LAHORE: A three-day comic convention begins here at the Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture from Friday (today).

Similar in its format to the annual literature festival, the convention will dedicate itself entirely to comics and comic book writings, and a place for people working in this field to come together on one platform.

Comic Con secretary-general Mudassar Butt told Dawn that the convention would see launch of comic books by Pakistani artists and cartoonists.

Although the comic book genre is a niche in Pakistan, Butt claims that a lot of these artists are not only underappreciated, they are also dispersed, which means they do not have any platform. “Even our senior cartoonists are underappreciated,” he said. “They do not even have a student following as artist.”

He said that some big names would be present at the festival, including cartoonist Javaid Iqbal and Ajaz Anwar. Anwar is an artist and whose father Anwar Ali created the character of Nanna in his cartoons.

He said that Farooq Qaisar, creator of Sargam, had been invited but due to his ailing health would only be sending a video message instead.

“The local arts council are always directly involved in comic cons world over and we have the support of Alhamra as well,” he said. “With this, we intend to have a collaborative group over the next three days where juniors and seniors will be participating.”

Around 20 comic books and graphic novels by Pakistani artists are expected to be launched at the event. These include CFX, Pasban, Zindaan -- a comic book by New York-based Pakistani artist, and a series of 13 comic books among others.

There will also be Cosplay, which is an integral part of global comic conventions. At the end there will also be comedian performances. Game developers will also take part in the festival and set up their stalls.

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2016