It has been brought to my attention that various blogs with "Desi" in their title exist already and it leads to confusion amongst the readers just discovering the blog. Moreover, the title itself was very ambiguous and did not tell the reader what the blog is actually about. Considering all this, I have decided to rename the blog to "Indian Comics' Criticisms" as it conveys the objective and purpose of the blog unambiguously. Sometimes, a clear meaning has more impact than a clever pun, I guess.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Morality in Indian Comics
Morality has always been an important theme in literature, and this trend has continued itself into comics and graphic novels significantly. Starting from the clear distinctions between good and evil, many comics have also dealt with extremely delicate and nuanced issues like Power, Immortality, Desire etc. My favorite so far has been Alan Moore's works. "Watchmen" explores the ideas about how much power is a man justified in possessing (Dr. Manhattan is practically a God), how culling of human race is justified if it protects it from pushing its own self to extinction and so on and so forth. His graphic novel, "V for Vendetta", deals with Liberty, Freedom and Dictatorship along with ideas of terrorism and free will. As you can see, comics have clearly transcended their early roles as kid-friendly, trite fiction and have taken on the mantle of a genre with literary merit.
Indian Comics however, have been slow to jump on the bandwagon. Morality is one of the most under-utilized themes in India. In most comics, ranging across all the time-periods (the Golden, Silver and Contemporary ages) and publication houses, morality has remained practically black and white with the Villains clearly evil and the Heroes irreproachably good. This is in stark contrast with the American comics where even Superman, the poster boy for hope and virtue, isn't beyond reproach. Many story-lines have questioned how much power is justified in the hands of one person. The "Injustice : Gods Among Us" straight up paints him as a villain as he uses his near limit-less power to turn the Earth into more or less a police state by incarcerating or killing every villain. In the Marvel cross-over series, "Civil War" something similar happens as both warring factions, led by Iron Man and Captain America respectively, have justified motivations and arguments and there is no objective good or bad side and the reader is free to choose a faction that appeals to him to support without feeling any guilt for supporting the bad guys. No such comics have ever been published in India though. Comic Firms have sometimes pit its heroes against one another but there has never been any real conflict between them and more often than not, it has been a weak excuse to increase sales of cross-over issues. For example, Dhruv has an extremely strict no-killing policy while Doga executes crminals by the dozen in every issue and yet the two of them have never really clashed upon their ideological and operational differences beyond a cursory verbal acknowledgement of the fact.
Another important thing that we should address here is the flexibility of morality in Indian Comics. Morality isn't absolute across any comic Universe in India, with different characters having different morals that is held absolute in the universe of that particular character. This might seem like a good thing at the first glance as it reinstates our faith in the fact that the characters have their own personalities but it is not so much when you consider that the moralities are absolute in their respective universe. This does away with any possible ambiguity that can be utilized to write compelling story-lines. For example, in titles like Doga, Aatank Harta Nagraj, Dynamite (Diamond Comics) etc., killing villains isn't much of a big deal and the readers support the actions of these heroes simply because it is loud and clear by the tone of these comics that this is the only way to go about it. However, in titles like Dhruv and many others (across publication houses), killing is seen as morally wrong and the readers again support incarceration and legal punishment as the way to deal with criminals without a doubt. As a result what we get is a character universe which may have some brilliant questions to raise about morality but the questions are stifled as the morality in that particular universe is assumed as an objective truth, beyond any challenge.
Indian Comics however, have been slow to jump on the bandwagon. Morality is one of the most under-utilized themes in India. In most comics, ranging across all the time-periods (the Golden, Silver and Contemporary ages) and publication houses, morality has remained practically black and white with the Villains clearly evil and the Heroes irreproachably good. This is in stark contrast with the American comics where even Superman, the poster boy for hope and virtue, isn't beyond reproach. Many story-lines have questioned how much power is justified in the hands of one person. The "Injustice : Gods Among Us" straight up paints him as a villain as he uses his near limit-less power to turn the Earth into more or less a police state by incarcerating or killing every villain. In the Marvel cross-over series, "Civil War" something similar happens as both warring factions, led by Iron Man and Captain America respectively, have justified motivations and arguments and there is no objective good or bad side and the reader is free to choose a faction that appeals to him to support without feeling any guilt for supporting the bad guys. No such comics have ever been published in India though. Comic Firms have sometimes pit its heroes against one another but there has never been any real conflict between them and more often than not, it has been a weak excuse to increase sales of cross-over issues. For example, Dhruv has an extremely strict no-killing policy while Doga executes crminals by the dozen in every issue and yet the two of them have never really clashed upon their ideological and operational differences beyond a cursory verbal acknowledgement of the fact.
Another important thing that we should address here is the flexibility of morality in Indian Comics. Morality isn't absolute across any comic Universe in India, with different characters having different morals that is held absolute in the universe of that particular character. This might seem like a good thing at the first glance as it reinstates our faith in the fact that the characters have their own personalities but it is not so much when you consider that the moralities are absolute in their respective universe. This does away with any possible ambiguity that can be utilized to write compelling story-lines. For example, in titles like Doga, Aatank Harta Nagraj, Dynamite (Diamond Comics) etc., killing villains isn't much of a big deal and the readers support the actions of these heroes simply because it is loud and clear by the tone of these comics that this is the only way to go about it. However, in titles like Dhruv and many others (across publication houses), killing is seen as morally wrong and the readers again support incarceration and legal punishment as the way to deal with criminals without a doubt. As a result what we get is a character universe which may have some brilliant questions to raise about morality but the questions are stifled as the morality in that particular universe is assumed as an objective truth, beyond any challenge.
This trend needs to stop if comics have to gain acceptance as a form of literature with literary merit. Not questioning the morality of the actions of both the heroes as well as the villains (something I talked about in a previous post "Crime in Indian Comics") leads to flat story-lines and non-compelling characters. There has been an upward swing in the recent years but the progress has been far too slow. Writers like Abhishek Sagar ("Axe", "Alter Ego", "Genius" - Raj Comics) and Shamik Dasgupta ("Daksha" - Level 10) have incorporated characters into their stories which are grey and have justifiable and almost virtuous motivations but questionable actions which engages the reader without being pedantic or patronizing. The new generation of writers have shown promise in creating engaging story-lines with grey areas of morality but it is time that the trend takes an upwards swing or quick considering the Internet has introduced fans to work from all over the world and their tastes are swiftly becoming more demanding. With the meteoric rise of Marvel Studios, comics are experiencing a resurgence in popularity in the mainstream and this the perfect time for comics to make a mark for themselves in the mainstream. This can, however, happen only the quality of the comics in India can give competition to the more established titles, something I believe can happen. The Indian comic community has a lot of talent and potential, what it lacks is a tendency to take risks and monetary returns. I will deal with these problems in some later post. But for now, it is my highest recommendation that writers step out of the crib and create stories that not only entertain the reader but also force him to contemplate and maybe, even confuse him about what he/she knew to be true for a fact.
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Nature of Crimes in Indian Comics
Crime, due to the nature of the genre of Superhero comics, has always been one of the defining and most prominent themes of comics. Some of the most loved characters in comic books are villains and anti-heroes, a trend which is observable even in Indian comics to some extent (Doga, one of the most identifiable character in Indian Comics). Joker, the arch-enemy of Batman, is one of the most iconic and recognizable characters across all mediums and formats. The buck however does not stop there as there are a whole lot of other characters that are memorable and loved inspite of being the bad guys in a format of story-telling primarily aimed at catering to kids.
It is a clear trend in comics in the western hemisphere that the villains are usually grey characters instead of black. Joker's origin story included him being disfigured and rendered insane after falling into a vat of toxic chemicals the same day his wife died. Dr. Freeze's crimes are motivated by his quest to revive his wife and find a cure for her illness. Kingpin (Marvel Universe, Spiderman / Daredevil), inspite of being a crime lord has a soft spot for his wife Vanessa which makes the character a lot more human. The case however is not so ambiguous in Indian comics.
The villains in Indian comics are evil. End of discussion. There is no moral ambiguity, no shades of grey and no motivations beyond money and/or power. Attempts have been made a few times to give justifiable motivations to characters but they are not significant enough to be mentioned and certainly no such villain has come even close to being iconic. Most of the villains aren't even given a proper back-story. Majority of the villains have a life of one or two issues followed by their convenient vanishing or incarceration. Out of all the villains featured in Super Commando Dhruv comics, only Grandmaster Robo has appeared in more than 10 stand-alone issues. Nagraj's villains have a better rate of re-appearances but the motivations there are flimsier than the villains in Dhruv. Nagpasha simply wants the treasure, Nagina wants to rule Nagdweep etc. In the recent years, there have been attempts to retrofit the villains with sympathetic backstories but the efforts have usually fallen flat in the eyes of the general readership, with absolutely no increase in the liking or sympathy towards the character.
It is also noteworthy that the villains in Indian comics, like many of the heroes, have been influenced by the more iconic villains from the USA but their backstories have still been left out. Robo's backstory sounds suspiciously similar to Wilson Fisk's and he is the only character in Dhruv's comics who is even given an origin story. The other major villains like Chumba (Magneto), Bauna Vaman (Toyman) and Dhwani Raj (Banshee) have not even been graced with those. They are evil because they are, end of discussion.
One of the obvious reasons is the same old demographic argument. The comics were written for kids and therefore the villains had to be unambiguously bad for the kids to know who to root for. However, the argument is not so strong when you consider the amount of violence depicted in the comics. People have been literally torn apart, burnt alive, beheaded with wooden swords and much worse in these comics. So obviously the writers had more faith in the wisdom of the kids back then to differentiate between fictional and real violence than they do now.
The primary reason I believe is the lack of characterization. The comics, during their early days, were severely plot driven. Very little time was spent on minor, or even secondary characters as the writers had a lot of ground to cover in the usual 30 odd pages. It is clear in the Golden and Silver Age comics which had exposition, 2-3 fight scenes with minions and then an exciting and drawn out climax with the main villain. With such a packed story-board the writers could not squeeze in musing on the morality of the actions of the villains, it was much easier to allow the villain to simply be bad to save space. This trend has been changed to some extent in the contemporary age, with writers focusing on stories spanning multiple issues, giving them more space to deal with fleshing out of characters but as the influences of the new generation of writers has been the golden and silver age comics, the morally ambiguity is not as pronounced as it has been for many of the iconic characters in the west.
The independent comics scene however, has seen a rising trend in the recent years. For example, "Ravanayan", a graphic novel series published by Holy Cow Entertainment, treats Raavan, the quintessential Indian villain, as the protagonist and focuses on his motivations. There have been other titles too, which focuses on anti-heroes, characters whose actions lie in moral grey area but as they are the protagonists, we, the readers, end up rooting for them anyway. "Odayan" and "Aghori" are relevant to an extent (published by Level 10 comics and Holy Cow Entertainment respectively).
In conclusion, during the Golden and Silver age, the villains were bad without spelling out any reasons whatsoever, do which could have ended up in the reader possibly sympathizing with the villain. carried the risk of the villains being sympathized with. The reason was usually the plot-driven stories and the limited frame space available and to an extent self-righteous censorship by the writers and publishers. The trend however has seen some changes in the recent years, with a rise in negative characters, anti-heroes and morally ambiguous and even likable villains. These comics usually are aimed at teenagers and adults and in the comics aimed at kids, the villains still remain morally and inexplicably bad to this day. But in order for the comics to truly have memorable and iconic characters, a lot more needs to be done in order to make these characters appear humans instead of villains.
It is a clear trend in comics in the western hemisphere that the villains are usually grey characters instead of black. Joker's origin story included him being disfigured and rendered insane after falling into a vat of toxic chemicals the same day his wife died. Dr. Freeze's crimes are motivated by his quest to revive his wife and find a cure for her illness. Kingpin (Marvel Universe, Spiderman / Daredevil), inspite of being a crime lord has a soft spot for his wife Vanessa which makes the character a lot more human. The case however is not so ambiguous in Indian comics.
The villains in Indian comics are evil. End of discussion. There is no moral ambiguity, no shades of grey and no motivations beyond money and/or power. Attempts have been made a few times to give justifiable motivations to characters but they are not significant enough to be mentioned and certainly no such villain has come even close to being iconic. Most of the villains aren't even given a proper back-story. Majority of the villains have a life of one or two issues followed by their convenient vanishing or incarceration. Out of all the villains featured in Super Commando Dhruv comics, only Grandmaster Robo has appeared in more than 10 stand-alone issues. Nagraj's villains have a better rate of re-appearances but the motivations there are flimsier than the villains in Dhruv. Nagpasha simply wants the treasure, Nagina wants to rule Nagdweep etc. In the recent years, there have been attempts to retrofit the villains with sympathetic backstories but the efforts have usually fallen flat in the eyes of the general readership, with absolutely no increase in the liking or sympathy towards the character.
It is also noteworthy that the villains in Indian comics, like many of the heroes, have been influenced by the more iconic villains from the USA but their backstories have still been left out. Robo's backstory sounds suspiciously similar to Wilson Fisk's and he is the only character in Dhruv's comics who is even given an origin story. The other major villains like Chumba (Magneto), Bauna Vaman (Toyman) and Dhwani Raj (Banshee) have not even been graced with those. They are evil because they are, end of discussion.
One of the obvious reasons is the same old demographic argument. The comics were written for kids and therefore the villains had to be unambiguously bad for the kids to know who to root for. However, the argument is not so strong when you consider the amount of violence depicted in the comics. People have been literally torn apart, burnt alive, beheaded with wooden swords and much worse in these comics. So obviously the writers had more faith in the wisdom of the kids back then to differentiate between fictional and real violence than they do now.
The primary reason I believe is the lack of characterization. The comics, during their early days, were severely plot driven. Very little time was spent on minor, or even secondary characters as the writers had a lot of ground to cover in the usual 30 odd pages. It is clear in the Golden and Silver Age comics which had exposition, 2-3 fight scenes with minions and then an exciting and drawn out climax with the main villain. With such a packed story-board the writers could not squeeze in musing on the morality of the actions of the villains, it was much easier to allow the villain to simply be bad to save space. This trend has been changed to some extent in the contemporary age, with writers focusing on stories spanning multiple issues, giving them more space to deal with fleshing out of characters but as the influences of the new generation of writers has been the golden and silver age comics, the morally ambiguity is not as pronounced as it has been for many of the iconic characters in the west.
The independent comics scene however, has seen a rising trend in the recent years. For example, "Ravanayan", a graphic novel series published by Holy Cow Entertainment, treats Raavan, the quintessential Indian villain, as the protagonist and focuses on his motivations. There have been other titles too, which focuses on anti-heroes, characters whose actions lie in moral grey area but as they are the protagonists, we, the readers, end up rooting for them anyway. "Odayan" and "Aghori" are relevant to an extent (published by Level 10 comics and Holy Cow Entertainment respectively).
In conclusion, during the Golden and Silver age, the villains were bad without spelling out any reasons whatsoever, do which could have ended up in the reader possibly sympathizing with the villain. carried the risk of the villains being sympathized with. The reason was usually the plot-driven stories and the limited frame space available and to an extent self-righteous censorship by the writers and publishers. The trend however has seen some changes in the recent years, with a rise in negative characters, anti-heroes and morally ambiguous and even likable villains. These comics usually are aimed at teenagers and adults and in the comics aimed at kids, the villains still remain morally and inexplicably bad to this day. But in order for the comics to truly have memorable and iconic characters, a lot more needs to be done in order to make these characters appear humans instead of villains.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)