ndian comics (Chitrakatha, Citrakatha) are comic books and graphic novels associated with the culture of India published in English and various Indian languages. India has a long tradition of comic readership, characters from centuries-old extensive myths and folktales have adorned the covers of children's comic books in India for decades.[1] Indian comics often have large publication; however, the industry still remains immature compared to that of Japan, which is the world's largest producer of serious graphic novels and animation. Due to widespread use of English language, Indian comics and graphic novels tend to be more stylistically similar to Western comics, than the manga, manhwa and manhua of India's Asian neighbors. Over the last three decades, Diamond Comics, Raj Comics, Tinkle and Amar Chitra Katha have established vast distribution networks countrywide and are read by lakhs of children in a wide range of languages.[2]
The famous Comic creators in India include Narayan Debnath, Aabid Surti, Uncle Pai, cartoonist Pran and writer/illustrator Anupam Sinha and famous characters are Chacha Chaudhary, Super Commando Dhruva, Nagraj, Doga, Nonte Phonte, Handa Bhonda, Batul the Great, Suppandi and Shikari Shambhu. Anant Pai, affectionately known as "Uncle Pai," is credited with helping to launch India's comic book industry in the 1960s with his "Amar Chitra Katha" series chronicling the ancient Hindu epics Mahabarata and Ramayana.[3]
The evolution of Indian comics can be broadly divided into four phases. Around 1950s saw syndicated strips like The Phantom, Mandrake, Flash Gordon, Rip Kirby being translated to Indian languages and made into comic books by the publishing group Bennett, Coleman and Company with their Indrajal comics. Indrajal also later introduced home-grown hero Bahadur (meaning "brave"). The success of such comic books was followed by a swarm of publishers trying to emulate these titles.
The second phase in 1960s came in the form of Amar Chitra Katha (literally translated as "immortal picture stories"), comics with hundred percentage Indian content.
The advent of superhero comics in the early '80s marked the third wave, with creators and publishers hoping to benefit from the success of the superhero genre in the West. For a long time, Indian comics were all about larger-than-life heroes and their exploits. Chacha Chaudhary (Diamond comics) and Detective Moochwala (Target magazine) were instant hits. Anant Pai also introduced the classic Tinkle with stories based on folk tales from India and faraway lands. Dozens of publishers churned out hundreds of such comic books every month, but this trend nosedived in the late '90s with the advent of cable television, Internet and other modes of entertainment in India.
However, publishers like Raj Comics and Diamond Comics along with comics like Amar Chitra Katha have been able to sustain their readership. After the lull, a renaissance has been seen in the past few years with new publishing companies appearing on the scene. The last decade has seen a rise in the Indian comic book industry, especially after the Virgin Comics' launch.[4] The company was shut down in 2008, but has been relaunched as Liquid Comics. Ramayan, set in CE 3392, is one of Liquid's best sellers, while Vimanika is another company that offers comic books based on Indian mythology. India hosted its first ever Comics Convention in 2011 February
