Comic Con, Pop Culture Expo, Fan convention- whatever you call it, does not need any introduction in the west. It’s where fans of films, TV series, books, anime, science fiction, manga, video games and all other entertainment genre come together dressed up as their favourite characters and have a great time together. This dressing up is called Cosplay. For a very long time what the fans of Bangladesh had to do was watch the pictures and videos of cosplayers outside and sigh. Not any more, as Bangladesh has seen its very first comic con 3 years ago, and since then it’s slowly gaining popularity among the pop culture enthusiasts in the country.
Dhaka Comicon, the first ever comic book convention in Bangladesh began by a group of die-hard fans for other fans to gather, have fun, and celebrate the things they love – comic books, movies, pop culture, video games, and anime. It is officially affiliated and recognised with the international comic-cons. Dhaka Comicon initially took place in 2012, on 28th and 29th December in Dhaka. The event was inaugurated by Mr. Ahsan Habib, Dhaka's very own and first comic book creator. There was also a Cosplay contest for the first time, as well as a platform for artists to showcase their fan art creations- whether it be art, stories or films. There was live music as well. Over those two days in December more than 10,000 people showed up, many of them dressed up as their favourite characters and the culture was officially born.
Dhaka Comicon 2013, held on the 8th and 9th of November, was bigger and better. Jamuna Future Park officially became the venue partner, providing over 30,000 sq. feet of space to accommodate all the fans. The event had even more cosplay, a fan art competition, a short film contest, graphic novel releases, cartoon releases, synchronised skits from various TV programs; live music from current headlining bands and solo artists, an indoor Museum of Collectibles, and vendors selling their pop culture merchandises.
After the success of Dhaka Comicon, a few other comic cons took place in Dhaka. One of such events is Dhaka Pop Culture Expo. It was held on August 30th and 31st, 2013 at Baridhara DOHS Convention Center. It was attended by over 2,000 participants and fans.
Unmad-JCC Comic Con is another popular event which started in 2013. It continued its saga successfully in 2014 and is to be held in 2015 shortly. This comic con usually takes place in Gulshan Shooting Club.
Thanks to the aficionados who started comic cons, now the Bangladeshi fans have a place to meet and cherish their fandom. If you are a fan as well, you can drop by in any of these Comic Cons and express your solidarity with fans just like you.
Happy Cosplaying!