Comicology

Comic Con India – New Delhi - 2011

2011-02-19T08:10:00.005+05:30

In another few hours, India will have its first-ever Comic Con, a kind of which have been in existence in Americas, Europas, and Japan, for near 4 decades, but only has been in talk in India up recently. It’s truly a chance for India, to stake its claim in the international arena, with its range of offerings, which aren’t dictated by the Westerners or the Easterners. We here at Comicology, give you a heads-up on with few know-hows, and about what you could expect from the 2-day event extravaganza, set to showdown at the capital city of New Delhi. Convention for Comics, what about Book Fairs then? Books and its related Conventions have happened over the years, since the time it has come into existence. While a general Book Convention brings readers of all genre’s, it doesn’t focus on one particular way of story telling, or that matter an original take. Comics are the one’s which takes the story telling, and keeps it close to the ways in which it was originally been in use from...

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Chennai Book Fair – 2011 : Part 2 of 2

2011-02-15T23:59:00.000+05:30

We continue our coverage of Chennai Book Fair 2011 (CBF 2011). The first part of the same can be found here, detailing ACK’s Tamil launch. Vandumama and Vanathi If NHM was the talk of the Book fair, among Tamil Comic fans, then Vanathi Publishers (aka Vanathi Pathipagam, as its called in the native language) had its own share among the Nostalgic crowd, which grew reading the inspired writings by acclaimed children writer, Mr. V.Krishna Murthy, more famously known among the masses under his nickname, Vandumama. Being not so regular reader of Literary world, I am not much akin to the various publishing houses which ships out their range of titles every year. That includes Vanathi Publishers, whom I thought that had a tryst with Comics for sometime in the past, but never knew that they still are actively involved in promoting the old classics of Tamil Comics. Right after the Chennai Book Fair 2010, a fellow Comiker alerted that Vanathi Publishers had released a collected edition of...

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Chennai Book Fair – 2011 : Part 1 of 2

2011-02-14T23:00:00.000+05:30

Season’s rainfall might have played hide and seek, in this Southern city of India, for the New Year, but one common thing which has gelled with the book-fetish of Chennai, for the past 34 years, was starting the year with a place to cherish their reading passion, which is slowly taking a beating in this Instant world of World Wide Web, and Social Networking. January 2011, saw BAPASI hosting its 34th Chennai Book Fair, to kick off the new year, and we hoped to cover the event just like 33rd Chennai Book Fair, where we covered the news and events as it happened from the ground. But the reality and the disappointment surrounding the organizing of Book Fair, sunk in our resolve, and let the efforts of covering the event go down in vain. But, as I met and interacted with the fellow comikers, I realized that they were keen for our blog to continue reporting on our finds from the event, keeping aside the personal likes and dislikes (which I will reserve for the end of the post). As they...

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Cinebook – Backlist Titles | 2010 | Part I

2010-12-24T16:15:00.000+05:30

We are almost at the end of the year 2010, and still there are a lot to catch up at Comicology. I am trying to shake those cobwebs, as the new year dawns, and expect to go at them one by one through the eve. First up on the list is our old favourite, Cinebook – The 9th Art Publishers - the publishing house from the other side of the sea, but the one which still does business in India, as if it belongs here. We had covered Cinebook’s last two Indian batch releases in 2008 and 2009. But this time around, we are going to look at it in a different way, talking briefly about each of the series making the line-up. This would also help to better introduce new and old titles, as an exclusive review on them is going to take some time coming (considering the pace at which our blog moves these days :)). The biggest change in this set from the earlier ones is that, starting from 2010, there are no more double-issues, or 2-in-1 editions, in Cinebook’s line-up. Meaning, they are published as...

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Lion Comics #208 – XIII Collector’s Special | Oct ‘10

2010-10-30T09:56:00.002+05:30

Aren’t you surprised, to see a post at our blog, finally? Then you aren’t alone, as I for one is surprised on my own account. I was just finding a reason to be back, hoping to pit the blame on the usual suspect factors of day-job, and new found family commitments. But that option was used and re-used often, that they didn’t hold any credit, anymore. So, while having an inclination to be back, I was also trying to find an occasion for the same. And the occasions, there were plenty (more about it on a later posts), but the effort was equally demanding. So, what brought me out of my cocoon to post only the 5th post ever at Comicology for this year (you read it right, and believe me, it’s the last thing I would like to boast about)?? Well, you can say from the title, as it is the Return of the Tamil Comics master themselves, Lion Comics, with the long awaited XIII Collector’s Special, finally reaching its subscribers, in the process making their first appearance for the year, 2010. Do...

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Graphix – Bone #5-9 | Smith & Hamaker | 2010

2010-06-03T03:49:00.000+05:30

“When it rains, it pours” says an often used English idiom. While that isn’t the literal case with the season we are being subjected to in the Indian cities, it’s aptly applies to Jeff Smith’s Bone series publications in India. Yes, the long awaited Bone’s final set have come to the Indian stores, and I for one is happy as ever to read the conclusion to these anthropomorphic Bone cousins’ saga, in full blown colour. The first set, consisting of Bone #1 to #4, was released by Scholastic’s Indian arm, under their imprint Graphix, back in 2008. At the time of their Indian release, Bone #9, the last collection of this Scholastic series, was undergoing their new colouring effort, and we were wondering here at Comicology, that the remaining titles would be released along with the #9, once that is made available to the US stores. Colored Bone #9, eventually hit the stores in US on Jan 2009, and my hope of seeing the sets in India soon, were doubled. But, as it turned out it took more...

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Siruvar Malar – Faceache | Survival #12-22

2010-03-31T23:59:00.000+05:30

Have you heard about Ponzo Illusion, introduced by an Italian psychologist who lent his name to theory? Well, it says that “a human mind, judges an object based on its background”. I hope to weave the same magic, to hide my on and off presence off late, by bringing back a post series started way back at Comicology, in fact at the start of 2009. Yes, I am indeed talking about the longest running Children’s weekly in Tamil magazines, Siruvar Malar, and the longest ever comic series published during its golden run (more about it in the later part of the post). We had seen the legacy Siruvar Malar enjoyed during its golden run, in our Intro post, and also had noted about some of the changes it went through during that famed period, notably a successful conversion to a 32 page supplement, from a 16 page one, which was then considered a luxury for a free issue, like Siruvar Malar. Siruvar Malar’s sudden change from a 16 page supplement to a 32 page supplement, meant that they ...

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News – Return of Indian Superheroes | HT | Feb ‘10

2010-02-28T12:55:00.000+05:30

Those who are passionate about Comics among us would all agree that Comics in India, is largely an industry, which never got its due credit, compared to the ones which its counterparts in Americas, Europe, and Japan enjoyed. Did we not have the talent, or the interest, or the creativity?, what pushed us in the back corner of the alley, when other industries flourished? Much was to do with the way the then Indian comics publishers perceived the market, who instead of relying on the wealth which had to be nurtured within, were instead eager to tap to this business medium, by bringing in the foreign content for local publishing. What they did in the process, was to cut out the creativity, and uniqueness of Indian comics creators, who failed to get the necessary backing. And evidently, the success of such publications over test of time, remains the best lesson learnt. But, not all players followed the suit, as exhibited by a handful of publishers, who stood different and were ready...

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Comics & Chennai Book Fair – 2010

2010-01-15T04:22:00.000+05:30

This post was originally published on Jan 6, 2009, and has been further updated on Jan 15, 2009. Jump to the Updates Gone are the times, when a variety of books and magazines, used to fill my imaginations in those childhood days. The materials available then, which ranged from Novels, Weekly magazines, to Monthly editions, was able to cater to all sects of elders at home. Kids, weren’t left alone in the party, as they had a variety of children's magazines to drool on, in the likes of Indrajal, Amar Chitra Katha, Diamond, Chandamama, and our very own Lion/Muthu Comics, Poonthalir, or Siruvar Malar. The penetration of TV, and Satellite channels, into our houses, weren’t able to deter the elderly crowd who still loved the print medium, but it effectively diverted the new generation’s interest. Now, those old family get-together, have moved on to a new home, The Annual Book Fairs. Families throng the event, and do remember to bring their kids along with them. In a ray of hope that...

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Vimanika Comics - Moksha | The Sixth | #2 | 2009

2009-12-31T23:53:00.000+05:30

It’s been long, since we last reviewed an Indian Comics initiative in detail. If you count-off the old classics like Tinkle and ACK, it’s indeed been quite a long time since we reviewed one such. In fact, it was exactly this same month, a year back, and it was about an initiative from the new kid on the block, Vimanika Comics, talking of their debut release (#0 & #1). So, it is fitting that, when we thought of reviewing another title to close out the year 2009, we choose the #2 set from their stable, which was released early this year. So, without further adieu, here is the Moksha and The Sixth, with their second instalment. Vimanika Comics: Moksha #2 May 2009 | 32 Pgs | INR 40 | B5 | Color | Paperback If you recollect, Moksha #1 detailed the re-entry of Lord Hanuman in the timeless valleys of Hindukush Mountains, as he saves little girl, Indi, and turns the guardian angel for her....

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