BENGALURU: Gone are the days when we used to see comics or graphic novels as synonymous with cartoons for children. While there had always been a presence of visual narratives for young adults like Archie comics, there has been a drastic rise in the various artistic styles and the type of content when it comes to graphic novels in recent years, whether it be visual adaptations of classics like George Orwell’s 1984 to critically acclaimed novels like Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis.
One of the most well-known names in the Indian graphic novel circuits, artist Appupen says that there has been a rise in the consumption of graphic novels in recent years. “It’s much better than it was 15 or 20 years ago. But I think there are a lot more interesting creators and there are a lot more readers also. Our mainstream has been permeated by comics in different forms,” says Appupen whose graphic novel Dream Machine: AI and the Real World about the perils of AI will be released soon.
Appupen says he is interested in bringing more stories from the hinterland to the mainstream, which has led to discussions of adapting a novel with renowned author Perumal Murugan. “We are adapting Vaadivaasal which is an old novel from the ’50s by CS Chellappa about Jallikattu. It’s a very popular book in Tamil, and the story is well-suited for a visual adaptation. I also want to do a Malayalam story like this because these are the kind of stories that need to be thrown into the mainstream and doing it through comics makes it accessible for the younger crowd,” he adds.
Agrees, Radhika Timbadia, the founder of Champaca Bookstore in the city, believes that a graphic novel makes difficult subjects more accessible to people who otherwise might not be willing to read a book about it. “Images are so well done that it makes it a lot more relatable. Of course, there are a lot of people who are willing to engage with this topic more seriously and they may find this format easier to engage with,” she adds.
Similarly, Bhoomi Dattani, a 25-year-old graphic designer in the city says that visual narratives are much more engaging for her. “Reading books takes a lot of time and attention, and with growing responsibilities and lack of time, it becomes really hard to commit to reading books but if I get a graphic novel I’ll happily read it.”
Vinayak Hegde, a graphic novel enthusiast who conducts reading sessions in the city says that graphic novels like Joe Sacco’s Palestine first attracted him to the medium. “There are various themes in graphic novels that cover a wide range of issues whether it’s conflict zones or dystopian themes,” says Hegde, further adding, “There is a lot more awareness about this format, and a lot of local artists have started putting out their graphic novels, which was not very common, say 5-10 years back.”
Subodh Sankar, co-founder of Atta Galatta agrees that graphic novels have entered the mainstream in India. “I think we’ve always had small groups of people who follow these graphic novel trends from overseas, but it’s finally translating to Indian content coming out in the graphic novels scene and I see the demand for graphic novels and graphic novels by Indian artists starting to increase.
Amrutha Patil has had a major coming out and some well-deserved recognition has come her way.,” says Sankar. “We have been familiar with the format with Amar Chitra Katha and such. But I think new graphic novels are marrying our tradition of visual storytelling with global sensibilities,” he says.