Non-Indian Writers' Work
In 2002 the comic industry published a minor cult comic based upon contemporary Indian culture. Slave Labor Graphics of San Jose California published Bombaby the Screen Goddess. The comic introduced a character by the name of Sangeeta, who doubled as a dutiful daughter by day, and as a reincarnated Hindu goddess by night. The comic did not meet wide distribution, although it received acclaim and was featured in Time Magazine.
Although large western comic houses such as Marvel had used Indian superheroes and characters in the past, (such as Timeslip, Karima Shapandar, Neal Shaara, Indra and Captain Nemo), this was probably the first comic series to use an Indian character as its main protagonist. Other comic artists started similar projects, such as Grant Morrison's Vimanarama comic, and Marvel's Spider-Man: India project, which was the first major release by a large comic company, introduced India-based artists talent to the mainstream, and which was published in India by Gotham Comics. The title was inspired by the success of American comics in India.
Japanese manga artists have also produced numerous series with Indian themes, including the use of yogic terminology in Naruto, the Kushan Empire in Berserk, and numerous references to common gods and demons which Japan and India share thanks to the commonality of Buddhist influence in the two countries. A great many manga series are inspired by Journey to the West, the classic Chinese tale of Buddhist monks on pilgrimage to India. Some manga series which have Indian themes central to the plot are; the Buddha manga, Earth Girl Arjuna, Saiyuki and RG Veda. See:
- Bombaby the Screen Goddess
- Vimanarama
- Spider-Man: India
- Buddha
- RG Veda
- Earth Girl Arjuna
- The Monkey King
- Saiyuki
- Spriggan
- Naruto
- Berserk
- Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato
More recent developments within Indian publishing include the use of foreign editors and writers. Campfire, based in New Delhi, recently published three original graphic novel titles written by Lewis Helfand, Mark Jones, and Sidney Williams. 400BC: The Story of the Ten Thousand, Photo Booth: A Graphic Novel, and Dusk Society were commissioned by, writer and editor, Mark Jones.
Read more about this topic: Indian Comics
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