CleanupBot II at 19:06, 14 August 2023

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{{Infobox comics nationality 
|name = Indian comics
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|date = 1960s
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{{Culture of India}}

'''Indian comics''' (known as '''Chitrakatha'''<ref name="sunday-guardian1">{{cite web|author=Shweta Sharma |url=http://www.sunday-guardian.com/artbeat/documentary-homage-to-comics-gods |title=Documentary homage to comics Gods |publisher=Sunday-guardian.com |date=13 November 2011 |access-date=22 December 2012}}</ref>) are comic books and [[graphic novel]]s associated with the [[culture of India]] published in a number of Indian languages.

India has a long tradition of comic readership and themes associated with extensive mythologies and folk-tales have appeared as children's comic books for decades.<ref>{{cite news|last=Patel |first=Atish |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-comics-idUSTRE7210VT20110302 |title=Graphic novelists shake up world of Indian comics |work=Reuters |access-date=22 December 2012}}</ref> Indian comics often have large publication. The comic industry was at its peak in the late 1980s and early 1990s and during this period popular comics were easily sold more than 500,000 copies over the course of its shelf life of several weeks. Currently, it only sell around 50,000 copies over a similar period.<ref name="thehindubusinessline1">{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/features/weekend-life/homecoming-for-the-superheroes/article3812065.ece |title=Business Line : Features / Weekend Life : Homecoming for the superheroes |publisher=Thehindubusinessline.com |access-date=22 December 2012}}</ref> India's once-flourishing comic industry is in sharp decline because of increasing competition from satellite television (children's television channels) and the gaming industry.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15658311 |title=BBC News – Changing habits illustrate decline of India's comics |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=27 November 2011 |access-date=22 December 2012}}</ref>

Over the last 6 decades [[Diamond Comics]], [[Raj Comics]], [[Tinkle]], [[Balarama (magazine)|Balarama]] and [[Amar Chitra Katha]] have established vast distribution networks countrywide and are read by hundreds of thousands of children in a wide range of languages.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?223768 |title=Comic, Dead Serious | Samit Basu |publisher=Outlookindia.com |date=3 May 2004 |access-date=22 December 2012}}</ref> Famous comic creators from India include [[Pratap Mullick|Pratap Mulick]], Chandu, [[Harvinder Mankkar|Harvinder Mannkar]], Sukhwant Kalsi, [[Anupam Sinha]], [[Aabid Surti]], [[Uncle Pai]] and cartoonist [[Pran Kumar Sharma]], Neerad and famous characters are [[Chacha Chaudhary]], [[Bahadur (comics)|Bahadur]], Meeku, [[Motu Patlu]], [[Detective Moochwala|Detective Moochhwala]], [[Nagraj]], [[Super Commando Dhruva]], [[Doga (comics)|Doga]], [[Suppandi]] and [[Shikari Shambu]] and many more .<ref name="sunday-guardian1"/>
<ref name="thehindubusinessline1"/> [[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 mythologies.<ref>{{cite web |author=The Associated Press – Fri 25 February 2011 |url=http://in.news.yahoo.com/indian-comic-book-pioneer-uncle-pai-dies-81-20110224-203251-685.html |title=Indian comic book pioneer 'Uncle Pai' dies at 81 – Yahoo! News India |publisher=In.news.yahoo.com |date=25 February 2011 |access-date=22 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120519123940/http://in.news.yahoo.com/indian-comic-book-pioneer-uncle-pai-dies-81-20110224-203251-685.html |archive-date=19 May 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

== History ==
India's comic industry began in the mid-1960s when the leading newspaper ''[[The Times of India]]'' launched [[Indrajal Comics]]. The industry evolved later in India. Up until the late 1960s the comics were only enjoyed by the children of wealthy parents. But from that time until the early 1990s they established themselves in the market.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> The evolution of Indian comics can be broadly divided into many phases. Around 1950s saw syndicated strips like [[The Phantom]], [[Mandrake the Magician|Mandrake]], [[Flash Gordon]], [[Rip Kirby]] being translated to Indian languages. The success of such comic books was followed by a swarm of publishers trying to emulate these titles. The second phase in the late 1960s came in the form of [[Amar Chitra Katha]] (literally translated as "immortal picture stories"), comics with hundred percentage Indian content.<ref name="sunday-guardian1"/>

[[File:Spider-Man India.jpg|left|thumb|The Indian adaptation of Spider-Man, [[Spider-Man:India]], was mainly bought by collectors]]

In the 1970s several indigenous comics were launched to rival the Western [[superhero comics]].<ref name="autogenerated1"/> The 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.<ref name="sunday-guardian1"/> However, one of India's earliest superheroes is [[Batul the Great]], was created during the 1960s by [[Narayan Debnath]].,<ref name="thehindubusinessline1"/> whose early comic strip ''[[Handa Bhonda]]'', inspired by [[Laurel and Hardy]], had been launched in the magazine ''[[Shuktara]]'' in 1962.<ref>D. Ghosh Dastidar, “Prospects of Comic Studies in India,” ''Gnosis'' 3 (2019), 113–128 (116).</ref> In the 1980s, at least 5.5 million copies of comics such as Heroes of Faith series were sold in India.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> 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 (with characters such as [[Suppandi]]<ref name="autogenerated1"/>) have been able to sustain their readership. After a lull, new publishing companies such as the level10, chariot comics, arkin comics, [https://nilacomics.com/ Nila Comics], [https://www.yalidreamcreations.com/ Yali Dream Creations], [https://www.FictionComics.com Fiction Comics] [https://www.comixtheory.com/ Comix Theory], [https://www.greengold.tv/ Green Gold], Jr. Diamond etc. has appeared on the market in the last few years.<ref name="sunday-guardian1"/> Comic publishers meanwhile have been accused by critics of lacking innovation in the face of digital competition.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> But counter to the claims many innovations had been introduced where Indian publishers have tried many innovative ways to promote comics such as animation, film and short films, and tv serials and ecomics, VHS films, audio films and mobile apps by Raj Comics, Diamond Comics, Amar Chitra Katha. And a very innovatively attempt was done by indian publishers which is reaching out to 236 Indian Rajya Sabha members through sending postcards with request to promote reading books and comics by world record holder sri Niand Jadhav ji in conjunction with Indian comics publishers Comix Theory and Comics Byte, and also comics art workshops, massive comics giveaways programs, Pulp Gulp Talk Show made by Comix Theory to promote comics digitally,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Comics Initiatives|url=http://www.comixtheory.com/|access-date=13 May 2021|website=Comix Theory}}</ref> and a dedicated news portal by [https://comicsbyte.com/ Comics Byte]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Comics Byte|url=https://comicsbyte.com/|access-date=13 May 2021}}</ref>

[[Webcomics]] have been a popular medium in India since the early 2000s. [[Indian webcomics]] are successful as they reach a large audience for free<ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/deep-focus/Strip-tease-Indian-webcomics-make-a-mark/articleshow/6494318.cms|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|title=Strip tease: Indian webcomics make a mark|last=Arora|first=Kim|date=2010-09-05}}</ref> and they are frequently used by the country's younger generation to spread [[social awareness]] on topics such as [[Indian politics|politics]] and [[feminism]]. These webcomics reach a large amount of exposure by being spread through [[social media]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/books/laughing-through-our-worries-the-indian-web-comics/story-e6RDl58hD3NGVTKiK5IF0K.html|newspaper=[[Hindustan Times]]|title=Laughing through our worries: The Indian web comics|last=Verma|first=Tarishi|date=2015-04-26}}</ref>
[[File:Nagraj, Raj Comics, Manoj Gupta.jpg|alt=Nagraj based on design by Manoj Gupta illustrated by Pratap Mullick.|thumb|Nagraj based on design by [[Manoj Gupta]] illustrated by Pratap Mullick.]]
India hosted its first ever [[comics convention]] in February 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/8257221/India-gets-its-own-Comic-Con.html |title=India gets its own Comic Con |newspaper=Telegraph |access-date=22 December 2012}}</ref> According to 2012 estimates, the Indian comic publishing industry was worth over 100 million dollars.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-01-03/social-media/30584208_1_comic-industry-diamond-comics-amar-chitra-katha |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707221259/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-01-03/social-media/30584208_1_comic-industry-diamond-comics-amar-chitra-katha |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 July 2012 |title=How social media is boosting comic industry |date=3 January 2012|access-date= 16 March 2012|work=[[The Times of India]] |publisher=[[The Times Group]]}}</ref>
[[Raj Comics]] is the most popular Indian comic book company right now after Amar Chitra Katha and Diamond Comics, though no census or data for popularity is available for such claims. For superhero genre [[Raj Comics]] is the most popular publisher having its success due to this genre. Comic characters like [[Nagraj]] and [[Super Commando Dhruva]] which are India's most popular comic book heroes, are the gift of comic creators like [[Pratap Mullik]] and [[Anupam Sinha]]. [[Raj comics]] has gained immense viewership and fan following from 1980's.
The popularity of [[manga]] and [[anime]] in India has led to [[Japan]]ese manga-inspired comic books, such as ''[[Mythology (comic book)|Mythology]]'' a comic book based on [[Hindu mythology]] that has been released in India, [[Singapore]], [[Malaysia]] and [[Europe]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://thediplomat.com/2014/08/japanese-cultural-influence-grows-in-india/ |title=Japanese Cultural Influence Grows in India}}</ref>
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From 2005 to recent times there are many attempts by recently ventured and old comics publishers to revive the Indian comics industry including initiatives from Level 10 Comics, [[Yali Dream Creations]], Holycow Entertainment, Chariot Comics, Ayumi Comics, Red Streak Comics, Rovolt Comics, Vimanika Comics and TBS Planet Comics, UFC, Dream Comics, Swapnil Comics, Vaishnavi Comics, Fenil Comics, Dhaansu Productions and the surviving Raj Comics itself. Amar Chitra Katha, Raj Comics and Diamond Comics has ventured into other entertainment media like feature films, web series, games, mobile applications etc. since late 1990s and continuously attempting to widen their impact on the comics-reading population. By the end of 2019, many new comic-making companies have shown a great interest in the upbringing of the Indian comic industry and are fighting to make a mark in the industry.
{{-}}

== Major Indian comics publishers ==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*[[Amar Chitra Katha]]
*[[Raj Comics]]
*[[Balarama (Comics)]]
*[[Balabhumi]]
*[[Champak]]
*[[Lotpot]]
*[[Chandamama]]
*[[Comics india]]
*[[Diamond Comics]]
*[[Tinkle]]
*[[Graphic India]]
*[[Vimanika Comics]]
*[[Indrajal Comics]]
*[[Regal Publishers]]
*[[Illustrated Orchids]]
*[[King_Comics_(Raj_Comics)|King Comics]]
*[[Lion comics]]
*[[Level 10 Comics]]
*[[Kiran Comics]]
*[[Manoj Comics]]
*[[Nutan Comics]]
*[[Radha Comics]]
*[[Tulsi Comics]]
*[[Chitra Bharti Kathamala]]
*[[Yali Dream Creations]]
*[[Lalu Leela]]
*[[Yomics World]]
*[[Star Comics IBH]]
*[[Kriyetic Comics]]
*[[Madhu Muskan]]
*[[Comix Theory]]
*[[Dhaansu Productions]]
*[[COP Comics]]
*[[Fiction comics]]
* Durga Comics
* Fort Comics
* Freelance talents
* Meta Desi Comics
* Mythtower Entertainment
* Parampra Comics
* Pawan Comics
* Red Streak Publications
* Speech Bubble Entertainment
* [[TBS Planet Comics]]
* Fenil Comics
* UFC Comics
* Bulls Eye Comics
* Dream Comics
* Vaishnavi Comics
* Swapnil Comics
* World Comics India
* Zaponga Comics
* Chariot Comics
* NERDISH COMICS
* Speechbubble Entertainment
* Goyal Comics
* Holy Cow Entertainment
* Rani comics
* Pitara Comics
* Campfire Graphic Novels
* Space Age Comics
* Trishul Comics
* Gowarson's Comics
* Tan-Man Comics
* Vidyarthi Mithram Comics
* Aayumi Productions
* MB Comics Studio
* Rovolt Entertainment
* Mantaray Comics
* Beast Legion
* Dolton Comics
* Prabhat Comics
* Ganga Comics
* Nilam Comics
* Nila Comics
* linkedme Comics
* Kokaachi Comics
* V.Comics (Mizoram)
{{div col end}}

== Major Figures ==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*Rajkumar Gupta
*[[Manoj Gupta]]
*Sanjay Gupta
*[[Anant Pai]]
*[[Anupam Sinha]]
*[[Pran Kumar Sharma]]
*[[Pratap Mullick]]
*[[Abid Surti]]
*[[Dheeraj Verma]]
*Gulshan Rai
*Tarun Kumar Wahi{{div col end}}

== Annual events ==
* [[Comic Con India]]
* [[Comics Fest India]]
*Indian Comics Fund Raiser & Action Plan
*Nagraj Janmotsav
* [[New Delhi World Book Fair]]
* [[Indie Comix Fest]]

== See also ==

* [[Magazine]]
* [[Media of India]]

'''Lists'''
* [[List of Indian comics]]
* [[List of newspapers in India]]
* [[List of radio stations in India]]
* [[List of Indian TV channels]]
* [[List of Indian films]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Dastidar, D. Ghosh. “Prospects of Comic Studies in India,” ''Gnosis'' 3 (2019), 113–128.
* Hawley, John Stratton. 'The Saints Subdued: Domestic Virtue and National Integration in Amar Chitra Katha' in ''Media and the Transformation of Religion in South Asia'', eds. Lawrence A Babb, Susan S. Wadley, Motilal Banarasidas, 1998.
* MacLain, Karline. ''India's Immortal Comic Books: Gods, Kings, and Other Heroes'', Indiana University Press, 2009. {{ISBN|978-0-253-22052-3}}.
* Pritchett, Frances W. 'The World of Amar Chitra Katha' in ''Media and the Transformation of Religion in South Asia'', eds. Lawrence A Babb, Susan S. Wadley, Motilal Banarasidas, 1998.
* Lent, John A., ''Comic Art of Africa, Asia, Australia, and Latin America Through 2000: An International Bibliography'', Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004.

== External links ==
* [http://graphicshelf.com/ GraphicShelf] - India's first Graphic Novel Database
* [https://www.culturepopcorn.com/ CulturePOPcorn – Indian Comics and POP Culture News Channel]

{{Comics}}
{{India topics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Indian Comics}}
[[Category:Indian comics| ]]
[[Category:Indian comics artists]]
[[Category:Indian literature]]

Indian comics - Revision history

CleanupBot II at 19:06, 14 August 2023