CHENNAI: The halls of the Chennai Trade Centre transformed into a carnival of capes and colour as Comic Con unfolded in a surge of fandom energy.
Swords flashed under white lights, neon wigs shimmered, and stalls brimmed with books, T-shirts, LEGO blocks, glasses, and handcrafted merchandise, while Chennai’s audience embraced anime beats and fantasy lore with infectious enthusiasm. Beneath banners of manga icons and the thrum of J-pop dance numbers, a different kind of spotlight fell on the storytellers who shape these imagined worlds.
Amid this spectacle stood the visiting authors and illustrators whose stories brought these worlds to life. Internationally celebrated writer Ron Marz, known for shaping icons like Batman, Green Lantern, and DC vs. Marvel, spoke of writing as performance. “Being a writer is almost like being an actor,” he reflected, describing how he inhabits characters that have existed for decades while discovering his own interpretation within their framework.
Stories, he explained, often guide the writer rather than obey him. “The universe is kind of speaking through you, and you’re just hanging on for the ride.” For Marz, imagination is both an ally and an adversary: it opens up infinite possibilities yet demands discipline. His advice to aspiring writers was simple: “Write every day… go out and have a life.” Experiences, whether travel, heartbreak, or even a temple visit in India, inevitably filter back onto the page.
If Marz represented global superhero mythology, Savio Mascarenhas embodied India’s childhood storytelling legacy through Tinkle and Amar Chitra Katha. Beginning as a doodler who sketched on exam sheets, Mascarenhas found his calling in comics. “If you want to develop a habit of reading, start with a comic book,” he said, emphasising how visual storytelling simplifies complex ideas. From explaining mutual funds through a humorous character to illustrating Shambu, he believes comics balance text and imagery in ways that nurture young minds.
Illustrator Acid Tode brought a darker, surreal dimension shaped by heavy metal culture and influences like Salvador Dalí. A former vocalist of Inner Sanctum, his art thrives on symbolic intensity. “I don’t think I enter that mindset — it’s already there,” he admitted, tracing his fascination with horror folklore and psychedelic imagery back to childhood.
Entrepreneur Vivek Goel, founder of Holy Cow Entertainment, spoke candidly about India’s comic ecosystem. Funding challenges and social dismissal persist. “It is not an industry; it is a small community,” he remarked. Meanwhile, Saumin Patel shared how passion carved his path from art school to international projects. Whether working digitally or interpreting mythology, he sees comics as a limitless visual language.