Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Emraan Hashmi’s Mr X

Emraan Hashmi’s Mr X to feature in Chacha Chaudhary comics!

Emraan Hashmi’s Mr X to feature in Chacha Chaudhary comics!

The makers of the superhero film have teamed up with creators of the popular comic character for a special edition ahead of the film’s release

In an era where filmmakers are ready to venture new avenues to market their films, Vishesh Films has teamed up with a famous comic character who has ruled the hearts of millions over the years. We are talking about none other than Chacha Chaudhary, who has been kids’ favourite over the years. We hear that Mr X Emraan Hashmi will feature in a special edition of Chacha Chaudhary comics to solve an unsolved mystery.
Shikha Kapur, Chief Marketing Officer of Fox Star Studios says, ” The character of Mr X is an intriguing one – cloaked in his invisibility powers, he dares to use the law in his own way to correct the wrongs that have been unleashed in the system. We found a relevant and engaging connect with one of the most endearing icons in Indian popular culture -Chacha Chaudhary – the tireless crusader of justice and beloved of children for so many years. We are really happy to have Diamond Toons to partner with us in this unique association: to come up with an exciting comic book featuring Chacha Chaudhary and Mr X – two characters separated by age, but united in their intentions to fight crime rampant in our society.”
Mr X directed by Vikram Bhatt starring Emraan Hashmi and Amyra Dastur is all set to release onApril 17 and we hope that the film manages to strike a chord with viewers, just like the way Chacha Chaudhary connects with his readers in an endearing way

Monday, March 30, 2015

Vrica

Ready for some action?

Ready for some action?
A welcome deviation from the world of mythology, an indie publishing house has come out with a military-superhero comic 

Set in a land that is almost India but not quite, Vrica is a military-superhero action comic full of guns, blood, gore, histrionics and cussing. In an attempt to steer clear of themes that usually define the current Indian comic industry, Vrica takes the path less travelled by indigenous comic creators. Without gods, fantastical elements and pseudo-intellectual opinions clouding its pages, Vrica is a comic void of pretentions. It is a comic that serves no higher purpose. It doesn't preach and it doesn't even try to teach. What it tries to do is entertain the reader and nothing more. 
"Essentially, we wanted a comic that could go mainstream and appeal to the spandex fans as well as introduce elements of politics, military and technology in the narrative. We also wanted to break out from the mythology-fantasy hangover and give readers something that may sound generic prima facie (but was previously untapped). Plus, it is something that keeps one guessing," explains Aniruddho Chakraborty, co-founder, Chariot comics and writer, Vrica. 
Reminiscent of a first person shooter (FPS) video game, Vrica does indeed draw inspiration from one of the most epic FPS games ever created -- Call of Duty. With the characters and action setting the mood for what can be considered the beginnings of a political thriller, Chakraborty says that the action will lead to one major plotline that will develop over the years. 
A world with terrorist threats, innocents dying, dirty politics and state-of-the-art weaponry are all a part of a scenario most video game nerds (and Jack Bauer lovers) are familiar with. But what makes Vrica worth reading is the fact that an independent comic publishing house dared to make a comic that doesn't rely on popular characters from mythology, history or pop culture.

With the Vrica series, Chariot Comics introduced us to a whole new breed of superheroes who thankfully have some not-cliched stories to share with us.
All in all, Vrica as an idea is quite impressive. The characters are memorable, the dialogues well-written, the panels and lettering well thought-out. You have the typical tank, the brain, the brawn and the sexy to add spice to the plot. But this doesn't mean that it is perfect. The biggest problem with Vrica is thoughtless art: secondary characters in panels are drawn carelessly; colours are too dark and lines too many. But, having said that, for an indie publishing house with financial challenges, pulling off Vrica is impressive. After all, we have seen plenty of hackneyed stories supported by terrible art and colouring being published by giants of the Indian comic industry. 
But thankfully, Chakraborty has learnt quite a bit from the already published episodes of the series. "Of course, we were still on the learning curve with Dawn of the Wolf and we've made mistakes. But I think that's healthy, it's only natural and has allowed us to step up the game for the next instalment!" And even though money matters are of concern, the publishing house firmly states that they have quite a long way to go before they even consider selling out to mythology. Chakraborty and his team are happy doing whatever they love doing even if it requires them to have two jobs to pay their bills. 
With the new drafts of the forthcoming Vrica episodes looking better than the previous ones, here's to hoping that this league of extraordinary super people get their due recognition. With more and more publishing houses turning to depict military comics these days, it is only fair to respect those who set the trend. 

The author is the co-founder of StripTease the Mag, a magazine about comics and graphic novels from all over the world
source:-bangaloremirror.com

Chacha Chaudhary to Kalki

Chacha Chaudhary to Kalki: Transition of Indian Comic Book Heroes

SHARE 
You are about to take a journey into how the concept of comic book heroes has changed over the decades. Starting out with the classics, we move to the more recent super heroes where it seems that Hindu mythology has taken the Indian comic industry by storm!
1. Chacha Chaudhary
Super famous and loved by all, Chacha Chaudhary was the cool comic book kids used to spend their pocket money on in the 80s and 90s, when it was immensely popular. The series even had a TV show in the 90s. In 2009, Diamond comics tied up with License India to produce an animated series. The comic follows the adventures of Chacha and Sabu as they deal with different situations where Chacha uses his wits and Sabu his strength to defeat the bad guys.
2. Nagraj
image 2, comics, nagraj
Nagraj is one of the first super powered super heroes to hit the Indian comic book shelf. Created in the late 1980s, Nagraj is one of the longest running Indian action comic superheroes. He has super abilities like immortality, super strength, venomous breath, acid spit and the ability to conjure snakes from within his body.
3. Parmanu
image 3, comics, parmanu
Started in 1991 by Sanjay Gupta, Parmanu is another product of Raj Comics, adding to the ever increasing number of Indian superheroes on the comic medium. The story revolves around Vinay who acquires a super suit which makes him Parmanu (Atom). His suit gives him the ability of super speed, super flight, atom blasts, teleportation etc.
4. Super Commando Dhruva
image 4, comics, dhruva
First published in 1987, Dhruva is seen to mostly be associated with other superheroes and groups. He was born into a couple who were trapeze artists at a circus, where he acquired most of his acrobatic and martial arts skills. Although Dhruva does not possess any inherent superpowers, he makes up for it with his detective skills, scientific knowledge and acrobatics and martial arts.
5. Odayan
image 2, odayan
Odayan is a dark-hero series by Level 10 Entertainment, published in 2010. Odayan is the story of an underprivileged child, who takes control over most of the 15-16 century Kerala with his might and fierce Kalaripayattu.
6. Ramayan 3392 AD
image 6, comics, ramayan
Based on the Ramayana, Ramayan 3392 AD was written by Shamik Dasgupta and his team in 2006. The story deals with a post-apocalyptic world where the last kingdom of humans is fighting against demons to survive. The human prince, Rama alongside his brothers, aim to defeat the demon lord Ravan in order to bring balance to the world.
7. Munkeeman
image 7, comics, munkeeman
Inspired by the 2001 New Delhi incident when a Human Sized Ape like creature was rumored to be terrorizing the capital, Munkeeman is explained as a misunderstood Superhero who was the result of a failed scientific experiment. The series was released in 2011 by writer and director, Abhishek Sharma.
8. Kalki
image 8, comics, kalki
Kalki stands for the tenth incarnation of Vishnu, meaning holocaust. Created by Karan Vir, Kalki is shown as a dark, slender, handsome and youthful boy in his mid-teens who holds extreme hatred for all things unethical, corrupt and inhuman. He behaves like any average boy but in the night he goes hunting down the enemies of humanity- the modern day demons.
source:-baysidejournal.com

We need to invest more in India's comic book industry'



'

Sunday, 29 March 2015
  • Image credit: Vimanika Comics
Vimanika Comics was the first Indian company to launch a graphic novel in the India and the US. Their comic books and graphic novels are based on India mythology. Vimanika Comics is a part of Vimanika Edutainment Pvt Ltd, the company that aims to create stories based on characters related to the Indian, Asian and Celtic mythology. Their stories aren’t limited to the printed word; they also dabble in animated films, live action films, games, merchandising, and toys. 
The company began a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo on March 9 to raise funds to preserve the comic book genre in the South Asian region and UK, and to expand their geographic reach to Europe and North America. The thought behind the campaign is to create stories based on characters related to the Indian and Asianmythology – characters that reflect virtues that were considered common during that era, but aren’t as popular anymore. Each story professes to have a moral in it, and the claim is that the research is 100% accurate and backed by a professional team of professors, archaeologists and researchers. The campaign will come to a close on April 24, 2015.
In conversation with Karan Vir Arora, Vimanika’s CEO and founder. 
Why a crowd-funding campaign?
A crowd-funding campaign achieves the double objective of exposure to global audiences as well as raising funds for the cause of preserving comics in India. No other campaign is more efficient in its outlook and, therefore, Vimanika chose to start this campaign.
The comics’ scene in India seems to be attracting enough buzz. Is there a need to save it? 
Most people think that the comic scene in India is not that bad. However, if one observes closely, one sees that most comic book companies that were on the comic scene about 20-25 years ago no longer exist today. Those who do, such as Amar Chitra Katha, have a massively diminished presence. A few promising independent comic brands that launched their companies a few years ago have either diversified into other mediums for their content/characters or have shut shop. As a comic book company, we feel the need to galvanise this sector so that it gains the same status that the sector enjoyed about 20 years ago. For that, we need to invest more in financial terms in the Indian industry so that there is room for more publishers to enter.

Image credit: Vimanika Comics
Do events like Comic Con and books tours, or video games and other merchandise, help in the launch of a new comic?
Yes, comic con and similar activities showcase new comic work as well as related talent to the general public and comic book enthusiasts. These activities provide a platform for publishers as well as artists to launch new work, exhibit concept comic works as well as advertise existing works.
Indian and Asian mythology has been a strong theme in comics that do well in India. Why so? 
Both Indian and Asian mythology is grounded in culture and religion. Unlike the West, our part of the world has strong mythological role models due to which comic books with mythological themes have traditionally done well in Asia, particularly in India. At Vimanika, our core focus is Indian mythology/ancient history but we do have plans for books that are fictional in character based in our alternative banner Kalapani Comics.
 

Image credit: Vimanika Comics
Vimanika’s comics and stories have a strong emphasis on morals. Why?   
Morals never change. It would be incorrect to dub morality as either an old fashioned or a modern phenomena. The morality that old fashioned characters exhibit are very much in vogue today amongst those of our present generation, but probably in a different form. Those of us who are ethical in day to day life abide by the same moral themes that some of the older characters from mythology exhibit.
source:-dnaindia.com

Comic Invasion Night - A Bombastic night for all Bangaloreans



Hi,
 
Comic Invasion Night - City grooved  to its best beats on friday night!


Bangalore, March 30th , 2015’: Comic Invasion EDM Night was organised by Comic Con India at Vapour on March 27th. City grooved  to its best beats on friday night! The EDM night was organised as a precursor to setting the stage for and Flagging off Bangalore Comic Con 2015 which will take place in Bangalore From April 3-5’ 2015.


Bangaloreans put on their dancing shoes for the EDM night and showed up their energy level till the clock hit 12. Fans were seen dressed up in their favorite Characters and were seen getting themselves clicked with fellow fans. “Dj played some popular dance numbers and set the house on fire. There were some crazy bunch of people who rocked the stage and danced pretty good. Everyone had a good time,” said Nikhil Kataria, who was present at the EDM night.

An action packed Bangalore Comics Convention 2015  is all set to entertain Indian audience at White Orchid Convention Centre from April 3-5’ 2015 between 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Saturday, March 28, 2015

After Shaktimaan, it’s Jalebi woman and Ladoo boy as Indian superheroes


The Script
Win Tickets To See The Script .   Join On Twitter, Instagram n FB hotlink.com.my/LiveLifeLoud
Ads by Google
misti-doi-759-main Misti-Doi Man
Written by Aditi Malewar | New Delhi | Published on:March 26, 2015 2:23 pm
Marvel and DC comics have already given us enough superheroes to look up to. However in India, there were not many comic superheroes. Characters from TV series like ‘Shaktimaan’ became famous amongst children of 1990s. But now, Delhi based illustrator Raj Kamal Aich has given India our own desi superheroes.
With a sense of humour Raj Kamal has an art to convert regular Indian street food to strong and lethal superheroes.
Check them out yourselves:
idlii-man-759 jalebi-woman-759 Ladoo-man-759 misti-doi-759 Samosa-man-759
Raj Kamal is a graphic designer trained from Government art college in Kolkata. He is an Art Consultant, a Painter, a Photographer Par Excellence and a Digital Artist.

Lucie Lomová

Lucie Lomová: no bounds to reality


Comic books and graphic novels are rapidly becoming a popular and recognized form of Czech literature and they build on a tradition that in this country goes back well over a century. Lucie Lomová is one of the foremost representatives of the art form here and her books both for children and adults are hugely popular. A testimony to her talent is the fact that her books have even made an impact in France, the spiritual home of the comic strip. She talks to David Vaughan.
Lucie Lomová, photo: Robert SedmíkLucie Lomová, photo: Robert Sedmík When Lucie Lomová’s graphic novel, Divoši (The Savages) came out in 2011, it was something of a publishing sensation. With wonderful attention to visual and historical detail, she tells the moving and true story of the Paraguayan Indian, Čerwuiš, who was brought to Prague at the beginning of the 20th century and held up a mirror to our European civilization. This book, possibly more than any other helped to make the graphic novel part of the Czech literary mainstream, and it is just one of a several books for adults that Lucie Lomová has published over the last few years. She has been just as successful with her comic strips for children, which have kept their appeal even in the age of the iPhone and laptop. I asked Lucie where it all began and she went back to her childhood in the late 1960s.
“We were in Chicago in America with my parents because my father was working at the university there. I was going to kindergarten and we were drawing pictures. I drew a picture with a magic carpet and I was sitting on that carpet. And the text under the carpet was: ‘I’m going to visit my three grandmothers in Prague.’ The teacher was a little bit upset because she thought I didn’t speak English. She insisted on two grandmothers, but I insisted on three because my great-grandmother was included. So I remember this. Much later, when I made the book ‘Anna Wants to Jump’ there is a cover picture where Anna is flying in the air among the clouds, and this reminded me of the first image I remember, because it’s the same idea – that she wants to fly somewhere else.”
And do you think that the fact that you spent part of your childhood abroad in America has been formative in your work as an artist and comics maker?
“Yes, definitely, because it was in 1969 to 1970 and it was the time of pop culture and it was so different from Czechoslovakia at that time that it was like switching from black-and-white TV to colour. A big influence were the American comics of the time, because I wasn’t able to read English – I wasn’t able to read at all – because I was five years old and comics are easy to understand even without words. So it was my tool, how to start reading.”
And when you came back to Czechoslovakia, it wasn’t a world completely without comics, was it?
‘Anna Wants to Jump’, photo: Meander‘Anna Wants to Jump’, photo: Meander “No, of course it was not. I have some comics from my grandmother – Punťa, he was a little dog, and his girlfriend, having different kinds of adventures, and this was from the 1930s. And then there is the big tradition of Rychlé šípy – everybody knows them and I think almost everybody loves them. They were also my heroes…”
They are a group of boys – the Swift Arrows – who don’t so much get up to mischief as spend their time putting things right.
“Of course, they are completely positive heroes. But they do have some funny character features.”
And when you were growing up, did you decide to study fine art?
“I was always drawing and I thought that I should learn something else. So I decided to go to the theatre academy and I thought I could be a playwright. But all the time I was drawing and I started to publish cartoons in a magazine called Dikobraz – porcupine – at the age of about eighteen.”
This was still in the communist period. Did you have a sense that you could do what you wanted or were you aware of the censorship or self-censorship that was hanging over society – because cartoons are a very subversive medium in many societies?
“Yes. Of course the Porcupine magazine was published by communists, but there were also people who were trying to push through some satirical ideas. Of course it was toothless at that time, but still it was possible to publish some cartoons that were not dealing with ideology.”
So what was the first longer comic that you did?
“Maybe it was Anča and Pepík.”
These are classic comic strip or cartoon figures – two mice having adventures – but somehow they captured people’s imagination and became extremely popular.
‘Anča and Pepík’, photo: Academia‘Anča and Pepík’, photo: Academia “Yes. They are almost like people. The only difference is that they have mouse heads. It’s a bit of an old-timer world, because they have no mobile phones or computers. They are not brother and sister but they are friends and they live in two little houses near the wall on the edge of the city which is called Ušín – you might call it Mousetown. Some of the stories are fairytales, some are detective stories.”
One thing that had a major impact on you was travelling to France.
“Yes, I have a special feeling for France because my first comic books for adults were initially published in France, thanks to a series of coincidences. Since then I published all three of my books for adults there. My publisher lives in Angoulême which is a city where the most famous festival in the world takes place and the whole city lives with comics. They also have house where comics authors and animators come to. I applied there and they gave me a grant and a residency for two months.”
And France is a world power when it comes to comic strip – bandes dessinées. It must have been very stimulating for you being in that environment.
“Here there are only a few of us doing comics and in Angoulême there was a house full of about twenty people who were solving similar problems like me. So it felt like a seventh heaven.”
The graphic novel that opened the door for you to travel to France was “Anna chce skočit” (Anna wants to jump) which is not for children.
“No, it’s not for children. The story is not easy to describe because the plot is very complicated. It’s like a road movie, where the events are piling up on each other and it’s a personal story of the main character Anna who is discovering her own history and her own family history. She finds out that she has a twin sister and that her family history is very firmly bound with the history of Czechoslovakia. It’s in black-and-white and I used two graphic styles, one for dreams and for retrospectives which are very important and the simplified black-and-white shades of grey for the present.”
And I’d like to ask you about the book that came after Anna Wants to Jump, which is Divoši (The Savages). Of all your books it’s probably the one that has been most talked about and written about.
'The Savages', photo: Labyrint'The Savages', photo: Labyrint “It is the story of Čerwuiš, an Indian from the Paraguayan Gran Chaco, who was brought to Europe at the beginning of the 20th century.”
And this is a true story.
“Yes. I was fascinated by the true story. It was the reason why I chose it.”
There is a lot of attention to historical detail, which I love in the book. You really have gone out of your way to make sure that the backdrops – for example Prague at the turn of the century, are very accurate.
“I studied historical photographs a lot and I was going to museums and looking at old photographs, because the town and the society is a kind of character in this book. The story is about how the world was changing and how the new world is killing the old one. And the same process was happening in the city, because Prague at the beginning of the 20th century was a mixture of old dying houses and quarters. It was also the time when the Jewish Quarter was destroyed and new houses were built there and the whole society was very quickly changing. And I wanted to show the face of the town very precisely.”
And since the book The Savages you’ve written a detective graphic novel with a rather unusual detective in the form of an old lady investigating a murder.
“Yes, her name is Dita Oulipská and she’s a theatre critic. I loved this character because she’s not a very nice one, you know, she’s quite strict and not very polite. She doesn’t look very good, but she’s a charming personality and a very specific one. The other character is her husband, who is a detective and they together are solving the problem of who has killed an actor.”
And in this story you’ve returned to black-and-white from the colour of The Savages. It’s a kind of timeless world. It could be the present but it could also be fifty years ago.
“It’s similar to Anča and Pepík’s world because you cannot say when it takes place. Maybe it takes place in my head only. There are no bounds to reality.”
I’d like to ask you about being a graphic novelist in the Czech Republic. Do you feel that it’s understood and respected in this country?
“I think now it’s changing very much. It’s only now that different sorts of comics are appearing. It will take some time until people realize that comics are not only for teenagers but it’s a process which is very fast-moving.”
The world of comics is also quite often seen as a predominantly male world.
'The Savages', photo: Labyrint'The Savages', photo: Labyrint “This is connected with the fact that in the mainstream comics the majority of them are about superheroes and it’s definitely the world of men and boys. Girls have different kinds of heroes. But now, as comics are changing so fast, you can even find comics which are mainly for girls and I don’t like this dividing of the audience very much, because you never know who will be interested.”
Where do you go from here?
“Now I am taking time out of comics because I am back at Anča and Pepík, in that I’m doing an animation series for Czech TV, which is based on several stories about Anča and Pepík.”
With an animated TV series at first sight I would think that it is very similar to what you’re doing when you do a comic strip, but it’s actually a very different skill, isn’t it?
“Comics are very different, because the reader can choose his time for reading and can skip through the pages, and this fact of space is very important. When you are watching a movie you are ordered to perceive it in specific time, which is not chosen by you. It’s as though someone is guiding you, while in comics you are your own guide.”
So you are looking forward to getting back to comics again.
“Yes, I am!”
Source:-radio.cz

Friday, March 27, 2015

‘Buraaq’ Muslim superhero aims to foster positive values

Muslim Superhero ‘Buraaq’ Aims to Foster Positive Values
By: India West
SourceIndia West
A Muslim superhero featured in a series of action-packed comic books is set to make his debut in a 3D animated series with the goal to inspire ethnic equality and convey positive messages by embracing the universal values of humanity, justice and tolerance.
Buraaq, the first Muslim superhero by Muslim artists, has been co-created by Adil and Kamil Imtiaz of SplitMoonArts, which was founded in December 2010.
The duo, who grew up reading Marvel and DC comic books and drawing comics for fun, realized that there were very few Muslim characters in mainstream entertainment.
This led them to create “Buraaq” with the goal of countering the negative portrayal of Muslims in the media and changing the way they are perceived.
The first issue of “Buraaq” was met with a positive response from international readers upon its release in San Jose, Calif. in January 2011.
In an effort to take the superhero to the next level, a crowdfunding campaign was launched Mar. 2 through LaunchGood for the “Buraaq” 3D animated series “The Rise of a Hero.”
Buraaq is the alter ego of Yusuf Abdallah, an operations director of a large relief organization who resides in the fictional Nova City. He goes on adventures to different parts of the world, using his powers of super strength, flying and ability to control the elements.
“Our central theme always revolves around Islamic values that are universal and a moral code that is inherent in all major religions. This, of course, is packaged with the elements of mystery, action and adventure.
“We want readers to have fun and at the same time be reminded of our higher purpose in this life. We like to stay away from ambiguity and convey a clear, positive and inspirational message,” said SplitMoonArts in a press release.
The “Buraaq” comic book series is available at splitmoonarts.com.