The stretch of wings and a flap helped 22-year-old Hari Teja, a.k.a Vulture, swoop in on the Costume-Play Contest win at the Hyderabad Edition of Comic Con on Saturday.
Built from foam and PVC pipes, Teja’s costume was an impressive copy of the Marvel character, replete with propellers and stretchable wings. It took six weeks and around ₹5,000 for the newly-minted architect to make the costume, but it seemed worth the effort given the win that earned Teja ₹50,000!
“I designed a 3D model on computer, based on the character’s toys and portrayal in a Spider Man film which released earlier this year,” he said. On Saturday, he walked onto the stage, unfolded the wings and turned on the propellers to win the prize money.
“I tried to make it as real as possible. The propellers have a circuit and battery to power them. I only wish the suit could make flight,” the die-hard comics fan added. Incidentally, Teja had also won the contest last year with a Batman suit.
The first day of Comic Con saw thousands of comic lovers dressed in costumes of their favourite characters, from Superman to Mario. The HICC arena came alive with groups enacting scenes from superhero films, visiting merchandise stalls, posing for selfies with lively character mannequins, and marvelling at costumers of other fans, while DJ Elliot, a DJ from Walt Disney, kept the gathering alive with his beats.
A session on the art of making comics by artists Abhijeet Kini and Akshay Dhar was held. The event’s special guest, Joe Harris, a writer for X-Files, discussed his work and comics in a chat.
On Sunday, the final day of the event, a session with Argentinian artist Martin Morazzo would be held. A session on creating comics for the web and an interactive chat with a WWE Indian wrestler, are part of the schedule.
The event’s costume-play contest is scheduled in the evening.