To infinity and beyond

Karachi Con 2015 provided an opportunity to youngsters to satisfy their inner geek

KARACHI: If you consider yourself a comic, anime or gaming fan then Karachi Con 2015 was the right platform for you to channel your inner geek and bond with others who share your passion.

'Join the con, feel the con, be the con' was the motto for the Karachi Con 2015 held on Sunday at the Atrium Mall. Based on comic conventions held worldwide, a group of youngsters decided to create a similar opportunity for Pakistanis to satisfy their geeky indulgence.

"We aim to promote this culture in our country", said Nihal Ahmed, Dastak Activations representative and Karachi Con head organiser. "It is believed that Pakistan is not a niche market for this culture but we want to prove everyone wrong," she said.

"What many people do not realise is that comics, fan art and anime are almost an alternate form of literature," said Ahmed. "People have the right to express themselves in different ways and we should appreciate it."

Breaking stereotypes

"Events like this are almost enlightening, as in schools we are often type casted as 'weird' because we watch anime," said Alina, dressed as Shino Aburame from 'Naruto' a Japanese manga series. "A majority of people think they are dark shows, but they really are not." They can also be fun at times, she pointed out.

"Many people here have been, at some point in their life, stereotyped as 'weird' or 'awkward' but this is a space where they can be themselves without anyone judging them," said Alina.

"I think such events have a lot of potential," said M Bassam, a student. "Hopefully they will attract more people and being a 'geek' will no longer be treated as a bad thing."



"The society we live in will generally not approve of young men dressing up as their favourite character," said Alina.  "But here no one judges them". They are free to express themselves the way they want to and this is the one thing I like the most about comic cons, she added.

"I love cosplays," said Unza, a university student, who was dressed as Howl from the Japanese anime, 'Howl's Moving Castle'. "You get a chance to dress up as your favourite character and relate to him or her on a different level."

Local talent

I hope these comic cons also promote our local industry, said Gauher Aftab from FX Comics.  These platforms allow us to interact with people who read comics in Pakistan, he said. "We know there are a lot of comic readers in the country. They are willing to read local comics too," claimed Aftab.   FX Comics' two series, 'Haider' and 'Pasban' were put on display at the Karachi Con. The comics are available in both Urdu and English to cater to a more diverse audience.

"This is a digital era and we want to bring that to Pakistan as well", said Aftab.  "I think our audience is ready for it."

"When we thought of making a comic book our intention was to provide an opportunity to upcoming artists to enter this industry," said Babrus Khan, Team Muhafiz artist.

"Team Muhafiz gave us a chance to work for a social cause and give a voice to minorities," he said. "Our aim was to develop characters that empower the youth."  Many comic cons have been organised before, but there wasn't any local content in it, said Khan.  "We have people who dress like characters from DC comics, Marvel comics or anime but we want to see people dress as Pakistani characters." That will be a real feat for us as creators, he added.  The event comprised fun filled activities such as a fan art competition, photo session for the cosplay segment, students performing 'Aangaan Tehra' a Pakistani television play, comic panels and a Mortal Kombat X competition on Play Station 4.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 5^th, 2015.