Graphic novels are an all new rage now. Times have changed, and now comic books and graphic novels have taken over the literary scene. Combining narrative work with sequential art, the books have found a new identity.
Over the years, several authors have tried their hand at graphic novels. While some have failed miserably, the others have given us something to cherish about. Graphic novels look quite similar to comics, except that the design does not really conform to the traditional comic strip; detailed plots and intricate art work can make these novels a grand success.
After films like Sholay, Ra. One, Don and Agent Vinod going the graphic way, several book lovers feel that the future of graphic novels is quite bright. However, in India, graphic novels are still in its initial stages. Novels like Kabul Disco, The Harappa Files and Kari are selling like hot cakes in the city. We list out some of the best graphic novels from India:
■ Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves Reloaded by Poulomi
Ali Baba's life was far from fantastic. A small house in the poorest part of Mumbai, a loving son and his own auto rickshaw. That was his world. Till one day he accidentally stumbles upon the secret stash of a gang of forty thieves. What follows is a storm that changes his life completely. One little dip into the pile, and Ali Baba brings on more trouble than he had bargained for, as he finds that the robbers aren't ones to take things lightly.
■ Corridor: A Graphic Novel, by Sarnath Banerjee
In the heart of Lutyens' Delhi sits Jehangir Rangoonwalla, enlightened dispenser of tea, wisdom and second-hand books. Among his customers are Brighu, a postmodern Ibn Batuta looking for obscure collectibles and a love life; Digital Dutta who lives mostly in his head, torn between Karl Marx and an H-1B visa and the newly-married Shintu, looking for the ultimate aphrodisiac in the seedy by-lanes of old Delhi.
■ River of Stories by Orijit Sen
One of the first graphic novels to be published in India, this short work tells the story of the environmental, social and political issues surrounding the construction of the controversial Narmada Dam Project.
■ Uud Bilaw Manus: Back with a Vengeance by Adhiraj Singh, Abhijeet Kini (Illustrator)
A new Indian superhero: a half-otter half-human from the post-apocalyptic fictional place of "Beehar" in northern India, who fights corrupt officials, among others.
■ Yeh Dil Maange More by Aditya Bakshi; Indian War Comics
Meet the heroes of the Indian War Comics, a series that began in 2008 with a comic on Kargil martyr Capt Vikram Batra.
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