CineBook – Thorgal #1-3 | 2008

Distributor in India: West Land | Price: INR 350 | Two-Volume Books | Color | Pages: 96 | Size: B5 | Laminated/HardCover

Well, I got behind on my comics reading, and couldn't complete Black & Mortimer series quite in time for a positive review before the long weekend.  Nevertheless, not to disappoint those visiting souls, I took up another great series for review, Thorgal from Cinebook. Comics stalwarts would remember the Conan the Barbarian (or Conan the Cimmerian, as he is known also) from the Golden Age of American Comics.  We won't be overestimating, if we say that Conan series, single-handedly laid a platform for the sword-and-sorcery fantasy, and later revolutionized its form in a Comics base starting from 1970.  There were even a couple of Hollywood attempts to take the success, to the Silver Screen, an initiative propelled by the presence of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the lead role.  The popularity of Conan is bestowed by the fact that, there are still die-hard fans around the world for this hard-hitting Cimmerian, even when the world revolves around the Sci-Fi fantasy.

Thorgal 1: Child of the Stars ISBN: 978-1-905460-23-6

Thorgal 1: Aaricia (Vol.2) Published: 2007

There were numerous attempts made to cash-in on the popularity generated by Conan in the Comics format, by many writers and authors, but none were as successful as the Conan was.  But, little is known that in the same period, there was another Comics character from the famed Franco-Belgian genre, which was able to match upto to the popularity and adventures of Conan, and our topic of discussion, Thorgal.
Thorgal is a Belgian comic book series created with the blockbuster combination of writer Jean Van Hamme and the Polish graphic artist Grzegorz Rosiński.  Writer Jean Van Hamme is well-known to Southern Indian Fans, as he is the creator of the successful XIII franchise.  A series which is in plans to be published as a Collectors Item from Prakash Publishers,  who own the famous Tamil language Lion and Muthu Comics, being released in South India. Jean Van Hamme It originally started appearing in the TinTin Magazine, but was moved to hardcover volumes starting from 1980.  Since then the popularity of the series has prompted them to be translated into all the major languages in Europe.  Thorgal series left no stone untouched, with its storylines uniting many legends into one, ranging from Norse Mythology, Atlantean Fantasy, and to an extent Science Fiction too. Grzegorz Rosiński Van Hamme is known for is intriguing plots, in his other works.  And that is shown in the way he has put Thorgal's origin and his hurdles growing-up. Shankar's comment in the blog reminded me that I forgot to mention how the strange name Thorgal Aegirsson.  As per the plot (revealed in the Cinebook 1st album) he was named so by his adopted father, Leif Haraldson, as "Thor-gal Aegirs-son"; after Thor, the Norse God of Thunder (a prominant Marvel Comic Hero too), and Aegir, the ruler of the sea; because he considered Thorgal to be a gift from the Gods. The punch-line of Thorgal Series 'The Gods Have Put a Man to the Test', is good enough to understand that he is different from his much famous compatriot, Conan. Unlike Conan, He is a guy who despises of wars, fist-fights, kingdom, or supremacy, and wants to settle down as a day-to-day family man, fueled by his unmatched love towards Aaricia.  The story quitely follows their adventures with us being reminded on this underlying family values, which Thorgal rates highly over any other.  The Artwork of Rosinski, is incredible, which adds all the more value to the Hamme's plot.  Have a look at the cover arts, as a testament to the fact.  The successful combination, has so far published 29 Albums of Thorgal, with the last one in 2006.  So far, the entire volume put together has sold more than 13 million copies worldwide in all languages put to-gether.
Thorgal 2: The Three Elders of Aran ISBN: 978-1-905460-31-1	Thorgal 2: The Black Galley (Vol.2) Published: 2007
Coming back to the topic, Cinebook have brought this much acclaimed French series, to India in their English versions.  There are 3 Editions with this batch, with each one being a Two Volume Editions, which effectively means that they are 6 in total.  The way these volumes are bound are different from their original publication, as the Thorgal 1, in this series, actually encompasses the original volumes: 7:L'enfant des étoiles and 8:Alinoë;, released in 1984 and 1985 respectively.  The chief patron of Cinebook, Olivier Cadic, explains in an interview with CBO, that he purposefully suggested the change to the creators, as he felt that those individual albums, which briefs the childhood days of Thorgal and Aaricia, would serve as a good way to open up a series anew.
Thorgal 3: Beyond the Shadows ISBN: 978-1-905460-45-8	Thorgal 3: The Fall of Brek Zarith (Vol.2) Published: 2007

Likewise, Thorgal 2: encompasses Original Albums 3:Les Trois Vieillards du pays d'Aran (1981) and 4:La Galère Noire (1982); while Thorgal 3: consists of the Original Albums 5:Au-delà des Ombres and 6:La chute de Brek Zarith.  The Original Albums 1 & 2, which introduces us to the characters and location, have been left out from this venture, as Olivier feels that the Origins of Thorgal & Aaricia, are enough to fill-up the introduction rounds.

As to the present, Van Hamme has disowned himself from the Thorgal series.  But Rosinski has teamed up with Yves Sente (whom we will be discussing again when we review the Black & Mortimer series), to continue the Thorgal Saga.  So far they have released two editions, with this new team-up:

• Album 30: Moi, Jolan - (I, Jolan) (2007) and
• Album 31: Le bouclier de Thor - (The Shield of Thor) (2008)

in which the plot now hovers around Jolan, the son of Thorgal.  The new series  has so far garnered mixed reactions for the purists and followers of the Thorgal series. I am not going to provide a judgement on them, unless we have them on our hands.

Overall, I liked Thorgal series, as that introduced us to a world different from what we have witnessed in the sword-fighting medieval age described by other stories.  I always felt that no series could match-up to the Conan saga, but now I have been proven wrong

The next album of Thorgal, The Archers, is currently out on print from Cinebook in UK, but it is yet to reach India.  Cinebook have also announced two more two-volume-editions of Thorgal for 2009, showing their intention to continue with this successful series.

As a Bonus to this post, here are the back-covers of these 3 set Thorgal series, which has a small snippet about the supposed storyline, and a sneak preview of next title in the series.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And before we wrap-up, for all the visitors from India and those of Indian Origin from other countries, wish you all a Happy Diwali.  For the others, its famously called as the "Festival of Lights", and for all proper reasons. Refer to the Wiki link to know more.

அன்பிற்கினிய தமிழ் வாசகர்களுக்கு, இனிய தீபாவளி நல்வாழ்த்துகள். இந்த பண்டிகையில் உங்கள் வீடுகளில் மகிழ்ச்சி பொங்கட்டும்; உங்களுடைய நெடு நாள் ஆசைகள் நிறைவேறட்டும்.

सब जनो को दिवाली के सुभ अवसर पर, मेरी आर्थिक सुब्काम्नाये |

Flash-Back: RANI COMICS - Tamil - #313 - 1 July 1997

Contrary to the popular opinion that Thorgal series was never printed in India before, I was just alerted by comikers, that it had indeed been printed in India as an one shot, by the erstwhile Comics publication Rani Comics (ராணி காமிக்ஸ்).  Luckily, I had a copy of this edition in my collection and this late-update is to compare it with the original version, released now by CineBook. For the starters, Rani Comics was one of the famous Tamil Comics magazines in South India, from the house of Daily Thanthi (தின தந்தி).  It had a huge fan-following and had a marathon release for more than 3 decades.  Though it revolutionized the art of Comics publishing in Tamil Language along with the fellow Super Heavyweights Muthu Comics & Lion Comics, many true comic lovers despised their strategy of editing the core artwork, and spoiling the plot, especially the post-Ramajayam period, as Editor of Rani Comics. Read more about them in our Rani Comics debut post here.

Rani Comics #313 Veera Siruvan (வீர சிறுவன்) : Courageous Boy

This one-shot was released in July 1997 as Rani Comics #313, titled Veera Siruvan (வீர சிறுவன்) , which is an edited version of the Thorgal Album 1: Child of the Stars, listed in the main section.  The coverart is also inspired by the same Album.  And surprisingly he retains his original name, although eventually killing it by referring him as Thoragaal (தொரகால்).

The story revolves around the childhood of Thorgal, where he agrees to help the Dwarfs in their challenge with the Serpent King, to locate the Jewel made from a Metal that Doesn't Exist.  Due to Thorgal's secret origin of being a descendant from an alien race from the stars, he does carry an ornament from his ancestors which satisfies the Serpent Kings description.  Thorgal decides to travel to the Dwarf land accompanied by the Dwarf messenger, to gift his ornament and successfully evades the hurdle to claim his destiny.

Now, as is the tradition with Rani Comics, we get to see a lot of twists from the original storyline.  While briefing all them would be a big ask, I will try to keep it short with few prime examples.  To start with due to the size of Rani Comics (half the original), the one page artwork in the original, is actually briefed in 2 or 3 pages in the Rani Comics version, and the Original segregation of Child of Stars into three chapters is missing in the Rani Comics edition.  The story starts without a prologue about Vikings finding Thorgal as an infant.  Instead it is featured as a small snippet into the story when its framed as being told by Thorgal to the Dwarf Messenger.  This could be accepted by the fact that Tamil Comics is still new to a level, with the concept of Epilogue or Prologue may be a little hard to understand by one and all.

And as with the tradition of all Black & White prints, we get to lose the incredible artwork of Rosinski.  See an example from the scene where Dwarf Messenger talks to Thorgal in a Dark Night, with a camp fire.  While the original artwork shows that Thorgal is in picture, the Rani Comics version has completely made him a ghost in the dark.  A little effort from the local artist could have made it look better.  Take your own judgement below.

Original: Dwarf & Thorgal in Conversation	Rani Comics Adaptation of the same panels
The next up is close to the end of Chapter two, where the Serpent claims that he won the challenge, and is shocked to see the Messenger returning with the jewel.  Elsewhere, Thorgal dies in the battle with the Snake like monster.  But, in the Rani Comics adaptation, the Dwarf Lord himself briefs to the Serpent that the Jewel is here, and it is his portrayed as if that the Serpent in anger kills Thorgal, who actually hasn't reached the location yet (battling with the monster still on the way).  To top it all, in the Rani Comics, the immediate next panel after Thorgals death, is shown as the Dwarves celebrating their victory, while they just portrayed Thorgal being killed by the Serpent, and then they suddenly come to the realisation of him being missing.  Confusion to the core.  Have a look for yourself.
Original: Serpent being briefed on Stone discovery	Corresponding Rani Comics Panels - p56
Rani Comics - p57	Rani Comics - p58
But to top it all, Editor packs a surprise at the end.  In the Original, when Thorgal gets wounded by the Snake like monster, the Dwarf Messenger, sheds tears on his friends death.  But Goddess Frigg brings Thorgal back to life, and briefs that the tears which was shed on him would eventually be his biggest gift, as Tears of Love.  When Thorgal wakes up in his world, he is briefed by his friends that during his absence, one of the tribal leaders was blessed with a baby girl, who surprisingly had pearls in the shape of tears in her both clenched hands by birth.  Symbolic representation, that that is the gift to Thorgal from the Goddess for his courage, a girl who would later become his love for life, Aaricia. But, we are into a great twist in the storyline, in typical Indian style, here the girl is indeed portrayed as the baby sister of Thorgal himself.  Oops, what a way to end a One shot story.  Editor A.M.Saami at work again.	Original: The Climax of Chapter 2
Respective Panels in Rani Comics - p60	Rani Comics - p61
Since, this was indeed considered as one shot by Rani Comics Editor, he left out the 3rd Chapter of the Album where Thorgal travels to the sacred mountain to eventually meet his Grandfather, and comes to know of his origin.  Rani Comics adaptation, simply ends with Chapter two. The idea of this comparison, is not to show Rani Comics under poor light, but only to create the awareness that how a good story could be spoilt in the hands of a wrong authorities. There may be people, who would still justify that Rani Comics was aimed at children, hence it was simplified for common understanding.  I don't buy in that concept, because that cannot be used as a yardstick for chopping of a storyline from its originality and changing it as per the wish of the editor.  They are quite a few publishers who buy-in this concept in India, the notable of them are Prakash Publishers from South India, publishers of the fabled Lion and Muthu Comics.

I hope you enjoyed this post, and as always, please do leave your comments in the section below.

Read More

Graphix - Bone #1-4 | Smith & Hamaker | 2008

Isn't it a long time since we covered a Comics from USA at Comicology? While there was a continuous flow of Euro/Franco-Belgian Comics in India from various publishers, US based comics were a no-show, largely due to the copyrights held by Gotham Group for DC & Marvel in India, which went into hibernation (for the 3rd time since their launch) last year.  Supermans, Batmans, and Spidermans were reduced to be seen only on Torrent sites as CBRs, or the occasional remainder stock from US found at few book shops.

Well, we finally have the answer to that in the form of Scholastic.  Scholastic-India, a subsidiary of Scholastic Inc, have jumped on to introduce a different US comics genre to Indian Comic/Graphic Novel fans.  And what better way to start their venture, by bringing in the much acclaimed, and credited Bone Series.

Scholastic Graphix: Bone #1 Out from Boneville ISBN: 978-81-7655-993-5  2008 | 144 Pgs | INR 350 | C5 | Color | Paperback

Bone was released as an underground comics book series in United States of America, originally serialized in 55 irregularly released issues from 1991 to 2004.  Bone was drawn and written by Jeff Smith, who is widely known to the Comic book enthusiasts for his work on DC & Marvel Superhero titles, in the later part of his career.  It was originally drawn as Black & White, and Smith has admitted that his artwork was inspired by animated cartoons and comic strips.  Cover arts for all those 55 issues could be seen here or here, a testimony the talent of Jeff Smith. Bone volume 1, comprises of six chapters:     1. The Map,     2. Thorn,     3. Phoney Bone,     4. Kingdok,      5. Barrelhaven, and     6. Phoney's Inferno

---

The Bone Series has garnered Eisner Awards (10 times) among the various categories it was nominated for, including Best Writer/Artist for Jeff Smith multiple times.

Scholastic Graphix: Bone #2 The Great Cow Race ISBN: 978-81-7655-994-2  2008 | 144 Pgs | INR 350 | C5 | Color | Paperback

As briefed in Wikipedia: “The series centres around the Bone Cousins (Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone), which is composed of creatures which talk and act like the humans in the story; but who are white, small, bald humanoids with big noses, who seldom wear much clothing.  Although the three Bone cousins are from Boneville, and it is frequently referred to as the place where they wish to return, the village itself is never shown or depicted in the story.” Bone volume 2, comprises of six chapters:     1. The Spring Fair,     2. The Cave,     3. The Mystery Cow,     4. The Great Cow Race,     5. Lonesome Road & Possum Interlude, and     6. Up on the Roof

---

Also, it appears that Boneville is fairly modern, as opposed to the Valley, which, judging by the weapons used and methods of transportation, is little above medieval.

Scholastic Graphix: Bone #3 Eyes of the Storm ISBN: 978-81-7655-995-9   2008 | 192 Pgs | INR 350 | C5 | Color | Paperback

For example, Smiley Bone makes two comments, one to Phoney Bone about a failed scheme of his involving a nuclear reactor, and one to Fone Bone while trying to convince him to return to Boneville, referring to CornDogHutTM, all of which are twentieth century achievements. Overall, It's a Lord of the Rings style series, with a humour in-between, yet maintaining the seriousness of the plot all along. Bone volume 3, comprises of eight chapters:    1. Watch Duty,    2. Moby Bone,    3. Road Trip,   4. Double or Nothing,    5. Eyes of the Storm,    6. Mending Fences,   7. Dreams, and   8. Things that Go Bump in the Night

---

Starting from 1995, the original series was converted into a series of 9 volumes, last of which was released in 2004.  In 2004, a Special One Volume Edition of the entire Bone Series, was released as a volume, comprising 1332 pages.

It was originally released to celebrate the end of the series and also to mark the deal they struck with Scholastic Inc, and was supposed to be restricted to a limited print run, so as to allow the sales of Scholastic to prosper,

But Cartoon Books, the brand which is owned by Jeff Smith, renegotiated the deal because Smith said he felt like the comic book stores still needed that edition.  As of now it is priced somewhere around $40, and is freely available in Amazon for order.

I remember seeing this edition in the local bookstores here, but at INR 2000, it's far out of reach for a humble collector, in me.  When will the Indian Book Distribution Agencies learn to get away from a Strict Dollar-To-Rupee Conversion, Geesh.

Scholastic Graphix: Bone #4 The Dragonslayer ISBN: 978-81-7655-996-6  2008 | 176 Pgs | INR 350 | C5 | Color | Paperback

In the same year in 2004, that Scholastic Inc. began reissuing the individual volumes in full color, which eventually is the topic of this post.  When compared with the original editions, which were in Black & White, the color editions were incredibly superior, and helped to bring Jeff Smith's artwork to a next level, which I guess even he wouldn't have dreamt to become. Bone volume 4, comprises of eight chapters, along with a Prologue: Prologue: Stick-Eater, 1. Business, 2. Earth & Sky, 3. Council in the Dark, 4. The Straggler, 5. Deliver Us these Laws, 6. The Midsummer's Day Plan, 7. The Turning, and 8. On the Dragon's Stair

---

The typical examples being the Red Dragon, and the Rat Creatures, while the classic touch surrounding Bone is still retained with White Color theme.  Kudos to the efforts of Steve Hamaker, for his creditable work.

Jeff Smith has acknowledged this effort in many of his articles.  The process of colouring and releasing the books is still not complete, as only 8 out of the 9 have been released so far (at the time of posting this topic).  You could leave a note to Steve, on his weblog or personal website.  There are some good YouTube videos, where he explains about digital colouring, so it's worth a visit. 

For a sample of what Adobe Photoshop and little creative mind (Steve Hammer, in this case) can do, roll your mouse over the sample images below.  This made my long-time wish to learn and explore Adobe Photoshop, even stronger.

---

Roll-Over the Bone Sample Inner-Art Images for Toggling Black/White and Color Versions

---

And coming back to the topic of this post, Scholastic India has now brought first 4 volumes of these Bone Saga to India, as Pack 1 bundled together, and also sold separately.  The Front and Back Cover scans of the same are provided along with this post. 

Jeff Smith Interview in Cartoons Courtesy: Culture Pulp

The back-covers carries some of the famous quotes by various publishers and critics about the Bone Series, which speaks high about it, which the series truly deserves to every bit. Have a look at Jeff Smith's Official website: Boneville.com, for more details on the same, and a chance to hear on the latest works of Jeff's from his own words.

As per the last news, Bone Series is currently in plans to be made as CGI-Animated movie by Warner Bros.  That should make the saga much more famous in other parts of the world. And Jeff Smith has also said he wants to continue the adventures in the valley where the “Bone” adventures took place, with possible appearances by supporting characters. 

These would be chapter books set in the valley, written by Tom Sniegowski and illustrated by Smith.  The book would be aimed at tweens (Oops, I am counted out.  If at all Tweens has the same meaning as in Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, where it refers to a hobbit between the ages of 20 and 32.  I would be called a Tween then.  Again, me and my fantasies).

As with the author, Jeff Smith is currently working on a New Series, again written and drawn by him, titled RASL.  The Preview on his blog, looks all the more enthralling, hope we could get a version to India sometime sooner, with the help of Scholastic's Graphix Imprint.

Staying on with Bone, Dark Horse in 2007 has released a hard-cover issue, named "Art of Bone".  It's said to be a collectors item, going on around with the background information and inspiration of Jeff Smith's Bone artwork, being retold by some of his confidents.  You could see a preview of that in Jeff's blog here.

Overall, I liked the series, and eagerly looking forward for the conclusion with the second pack of 5 issues.  With the Issue 9 still not out on print in US, that looks a long shot as of now.  Hopefully, Scholastic would bring them sooner.

---

UPDATE (June ‘10): As it turned out, Scholastic took a a whole year, to release the final set, regarding which you can read all about, in the new post here:
Graphix – Bone #5-9 | 2010

---

And that completes our run with Bone on Comicology, but it will never be the last rest assured. As always, please leave your comments about the post, in the below section.  I see 40+ visits to the Comicology everyday from site trackers.  Even though, I appreciate all those visits, I am disappointed from the fact that only 3 or 4 decide to leave a comment over a week long period. 

It takes more than a day's work to construe a topic, gather materials, write and format a Blog post, and with that I would be happy if half the visitors at least take a minute to post their view, reviews, "including criticism" as a comment.  It will let me know how good I am at this job, and will go a great deal in continuing my passion.  This will also help to let other blog readers to know that you have been to this place, where your hobbies meet.

Read More

CineBook - Childrens Category | 2007

Distributor in India: West Land | Price: INR 195 | Color | Pages: 50 | Size: A4 | Laminated/HardCover

Well it's long since we reviewed the last batch of CineBook editions released in India this year, as back-issue sale from the UK based CineBook.  Since we have a lot more issues to cover, I have gathered all the Children titles they released in this batch as a single post.  They are a bunch of unknown comic characters, we have never read or heard in India before.  The popularity of these titles also doesn't make them to be covered separately.  All the batch of comics are created in Belgium, and many of them are still being published with new titles every year. First-up, is Ducoboo, famously termed as the 'King of Dunces', created by Zidrou and Godi in 1992.  The series follows the adventures of Ducoboo, and his mischief making acts.  It typically consists of assortment of small acts, which generally spans one or two pages.  The stories are hilariously portrayed, and Cinebook have come up with 2 volumes of Ducoboo.  Each volume depicts a full year in School with the last gag always ending up as portrayed in Summer Holidays. When you browse through these books, you can identify that the header of each storyline will eventually be based on the plot of that particular act, depicted in few simple pictures.  That's the amount of detail Zidrou and Godi have concentrated on while making these comics.
Ducaboo 1: King of the Dunces ISBN: 978-1-905460-15-1	Ducoboo 2: In the Corner ISBN: 978-1-905460-26-7

Melusine is a story of kind-hearted young witch.  She is touted to be 119 years old, as explained in the first album.  The character and the plot was created by Clarke and Gilson in 1995.  The stories typically features short, and humorous comic strips based on the life of Melusine.  The plot sometimes seems heavily derived upon the Harry Potter series, as Melusine also studies at a Witches school.  Cinebook have released two volumes of Melusine with this batch.
Melusine 1: Hocus Pocus ISBN: 978-1-905460-20-5	Melusine 2: Halloween ISBN: 978-1-905460-34-2
Papyrus is a comic book series, written and illustrated by Lucien de Gieter.  It's about a young peasant in Ancient Egypt, called as Papyrus.  It was originally published in 1974 in the famous Spirou Magazine.  As the story takes place in Ancient Egypt, the users are taken down back in the history with the plots revolving around the famous landmarks, temples and monuments found from the original Egyptian Era.  Ramases Temple, Saqqara, the ancient Egyptian funeral complex, are all breathtakingly drawn with detailed structural explanations, while closely tying  them to the storyline of each album.  As could be construed, the Papyrus stories involves its fair share of Magics and Miracles.  Overall, a good historical comic series for children.   Again we have two volumes of Papyrus with this batch.
Papyrus 1: The Ramases' Revenge ISBN: 978-1-905460-35-9	Papyrus 2: Imhotep's Transformation ISBN: 978-1-905460-50-2
Yoko Tsuno is a comic book series created by Belgian writer Roger Leloup, an arden follower of Ligne Claire.  It was originally published in 1970, making it the oldest children comic series in this batch.  The story follows the adventures of Yoko Tsuno, a female electrical engineer of Japanese origin, accompanied by her friends.  They travel across the globe and even reach the outer space in this 24 volume series.  The highlight of the story is that they are based on technological concepts, with Robo Dragons, Time Travel and others; which were a thought way ahead during its initial years.  We have two volumes of Tsuno with this batch.
Yoko Tsuno 1: On the Edge of Life ISBN: 978-1-905460-32-8	Yoko Tsuno 2: The Time Spiral ISBN: 978-1-905460-43-4
Yakari is the most famous Children magazine character in this batch of Cinebook editions.  It is a series which was created in 1973 by Job and illustrated by Derib.  Yakari is a young Sioux Native American who has an unique ability to understand and speak animal language.  With this unique ability he meets many North American animals in his albums, by which the readers are introduced to the life and customs of these animals.  Yakari is so popular that it has so far been translated to 17 languages, from French. Cinebook have brought 3 volumes of Yakari with this batch.  But they are not released in an order in India.  There are 5 volumes which were published by Cinebook, when these titles were available in India, but we have received only Issues 3, 4 and 5.  So, the collection is incomplete.  The series is translated in English by Erica Jeffrey for Cinebook.  She is known to Comicologists as a surprise visitor during our first Cinebook post's discussion thread.
Yakari 3: Yakari and the Beavers ISBN: 978-1-905460-09-0	Yakari 4: Yakari and the Grizzly ISBN: 978-1-905460-16-8
We also have an One volume release in this Children's batch, called Scared to Death, which is a new series created in 2000 by Mauricet & Vanholme.  The cover-art is spooky enough to foretell that the series revolves around the strange adventures of two adolescent friends, Robin and Max.  It touches upon all the fantasies, like Sorcery, Werewolves, Ghosts, etc. but somehow the storylines aren't gripping enough.  Maybe because the target audience is Children's again :).
Yakari 5: Yakari and the Stranger ISBN: 978-1-905460-27-4	Scared to Death 1: The Vampire from the Marshes ISBN: 978-1-905460-47-2
Well these titles may not be of the interest to many of us, but as a fan to the Franco-Belgian comics era, I wouldn't leave them up from my collection, when they are available right at our doorstep. As always, do post your comments and let me know what you think of this different post category.  Next up on the Cinebook reviews, we would jump to the serious titles aimed for grown up audience.  Well, now we are talking.

Read More

Comics Classics #23 - Barracuda | Johny Nero | Sep '08

Prakash Publishers | Price: INR 10 | Total Pages: 244 (122+122) | B/W | Size: Pocket | Tamil | SoftCover

Prakash Publishers continue to amaze with regular monthly releases.  What we have this time around is the Comics Classics #23, which as usual carries two yesteryear blockbuster comics from the erstwhile Muthu Comics;

1. Kaatril Karaintha Kappalgal (காற்றில் கரைந்த கப்பல்கள்) starring Code Name: Barracuda aka., CID Lawrence & David
       
2. Moolai Thirudargal (மூளை திருடர்கள்) starring Johny Nero & Stella

Ardent fans will remember that this was originally advertised to be the Issue #22, last year.  I enthusiastically covered it as a Preview feature in this very blog, only to get outsmarted by Prakash Publishers who released another Instalment in place of that.  But as it turned out that actually worked out fine, as we now have two Comics Classics releases in the same year.

Story 1: Kaatril Karaintha Kappalgal (காற்றில் கரைந்த கப்பல்கள்) | [Ships Which Disappeared]

Story 2: Moolai Thirudargal (மூளை திருடர்கள்) | [Brain Thieves]

As far as the story review goes,

Kaatril Karaintha Kappalgal is an action packed storyline.  I only posses a modest collection of Muthu Comics's earlier editions, but remember reading this story in childhood when it was reprinted some years back.  It was one of the instrumental comics which grew my interest towards the style of Picture based storytelling (as it is known as an unique art form: the seamless integration of images and words). 

The intellectual thinking of Lawrence and his quick paced action, with David giving him good company, is the highlight.  Suspense was spilled throughout the Storyline, with the ultimate being the Volcano Setup of the Terrorist group.  Back then as a Child, I used to imagine them to a scenario which is only matched in the Hollywood genre at this period. It certainly helped to grow a creative mind back then. Overall, one of the golden pieces of the British Comics era.

Moolai Thirudargal is a typical Johny Nero story, known for his globe-trotting free agent detective style.  I always liked the importance Stella gets in Nero storylines, which makes them an inseparable pair, yet maintaining the professional relationship between them.  European/British Comics stand out from the American genre in that aspect, which makes it right in parallel with the Asian culture. 

I still remember those initial James Bond issues of Rani Comics (another South Indian publisher of Tamil Comics, but defunct now), where they were printing the editions as it is from the Original, with Frontal exposures, and all.  I used to be scared those days, to maintain those comics as part of the collection fearing that my family would someday get a hand to that and may misconstrue that I am collecting the "so-so" type magazines too. 

Luckily, they realized the Indian culture, and later started to seal and mask the artwork, where necessary.  Lion/Muthu Comics publishers always have ensured this right from the start, and the reliance on European Comics (Franco-Belgian, British, Italian, etc.) which has a deep roots in quality comic art & plot work kept them in good stead too.

I always loved the foreword of Editor S.Vijayan, and he initially used to do it for the earlier Comics Classics editions, where he used to highlight and share the history behind the featured stories earlier publishing.  Unluckily, We don't see that feature in the recent editions.  So we only have to rely upon Comics stalwarts like Muthufan, to share the nostalgia behind these goldies.

As far the packaging goes, I don't have much to say. Eventhough, the Pocket edition helps in re-igniting the memory of past, it is not a great size by which you could enjoy the comics to the most. Editor Vijayan may argue that it is cost-effective and suitable for the price tag. But, I always believed the Comics Classics should follow the standards of the current Lion/Muthu in terms of cover and size (not the paper quality though :)). Because these are the ones which are expected to help a Collector in maintaining them over a long period. And since Comics Classics is expected to be a Collector's Edition, I don't think there are people who will object to have it priced in higher bracket for a better quality.

Those with prying eyes would be able to see a small damage to the second cover in the above scans.  That's due to the effort of yours truly, while trying to separate the cover from the inner papers which had got stuck accidentally with the package glue.  This is one another reason why you shouldn't use Paper Covers for Comics.  They should be seen as Books (like Westerners) and not Magazines (as they are mostly categorized in India).

At times when some Comics collectors (?!) use the old Lion/Muthu editions to sell them at a premium price nearing INR 1000 (and in some cases, more), and get a sizeable profit out of it; Prakash Publishers who hold the rights for these golden editions are short-sighted to bring those gems in a low quality editions continuously, and miss out on a potentially profitable venture. 

Hopefully, the first comic-enthusiastic of Tamil Comics Industry, Mr.Vijayan, will take a cue from it to improve the packaging for his releases.  Whatever said, there is no doubt that Vijayan has always been the Flagbearer of Tamil Comics Industry, in the past, Now, and in Future.  He should be commended for continuing in a business, where others come and go without a basic interest towards Comics in genre, or the commitment.

To end with, see a small stats for Comics Classics releases over the years right from its inception.  2007 was the only year when Comics Classics was blacked out completely without a single issue.  In total there are 23 issues so far.  A way behind from the original idea, of printing 3 every year.  But that as many know, has always been a throne found in the main brands Lion/Muthu Comics too.  Anyways, 2008 has set things anew, hoping for better years to come for Comics Classics editions.

Year # of Issues Year # of Issues 1999 2 2004 3 2000 4 2005 4 2001 4 2006 1 2002 2 2007 - 2003 1 2008 2 Comics Classics Release Stats (from its Inception)

That brings us to the close of another Comics review at Comicology.  As usual, please leave your comments about this post and the Comics Classics editions on a whole, in the section below.

Read More

Chandamama - Collectors Edition | 2008

Long before Comics or Graphic Novels made their foray to India, there were some Indian brands which captivated the mind of young and grown alike.  They were the so called Children Magazines, which succeeded in guiding a whole new generation in the paths of finding our roots, and imparted learning to differentiate between the good’s and the bad’s, in every day of life. 

To name a few of the most popular children magazines from that genre, would be: Tinkle, Balamitra, Gokulam, Champak, Poonthalir, and Ratnabala, which all had a unique set of followers and readers group.

Each of them also excelled in a specific way in which they originate their stories from, which was experienced by young and adult, during a period when what we see in TV media were controlled by state-owned TV channels, and there were not much other things to divert upon.

Even though, they could not match up to the stardom and world-fame which DC & Marvel garnered with their releases, they enjoyed a fan-fare of its own for decades, eventually falling out of reckoning as their younger readers grew, and India witnessed the growth and varieties of other Sports and TV Media.  Now only handful of them are still in publication, having adopted to live with a small number of readership and changing their content to match the modern expectations.

One such Magazine was Chandamama, which followed the stories from Medieval India, which comprised of Kings, Queens, and their bravery and wit.  It was founded on July 1947, by B.Nagi Reddy, who is more famously known as a well known South Indian Film Producer, and the person who owned then Asia’s largest Film Studio, named Vijaya Studios, in Chennai.

The cash-rich backing,and the unique selling point of basing stories based on Indian mythology and folktales, took Chandamama to a wider acceptance and it enjoyed a steady growth in sales, with their magazines being publishing in Multiple Indian Languages (12 + 1 English Edition) concurrently. 

Fellow blogger Venki, recently posted an article about the first ever Ambulimama (Chandamama’s Tamil title) which was released way back in July 1947, even before the Indian Independence.  Those who know to read Tamil, can go to this article, to bring back that nostalgic feeling.

Chandamama went on a uninterrupted publishing run which lasted until 1998, when it was stopped due to some labour disputes.  But, they came back within a year, and continue to publish till this date.

The fame of Chandamama could be exhibited from the fact that Disney, once was looking to acquire it for foraying into Indian Publishing.  Eventhough that ultimately didn't materialize, it was acquired by a Technology Company called Geodisc in 2007, and since has started to concentrate on digitizing its artefacts and old issues of its publication.  This was originally available to be downloaded for free on their corporate website, but now it is only available to be read online at their site.

Instead, Chandamama English Editions have now started giving out a CD containing 12 issues from any of the past years.  It’s a tempting offer for subscribing to the issue, which I have done now.

In the same year 2007, Chandamama also celebrated their 60th Anniversary, and recently have come up with a Collectors Edition - Coffee Book, which takes us back to the inception and various stages of publishing scenarios during the Chandamama's Golden Era.

The Collectors Edition contains some breathtaking artwork from the past and photographs of the publishing house and their erstwhile staff at their prime. Eventhough, Chandamama isn't a much interesting proposition at present, this will be an item the collectors and old fans can possess and cherish to share with the loved ones and nears.

The Books is A4 Format, with waxed papers, in a Neatly Bound package, priced at INR 449/-.  It is currently available on Chandamama's website with a 20% discount, for those who cherish to collect this treasure.

The Inner-Cover contains some facts about the Edition and an history about Chandamama in a snapshot.  The only qualms about this Collector Edition is that it doesn’t talk anything about the creators who contributed stories and artwork for the 60 year old publishing giant, which one would have for sure expected to read about.  Ignoring them completely, at the hour of celebration has taken the sheen out of this edition, for sure.

As with the other children magazines of its period, Chandamama also fell out of reckoning due to the change in taste and choices of young and modern India.  They are still continuing their publishing legacy by maintaining the same number of language editions, albeit with a limited print run. They also have another magazine called Junior Chandamama, aimed specifically for kids. 

Recently, Chandamama have ventured onto Graphic Novels, a field which they never really concentrated in the past, by tying up with the publishers of The 99 Comics series from Middle-East.  Read more about them, in our The 99 exclusive review at Comicology.

---

On a late check, I found out that this review of Chandamama Collector’s Edition was indeed the 25th Comics Post at Comicology. I am surprised at my own self, that an otherwise sombre, lazy person in me, was able to continue a passion for this long. Let me enjoy my moment of glory, while you can expect some more great posts in the years to come at Comicology.

---

Read More

Lion Comics #204 - Tex Willer | Aug '08

Prakash Publishers | Price: INR 10 | Pages: 116 | B/W | Size: B6 | Tamil | Laminated/HardCover

After a long time we have back-to-back releases from Prakash Publishers. As promised in last month, Lion #204 surprisingly has landed in the hands of the readers in time. The last time this happened in Lion Comics, was way back in 2005, when Lion #189 and Lion #190, were released on Dec '04 and Jan '05

Kaatril Karaintha Kazhugu [Vanishing Eagle] Part 2 of 3: (காற்றில் கரைந்த கழுகு)

Tex Willer stars in the story titled "Kaatril Karaintha Kazhugu" (காற்றில் கரைந்த கழுகு) , 'Vanishing Eagle'.  It's the 2nd Part to the 3 Part Series, which started with Lion #203. It's the second part to the three part series written by Caludio Nizzi and drawn by Fabio Civitelli. Coverart again is inspired by its original counterpart, again drawn by Caludio Villa, which has been revamped by our own Lion Comics artist, as usual. Tex Willer continues his struggle, escaping from certain death.  He saves a White family by getting into a hand-combat with break-away Navajo group, despite not in a shape to do it, and yet comes out winner with his intellect.  On the other hand, Carson and Kit go in search for Tex Willer, as they come to know of his supposed death news. The story is nicely setup for the concluding part, with Carson & Co. zeroing in on the master-brain behind the chaos.

As per the Editor's Hotline, the next part Yemanin Yellayil, 'At the Footstep of the Demon', the 3rd concluding part to this mini series, will be available sooner.  So, we can expect the next release in the coming months. A preview for that is featured in the back-cover.  It's interesting to see our editor utilizing the back-cover to feature the next issue, as it gives a completeness for those who cherish collecting them. Editor has previewed a Line-up consisting, long- forgotten Agent Corrigan, the evergreen Chick Bill & Co. as the future issues.  Due to the space constraints, we couldn't get a preview of those titles.  Singathin Siru Vayadhil (சிங்கத்தின் சிறு வயதில்), Editors own Flashback, also gets missed out due to this reason. And for those who would like their name to be featured in the upcoming issue, you have a golden chance by booking in advance the XIII Special, as the list of those Early-Birds will be featured in the next Lion Comics edition.

Italian Original: Tex No.476 L'uomo venuto dal fiume (The Man who came from the River)  Jun 2000

Enjoy the Covers, Hotline and a preview of the next issue. As usual, please do leave your comments in the section below.

Read More

1st Year Anniversary & Other Comics News

Today, we celebrate the 1st year anniversary of Comicology.  Even though the blog, was technically in existence as early as 2005, with some stop-start comic posts, this was the day a year ago, when I decided to streamline the blog as a whole, by cluttering off old posts, and starting afresh.  It was a fruit for my long desire to start a blog where we will discuss comics past, present, and possibly future. 

Over the lengthy journey, if this humble initiative had achieved even 5 to 6 regular readers, then I believe the original concept for starting an exclusive comics blog would have achieved its goal. 

Hopefully, we will continue to go from strength to strength through our future posts.  For now, let’s look at few comics news around the globe, to mark our occasion.

#1: Tintin’s Abandoned Cousins Make World Debut in India

COMIC book series created by world-famous Belgian cartoonist Herge is being revived and will soon make a world debut in India.

While Tintin, the intrepid cub reporter created by Herge, acquired iconic status, the antics of the Brussels' street urchins Quick and Flupke remained mostly unknown.  But in November, 100 years after Herge's birth, Quick and Flupke will be rolled out in a 12-volume series of comics for the first time from India, the Indian Express newspaper has reported.

"India will be our testing ground before taking it to other countries," Uday Madhur, managing director of Euro Books told the paper.  Euro Books has been distributing the popular Adventures of Tintin series for the past decade and has now procured the rights of Quick and Flupke.  The cartoon series is about two goofy boys who unintentionally cause trouble, much to the annoyance of their parents and the police.  Quick and Flupke made their debut in 1930 in the short-story format in the Le Petit Vingtieme newspaper, one year after Tintin appeared in the same newspaper.

But with the success of Tintin and publishing some 310 gags of Quick and Flupke, Herge decided to devote his time to the adventures of Tintin and his clever white terrier, Snowy.  Source: indianexpress.com & theage.com.au

Comicology’s Call: We have reviewed Euro Books previous comics releases over here at Comicology. But this release is a big letdown for the company. Even though, I agree that Quick & Flupke have a classic touch to them, by the mere fact of being the brainchild of TinTin’s creator, they lack the punch to garner the interest of an enthusiastic comic collector.  The artwork is a big let-down, and the 2 page comic stories dont add credits to the series.  No wonder, why Herge decided to concentrate on TinTin alone.

---

#2: Virgin Comics is Closed

After rumours began swirling late last week, Publisher’s Weekly now confirms that Virgin Comics has closed. The SoHo offices have been shut down, the staff let go and principals Sharad Devarajan, Gotham Chopra and Lance Leiberman have not returned attempts by the media to get details.

Virgin Comics has issued the following statement:

"Virgin Comics announced today that it will be reorganizing its operations and closing its New York office to consolidate in an LA base. The Company is currently working with management to restructure the business and will release its future plans in the next few weeks.”

Sharad Devarajan, CEO, said, 'We remain excited about the business and partnerships we have built through Virgin Comics and are working towards a restructuring that properly takes the business forward. The decision to scale down the New York operations and concentrate on core activities is due to the current macro-economic downturn and is in no way a reflection on the dedicated and valuable employees we have had the privilege to work with.' "

Gotham Entertainment, based in Bangalore, is expected to remain in operation.

Virgin Comics is another in a long line of start-ups that have failed to succeed in either the direct sales comic book market or crossover to mass market readers.  Their Shakti line was not dissimilar to CrossGen’s own universe while their Director’s Cut imprint seemed modeled on Tekno Comics’ model of using Big Name people to bring in curious readers.  The lack of a successful marketing campaign and inability to get readers excited about the material contributed to the line’s failure.  Source: comicmix.com

Comicology’s Call: It’s sad that we have to cover a news about a comic company’s closing doors, during our 1st year anniversary post, and that too about one which had its roots in India.  Virgin had all the ingredients to be a successful comics venture, with their initial focus on creating comics based on Indian mythology, and taking it to global audience with a mix of next-gen artwork and plot.  But like many other good start-ups, they drifted from their original concept, and what we see is that it has lead them to their ultimate fate.

We are yet to hear the re-launch of Gotham Comics Indian editions, and this news doesn’t put all the good signs on that effort.  Even though the final statement saying that Gotham Comics at Bangalore will continue to function, adds some hope to otherwise shoddy saga.  Let’s stay hopeful.

UPDATE (11/08): It seems the management of the company was bought over by the Indians who started the business in association with Virgin Comics.  The new company is now called Liquid Comics, and it seems their current focus is only on holding with the movie rights which were discussed during Virgin’s association.  So, them into Comics now looks a distant future, which means its officially a closure of Gotham Comics. 

---

I guess its more than what we hoped to cover in our 1st year Anniversary post, as we saw an equal share of good and bad news altogether. 

Let’s hope our dream project Comicology grows better and stronger, with more ardent comics fans (Comikers, as we term them over here) will start becoming more and more interactive with their comment contribution in future posts.  I am staying confident, let’s see what the future holds, while we move on with this amazing journey.

Read More