The Four Color Media Monitor

Indian Express writes about this year's comics convention in Hyderabad, India, which unfortunately may have fishy elements going on display:

The eighth edition of Hyderabad Comic Con will catch popular Indian as well as international artists who will entertain and engross us with their insights on comics and popular culture. Coming home bigger and sunnier after a gap of three years, evolving into a pivotal fixture in our annual calendar of events, Jatin Varma, founder of Comic Con India, tells us, “We are excited to bring the event back to fans in the city. It is our largest event to date, featuring experiences from Crunchyroll, Warner Bros India, and Maruti Suzuki to name a few. We are also debuting The Arena in Hyderabad, a dedicated gaming expo, that features daily tournaments, gaming experiences, opportunity to meet your favourite streamers and lots more.”

Returning to Hyderabad with a bang, the country’s liveliest pop-culture celebration will house celebrity guests, feature nifty merchandise and introduce India’s (and the world’s) best cosplayers. Attendees at the event will have the opportunity to engage with prominent creators, fostering a direct connection between fans and the driving forces behind the nation’s vigorous comic book culture.

A significant portion of comic books is independently produced by creators or under small indie publishing labels. Despite this, the scene is notably dynamic, with emerging comics and creators gaining prominence each year.

Webcomics have witnessed substantial growth in recent years, adding to the diversity of the scene. Alok Sharma, cofounder and chief creative officer at Indian comic book company Indusverse explains that all their graphic novels will be focusing on real-life incidents from the contemporary years — including superhero origin stories addressing mental health, social media validation and fake news — mainly all that resonate with the young folk throughout the country.

Interestingly, Indian illustrator Akshara Ashok, who helms the hilariously popular Happy Fluff Comics, contests the common misconception that art and cartoons are exclusively designed for children. Referencing Comic Con, she suggests that this event serves as evidence to the contrary, establishing that cartoons are inclusive and meant for individuals of all ages. Encountering artists in person and hearing their stories at Comic Con becomes a transformative factor.

Wow, it sounds like they might be associating themselves with the woke UNESCO-sponsored propaganda mentioned earlier, if mental health and even social media are going to be subjects at the convention, including "fake news". If it turns out they're taking as bad a path as the education department could be, that'll be bad news, and give conventions a bad name. And by the way, why do they make it sound like something's wrong with putting a spotlight on indie creations? With the way Marvel/DC have been going for years now, there's no point in emphasizing anything mainstream like theirs anymore.

Interestingly, The Hindu's coverage notes that:

Every attendee will receive an exclusive copy of Marvel’s Infinity Gauntlet No.1 comic book along with a limited edition DC Comics Batman poster and a commemorative Comic Con India bag.

If they're referring to a crossover event Marvel published in the early 1990s, what's so special about something like that, but not say, Spider-Man's marriage to Mary Jane Watson? Seriously, that these businesses can't make an effort to offer something more inspiring as a bonus is appalling too.

I do hope this convention in Hyderabad has plenty of great comics to emphasize coming from independent sources. But it's regrettable the press sources won't take more objective views of what could be coming from the mainstream, or whether politicized comics are going on display as well. Wokeism will never help the situation.

Labels: animation, conventions, Europe and Asia, indie publishers, msm propaganda, politics