BUSAN (Yonhap) -- Comics and cartoon strips used to be the domain of professionals. Today, fans have also taken up the sketchpad, flocking to fan-made art conventions with their favorite series as the template.

Some of the most popular forms of fan art include illustrations and fanfics, or fan-written stories, of characters from comics, games and animation films. “Cosplay,” or dressing up as characters from those comics and games, is another widely followed way of enjoying a series. Among the more lucrative sectors are sales of character merchandise, such as coffee mugs, towels, mouse pads and transportation card tags with cartoon characters that are illustrated by fans.

Thanks to the internet and social media, the once-regional comic culture is gradually going global. The strong visual aspect of comics apparently helps in overcoming the language barrier. And amid the rise of e-commerce, some cosplayers have learned to outsource their costumes and objects from different countries as well.

“There are so many top-notch cosplayers on the global level.

It’s thrilling to see people from other countries click likes for my photos,” said Kim Dong-hyun, a 20-year-old student from Gyeonggi Province. Sometimes Kim uploads his cosplay pictures onto global cosplay websites, such as World Cosplay.

The young man traveled some 400 kilometers south to participate in Comic World Busan from Dec. 17-18. Comic World is one of the oldest existing fan-based comic conventions here, which launched in Seoul in 1999 and in Busan and Daegu in 2000.
 

For the Comic World Busan show, Kim whipped up a 19th century-inspired outfit with a tailored suit, cane and short leather-trimmed cloak. A plague doctor’s mask, which Kim ordered for $80 on Amazon, finished off the look. This is a character of his own creation and not from an existing comic, the young man said with pride.

Kim is not alone in placing international orders in preparation for the comic convention at home.

Lee, a 20-year-old student who majors in social welfare, wore a delicately adorned Christmas costume from China. Paired with a strawberry blond wig that she trimmed by herself, the dress turned out to be worth the price, slightly over $100. Her baby-face makeup, a mainstream trend in Korean makeup, worked well for her cosplay of Hanayo, a female character from Japanese animation film “Love Live.”

She said, “It’s not relevant to my field of study, but I like the feeling of watching myself turn into a totally different person. It’s like a special event that I can share with my friends of the same interest.”

Most visitors at Comic World shop around at the convention for adorable character goods and exciting fan comics after paying an entrance fee of 5,000 won ($4.16). Costs get a little more complicated for cosplayers, however, as they have to buy or make their own costumes and props.

Cosplayers who rely on costume makers save until about four months before the convention and place their orders. Wigs can be purchased online or in stores, though they have to be trimmed at hair salons or at home to match the costume. Prices vary depending on the material and brand, leading many to consult reviews about quality on fan-run blogs and online message boards.

Makeup services can get as cheap as 4,000 won when orders are placed through costume-specializing websites.

Those with a knack for designing and sewing definitely have the upper hand in costume making.

“One of my friends gave me some fabric for making hanbok (Korean traditional costume), and I started making my first-ever cosplay costume in my second year in junior high,” said a 20-year-old student who wished to remain anonymous. The male cosplayer, far taller than his peers at the Busan event, seized the attention of passersby with his shiny yellow-green dress and long locks.

He said his major, hanbok design, helped him sew costumes exactly as he imagines them. During vacation, he has time to receive commissions from other cosplayers for high-quality costumes. He is happy with his lucrative hobby, a small victory at the expense of a major argument with his parents when he was in high school.

“My parents yelled at me many times when I told them about my dream of designing, because they thought it was a shortcut to poverty. I yelled back and said it is my life and that I’ll be more than happy to give it a shot, no matter how I end up,” he said, satisfied with his choice.

Although Comic World is a fan-created convention for a largely imaginary world, it has some real hurdles to overcome. One of the challenges -- arguably the hardest for young teens-- is academic-focused parents who fear their children may lose interest in school and end up with falling grades.

The conventions are open to all ages, but social stigma that fan art is an immature hobby makes visitors shrink away about being recognized at the event.

Furthermore, while Comic World is widely recognized among comics and animation film lovers at home, the convention lacks a fan base and name value as Korea’s leading fan-made comic convention. This is largely due to the slower-than-expected growth of homegrown Korean comics in the global market.

Despite high-quality comics by Korean cartoonist, fan art on Japanese comics and games still take up the lion’s share at the Korean comic convention. But the event’s international visitors say this can change if Korean comic artists make more effort to reach out to global readers.

“Sometimes there are Japanese studios that hire out Korean studios for better quality animation, especially with some fighting scenes. That’s how I know Korean animators are of very high quality. But unfortunately, I’ve seen very little exclusive Korean animation films,” said Joshua, a 30-year-old American visitor, on Sunday.

The Ohio native said having English subtitles available for Korean animation clips and cartoons will contribute to their exposure to the global viewers.

He said, “Usually when I watch animations, a lot of them are fan-subbed. Some of them don’t have official English subtitles, so I have to download fan-made subtitles. Having English subtitles helps a lot. Then more people are likely to watch it.”