Jatin Varma the Founder of Comic Con India has been at the task for the past 8 years. In the year 2011, he brought the Concept of International Comics Convention to India and started its very own Annual Indian Comics Convention in February 2011 in New Delhi.

His own keen interest in books, music and films fueled the idea of setting up a Comic Convention in India. Jatin returned to India after completing his education from the University of Washington and working in the U.S for a few years. At that time pop culture conventions had become a mainstay in the U.S and he wanted to attend such conventions along with his friends but did not want to travel abroad every time to do so.

This longing inspired the creation of his own company named Twenty Onwards Media in 2007 whose business interests ranged from publishing to organizing live events. Since then Jatin has been leading the charge in creating a PAN India presence of Comic Conventions. His company has created marquee properties such as the Annual Indian Comics Convention, Comic Con Express, Mumbai Film and Comic Con, Bangalore Comic Con and Hyderabad Comic Con.

Comic Con India has a lot in store for fans including exclusive comic books, merchandise, Cosplay, fan experience zones, Indian and International creators as well as a main stage that will showcase a Cosplay parade, workshops and more!

In conversation with Adgully, Jatin Varma discusses future plans for Comic Con India and shares an overview of the Indian comic culture.

Every year Comic Con India gets a little bigger and offers more to fans. This year what can they look forward to?

Over the past few years, our aim has been to get our partners to create more fan experiences and that is something that is extensively being done this year with tons of fan experiences and engagement zones. Additionally, there are over 180 participants to cover your geeky shopping needs, plus a great line up of guests from India and around the world.

You started off as a few guys who didn’t want to travel all the way abroad to visit a Comic Convention. Now that Comic Con is established and has foreign artists appearing as guests what is the next big step?

We have been growing along with the industry in India, sometimes at a faster pace than the ecosystem, the next leap would be to get studios to bring down the casts of various franchises and give fans a chance to connect with them. Additionally, get more content to the fans with previews, exclusives and premieres. It’s moving in that direction and as always we hope to be the event to lead that momentum.

What has been the response to Comic Con India in the past 8 years? Does India have a sizeable ‘geek’ community? How has Comic Con India helped bring that community together?

It’s been great and the response keeps getting better. Yes, India has a sizeable 'Geek' community, but I’d prefer use the term pop-culture community. Comic Con brings together passionate fans of comics, movies, TV, cosplay and pretty much everything in Pop Culture. It’s that one place, where you can be yourself, express your love for your fandom and meet fellow fans. We have been facilitating this for the past 8 years and the community and the overall ecosystem has been growing tremendously.

Indian’s love comic books but has there been a big move towards Indian made comics? What lies in store for an aspiring Indian comic artist today? What do we need to do to facilitate an Indian comic book scene?

The Comic book industry is small and currently being driven by a group of talented artists and writers that are creating some great comics right now. Unfortunately, the retail and distribution system in India is broken and limits their reach. What makes it worse is that while Indians love comics, they misconstrue them as being for kids, whereas the medium has evolved and most comics being created in India and around the world are for adults.

It’s certainly not easy creating and selling comics in India, however, there is still a lot for an aspiring artist or writer to strive for. You can bypass the retail and go directly to the consumer digitally via social media. There is no reason to limit your work to Indian audiences as there is a massive International market outside which is ready to be tapped as well.

Lastly, I'd recommend any fan attending any of our shows; to go to all the creator booths at the show and pick up all the comics, read them, connect with the creators and give them feedback.

How has Cosplay taken off as a cultural phenomenon?

Cosplay has taken off in a big away and I am proud of our contribution to fostering the community. I remember Cosplaying myself along with my team at the first ever convention, we had about 20 odd Cosplayers. Now we average about 2-3 thousand people, Cosplaying at our shows in some form or the other. In fact, it’s been heartening to see the journey of some of them as amateur Cosplayers to professional ones. We encourage Cosplay massively at our shows and try and do whatever is possible to get more people in to the fold, from workshops to cash prizes. In fact, three years back we launched India's only and first ever National Championship of Cosplay and giving the Indian champion the ability to represent Indian on the International stage.

Cosplay continues to grow and we will continue to support and foster the community.

Who is your average Comic Con convention attendee?

My average attendee is usually male and right out of college, in his first job. We mostly get fans between the ages 19-30, with a 60:40 (M: F) split between the genders. We do get families with kids but our show and the content doesn't cater to them. We are a youth oriented show and most of the community is also in the same age group.

Comic Con Mumbai will be held on 22nd and 23rd December 2018. Check out the exciting  line up for this year’s Comic Con here.