‘We have hit the limit of urban cities, so want to expand to regional India’: Comic Con India
As Shefali Johnson takes over the mantle of Comic Con CEO from Jatin Varma, the reflect on the growth of pop culture in India. They note how it has evolved over the years and hit a saturation level in urban cities to the point that the team feels confident about branching out to tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
Citing a footfall of over 3,00,000 this year, the two leaders hinted that the next comic con might debut in a new city, but emphasised that the cues as always come from the fans and their response to the festival.
The general bias is that the response for Comic Con India, compared to other Comic Cons internationally, is lukewarm. How do you plan to enter the tier-2 and tier-3 cities?
Varma: The fact that we are now expanding to so many cities is because of the response we received across all the major cities. We see fans not just in the main metros but also in smaller cities, across age groups, which is why we are planning this expansion. The only limitation we face is working within the size and scope of the Indian market.
We are obviously not the American market —the hub for Hollywood. However, we are more integrated and doing more interesting things than Comic Cons around the world, especially those in North America which are extremely driven by celebrities. Ours is a healthier mix of celebrities, comic book artists, creators and we also pick up things trending in pop culture, be it YouTubers, comedy, music, etc. So I feel we offer a much more expansive pop culture tent compared to other Comic Cons.
How exactly would you envision India’s pop culture to be?
Varma: It’s everything and anything under the sun, with consistent interest in manga, anime, superheroes and comic books. The interests goes up and down depending on what’s trending. For example, superheroes are a little down these days, but Anime and manga are ruling the roost driven by increased interest in such content globally.
There are all sorts of different languages that are in play in India. From that perspective, our popular culture is pretty diverse. We can keep bringing new and different interesting elements to test out, which is why we have survived for so long and grown so far.We feel like we have also hit the limit of urban cities which is why we want to try and expand to other places to connect with fans, and reach them wherever they are.
Johnson: This is on our social pages too. We keep receiving requests to come to other cities as well. That is how we decide and go ahead. With easy internet access people in the tier-2 and tier-3 cities are also aware of what’s trending, what’s not. We want to cater to that population as well.
As a new CEO, what are your plans for Comic Con? Is there anything new that you are thinking of doing?
Johnson: No plans for now. The new thing is definitely going to newer cities. Tier-2 and tier-3 cities are set to be in the calendar in the coming years. We are also planning to go international with what we’ve been doing here. Partnerships would definitely increase. NODWIN is also a hub for so many interesting IPs already like BGMIs. So I think we will try and find synergies with the other IPs as well and see how we can collaborate more within the group. But we are not reinventing the wheel over here with Comic Con.
So which is the next target city? In the coming season, where have you planned the first show?
Johnson: Likely Hyderabad but as I said, we are still exploring cities, so there is a possibility of going ahead and start from October. We might actually start the season with a brand new city — a first comic con in a new city.
As an estimate, can you tell us how the footfall has grown over the past five years for Comic Con India?
Varma: Pre-pandemic, our annual footfalls were about 2,00,000. Now, we are crossing 3,00,000 and have added more cities as well. In certain cities we have maxed out the number of people we can bring in to a particular venue. So we keep trying to increase the venue size. We are over 50,000 people in Mumbai Comic Con and now we are reaching a space where we will have to rent the entire venue. The only reason why we get maxed out is we run out of venues. Venue space and infrastructure is unfortunately a challenge in most cities.
How have you seen the live entertainment industry grow over the years?
Varma: Post pandemic that initial revenge outing has turned into a rocket ship which is zooming right now in India. Specifically when it comes to unique IPs or musical acts. That is basically given now for the Indian events industry where in which people are willing to pay a premium to experience something unique. Comic Con certainly plays a big part in it. I think this growth is here to stay now.
In terms of bringing in international guests to India, how has the experience been?
Varma: Inviting international guests to India is not an easy task always. There are a lot of elements to keep in mind whether they are relevant for our audience, whether our audience is willing to pay for them and more importantly whether they can fit in our show schedule in their tour plan. Back in 2011 to where we are right now it is certainly a lot more easier. The biggest challenge is figuring out what would work and what would drive a lot of excitement among audiences. It is always an investment which is why we look for partnerships and also ensuring that when you bring in an act like this or a performer or an artist like this we try and maximize their presence to all fans at the show. I am hoping for many more such collaborations in the future as well.
Do you guys also plan to collaborate more with brands like Motu Patlu or sort of the more Indian-centric, Indian-themed brands?
Varma: Motu Patlu is not very relevant right now to our audience. We do have legacy IPs at our shows from Raj Comics to Diamond to Amut Chitra Katha and Tinkle. We are always looking for interesting content to be part of the show and trying to see how we can bring them in. Based on a lot of research that we do with our audiences coming in, we keep trying to add new elements. Specifically when we go into regional cities where languages are at play, trying to bring in local creators as well.
Can you give me a top 5 content-wise things that are most popular in India? Top 5 content things that are most popular in India?
Varma: One Piece, Naruto, some of these anime IPs are the ones that are trending. After that you will see western IPs such as Marvel and DC. But it changes every 3-4 months depending on what’s trending at what time and what city. If you specifically ask about Indian IPs, I think the legacy IPs are always consistent in generating nostalgia. But there isn’t anything specifically new on the comic book side, at least from the Indian IPs, which has reached a mass level of popularity.
Compared to say DC or Marvel, do you feel that the Indian comic market is in trouble?
Varma: No, there is no trouble. It’s a niche. There is no comparison between a DC which has existed for 70-80 years with all the might of a Hollywood as compared to say an Indian IP owner. Being in this space is a long game and it takes a while for an IP to get very popular. Amar Chitra Katha has existed for 50 years at a time when things were very different. So, it’s a niche and this is the era of niches to be very honest.
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