Comic Con 2013 - Charismatic. Classy. Creative.

By Garima Sachdeva
From Hindu College, New Delhi
Posted Feb 9th 2013 5:00AM

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I met Superman. I got clicked with an astronaut. Some were fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of Flash, while some got a good look at Hulk. I had coffee with The Simpsons and lunched in Batman's company. Crazy much? Not at all, for it was not a dream, it was a beautiful reality.

It's HERE. The 3^rd edition of Annual Indian Comics Convention organized by Comic Con India commenced with a bang in Dilli Haat, New Delhi, on 8^th February 2013. This three-day fest targets the people of all age groups, specifically hardcore comic lovers, but in general any fun seeker could have a ball at Comic Con. But what is so special about this edition? Let's find out!

As always, Comic Con aims at giving the Comic industry a much needed boost. This year was no different. From stalls selling comics, story books, 3D books along with personalized 3D glasses, graphic novels, Hindi comics along with some rare English ones, a hell lot of merchandise and some great sessions with top notch comic writers, this edition of Comic Con has a lot in its bag (more than Santa, seriously!).

"This stall, in particular, is about a new comic which is a mix of the much acclaimed sitcom 'The Family Guy' and the hit movie 'A-Team'. We have made some interesting characters and a good plot", said the stall organizer of '27^th Alphabet'. They had also put up a life size caricature of one of their characters (a scantily clad woman, like a fantasy of every man!) . She was the epitome of oomph. One could see all the boys getting clicked with the caricature. When I asked further about that particular lady, he said "Oh she is definitely a hit amongst the guys. I was fortunate enough to carry it on my lap because she couldn't fit in the bags, while travelling in the plane." Fascinating!

There were numerous other funny stories at the stalls that were put up at Dilli Haat, the ones which were on the inner side, under the roof. One such stall, by the name 'Collective Heritage', had a collection of accessories from many famous movies, television shows and comics. Its organizer was seen posing with the weaponry of Star Wars and many were getting pictures clicked wearing the famous Lord of The Rings hat. This particular stall was always filled, with the DSLRs flashing almost every second. Next to this stall was a helmet stall by the name 'Gliders'. The boy to girl ratio at this particular stall was, needless to say, somewhat like 10:1 (I was probably the only girl around that stall!)

Apart from crazy stall stories, there a number of merchandise stalls that were a hit amongst the people. From refrigerator magnets to tees with mind boggling quotes to Chelsea and Manchester United badges to big framed posters of Batman and Superman to coyote key chains to 'Godfather' posters to mugs, bags, comic book covers and lithographs, sky was the limit for the craziness that enveloped this place.

After almost 2 hours of exploring the stalls, came the highlight of the day, the session with some experienced Comic Writers. Neel Debdutt Paul, Editor of Tinkle Digest, moderated a panel comprising of author and comic writer Samit Basu, comic writer Anant Singh and Jason Quinn from Campfire Graphic Novels. They talked about some points on how can one write a comic book, amidst a lot of humourous and funny repartee, which left everyone in the audience asking for more (despite the scorching sun overhead!).

Phew! What a first day at Comic Con. So many superheroes, so many civilians, so many volunteers (Many Delhi University students were volunteering too!), so many comics and so many comic characters, February should better be remembered for Comic Con, rather than Valentine's Day!

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

Captain Jihad the ex-terrorist who is now a comic book hero

Students read a comic book with an anti-extremist theme at a primary school Friday, Sept. 9, 2011 in Jakarta, Indonesia. The real life adventures of former al-Qaida-linked terrorist Nasir Abas have become a new comic book in Indonesia, chronicling his transformation from militant to invaluable ally in the fight against terrorism.

The real life adventures of former al-Qaida-linked militant Nasir Abas have become a comic book in Indonesia, chronicling his transformation from foe to invaluable ally in the fight against terrorism.

The story of the soft-spoken, seemingly mild-mannered 42-year-old — recognized by strangers on the streets and even asked for the occasional autograph — is well-known in the world’s most populous Muslim country.

He went from helping train Muslim extremists who carried out some of Southeast Asia’s deadliest attacks, including the 2002 Bali bombings, to informing police about the inner-workings of the Jemaah Islamiyah network.

He’s also joined a government program to convince convicted terrorists that killing unarmed civilians in the name of their faith is wrong.

“I want children to learn from my experience,” Abas said of the colorful 137-page comic “I Found the Meaning of Jihad,” which appeared in bookstores Friday and will be handed out at some schools and libraries.

“I don’t want them to make the same mistakes.”

Indonesia, hit by a string of suicide bombings that has killed more than 260 people since Sept. 11, 2001, has been widely praised for its anti-terror fight.

The government, partly through the use of paid informants and former militants working to persuade hard-liners to change sides, has rounded 680 suspects, trying and convicting many of them in open courts.

Abas, a Malaysian national who now lives in Jakarta with his family, has been one of its biggest success stories.

Kids at an elementary school squealed when shown a copy of the book by nonprofit publisher Lazuardi Birru and called out to their friends, who eagerly huddled around and flipped through the lively, glossy pages.

More than 10,000 copies have been printed so far.

“Ohhhh. That’s gotta be Osama bin Laden,” said 10-year-old Anif Ahmad Aulia, pointing at a picture of a white-bearded cleric.

“Ya, he’s evil,” chimed in Qinthara Taqiyyah, a fifth-grade girl. “But I like this comic … very colorful and fun!”

“Is that the hero?” another says, pointing at Abas.

The comic traces his early days at an Islamic boarding school to his recruitment as a fighter against Western oppression in Afghanistan in the late 1980s.

With a knack for weaponry, he rose quickly through the ranks of Jemaah Islamiyah, which was trying to carve out an Islamic state.

The dark shift came in 1998, when bin Laden issued a fatwa urging revenge against the Americans “on both military and nonmilitary” targets.

Some JI members agreed, saying that included all Christians and Jews.

But others, Abas included, believed Islam only condoned the killing of “enemies” when there was a clearly defined battleground and a direct threat.

A series of deadly attacks followed in late 2000.

“I knew JI members were involved,” Abas said in an interview. “But I was against it. It was very clear to me that there was no benefit for Islam or our struggle.”

On Oct. 12, 2002, things went from bad to worse.

That’s when some of the men Abas helped train blew up two Bali nightclubs, killing 202 people, many of them foreign tourists. Eighty-eight Australians and seven Americans were among the dead.

Abas felt guilty and considered this a “disaster” for JI.

He was captured in April 2003 in the massive security crackdown that followed.

Convinced he was going to be tortured and possibly killed, he was surprised to see how gently he was treated by his interrogators. They’d apparently learned from other arrested militants that he did not support the attacks.

“Look at my eyes, do I look hostile to Islam?” the anti-terror squad chief Col. Bekto Suprapto, is quoted in the comic book as saying. “If you don’t agree with the bombings, let us together stop it.”

By morning, Abas was ready to talk. He said a prayer and started feeding police details about Jemaah Islamiyah, leaving it severely weakened.

From that point on, Abas tried to persuade his former comrades that their interpretation of the Quran was wrong.

“This is my jihad now,” he says, adding that he knows he’s made many dangerous enemies and has to be careful.

Security experts say it’s good to find creative ways to battle hateful ideologies spread by al-Qaida and other extremist groups, as long as it’s part of a comprehensive counter-radicalization strategy.

“We know young people are often targeted for recruitment by jihadist groups,” said Kumar Ramakrishna, a terrorism expert in Singapore. “So reaching out in innovative ways, such as through pop music and comics … is certainly a very good idea in my view.”

by ROBIN McDOWELL

Source:-http://muslimvillage.com/2011/09/12/14555/captain-jihad-ex-terrorist-is-now-comic-book-hero/

Moonscoop and Archie Comics forge co-production with DSK Group India, Laughing Lion and Telegael

Moonscoop, the worldwide brand management and entertainment company, and Archie Comics have brought new Indian and Irish co-production partners on board for the animated series Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch, and signed a major broadcast deal with The Hub Television Network to air the series in the US.

The brand new series, which re-imagines the iconic teen character, will be co-produced by Moonscoop, Archie Comic Publications Inc., DSK Group India, Laughing Lion in India and Telegael Teoranta. Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch stars actress Ashley Tisdale in the title role, and is slated to premiere on The Hub, a destination for kids and their families, in the summer of 2013.

The co-production marks the first foray into television production for the newly-formed entertainment arm of one of India’s most respected industrial group, the DSK Group. A multi-billion, multi-faceted group of companies, it is headed by Mr. D. S. Kulkarni. The inception of the group occurred with the introduction of Tele-Smell, an innovative telephone cleaning company. Moving forward the group marked its foray into the construction industry under DSK Developers Ltd, a listed company in India it is indeed the flag bearer of the Group. Today the group has spread its wings into the field of automobile in collaborations with S&T Motors, Toyota and Hino, in education as a collaboration with Supinfocom, France and also in the fields of pharmaceuticals, information technology, wealth management & hospitality.

Mike Young, CEO of Moonscoop said: “We have assembled a top-notch group of co-production partners for this new series and have now secured an ideal home for Sabrina on The Hub in the US. This is a brand new version of a much-loved character and we can promise a top-quality look and feel that captures the essence of the original illustrations and stories, while giving them fresh appeal for teen audiences.”

The new Sabrina series brings a new look to the long-running character, and updates her with a more modern, teen-centric sensibility. Sabrina will face the trials and tribulations that all kids come across – while also dealing with monsters and the supernatural. Writer Dean Batali (What’s Up Warthogs, That 70s Show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) will be story editor and Trevor Wall (Hero:108) will serve as director for the series.

The announcement comes on the eve of the 50th anniversary of Sabrina’s presence in Archie Comics. Sabrina, one of the most popular properties in Archie’s wide collection of characters and universes, has been a strong presence in visual media since the 1970s, and was the focus of a long-running ABC and The WB sitcom, which was followed by an equally-successful animated series which ran on ABC.

“With the 50th anniversary of Sabrina’s first appearance in Archie Comics just around the corner in October,” said Archie Comics Co-CEO Jon Goldwater, “the timing for a fresh new perspective on this fantastic character has never been better. We’re so excited with what we’ve seen from Moonscoop that we can’t wait for kids and their families to see it as well!”

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ACK Animation Studios’ much awaited Animated Series—Suppandi .

ACK Animation Studios’ much awaited Animated Series—Suppandi Suppandi has recently been aired on POGO and is now getting ready to tickle up bubbles of enjoyment, laughter and fun with release on Cartoon Network on 17th February  at 12 noon.

AnimationXpress.com’s Zeenia Boatwala had a conversation with Kushal Ruia, Creative Producer and Director of this animated series.

Here are the excerpts…

Suppandi is a renowned comic book character, what plan of action did you have in mind for bringing Suppandi to the animated television series?Suppandi is one of Tinkle’s most beloved characters. Though created more than 30 years ago, he is a classic that remains popular even today. Suppandi is fun, innocent, endearing and timeless and so we knew he had much potential to work as a comedy animated series. We did have to rethink the stories and the format as print and film are two very different mediums. The series required a back-to-the-drawing-board philosophy so as to come up with something that would be relevant. The trick was to reinvent without losing the essence of Suppandi. For me personally, it was a daunting task to bring such a legendary character alive.The burden of carrying forward a glowing legacy in newer formats, in innovative ways is a fun challenge.

Please share with us the initial planning stages for the show and how much duration taken to complete the script and story for this animated series?Suppandi in the comic medium was often a one-page gag with different characters in each story. We knew that short gags would not work for a TV Series and 11-minute episodes. Keeping this in mind, we created a completely new world for Suppandi with new characters that would be compelling enough to be featured regularly in the episodes. I wanted all the secondary characters in the show to compliment Suppandi and provide equal amount of entertainment and adventure.

Once we had the characters and plots figured out, it took almost 2-3 weeks to execute each script for every episode.We started developing the show in mid 2010.

We delivered the first 70min special in mid 2012. Currently the show has already been aired on POGO and will be aired on Cartoon Network on 17th Feb at noon.

Can you take us through the ins and outs of the pre-production for this series?The most challenging part of the pre-production was coming up with a new cast of characters that would be worthy enough to stand alongside Suppandi. They had to be real and just as endearing as him.  Visually, we wanted to keep the show whacky and stylized. It has taken 3-4 months to develop the characters and their designs. We always tried to be as whacky as possible, much in line with Suppandi’s brand of humor. More often than not, we had to work hard to push and exaggerate everything.

Which aspects for the series needed more research?For my team, Suppandi marked the first time we were creating a contemporary world and not period world like Ayodhya or Hastinapur. This gave us the license to explore the world of ’Aramnagar’ in innovative ways. Putting focus on the contemporary world, one of the ideas that I explored was to create a lazy town named Aramnagar where all buildings and vegetation seemed to form the shape of lazy pieces of furniture like comfortable sofas and recliners.

How many artistes have worked on the series?Around 100 artists have worked on Suppandi from various studios. The main development and direction came from our in-house team at ACK Animation Studios, other than that Cornershop and Spellbound contributed substantially to the show. They worked with us to develop the show and did the actual production work. We would give them the scripts, the initial designs, creative brief and direction. They would execute the required art and send to ACK for feedback. There was a constant back and forth and working as a single team was required to make this quality of production possible.

What was your approach while making Suppandi Suppandi?As the series director, my goal was to make the show visually appealing and fun with believable performances and gags that added to the personality of the characters. I believe we should follow our gut when bringing out a project! I am thankful to all the amazingly talented artists & writers—not only for the animated series but the original, inspiring comics whose contributions made this show so much fun to make… and watch!

And the most attractive aspect of the show is?I feel the overall quality of the show has come out great! It achieves something that is rare in Indian animation and makes a good balance between storytelling and visuals. One more interesting factor of this series is that though it is at kids, it would also be equally engaging for adults. The show has turned out to be something the whole family can sit together and enjoy. All the characters in the series are individuals with distinct personalities. All of them have their own passions and problems which compliment and sometimes conflict with emotions and problems of Suppandi. I feel the designs, writing and voice work has come together to create a hilarious set of animated characters.

You’ve chosen 2D medium to animate the show, can you share more on this front?Well, I am a great fan of classical animation and I believe that classical animation connects with kids in a way that CG cannot. In addition, the kind of cartoony animation and design that I was looking for this series is best served by classical 2D animation. CG tends to be more challenging with that kind of animation I had in mind and good quality CG tends to be prohibitive for TV budgets.

Please share more about the key people involved with Suppandi Suppandi?Suppandi Suppandi has been entirely produced by ACK Animation Studios. I have been blessed with some fantastic collaborators on this project! The production was distributed between ACK Animation Studios, Spellbound and Cornershop.

Series Director, Creative Producer- Kushal Ruia

Executive Producer- Vijay Sampath

Story & Script Supervisor- Divya Chandel

Music- Abhishek Nailwal, Lyrics- Gautam Mehra

Additional Direction- Santosh Palav

Audio Production- Eliza Lewis

ACK Animation Studios Team Leads: Suresh Sonawane, Rajesh Sakpal, Vasant Pawar, Shailesh Ambre, Sudam Kute, Somnath Pal, Atul Rane, Santosh Jawale and Shyam Salunke.

According to you, what makes Suppandi Suppandi different from other animated television series?‘Suppandi Suppandi’ is a series that brings to life a classic favorite beloved by generations. It appeals to older fans and makes new ones too. It is visually sophisticated like some of the best international Saturday morning cartoons, which is rare in Indian productions. Great production values, universal storytelling and exciting new characters make ‘Suppandi Suppandi’ too entertaining to ignore! I would be very happy if Suppandi is as successful in its animated form as he has been in the print.

We hope it raises the bar on Indian TV animation art and storytelling. A true entertainer for kids of all ages ranging from 5 to 500!

Please take us through the marketing and distribution process involved with Suppandi Suppandi?Krishna Desai and his team at Cartoon Network have been most understanding and supportive as always. They enthusiastically contribute ideas and suggestions which help us to make our products the best we possibly can.  After “Amar Chitra Katha- The Animated Series” (2010), “Tripura” Telefilm (2011), “Sons of Ram 3D” (2012) – Theatrical film, now “Suppandi Suppandi- The Animated Series” is our fourth project together and looking forward to many more!

Do you feel the final look of Suppandi Suppandi has come out the way you envisioned it as a Director? And which is you favorite episode from the series?
Yes! We are extremely happy and pushing ourselves even more for the next round of episodes, making them bigger and funnier and even more chaotic!  Coming to my favorite episode, it would be “Bank Dacoity” because it is one of the episodes where the whole ensemble cast gets to shine!

Acting for Animation must have been extremely challenging for Suppandi Suppandi- Your Thoughts?Suppandi is ACK Animation Studios’ first ’cartoon-y’ project until the short film Shikari Shambhu came into making. Before Suppandi, we had done Amar Chitra
Katha- The Animated Series, Tripura and Sons of Ram. All 3 of them had a more controlled production and animation style. Suppandi however demanded a very different approach. I wanted the animation to be as broad and over-the-top as justifiable. Subtle acting choices that went very well with Sons of Ram seemed minimal
for Suppandi. Hence, we kept it as broad, cartoony and pose-to-pose as possible on Suppandi.

Crafting catchy phrases and dialogues are the life line of any animated show, how was it for Suppandi Suppandi?Dialogues definitely define the show!

The humor of Suppandi Suppandi has a strong local Indian flavor thanks to the humor and the references. It was fun giving characters punch lines like Shaitan Singh’s “Daka daal ke” or Heerachand’s (the rich miser) “Kul mila ke”. The writing team led by Divya Chandel did an excellent job of coming up with gags. However, the final lines are not limited to that. I would always encourage improvisation at the dubbing stage when the actor, dubbing director Eliza Lewis and I would brainstorm to make the lines even more funnier. Some of the most memorable jokes have come out of the spontaneous improvement at the dubbing studio.

Do you relate to any character of Suppandi Suppandi?Smiles…Not really! Characters from Suppandi are caricatured and I doubt there is someone alive who is all of one character. They represent certain dimensions of our personalities and hence there is a little bit of Suppandi, Bunty, Sona, Moti, Heera, Hoshyaar, Shaitan and Dhenchu in all of us in various permutations and combinations. Some more, some less!

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