Voices, stories, characters: Moments that defined Day 2 of ComicCon Astana
Kazinform News Agency correspondents continue reporting from the sidelines of Kazakhstan’s largest pop culture event, ComicCon Astana 2025. Day two of the festival featured actor Esai Morales’ on-stage insights, modern interpretations of Kazakh mythology, and a cosplay challenge that invited participants to stay in character through performance.
Esai Morales’ candid interview
On the second day of the festival, the main event was a Q&A with one of the three headliners of ComicCon Astana 2025, American actor Esai Morales, known for his role in Mission: Impossible. During the session, he shared his first impressions of Kazakhstan, talked about filming with Tom Cruise and preparing for roles, including night training in the ocean and flight training.
Morales also introduced his idea for a superhero who can stop conflicts with love. The full version of the session is available via the link.
Kazakh mythology in modern comics
Comic writer Pavel, best known as Pasha Geek, presented a project inspired by Kazakh mythology. He explained that the idea originated after a colleague encountered a statue of an assyk, a traditional Kazakh game piece made out of sheep bone. This discovery sparked a conversation about cultural representation in modern media, ultimately leading to the development of a graphic story based on regional folklore.
When discussing the research process, Pavel noted that while much of the material is accessible in Russian, the content itself was unfamiliar and required conceptual adaptation. He focused primarily on fairy tales, while his collaborator studied physical landmarks, such as the Aral Sea.
“Indeed, the Kazakh epic turned out to be very interesting. Here we have literally reproduced the tale of the seven-headed vampire granny. I just couldn’t pass by; it even sounds cool. We reproduced it in a modern manner. We made a slightly horror, epic, bloody, but at the same time interesting story,” Pavel said.
The author also announced work on a new comic, The Power of the Steppe, created in collaboration with Kazakhstani artist Stas Kudryaev. While Pavel will assist with story development, the mythological content will be handled by the local illustrator for greater cultural authenticity.
How would you shake my hand?
On Day Two, Kazinform correspondents launched an interactive trend titled ‘Shake my hand in character,’ which invited cosplayers to perform a simple action, a handshake in the style of their character. Participants were asked to remain in character and interpret the gesture according to their role’s personality. The results ranged from humorous to dramatic and formal, all showcasing a high level of creativity. A compilation video of the results was published on Kazinform News Agency’s social media platforms.
On the opening day of the festival, Kazinform also shared interviews with young cosplayers, who actively participated in the event, bringing their favorite characters to life.
