Vimanika Comics working on finishing touches to “Shiva Book- II”

Shiva Book -II 22-5-12 edited Final Vimanka Comics

Vimanika comics is all set to release the 2nd part of its graphic novel   “Shiva Book- II” . The graphic novel is set to release by 25 July 2012 and pre-orders to be taken from 20 June 2012 through Flipkart.

I am Kalki RB Vol 2 Pg 3 Vimanika Comics

Maintaining the characterization of the first book, Lord Shiva is the central figure in this edition as well. Shiva Book- II revolves around the life of Lord Shiva comprising of the three most vital events of his life, they are- Lord Shiva’s marriage with Parvati, Rebirth of  Kartikeya and the death of Tarkasur.
The graphic novel features stunning design and art and with primary TG being ages 10 -30  but can also be appreciated by all  TGs.

Shiva Book- II is created and edited by Karan vir Arora in association with Shail Gulhati, written by Kshitish Padhy, research work done again by Shail Gulhati, penciler- Hemant Kumar, colorist-Abdul Rasheed and letterer Raghu. The book is completed within the span of approximately 6-7months.

I am Kalki The Red Book Cover Vimanika Comics

Vimanika comics recently also launched its new book “I am Kalki The Red Book” Vol 2 in the month of April. I am Kalki- The Red Book Vol 2 lays the foundation of the exciting adventures of Kalki(10th Avatar of God Vishnu). The Rakshasa(Demon/Kaal) Kali has broken out from the deepest darkest realms of Hell. Deep in a forest, Vasuki tries to ambush Kali. The giant serpent and the mighty demon engage themselves in a deadly duel unto death. The seven sages reveal the true purpose of Kalki’s life to him. They commence Kalki’s training in the Sapta Anantha. Down on Earth, Vishnu Sharma is bullied at school and feels helpless when his action figure is broken into two. True to the spirit of the series, I am Kalki- The Red book Vol 2 is dark, high on action with a lot of mystical forces trying to prepare for Armageddon. It also gives you a brief description of all the Human Characters involved in the series. Let the adventures of the most violent God begin!

‘I am Kalki’ is segregated with the name of different colored books starting from The Golden book which includes elementary gods and heavenly demons, The Silver book Vol 1 with Rishi’s, The Red book Vol 2 with humans and The Black book Vol 3 with demons though the story begins in The Silver Book . Golden book is like a preview ,guide book to the whole series & most of the Important characters.

“I am Kalki The Red Book”Vol 2 is created and edited by Karan vir Arora, written and edited by Shashank Avvaru, penciled by Rishi Bhardwaj, coloured by Alex and lettered by Raghu.Vimanika Comics is presently working on its part 2 Graphic Nove lof Dashaavataar Vol 2.

connect@animationxpress.com

Japanese comics come calling

Cartoon characters such as Doraemon and Shinchin are every child’s fantasy. And even teenagers are growing up on games like Metal Gear Solid and Naruto. They have one thing in common: all of them are of Japanese origin. Even our home-grown animation movie makers are not behind — the recently released Arjun: The Warrior Prince is an example. Keeping in mind the considerable Japanese pop-culture influence in India, two like-minded friends have made an effort to take these cultural ties a few steps forward. Supriya Suri and Nitesh Rohit of 13 BCD, a cine gallery at Haus Khas Village, are showcasing Manga Café, an exhibition of comics created in Japan.
The show has comic works by Japanese artists, conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th century. Unlike Western comics, Manga is not entirely focused or targeted towards children. The history of Manga is also highlighted in the gallery. “We have always had our own set of comics and heroes. But Japanese comics, Manga, are slowly getting popular among enthusiasts in Delhi,” says Rohit.
“The Manga Cafe was born out of the necessity to understand the ideas that are purely formal in nature and defines the origin, inspiration and influence of Manga across the world,” says Suri. Further she adds, “We love Manga and it’s deeply influenced our works so we decided to come up with the show.”
Talking about how Indian comics differ in style from Manga, Rohit says, “In India comics pre-dominantly cater to the young, or so called ‘youth’. Manga in Japan is written for a wider adult audience too. Unlike comics, Manga is a lot more stylistic in terms of elements. And uses less text to convey ideas and emotions and more cinematic techniques.”
For instance, the most popular characters such as Naruto and Gundamn attract everyone for their smart accessories and gadgets.
A few Manga anime adoption films were screened at the cafe. The film, Boys on the Run drew a large audience. “We will be holding our third annual Anime Convention in Delhi and Manga would be a bigger part of it this time. And we are working to get Japanese publishers and collaborators here,” says Suri.

The exhibition is on till tomorrow. Entry free

Chitrakatha: Indian Comics Beyond Balloons and Panels is soon-to-be-released documentary.

Chitrakatha: Indian Comics Beyond Balloons and Panels is soon-to-be-released documentary.

Chitrakatha: Indian Comics Beyond Balloons and Panels is soon-to-be-released documentary. This documentary is the first of its kind that attempts to showcase the largely untouched subject of Indian Comics as a serious art form.

Chitrakatha DVD

Researched for over 5 years and shot across India, The documentary is written, directed and produced by Alok Sharma, animation – graphics co-direction by Saumin Patel, captured by cinematographer Neeshank Mathure, Music by Anirban saha, Sound mix for the rough cut is done by Mithun Chakraborty and Praveen who has done editing for the rough cut. It is 90 minutes documentary and they are also planning a FanBoy Limited Edition DVD Cut that might go beyond 2 Hrs. This motion comic has a smooth movement like anime, a little bit of flash and a lot of stop motion.

Alok with Uncle Pai

Speaking to Animationxpress.com  about the documentary, Alok Sharma, director, Said,“Being a Comic Book Fan all my life and a comic book creator (later as a grown up) all my life it was my dream to meet all the creators and learn from their experiences. Also while growing up I was exposed to the wide range of comic books from all over the world, and it was beautiful to see how our western counterparts have a well-documented history of the medium in their native nations, while despite having a great comic book culture in India that flourished for more than 3 decades, we lacked such history. Suddenly post Virgin Comics Era we saw an upsurge in Media where media was suddenly interested in Comic Books in India. Most of these articles were half cooked, lacked in research and for that matter, were just being able to cover comic books that were easily available in the metros, while the reach of Indian Comic Books was far wider than that. I felt a need to tell the real story behind Indian Comic Books. Being in touch with almost all the Comic Book creators from my childhood came handy, meanwhile I had quit from my job as an assistant director at Big Animation, so the time was right to do something of my own and Chitrakatha was a dream project to start up.”

Alok with late artist Govind Brahmania (Cover artist for Indrajal Comics)

The documentary covers the history, evolution, cultural – social significance as well as the future of Indian comics, through a series of conversational interviews with Indian Comic Book Creators. Chitrakatha features three generations of Comic Book Artists discussing the medium, the passion and the idea that went behind these comic books which cut across the lingual boundaries and are fondly remembered by millions of fans.

Further talking about concept Alok said“I started my professional life as a comic book artist with Gotham Studios, where I was suddenly exposed to some of the best comic art by the masters like Eisner, Alan Moore, Scott McCloud, Jeff Smith, Tezuka, Moebius etc.These creators, celebrities in their own right with massive fan following, were a huge influence on pop culture. I slowly began to understand comics in a new light. I revisited the stuff I’d read as a kid. And realized that we have something incredible unique and special in our own comics culture. This is when the idea of documenting the history and evolution of Indian comic book art germinated in my mind.”

The documentary also throws light on how Comics in India have very efficiently commented on contemporary social issues as well as proved to be a very effective educational tool.For instance, Comics like the Bahadur series in the 70s efficiently commented on contemporary dacoit issue faced by Central India, while vigilante Doga addresses day to day problems faced by the common man today. Comics like Amar Chitra Katha have distinguished themselves as a very effective and entertaining educational tool by retelling the Indian literary classics and history in sequential art form.

This is a story of people who passionately created a world inhibited with dozens of imaginary friends to make generations of Indian kids dream.

Shooting the interview with Late Govind Brahmania (artist- Bahadur)

Talking about the challenges faced while making this documentary Alok shared, “Almost everything about such projects is challenging. Putting your hard earned savings into making your dream project is challenging, the time and effort that such projects demand for is challenging, traveling across India making people understand why do you want to make this film is challenging. Convincing reclusive comic book artists and asking them for an interview is challenging and after shooting almost 100 hours of footage, stitching it together into a 90 minute film is also challenging as hell. But trust me when you love a medium and love the project, all these challenges mean nothing but fun exercise and we are going through a roller coaster ride since we started this project in 2008.But even before we begin rolling, it took almost 5 years of intensive research, out of which last two years were spent in tracing the artists, publishers, traveling, meeting and convincing them for the documentary. The very first generation of Indian comic book creators were already in their mid 70s or 80s they had to be found and interviewed in detail so that we can know their stories, struggles and vision behind the creations which lived in hearts of millions of people. So you can say it was, and still is a pretty challenging process for us.”

Shooting Cartoonist Pran (Chacha Chaudhary)

“I will be taking Chitrakatha to film-fests all over before releasing it for general audience. It might sound like a wishful thinking right now, but I will also be looking for a limited theatrical release, with a sudden awareness about Documentaries and the nature of my film, I think a limited theatrical release would be perfect for Comic book fans to enjoy the film.People keep asking me about the release date of this already delayed documentary all the time. I would just like to thank them for being supportive and remain interested in this project with so much patience and love. Also looking at the expectations they have with this film, we are pushing ourselves to deliver one good film, that’s not only good in the terms of content but also has some interesting visuals. Also, being a self-funded project making Chitrakatha has taken longer than expected, all I can promise now is, the final film will be worth all the wait. Thanks.” concluded Alok

Alok Sharma has worked across media with experience in comics, animation,television, radio, online content and feature films.At present, he is working as a scriptwriter and story consultant on a Walt Disney TV’s upcoming animation film project. Besides that Alok is working as a story artist and content developer for animation content with leading TV Channels and Animation Studios. He is also associated with the latest seasons of Cartoon Network’s Roll No.21.

connect@animationxpress.com

Anurag Kashyap to write a Hindi graphic novel.

Anurag Kashyap is in talks with Raj Comics to write a graphic novel in Hindi.

Also, his film on the comic character, Doga, will begin after he finishes Ranbir Kapoor-starrerBombay Velvet. Will he be able to take it to the same heights as Marvel comics Hollywoodsuperheroes? Kashyap remains positive, "Independent graphic novelists have achieved good work in terms of design but all these great minds are writing in English. There is a need for people to write in Hindi. We will start work by the end of this year."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Anurag-Kashyap-to-write-a-Hindi-graphic-novel/articleshow/13214387.cms