We expect more people to turn up. If this comic con taught us anything is that comic fans come in all shapes, sizes and ages and with this con, hopefully more fans would be enticed to crawl out of the woodwork and proclaim their love for this medium more openly. We have hidden in the shadows for too long, now India, nay the world shall bear witness to the eccentricities of the Indian Comic Buff!
Exclusive: Level 10 on Comicon India
28 FebRavanayan Creators on Comicon India
27 Feb![]() |
Vivek Goel and Vijayendra Mohanty |
Vijayendra Mohanty and Vivek Goel, the brains behind the upcoming Ravanayan series share with us their first hand perspective on Comicon India:
VM: As Vivek says, I think that the Comic Con was a great success. It got looking in the general direction of the community and it made something of a splash in the media.
As one of my friends pointed out, perhaps, in the years to come, the Con will attract a more dedicated adult audience. As it is, the people most enthusiastic about the event were people our age — the ones who grew up reading comics and battling misconceptions.
– What did you do at Comicon?
Publisher is very much finalised but this is still not the time to reveal it. March would be it.
Comicon Retrospective: Campfire Graphic novels
25 FebAalok Deciphers DC: Batman Post Crisis : Year One
24 FebIf you are an old fan, come enjoy reminiscing with us through the good and the bad DC had to offer.
If you are an old fan getting back into comics , let us help you get upto date sequentially
If you are a new fan you will get our help in unraveling the mysteries of current DCU
If you are not reading DC comics, let us tell you why you should be.
– Article by Aalok joshi
-Edited by Manks
Previous editions of this column can be found at our Archive page
BATMAN: YEAR ONE
Writer: FRANK MILLER
Artist: DAVID MAZZUCHELLI
(Collects issues: BATMAN 404-407)
DC certainly put the Batman franchise in good hands. Frank Miller had earlier done RONIN & THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS! for DC and a sprawling run on Daredevil for Marvel, writing & illustrating the most part, with David Mazzuchelli fresh off an epic Daredevil run with Miller.
It’s a very basic story but it works. The story represents two points of view, and Gotham as seen through the eyes of James Gordon & Bruce Wayne. We begin at Bruce returning to Gotham after his training and Gordon getting transferred from Chicago to Gotham. Gordon learns the hard way that he can’t change the city alone as he meets Detective Flass & Commissioner Loeb. Bruce, meanwhile has the training but doesn’t know how & where to start. Detective Flass with others beats up Gordon who then retaliates, finally having learnt what it takes to survive in Gotham. While walking the seedy streets of old Gotham, Bruce runs into trouble with a bunch of goons, Holly Robinson & Selina Kyle. The police takes in a wounded Bruce Wayne, who to protect his identity swerves the patrolcar into the river and escapes. A wounded Bruce Wayne is looking for a sign when a bat flies in through the window.
Batman begins the crackdown on Gotham city crime in earnest, stopping a group of thieves and also takes down Flass taking a bribe. when he interrupts a dinner party attended by ganglords and politicians, Carmine Falcone, top crime lord brings the heat to the police department. Loeb orders Gordon to bring Batman in. Police authorities corner Batman whilst he is saving an old lady from a mugger and consign the neighbourhood to blazes. Batman escapes by outwitting the authorities, using his ultrasonic whistle to summon bats from the cave for the first time.
Gordon begins his romantic fling with Lt. Sarah Essen. Authorities suspect that Harvey Dent, District Attorney is the Batman, who is the Batman’s ally much before Gordon. Batman brings in a drug dealer who agrees to testify against Flass. Loeb blackmails Gordon saying that he will press charges against him for his affair with Essen. Finally Gordon himself confesses to his wife Barbara.
Inspired by the Batman, Selina Kyle takes on the identity of Catwoman and makes her first heist from Carmine Falcone, giving him the characteristic scar and interrupting Batman who overhears something about a plot against Gordon at Falcone’s Mansion. The ganglords arrange to have Gordon’s son kidnapped. Bruce Wayne stops the attempt and saves the child. Flass finally testifies against Loeb and Gordon is promoted to Captain. Essen gets transferred and Barbara divorces James Gordon. In the end, Gordon meets Batman on the rooptop discussing a character called the Joker who has threatened to poison the reservoir.
Notes:
-Bruce’s parent’s murder is shown only in flashback. No murder, no vow.
-The series is more about James Gordon & Bruce Wayne. It presents the beginning of the long evolving relationship between Gordon & Batman
-We see the beginnings of Selina Kyle, Holly Robinson, Sarah Essen, Carmine Falcone & Harvey Dent.
-The Crisis didn’t change much about the Batman. We never see fresh takes on all the villains. Only the parts that have been changed have been touched upon in subsequent issues. Year One isn’t a new, completely different story, just a fresh take on the Dark Knight in the “grim n gritty” fashion.
-Since this storyline was so popular, there have been a number of series attempting to “fill in” the blank spots as most people dislike the idea of going back to the Pre Crisis stories.
-Though two titles were launched which would predominantly feature early storylines, LEGENDS OF THE DARK NIGHT & now BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL, many of these are called year one stories. The notable one shots, mini series and arcs from LOTDK & BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL are:
-THE MAN WHO LAUGHS (1st JOKER)
-THE LONG HALLOWEEN (1ST TWO FACE)
-DARK VICTORY
-CATWOMAN: WHEN IN ROME
-SHAMAN
-GOTHIC
-PREY (1ST HUGO STRANGE)
-VENOM (1ST VENOM)
-THE MONSTER MEN (another variant on HUGO STRANGE)
-THE MAD MONK (1ST MONK)
-RULES OF ENGAGEMENT (1ST LUTHOR)
-LOVERS & MADMEN
– SNOW (1ST FREEZE)
-CLAY (1ST CLAYFACE) (collected in BATMAN: MONSTERS)
Rating: 9.0 on 10. It was a near perfect story in what it started to do and accomplished doing.
Contains full covers, 14.95$
Press Release : Campfire on Comicon Experience
22 FebI have to agree with what they say, Comicon was a blast and Campfire was an integral part of its success.
Here’s wishing campfire all the best in the Indian Market and hope they return even stronger at the next con.
(click the image below to see it full size)
Stewart’s Slate : Review of Chronicles of Wormwood
21 Feb
The Chronicles Of Wormwood graphic novel (Collects Chronicles Of Wormwood #1-6)
Writer: Garth Ennis
Art: Jacen Burrows
Garth Ennis roasts the hell out of religion again in a story about cable TV excec’, Danny Wormwood: The Antichrist.
As serious a subject as this sounds it doesn’t stop this being one of the funniest books Garth has ever written. He may be gifted with supernatural powers and his father is in deed Satan (he took the form of a dog and raped his mother to conceive him) but Danny Wormwood isn’t a bad guy at all. Once he learned the dark truth of his origin he renounced his father and all his plans for armageddon, moved from London to New York and set up his own company producing shows for cable TV. He lives with his girlfriend and pet rabbit Jimmy, who he has gifted with human intelligence and the ability to speak, turning him into the greatest comic book side kick the world has ever known, his best friend is the permanently brain damaged, black reincarnation of Jesus Christ and for the unholy adversary to all that’s good and Christian in the world, Danny Wormwood is a very likeable protagonist even if he is having an affair with Joan of Arc.
This is a bizarre premise for a story by anyone’s standards and the level of sheer, depraved, laugh out loud weirdness in some parts of it surprised even a seasoned Garth Ennis fan like me. Not just what happens but what Jacen Burrows has been allowed to illustrate. As usual I don’t want to give anything away but I don’t care what comics you normally read, you won’t believe what Wormwood does to a barman with his magical powers after he insults his friend!
During the story the status quo of Wormwoods life is interrupted by his father and the Catholic church (headed by a monumentally perverted Australian Pope) trying to kick start armageddon in a last ditch attempt to make the increasingly agnostic world pay attention to them again.
Yes you can draw a lot of comparisons between this and Garth Ennis’ Preacher series. Its a sideways look at religion and popular culture where neither God, the Devil or the Church are portrayed as being all they’re supposed to be in the eyes of the faithful. I did however enjoy this book a lot more than any one of the Preacher graphic novels alone. Although there is another smaller Chronicles Of Wormwood graphic novel available (The Last Enemy) and another one (Last Battle) set for release in July, Wormwood isn’t an ongoing monthly series so this book has a definite beginning middle and end and there seems to be a lot more going on and definitely a lot more to laugh at in this one graphic novel than in any single part to the Preacher storyline. I said it at the beginning of the review and i’ll say it again. Funniest story of Garth’s that I’ve ever read. I lost count of the amount of times I burst out laughing in total disbelief of some of the outrageous gags they’ve thrown in here. I’m almost surprised they were allowed to publish the book with the way it portrays parts of the Catholic church.
Great artwork, engaging storyline, brilliant humour and as with all Garth Ennis’ work, outstanding dialogue and characters. Essential reading for fans of Garth Ennis and definitely worth a read for anybody who enjoys a good black comedy. A fabulous example of how good adult comics can be.
SCORE 8/10
The Chronicles Of Wormwood: The Last Enemy
Writer: Garth Ennis
Art: Rob Steen
A short follow up story to the original Chronicles of Wormwood 6 part mini series, this is more of the same really. Outrageously funny and probably very offensive Roman Catholics.
Ok then you may have thought the last one sounded pretty shocking but check this out: The Pope sends a massive eunuch monk hit man to kidnap Danny Wormwoood’s best friend Jesus and bring him to the Vatican so he can use his God given healing powers to cure his aids which he contracted after having lots of unprotected sex with lots of different people and wackiness ensues. This is made all the more complicated for Danny as he is in the process of rekindling his relationship with Maggie.
Not quite as cerebral as the first one and Rob Steens artwork is a little disappointing compared to Burrows but it carries on with the same great characters as the first book and the off the wall adult humour is still there so if, like me, you loved the first one then you’ll definitely like this one too. Jimmy the talking rabbit plays an even bigger part in this one too which can only be a good thing. Seriously, he should get his own mini series!
SCORE 7/10
Adventures of a Young Blogger at Comicon..
20 FebNishkarsh recounts his experience at comicon exclusively here..
Day 1 of the Comic Con witnessed Wolverine, terrorizing the Comic Con staff and people here and there. The first day ended pretty well with people having high hopes for the next day, as most of the major events were to take place on 20th.
Next day began, at 11:00 AM- Dilli Haat was houseful, because of three main factors:
-Comic Con, the only event that makes India a normal country..
-Sunday, the only day in the week where all those except housewives have an off
-Comics, the only thing that adults and kids both read and of course, LOVE
So, I reached the convention at 3:15 and on reaching there got a call from Mayank. He was standing near the stage, with a bunch of people. It was just 3:20 when I reached there and Mayank called me under the shed, because the first drop of rain came down.
The feeling of the cool breeze and the smell of dust was making me feel awesome, it was like WOW! Now, I can enjoy even more!
But soon, I was becoming impatient, people were packin’ up LCD’s back and removing the stuff. I was kinda shocked, as rain wasn’t even stopping for a millisecond..
I quickly ran towards the stalls, grabbed up the most awaited LOK Book II from Vimanika, without even getting a pic clicked with Kalki there and then picked up a few stuff from the Comic Con stalls… I wasn’t even able to reach Diamond Comics because of the rain and we had to quickly get inside the Indoor Stalls..
The first Indoor Stall that I saw, was of Dial-a-Book, actually the most crowded stall of the convention, because they had all types of comics and a great staff too.. Next was Robosoft, the company that made ACK and Tinkle on my iPod.. 😀
Next up were Avenger Toys, from where I bought this Hulk figure and Level 10 Comics, which were actually completely sold out 😦
Suhas (Editor and Creative Head, L10) quickly recognized me as I wanted to buy whole of the Jump series but unfortunately, couldn’t as they were sold out!!
Next was Kshiraj Telang, whom I interviewed 1 day before the Con. Practically, Kshiraj’s stall was the most popularized and liked stall, by newspapers and Facebookers 😀
When I first stepped into Dilli Haat, a guy handed me a brochure for Kshiraj’s stall, so as I said, it was the most popular stall out there… Kshiraj, being a freelance artist and animator was both offering and showing his services along with his wife. (They made quite a good team together).
Now, coming to the serious topics: THE RAINS
It was later discovered that Ororo Munroe was also there at the con, hiding between the cloud and makin’ it rain almost endlessly.. I couldn’t even Cosplay or attend any workshop because of rains :(.
Summing up this long long post on the end of the final day of Con, heres a short and simple walk-through to the Con
Best Stalls out there in my opinion:
-Dial-a-Book
-Vimanika Comics
-Comic Con India (Happily Unmarried, Pop Culture Publishing and RANDOM)
-Avenger Toys
-tasi
-World Comics India
-Kshiraj Telang
-Picasso
-Robosoft
-Timeout India
-NBT
and some more..
I missed some major stalls like Diamond and Times Group Books, also Green Gold, Level 10, Buzzinga and Campfire.. whereas the ACK stall kinda disappointed me as there were no special stuff out there.. They launched nothing new and were kinda carrying all the old stuff..
Due to the rains, all the participants and bloggers were called at Habitat Center for a dinner at 8:30 but I couldn’t make it because of my schools…
Nevertheless, the first Indian annual Comic Con was literally a blockbuster and more posts coming right through..
Stay Tooned 😀
Nishkarsh Chugh
(Gotham Comics India: http://www.gothamcomics.co.nr/)