Archive for June, 2007
Publication: Rediff.com
Date: June 03, 2007
URL: http://www.rediff.com/news
Batman, Superman and Spiderman may now have to pack-up their hoods in
the US as American fans of comics appear to be hooked on to tales of
characters inspired by ancient Indian mythology. The ‘Ramayana Reborn’
comic series, set against a futuristic background, has sold over two
lakh copies in just four months since its launch in US.
The 30-part series, being published by Virgin Comics (the new
entertainment arm of British industrialist Sir Richard Branson [Images])
is receiving a “very favourable response”, says Samarjit Chaudhary, Vice
President Marketing of Gotham Comics, which has tied up with the former
to publish its titles.
The US readership numbers indicate Indian-inspired content was picking
up, be it Ramayana or titles ‘Devi,’ ‘Sadhu,’ ‘Snake Woman’ churned out
by celebrities like famous director Shekhar Kapoor and spiritual guru
Deepak Chopra. ‘Devi’ sales crossed the 3 lakh mark while the ‘Sadhu’
and ‘Snake Woman’ titles have crossed the 2 lakh mark in just four
months, he said. “Indian-inspired content has begun appealing to kids
globally. Indians, I think are one of the best storytellers in the
world.
We know some of the best stories and we know how to tell them well,” he
added. Repackaging of old tales and telling them in a “global language”
using a visual format was what turned the dice in the favour of India,
said Samarjit.
It is the “freshness” in the Indian tales that were appealing to the
Western readers, who hitherto had been brought up on a staple diet of
space heroes flying over the city, unleashing sticky webs, careening
walls, shooting down targets and vanishing into the darkenss of the
night.
However, Virgin comics new titles like the ‘Sadhu’ takes off in a
different world, which are several light years away from the Supermans
and Spidermans of the world.
Set in the background of the British Raj in India, the protagonist,
James arrives from the Western continent to India to be part of the
Queen’s army that has been entrusted the task of crushing a recent
mutiny.
However, the tranquility of the Indian seas, the long shadows thrown by
the its thick forest, the enigma of its culture, endears him to India
and he unconsciously finds himself in a mission that he was destined to
lead. The Indian concepts of ‘karma’ ‘destiny’ and ‘time’ are the new
hinges on which these new stories move around. Indian concepts like
destiny being the controller versus the Western notion that man creates
his own destiny, appears to have got these readers, who were looking for
deeper meanings in life, hooked on the Indian comic masala.
“In the entertainment industry, it is novelty or freshness that drives
the market, including comics,” he said.
The popular Indian concept of nagin makes an appearance as the
‘Snakewoman’ stalking the streets of Los Angeles, to seek revenge.
The images of the ‘nagin’ unleashing her venom with a ‘hissing cry’ may
all be popular in India, but in the West, it has a new appeal.
On the other hand the title ‘Devi’ has all the trappings of Goddess
Durga or a woman incarnate with supernatural powers, out to avenge
injustice. Dressed in modern apparel, she wreaks revenge in a
contemporary set up.
“We find that characters like ‘Sahdu’, ‘Devi’, ‘Snakewoman’, all have
the potential to grow into comic icons, down the line, if nurtured
properly,” said Samarjit.
Right now India is witnessing a revival of home-grown talent as several
Indian creative minds have been roped in to work on comic strips
targetted at global readers.
“Writers, artists, visualisers with Indian background are being roped in
to co-produce these comic strips along with international teams,” he
said.
The comics loaded with Indian philosophy are being lapped up both in
India and abroad.
“Today’s kids are more mature and looking for meaning and answers early
in life,” he added. “Today’s consumers of comics are extremely young,
mainly in the below 17 group. Hence, we need to talk in their language,
their idiom, their contemporary issue. Why have images of bullock cart
when we speak of satellites,” he said.
Working on this cue, the Ramayana series has characters carrying
energy-based weapons as opposed to bows and arrows. Virgin is also
coming up with a series on master blaster Sachin Tendulkar [Images], he
said.