Hyderabad: Comic lovers and movie buffs from across the city enjoyed a memorable day at the Hitex Convention Centre on Friday, as Day 1 of the latest edition of Hyderabad Comic Con kicked off.The event saw over 100 participants, mostly aged between 18 and 25, with the cosplay being the highlight. Fans dressed up in funky and colourful costumes, impersonating their favourite characters.The event was spread across three halls, each themed around superhero movies, comics, and anime popular among Gen Z. There were also stalls selling merchandise, posters, keychains, caricatures, action figures, and even comics, which drew considerable interest from the crowd, along with video games and a simulator at the hackathon arena in Hall No. 2.The energy was at its peak as fans, animated and curious about what was in store, began arriving from 11am onwards. They were welcomed by volunteers who greeted them with a cheerful “Welcome to Comic Con!” and a high-five. It was the cosplayers who grabbed the most attention and had an eventful day, posing with their props and clicking photos with the crowd.Marvel-themed costumes were the most popular choice, followed by characters inspired by Korean comics such as Manga and Anime, and popular video games like Fortnite and Valorant.Sri Harshith, a school student from a well-known private school who dressed up as Denji from the Anime ‘Chainsaw Man’, made his costume from scratch. “I made my costume using cardboard, acrylic paint and Fevicol. After spending nearly 30 hours and nine attempts, I finally created it to perfection,” Harshith said through his chainsaw face mask.It wasn’t just people from within the city; enthusiasts from places such as Goa, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi and Odisha also landed in the city to take part in the three-day fest, which will conclude on Sunday.“I have attended seven or eight Comic Cons before, including the one in Hyderabad in 2024. I chose this costume because this character symbolises strength and kindness,” said Leonora Fernandes, an automation QA from Goa, who dressed up as Nana Shimura from ‘My Hero Academia’, a Manga series.Attendees also praised the organisers for their arrangements and smooth management of the event. “Everything went smoothly. The volunteers were helpful and kind, and the people at the stalls were also friendly. It wasn’t crowded, and there was enough walking space for everyone,” said 47-year-old Sheetal Murthy from Bengaluru, who dressed up as the Demon King, a Japanese character.Organisers said they expect a larger turnout over the weekend. “Despite it being a working day today, we still had a decent crowd. We anticipate the numbers will only increase from tomorrow,” said Shefali Johnson, chief executive officer (CEO) of Comic Con India.
