The event in San Diego started in 1974 as a meeting point
for people interested in science fiction, comic books and movies. It has since
grown into a four-day event with over 140,000 visitors and important industry
events involving computer games, pop culture, Japanese cartoons known as anime
and sale of memorabilia and merchandise.
The organizers of the event in the United Arab Emirates
are expecting 10,000 to 15,000 visitors.
Arafaat Ali Khan is the managing partner at ExtraCake PR,
which is organizing the event.
"We have been thinking about this since we were in
diapers, so it's been going on for a long time," Khan said.
"What we see now is that there is interest in the
infrastructure as far as stores over here stocking anime, [Japanese] manga
[cartoons] and comics," he said. "It's all coming together at the
right time."
"The genre is exploding in the Middle East. We have
a growth in the sales and bookstores are dedicating entire shelves to
comics," Khan said.
"Then there is the latest trend in this part of the
world - that is the talent of artists and writers that have no outlet for their
passion and to become serious artists," he said.
Khan said that the convention would be similar to the
ones held in the US.
"The main difference will be the market but we will
follow the tried and tested international ideas," Khan said. "We are
going to have expos, merchandise, games and show classical movies and hopefully
some new trailers."
Today the American comic and sci-fi events are used as
major marketing platforms for feature films. Movie stars, both past and present
from various genres attend to promote their latest works.
No special guests, however, have been announced for the
Abu Dhabi event as of yet.
Local comic book fan Saeed Sabbagh said the event would
be a good opportunity for networking.
"I hope to get awareness of a comic book I am
producing and networking within the comic book industry," Sabbagh said.
"I am looking forward to interacting with everyone and seeing what's out
there."
Nitin Mathew, a marketer of video games based in the UAE
said that he was also very
excited about the event.
"The United Arab Emirates is host to many
international events in the fields of business, technology and sport,"
Mathew said. "The Middle East Film and Comic Convention will add to that
with a bit of culture, not just putting Abu Dhabi on the map of pop culture,
but also exposing the residents of the country to some of the most iconic pop
culture brands and products in the world."
"The video game industry, of which I am part of,
will keep a keen eye on how this develops and will look for opportunities to
participate as well," he said.
"I know some of the guys at ExtraCake and they are
very passionate about this concept and I think we can look forward to seeing
that passion come to life and will go a long way in making this a
success," Mathew added.
Filmmaker Ashraf Ghori said that he hoped the fair would
provide an opportunity for him to screen his latest film.
"Being a regular at Comic-Cons in Texas in the early
1990s and also featured as an artist at many, I am thrilled that something this
ambitious is happening in this part of the world," Ghori told The Media
Line. "I say ambitious since there is no particular demand for comics and
collectibles in this part of the world as there is in the United States."
"Conventions in the United States arise out of
demand, a necessity to promote an already thriving industry," he said.
"In this part of the world, however, it will be the opposite, more about
educating and creating a demand through the Middle East Film and Comic
Convention."
"That said there are quite a few people I know who
are just as excited as I am about the Comic-Conand would attend it for
sure," Ghori said. "This could be the start of something really big
here."
"Personally some of the organizers have approached
me and I will be meeting with them," he said, "possibly to talk about
promoting my film 'Levity - Xero Error Minus1,' a sci-fi short about a
super-heroic cyborg on a journey through time."
One example of the new regional interest in comics is the
success of "99." It has been labeled the world's first superhero
comic based on Islamic culture, featuring 99 characters each with a skill set
inspired by the 99 names traditionally assigned to Allah in Islam.
Another success story is "Freej," an animated
series about four grandmothers living in Dubai, trying to adapt to living in a
modern city that was just a small village when they were young. When the
Cartoon Network announced earlier this year they would open an office in Abu
Dhabi, they also announced a distribution deal with the local production house
behind Freej, Lammtara.
