TYF Column: Comicon Invades Caribbean

From since I was thirteen, the world of comics and anime has always amazed me. It was like a temporary escape from the real world and being young, I gladly opted to go on crazy adventures with Luffy or soul reaping with Ichigo compared to doing boring schoolwork or being around my annoying older sister. Yet, as I got older, anime started to take second fiddle when I decided that I wanted to be a writer and slowly, we grew apart. It wasn’t until some days ago when I came across a Comicon flyer on my school’s notice board, that I was once again reunited with the world of fantasy and adventure that I once loved.

Now, I’ve always heard about Comicon and was bedazzled every time I saw pictures of people cosplaying but having lived in the Caribbean for nearly all of my life, I’ve never gotten a chance to take part in anything even slightly related to Comicon. Granted, in high school, there were always Yu-Gi-Oh! tournaments and constant anime talk.

So just imagine how I felt when I heard a comic convention was actually going to take place right here thanks to some locals who also favored the world of action and super human abilities. After rounding up a couple of friends and practically begging on my knees for money to go from my mother, the world of ultimate awesomeness and myself were inches away from being reunited.

As I walked through the doors of the hotel where Comicon was being held, I expected nothing less than the fresh scent of limited edition comics, sweat from fingers that were already wearing down game consoles and the sweet sensation of being around people who enjoyed anime/comics as much as me. However, what I didn’t expect was to see people actually cosplaying their favorite anime/comic characters. I mean, if you’ve ever visited the Caribbean, you’d know that we aren’t the type of people to behave shyly about anything we’re seriously passionate about. Yet, knowing that this isn’t a usual thing that is done in this part of the world, I was purely fascinated by the fact that there had been such a large number of cosplayers. Also, there’s something so surreal about having your favorite anime and comic characters within reach.

DC and Marvel characters were probably the first set of cosplayers to show up in more than dazzling costumes (the costumes are said to be 75% hand-made). Around five or so Supermen showed up with about two Wonder Women beside them. Black Widow manned the collectors table while Cyclops decided it was fashionable to arrive late. But the real characters of the day were Bane and Poison Ivy. The cosplayers did a more than excellent job designing their costumes and stayed in character for almost half of the convention. Later on, there were appearances by Kisuke Urahara from Bleach, characters from Halo who hand-made their whole outfit down to their weapons and even Darth Vader showed his face (well..mask). Not really a big Star Wars fan, I was still ecstatic to have a one-on-one battle with a master Sith Lord. When the light sabers weren’t exactly working for me, Bane stepped in but was quickly conquered by Vader who used the force. Luckily, a Jedi showed up and put Vader in his place. While cosplayers and anime/comic fans interacted and discussed their favorites, door prizes such as PS3 games and upcoming movie posters were being randomly given away. I didn’t win even a single ticket to see a movie in IMAX! Feeling lesser than Gollum, I ventured through the other entertainment they had. From playing Injustice: Gods Among Us against pro gamers to trying to win my very own Pokemon trainer’s hat at Anime Darts, I lost everything royally.

Thankfully, there were other attractions that didn’t include snatching my dignity such as discovering hidden new talent. I wasn’t even aware that Trinidad bred their own comic artists. Shaun Riaz, one of the very talented comic artist there, drew beloved DC and Marvel characters right on the spot in no time at all. He had his work on sale and comic collectors devoured most of them. With the specks of luck I had left, I was able to get two amazing drawings of Flash and Canary. Chris Riley, another local artist who was present drew comics strips titled Terror of the Midnight Robber. Terror of the Midnight Robber follows the story of Richard Ramses, a young man drawn into the dark supernatural world of Trinidad and Tobago. If you’ve ever vacationed in the island of Trinidad and Tobago, you’d know that Carnival is one of the biggest cultural and tourist generating events of the year. The Midnight robber is one of the many characters of Carnival and is supposedly a villain.

As prizes were won and games were locked off to the dismay of some die-hard gamers, the event came to a close. I couldn’t believe how great this convention had gone. I’d not only regained connection with my favorite hobby but I even made a couple of new friends too. And who knows? Next time I might even cosplay as a certain alien princess who joined a group of crime fighting teens. Who knows.

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