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For some comic relief

Virgin Comics may yet be the voice of the new Indian generation

PHOTO: BHAGYA PRAKASH K.

THE USP Sharad Devarajan and Gotham Chopra will use classic tales banking on the Indian ethos of seeing everything in grey rather than black and white

There has long been a vacuum in the Indian comics market, one that has always been inexpertly filled by static reproductions of mythology and history by publications like Amar Chitra Katha on the one hand, and mass marketed but culturally alien reprints of popular American comics. For those who find themselves vacillating between these two extremes in search of a product that combines the best of both worlds, the newly formed Virgin Comics might come as a welcome change.

"The overarching theme behind Virgin comics is reinterpreting classic Indian stories and making them relevant to today's youth," said Sharad Devarajan, CEO and Publisher, at the launch of the company's first lines of (Devi, The Sadhu, Snakewoman and Ramayan Reborn) comics in Bangalore. "Comics like Amar Chitra Katha have not evolved artistically or story-wise. The present generation doesn't want to hear the same stories all over again."

Instead, Virgin promises to use classic tales as a springboard for the creation of newer, more contemporary versions of myth — representations of "the Indian ethos of seeing everything in grey rather than black and white".

Iconic Indian ideas

But after all this time in a world primarily dominated by American ideas and themes, one might ask, why pick Indian stories now? "There are a lot of iconic Indian ideas that are relevant to the global market. There are many inspiring attributes and archetypes in Indian myths. We have a lot to mine from," said Gotham Chopra, Editor-in-Chief and Chief Creative Officer of the company that is a collaboration between Virgin, Intent Media and Gotham Entertainment Group.

In that sense, the company has a lot of models to look at and learn from, the most successful of which have been the Japanese forms of manga and anime. Reportedly, the worldwide market for manga stands at somewhere near $5 billion. Indeed, manga represents some of the best lessons for Indian comic makers, pointed out Gotham and Sharad, with the need for authenticity topping the list. According to Gotham, what will set Virgin Comics in a league of its own is authenticity of the story and the myth. "There is a lot of copycat manga in the U.S., but it has always been rejected by the readers as unauthentic," explains Sharad.

In this pursuit of authenticity and quality, the company is working on creating a platform for indigenous artistes and writers. Thus, although some of its first collaborations boast big names such as John Woo and Guy Ritchie, it is working on going the long haul with local talent that has had success creating content with a local spin. "We are working with writers like Samit Basu and Ashok Banker, who have had success in the Indian market. Moreover, we have a talent base of about 75 artists and writers," said Gotham. "We are going to art schools and studios and so on, but we are also scouring other sources. We go wherever the talent is." Adds Sharad: "Our next big find might be a temple artist or someone who does billboards. More than the physical specifics, it's about the mind. We are looking for creators who can approach problems differently." Moreover, the company is not merely interested in finding great artists and putting them on an assembly line, which is what has been generally happening in the country until now. "Other companies are very good at getting the talent, but bad at making artists out of them. They only know how to make technicians."

For the sceptic, the chances of a small Indian company breaking its way into a market dominated by American giants seem slim. However, countered Sharad, it is the size and long history of such giants that hurts them. "They've had years to get stale and stagnate. We can pull the rug out from under their feet." Besides, he clarified, slightly softening his stand, the fact that there is a large market for Spiderman and other super heroes does not mean that there is no market for what Virgin is putting out. "We aren't competing in their game. We are looking for a whole new dimension." And judging from the way the U.S. market has reacted to the initial releases, they seem to have found that dimension. "The U.S. comics market is saturated with over 700 titles coming out every week. But Devi, our first release, managed to get into the top 100 and has held its own. We have already gone to the press three times since the launch," says Sharad.

And so you have it — the voice of the new Indian generation, in the form of "organic stories from modern urban cities," as Gotham put it. All that remains to be seen is if young India likes the way Virgin Comics says it sounds.

RAKESH MEHAR

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