Graphic novels in India may still be in their nascent stage but they are slowly etching their own character. To make it relatable to the Indian audiences, writers are collaborating with indigenous artists.
As children, we take delight in picture books due to its easy-to-read text and discernable illustrations. And as adults, we naturally progress into the world of comic books and graphic
novels.
Most people grew up reading Asterix, Tintin and Archies. So did Pune-based artist Tejas Modak but he was also influenced by graphic novels like Watchmen, Sandman and Sin City. It was his love for comics that led him to publish his own graphic novel Private Eye: Anonymous in 2008.
His second book Animal Palette, where he has experimented with different styles of art, will be out in the coming month.
“The graphic novel can be a potent tool if there is a subtle balance between the text and images”, Modak explained. The story and graphics complement each other and people have to read between the lines and understand the hidden messages in the graphics.
Orijit Sen was the first one to venture into the world of graphic novel writing in India. His book, River of Stories released in 1994, was a political-social window into the ramifications of the Narmada dam project, which inspired other Indian graphic artists.
In 2004, when Sarnath Banerjee published his first graphic novel Corridor, he was optimistic that it would start the revival of novels in India. “Back then, bookstores did not even have a separate section for graphic novels,” the novelist said.
Now, most bookstores have a separate space for Indian writings in the graphic novel section where Banerjee’s recently published Harappa Files can be found. Graphic novels in India may still be in their nascent stage but they are slowly etching their own character. To make it relatable to the Indian audiences and to showcase the plethora of art the country has to offer, graphic novels have indigenous artists collaborating with writers. Gond artists Bhajju Shyam’s graphic novel The London Jungle Book and Durgabai and Subhash Vyam’s Bhimayana, portray stories in their native symbolic art form.
I See the Promised Land, based on Martin Luther’s life has the narrative by African-American writer Andy Flowers that is beautifully balanced by Manu Chitrakar’s Patua art. The novel was the result of a graphic novel workshop conducted by Tara Books.
Publisher Gita Wolf explained, “Graphic novels offer a very creative dialogue between the word and visual and offer space to experiment.” It offers them a chance to bring Indian picture storytelling traditions into contemporary discourse while retaining the essence of their visual language.
Historically, graphic novels were considered darker, with more mature content than the popular comic books. The stories were deeper, the illustrations experimental and the books were marketed towards a niche audience.
But now several writers, insist the terms are the same. “There’s not much difference between comic books and graphic novels,” Modak said.
“With advanced printing technologies, comic books are becoming as avant-garde as graphic novels,” he added.
Graphic novels are perhaps a publisher’s marketing gimmick.
“Most publishers think it is very prestigious to launch graphic novels”, agreed Banerjee, who started his own publishing house Phantomville to encourage talented comic writers and artists.
The first ever India Comic Con was organised in Delhi this year, which shows comic books and graphic novels are gaining popularity in the country.
Organiser Jatin Verma of Twenty Onwards Media said, “We have great talent in India but it requires grooming and obvious opportunities. We hope Comic Con India will provide a great platform to not only writers, artists and designers but to publishers and related businesses as well.”
The Comic Con Express, a travelling version of the main event, will tour different cities of India to create more comic book fans. It will start from Mumbai in October and there are plans to bring it to Pune as well, said Verma.
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