Thursday, June 03, 2010

The great Indian graphic novel

It was hard to fathom anything like the epic Mahabharata, until this – a graphic novel based on the Mahabharata. Indira Parthasarathy finds exciting times ahead for comic fans, even as she tries hard not to get lost in the semantics separating comics and graphic novels...

To be honest, I used to think graphic novels referred to the genre of books written by Dan Brown. All those symbols, codes, upside-down paintings, and then the triple exclamation marks… Disturbingly graphic.

Comics, I knew fairly well though; they, after all, are as integral to our childhood as bruised knees and summer vacations. "Chandamama" and "Amar Chitra Katha" (ACK) books were every preteen’s window to Indian history and mythology, before the television set us up. Remember mumbling invectives gleaned from Captain Haddock’s colourful vocabulary, or imagining our very own Asterix and Obelix – Chacha Chaudhary and Sabu – to the rescue, as the school bully sized you up. Those were the times I missed a Y-chromosome sibling most; also when I fancied some worthy opponent while indulging in Superman/Batman-like derring-do in the living room.

Comic or graphic novel, the nomenclature didn’t matter when Liquid Comics announced last month that the "Mahabharata" is to be reprised in comic book format by none other than Grant Morrison – the creator of "All Star Superman", "Batman and Robin", "The Invisibles" and other spectacular graphic tales. "18 Days" is set to hit stands (US markets) in August this year, but what’s new, one is wont to wonder, for aren’t we familiar with countless volumes of ACK dedicated to the seminal epic? Let Gotham Chopra (don’t miss the Batman reference in the spelling), co-founder of Liquid Comics convince you, “In a way, it honours those original ACK books, but also pushes the art in particular to a whole new level… (It) will capture the imagination of a global audience who is used to "The Dark Knight" and "Iron Man" and "Avatar".

Adds Sharad Devarajan, Liquid CEO, “'18 Days' takes one of the most enduring tales of the East and places it in the capable hands of Grant Morrison, one of the greatest storytellers of the West. Combined with the visual spectacle of Mukesh Singh's artwork, this is a book that goes beyond myth, beyond generations and beyond borders.”

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2009


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