Comic Con Mumbai Was A Book-Load Of Fun From Capes To Costumes!

You can never be too surprised at Comic Con. Held in Mumbai, it brings together the best of chills, thrills and fun. I came face-to-face with Pennywise on Saturday. Let me change that to: I almost collapsed out of shock when I bumped into Pennywise on Saturday. 

He crept up on me, his evil smile contorted into the scariest look possible–and taking slow deliberate steps, he crept closer, his blood-curdling, eerie grin, enough to make me forget I was within dangerous reach of the famous evil clown (the nightmarish entity from Stephen King’s novel and from the movie IT), and not safe at a comic book convention! Yet that was what it was, marking the start of a complete thrill-a-minute afternoon at Comic Con 2025, Mumbai. This event edition that marked the conclusion of an 8-city tour that brought together fans across the country—making it every bit a fun ride. 

Gathering Of Ghouls, Warriors And Superheroes

This is the very stuff fantasy is made of–everything make believe all at once. The foyer of the Jio World Convention Centre, where the event was held, was high energy, thronging with cosplayers of different kinds–intergalactic heroes, Pokémon warriors, extraterrestrial predators and anime characters galore in the coolest costumes, armed with sceptres, swords, LED props and swag in addition to the Marvel and DC universe fans.

One couldn’t miss Spidey throwing around a few webs, Harley Quinn sharing her sassy side, Wolverine with his talons, Hellboy and the Hulk, a masked Zorro, Luffy as well as Sue Storm from the Fantastic Four. Said Jasmine Kaur Bhuller, Mumbai-based first-year student at BITS Design, who came as Harley Qinn, “I saw her at the first comic book convention and she’s been my favourite ever since. Her personality resonates with me the most.” For Yusuf Mani who arrived as The Black Panther his reason to dress up was clear: “It’s a riveting game that has a multiversal galactic element and in it, the game developers have come up with their own concept and that's why the costume is blue, as it's sci-fi armour.” 

Immersive Afternoon

Fans were treated to a frenzy of fun immersive zones from global giants like Warner Bros’ Superman fan booth to Marvel Studios' high-energy Thunderbolts immersive recruitment centre and a Fantastic Four's retro futuristic photobooth. You had a Karate Kid Legends experience with a punching machine and Bandai Namco’s anime-fuelled Blue Lock showcase with arcade games and collectibles. Of course, dragons and beasts can’t be far behind and Universal Pictures had dual-world displays for Jurassic World and How to Train Your Dragon seeing happy fans enjoying pics and merch. The anime-themed activities and movie thrills apart, the new-age fan experiences for gamers saw adrenaline-packed stuff, too and a bustling Chandrayaan VR zone was busting with fans. It was also heartening to see the It’s A Girl Thing (IAGT) zone championing youth culture and empowerment, fuelling bold conversations in this space.

Artists Make Their Voices Heard

For homegrown comic artists, Comic Con made for a fabulous platform. Abhijit Kini, well-known illustrator and indie indie comics creator said, “This place is definitely is very helpful for artists and designers or anyone who can’t easily enter the pop culture domain as it’s a complete showcase. You also have a great audience that is eager to see what’s in the art zone and we get to display our work. For any artist this is great, you get to unearth new talent, too.” 
Savio Mascarenhas, who grew up reading about Suppandi and his fun, shared, “I’ve been drawing Shambhu for the past 27 years now; I started doing that back in 86-97 so it’s been a long journey with him as a character. I like his universe with his goofy antics, love for wildlife and his conversation around animals-all themes that are close to me. There is another version of Suppandi I drew as a superhero in 2011-2012; he’s fun and folks love him.” 
Up ahead, another nook grabbed attention with absolutely fun caricatures done of famous people from cricketers to sports stars like Lionel Messi, Bollywood actors like Rajnikanth and Amitabh Bachchan and a host of TV characters from shows like Suits and The Office.   

With panel sessions and comedy on stage, clearly this had something for everyone. Comedian Rahul Dua said, “I have previously done Delhi and other editions of Comic Con, but this was my first time at Mumbai Comic Con. It has always been very fun, and the energy is magnificent. There is an infectious energy here always. It offers something for everyone; if anyone wants to buy something quirky, have a great evening, engage in games, you have it all. And that’s why I like coming back to perform on this stage.”

Added Jatin Varma, Founder, Comic Con India, shared: “This year’s Comic Con journey has been incredibly special. Each city brought its own magic, but Mumbai—the finale—was truly unforgettable. It was one of our biggest shows with incredible participation from across brands, artists, collaborators and visitors. The scale, the passion, the energy—it was everything. Having been part of this from its inception to the fantastic 12th edition, it’s moving to see how Comic Con India has grown into a beautiful community. Mumbai reminded me why we started this—to celebrate fandom, together!”

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