KATHMANDU, Sept 11: Heritage Garden, Sanepa on Saturday became a hub for the fans of Batman, Deadpool, Wonder Woman, Luffy, Shanks, Queen of Pain, Pikachu, Jon Snow and Night King, among other fantasy characters. 

Anime, manga, DC, Marvel and cosplay fans had dressed as their favorite characters and gathered at the first Comic Con Nepal organized by Zerostar, a US-based company, in association with Otaku Club Nepal.

Most of those who entered the premises dressed-up for the event also participated in a Cosplay Competition that was being held at Heritage. The winners were given the chance to participate in Indian Comic Con to be held in October and Rs 8,000 worth of prizes. A panel of judges, including Japanese Ambassador to Nepal Masashi Ogawa, selected the winners. 

About 190 participants had registered for the event over the period of one month. Rohit John Chettri performing his hit songs like ‘Bistarai Bistarai’ and ‘Sannani’, among others, was the highlight of the event. 

The event also had food stalls, stalls for franchise, figurines, posters and t-shirts, while a huge crowd could be seen thronging the face-painting and gaming stalls. Zerostar CEO/Director Anuj Pradhan said, “The main goal of the event was to highlight the anime culture in Nepal. This is a platform for fans of anime and DC/Marvel superhero movies to intermingle.”

Erina Maharjan, a high school student, had come dressed as Mercy from the game ‘Overwatch’, while Aprila Lama, a high school graduate, was dressed as the Queen of Pain from ‘Dota 2’. 

Ashim Rai, a +2 graduate, loved Corazon’s character from 'One Piece’ from the moment he sacrificed his life for Trafalgar Law. He had come dressed as Corazon and said the culture of comic con was gradually spreading in Nepal. Apsara Subedi, a nurse by profession, attended the event as Wonder Woman. She said, “It is my dream to become like her (Gal Galot). Events like these are fun and a great way to mingle with like-minded people.”

Participants of the event showed their passion for not only positive fiction characters but also for the villainous ones. Stuti Sharma, a post graduate student, had come as Bane from ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ with a DIY mask. “Though this is my first time attending a comic con event, it feels like family while talking to other participants. We need to organize more such events in the future so that we can compete in international events.”

Pradhan said Comic Con Nepal was inspired by Japan and the USA. A ‘X-men’ fan himself, Pradhan added, “The comic con culture is huge in the US. But in Nepal, manga and anime fans do not have a proper platform to show their craze or talent.”

Pradhan, in the future, aims to promote locally created figurine designs so as to increase the sales and interaction within Nepal. “We are also looking forward to organize game competitions and Free Comic Books Day,” he added.