Comic fest: Bengalureans celebrate Harley Quinn's 25th anniversary

Bengaluru: Namma Bengaluru is known for its deep roots in pop culture. Often, you find youngsters in the city sporting the garb of their favourite superheroes and even supervillains. Well, Saturday saw a meet up of all comic aficionados to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the iconic antagonist, Harley Queen.

Puma Socials, in collaboration with Bengaluru Comic Con, saw local cosplayers battle it out to be crowned the most accurate representation of Batman and Harley Quinn. Quizzes were held based on heavy comic book trivia and Bengaluru became one with the DC Universe. Harley Quinn took the silver screen in Suicide Squad and since then, she has become a symbol for women everywhere. Akshitha Subramanium, a participant in the cosplay competition, says, “Harley Quinn is a personification of the more fun side of women in my opinion. She can be linked with the idea of independence in women, and how you don’t need to be the sidekick of your own story.”

Women superheroes/ anti-heroes have taken the centrestage in the movie world. “It feels like an uprising in woman centric protagonists and icons, something that I feel is a breath of fresh air after dealing with decades of male hero cookie cutter films and damsel of distress films,” says Manisha Maxson, a diehard Catwoman fan.

“For years, characters like Harley Quinn, were tucked away, while testosterone-fuelled stories of supermen were the highlight. This is a revolution of sorts, and it’s always nice to be a part of it.” Manisha adds.

A large number of women and girls were part of the event on Saturday. “I really expected this to be a nerd fest, with mostly me and my boys enjoying and taking home all the goodies. It’s a pleasant change, having so many women exploring the world of comics, movies, anime and videogames, more than the boys in fact,” says Pranav Aditya, who was in attendance as Batman’s alter ego, Bruce Wayne.