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Superhero’s new avatar

Photo (left): Bhagya Prakash K.

PROCESS UNDERWAY Illustrator Jeevan (sitting) and writer Mahesh believe that a local animation style needs time to evolve

There has always been something more to a Sachin Tendulkar innings than mere batting prowess. After all, as any fan will tell you, watching the Master Blaster in his prime was more akin to a supernatural fantasy than simply good sporting action.

Kudos, therefore, to Virgin Comics for showcasing this modern mythology in the comic book universe, even as Sachin seems to have finally been proven to be merely human in the cricketing world. The comic, titled Sachin Tendulkar’s Master Blaster, arms our hero with the legendary Blade of the Masters, fighting a villain whose amulet of power holds 11 spirits. The Master Blaster’s blade is his source of power, and additionally he is clad in an incredible suit of armour whose powers, according to the comic’s illustrator Jeevan J. Kang, increase or decrease according to the consistency of his performance in battles. Besides Sachin, the various other characters in the comic book are modelled on cricketers such as Don Bradman, Krish Srikkanth, Allan Border, Rod Marsh, Abdul Khader and so on, he says. “There are many idiosyncrasies that a lot of us identify with cricket that can be extrapolated and used, particularly in humorous situations,” explains Mahesh Kamath, the writer behind the project.

As far as superheroes go, says Jeevan, The Master Blaster (which is aimed at children over the age of eight) will not be a radically different avatar because “it wasn’t our objective to set him apart from every other sup erhero. He’s more of a combination of every superhero put together. There’s a little bit of all the comics we grew up with and love, even a little bit of Lord of the Rings.” The primary objective, he explains, was for Sachin to serve as an inspirational icon. “We want to use Sachin as a platform, as an existing icon and create an even bigger icon. Sachin is a testament to what any human can achieve if they set the bar high enough and go after their goals.”

Of course, working with an icon like Sachin has its inherent difficulties, points out Mahesh. “We have to be very conscious of the fact that we cannot create any fictional event that harms the reputation of the real-life persona. So we can’t show Master Blaster killing anybody, being defeated and so on.” Despite these challenges, however, says Jeevan, Master Blaster seems to be falling into place all on its own accord. “This is one of those projects where everything just automatically falls into place. It has been so much fun. We haven’t really faced any roadblocks on this project, and even the limits of what we can do with the character have been fun to work with.”

The comic that is being germinated in English will appear on the stands in the coming weeks, and will also soon be brought out in other Indian languages, reports Suresh Seetharaman, President of Virgin Comics and Virgin Animation. In addition, it will also travel overseas to other comic markets such as the US. Which brings up the question of how readers in a non-cricketing nation might relate to an idea like Master Blaster? “That’s a question we have made sure to ask ourselves at every stage of this comic’s development,” says Suresh. “The first premise that every product of ours is based on is a strong story. The comic may be based on a game or a sports personality, but the foundation of it is still good entertainment. If you’re a cricket fan, that may help you enjoy the comic more, but not knowing cricket doesn’t exclude you from this product.”

With nearly half-a-dozen indigenously-created titles under their belt, all scoring rather admirable sales figures in the Indian and overseas markets, Jeevan and the rest of the Virgin Comics gang are certainly optimistic about the future of the comic industry in India. “People are realising that this is the fastest way to explore new age ideas and concepts. And with the growing connectivity and availability of comics, they are poised to become the next big thing,” says Jeevan. As for the development of a completely indigenous comic vocabulary, Jeevan adds that attempts are underway to create a local animation and writing style. “But that is not something that can evolve overnight. If you look at the history of Manga vs Western styles of animation, their development took close to 70 or 80 years. I’m not saying that it will take as long for us, but it can’t be forced. It has to evolve on its own.”

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