Friday, May 2, 2014

GANDHI -nominated for the people's prize.

‘Gandhi: My Life is My Message, a 200 pages book by Campfire Graphic Novels, which is a graphic re-telling of Gandhi’s life and times, is nominated for The People’s Book prize in Non Fiction Category. Last month, the book grabbed Best Graphic Novel, Best colorist, and Best Writer Awards at 4th Comic Con Delhi Edition. Vote here
Excited with this news, Jason Quinn, Writer of this book, shares his thoughts with AnimationXpress.com by saying, “Well, I think the subject of the book is of course the main aspect of the book to grab nomination. There is a huge interest in the life of Gandhi, right across the world and as nations face off against each other in these uncertain times, be it in the Ukraine or the Middle East, we would do well to remember that violence is not always the best way.”
I would like to think also that the fact that this is a serious graphic novelization of Gandhi’s life also helps. We are doing something new. We’re telling the story in a way that is accessible for everyone, without dumbing things down. We’ve got a respect for the intelligence of our audience no matter how old or young they are and I really believe that telling this epic story in this format gives the reader something different.”
The book was launched in November last year at Gandhi Smriti.  “We were very lucky to have Rajmohan Gandhi, Gandhiji’s own grandson came along to launch the book for us. He has read the book and really enjoyed it.” Adds more
Voting for the book is open until 20th May for the Spring Collection. Then if the book comes in the top three in its category it will go through to the final. Voting will then begin again from the 21st May till the 29th May to vote on the overall winner of each category.
Explaining more about the look and feel, Jason, says, “Well, we wanted something traditional and yet contemporary at the same time. The last thing we wanted was to come out with something that looks like a government pamphlet from the 1970s and yet we wanted a classic feel to the book too. Lots of earthy tones. I think we got it just right.
 “We see not just the big political moments but we see him at home, bickering with his wife, laughing, arguing, doing all the things that most of us do. I felt it was important to do this, to show him as a human being rather than an icon, because these days people want their heroes to be human, they want to be able to identify with them. Hopefully, we’ve done that and we’ve presented a character that you could sit and have a chat with, a laugh with and even an argument with.” Adds more
This book is available for INR 399 at Campfire website, other online retailers and all good bookstores. Upcoming books from Campfire are ‘They Changed the World’: Edison, Tesla & Bell, set to release this week.
Concluding the conversation with us, Jason informs about the research done for Gandhi: My Life is My Message, “ Well, first I think I’ve read just about everything there is to read on Gandhi, then Sachin has gone over every bit of footage and image too from throughout his life. The book’s got a cast of thousands too and we had to try and get everyone just right too.

GroupM Ent. partners with 'Smallville' executive producer and Graphic India for new TV series 'The Adventures Club'

GroupM Entertainment announced today a new partnership with digital media startup, Graphic India and the acclaimed Smallville producer, James Marshall, for a new live-action television series called The Adventurers Club.
Under the terms of the deal, GroupM Entertainment will share executive producer credit and ownership of the series, including syndication rights. In addition to financing, GME will lend creative and strategic support to the show’s creators with the goal of seeing the property entertain audiences worldwide.
“This is an exciting new project for us and we’re very anxious to take it to market and find a distributor,” said GME Global CEO Peter Tortorici.  “All of us at GroupM are particularly excited about working with James Marshall, whose background and experience will take this show to a new level.”
Marshall and Graphic India Co-Founders, Sharad Devarajan and Gotham Chopra created the series and will serve as executive producers. Emmy-nominated television writer Sam Egan will write the pilot and is also a producer.
“The Adventurers Club unlocks a global mystery revealing secrets and clues embedded in mankind’s history, mythology, legends and lore since the dawn of recorded time, and asks the question, how far would you go to save the ones you love?”said Devarajan, CEO of Graphic India.  “GroupM Entertainment is the perfect partner to collaborate on a global, transmedia story such as this, given their strong relationships with broadcasters, digital platforms and brands around the world.”
The Adventurers Club tells the story of Edward Hughes, a man driven by a personal quest for redemption to save his wife and missing son. His journey takes the viewer through secret societies, forbidden cults, lost cultures and supernatural events, unlocking secrets that have devastating consequences. The secret destiny of the human race will finally be revealed – saving us or damning us forever.
 “The Adventurers Club is a project that I am very passionate about,” added James Marshall.  “The story world is vast and compelling and the subject matter is incredibly thought provoking. It’s something you could explore forever and never get bored.”
Marshall is an award-winning producer and television director. He has produced or directed more than 160 episodes of television including Smallville, Falling Skies, Charlie’s Angels, The O.C., Tarzan, Birds of Prey, Charmed and Dead Like Me.
In addition to The Adventurers Club, series creators Devarajan and Chopra are screenwriters and producers on the feature film “The Sadhu,” in development with producer, Mark Canton’s, Atmosphere Entertainment (‘300, The Immortals’). Graphic India was formed by Liquid Comics and CA Media, the Asian investment arm of The Chernin Group.
The Adventurers Club will also be launched later this year as a new interactive mobile comic app from Graphic India.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Indian Comic Book Creators Unveil Glimpses of their Upcoming Books

AnimationXpress.com thought to dedicate this weekend to the Indian Comic readers and creators by bringing you a preview of the comic books being developed by varied studios.
And here’s what’s happening at Meta Desi Comics, Chariot Comics  Gravity Comics and Orange Radius Arts.
Akshay Dhar, Founder of Meta Desi Comics, Shares, “Awaited 3rd volume of the ground-breaking anthology series “Ground Zero” from Meta Desi Publishing is getting set to hit stores in just six weeks with a planned launch in mid-April. At a monster size of 60 pages of ad-free comics, Ground Zero is a collection of SIX unique stories that will grab you by the collar and fly you to whole new worlds and new ways of seeing the world you know. Exploring a range of styles and genres, each story takes you to its own extraordinary little world filled with the unexpected and the always entertaining.
From a Sci-fi re-imagining of Indian mythology (Raakshas Rising) to manga-inspired action (Super Soldiers Squad) to gut-bustingly funny and irreverent comedy (Holy Hell), Ground Zero #3 is a collection unlike anything done in the Indian market and brings all the continuing stories with these hot new characters to explosive conclusions.
With each story drawn by a different artist and each in their own genre and style, this collection is utterly unique in its approach and works overtime to bring something to suit all kinds of fans and to bring something new to the comic fans in India who crave more comics they can call their own.
The creative pool behind these stories ranges from the fan-favourite and stalwarts of the local industry like Abhijeet Kini (Angry Maushi, UBiMa) and Akshay Dhar (Retrograde, Showcase: Sheshnag) to newcomers like Sudeep Menon and Ahmed Sikander (Once Upon a Time in the North).
With two successful anthologies under their belt in less than one year and a third nearing completion, the excitement for this new release is indeed very high.”
Raveesh Mohan, Founder of Orange Radius Arts shares, “We intend to continue with the ‘Parshu‘ series and will be starting off with the second arc in the series. The second arc will stretch across 2 issues, the first issue of which is scheduled for a Bangalore Comic Con launch in June this year. Across the first arc we had kept the plot pacy and wanted to establish and flesh out the character basically revolving it around him.
The second arc will take the story to a more complex plane where we will introduce several key characters, flesh out ‘Parshu’ the central protagonist even more, explore his capabilities in detail while also fleshing out his weapon-the axe. The axe has a personality of it’s own, it’s more than just a weapon and we delve deeper into that bit across the second arc.
It is going to be a heady mix of some excellent storytelling, very interesting plots and sub-plots and an intriguing array of characters. The second arc brings one of the most vicious and evil characters, his set of adversaries and a weapon.
We have just started work on the second arc; the first issue will be 72 pages and will be launched exclusively at Comic Con.
Aniruddho Chakraborty, Co- Founder and Executive Editor of Chariot Comics, shares, “So this year, it’s the “Year of the Damned for Us”. We’ll be working towards compiling our Damned series into a graphic novel. Through the year we’ll be releasing digital single issues in July, September and finally a compiled graphic novel in December possibly at MFCC. We are currently working on penciling and inking the first segment of the GN
Legend of the Damned (working title: compiles Damned #1-6) and has 70+ pages. Single issue launch in July and September respectively and GN comes out in December – at Mumbai Comic Con
The origin story in the Graphic novel will be slightly inspired from one of my favorite Bengali folk tales growing up, Laalkamal and NeelKamal (from the famous Bengali anthology Thakurmar jhuli/Tales my Grandmother told me).You will see get to see Vampire Monks and some Lovecraftian monsters! Hoorah! And this GN will eventually lead into a shared Chariot Comics universe (Chariotverse!)
Last year a really successful “Year of the Wolf” and a “Winter of Zombies” and this year at Chariot Comics it’s the “Year of the Damned”. We bring to the table the adventures of Anga and Morphuz, sorcerer and shape shifter respectively, in a series of digital single issues and finally a compiled graphic novel which will deal with their motivations, their origins in an all out fantasy, sci-fi adventure tale which dabbles in mythology, horror and action alike. Legend of the Damned is going to be a stepping stone for us in creating a shared universe here at Chariot Comics.
Ajay Mathew, Founder of Gravity Comics shares, We are an upcoming Comic Book Company in India and we will launch our first Comic Book in the month of March 2014.The title of our first Comic book is Mahatma.
Mahatma is the original Character created by me and the Pencilling is done by Tarun Kumar Sahu. After Mahatama we are coming with Another Book with new Character named Avtaar which we will launch in the month of May 2014 or at Comic Con Bangalore along with one more comic book which we will reveal at the launch of Mahatma Plus one or two Graphic Novels at MFCC.
Mahatma is a character originated from the most Non-Violent Man or GOD the world ever seen. He was the part of that great Soul and followed his footsteps till he awakes in 2014. He was discovered by another Pivotal Character known as Rachit and taken to the hospital where he awake. He tried to follow the path of that great soul from whom he originated but after seeing all the devastation and bad things happening in our world he took a stand to stop all the terrorism, external and Internal. The first issue is all about his origin and his first appearance.
And currently we are in the Coloring stages of this 36 pages book.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

National Museum to hold comics workshop on April 12, 13.



Report by India Education bureau, New Delhi: Amid a surge in visitors at ‘The Body in Indian Art’, the National Museum hosting the landmark exhibition is organising a comics workshop this weekend.
 
The April 12-13 event at the museum premises will provide a platform for drawing a comic around the body. Artists, comics artists, illustrators, cartoonists and anyone with an interest in storytelling or drawing can participate in the limited-entry workshop being organised in collaboration with World Comics India.
 
The time will be 10 am to 4pm. Those interested to participate can email to Sharad Sharma at mail@worldcomicsindia.com by April 10, Thursday, organisers informed.
 
Workshop material and lunch will be provided by National Museum.

Source:-http://www.indiaeducationdiary.in/