Indian comics are all set to go digital

BY CHAITRA SHETTY

Indian comics are all set to go digital

, with Raj Comics planning to convert its library of 3,000+ titles into motion comics. The company is also taking the same to the Mobile, Online, TV and Home Video platforms. The first three titles being developed there are 26/11, Hallabol and Japan Series at a Delhi based studio. Each title will be of 22 minutes and will be available in both English and Hindi.

The titles are slated for May 09 release along with their print editions. These will first be available on the mobile platform and Raj Comics’ agency is currently in talks with various service providers in India for the same. Raj Comics is looking at launching two motion comic titles every month and every comic title of the publication will henceforth be launched with its motion comic version.

Talking to AnimationXpress.com Raj Comics Studio Head Sanjay Gupta

shared, “Motion Comics is a new media

which is a hybrid of comic books and animation based on the actual panels of a comic. There is no motion comic content available in India and even internationally only players like Marvel and DC are the only ones planning to do it. So we thought we should take it up.”

26/11 and Halla Bol will feature Raj Comic’s famous characters Nagraj and Doga. 26/11 is based on the recent Mumbai terrorist attacks while Halla Bol is based on Indo-Pak terrorism. The revenue model for motion comics on the mobile platform will be based on pay per download and pay per view. The company is investing approx INR 15 lakhs in converting each title into the motion comic format. It is also in talks with different studios for its upcoming motion comic titles and is also planning to establish its own in-house animation studio.

The company currently has a circulation of approximately 80,000 copies every month (including India and abroad) and is introducing a series of new superhero characters this year. Theses include characters named Bhokal and Yodha.

“In 2008 the comic space in India grew by 10-20% and is continuing to grow. Hence in 2009 we have plans of taking our superheroes Nagraj and Super Commando Dhruv to feature film and TV platform through the medium of animation. Already the character of Doga has been licensed for being adapted into a live action film which will be directed by Anurag Kashyap,” adds Sanjay.

chaitra.shetty@animationxpress.com