For the niche audience of comic books in India, times have never been better. Between digital distribution and online shopping, it has never been easier to buy your favourite comic books. The Second Annual Indian Comic Con which opened in New Delhi on Friday, includes an impressive roster of international guest speakers such as Gary Groth, editor-in-chief of The Comics Journal (considered the foremost critical publication about the medium) and co-founder of Fantagraphics Books Inc., Chris Oliveros, publisher of Drawn and Quarterly, and artist Robert Crumb. The organizers have also arranged for stalls selling books from publishers such as First Second, and Drawn and Quarterly—their books are hard to find in India.

The creators: Gary Groth

While most people think of comic books either as superhero sagas or Tinkle and Chacha Chaudhary stories, the medium has a huge range of offerings for both young and old readers. Groth, in particular, hopes that in India the comic con is able to find a balance between highlighting the famous and lesser-known works that try to push comics into higher expressions of art.

“Today, because superheroes are the most successful genre of blockbuster movies, and everyone knows they originated in comics, comics are both validated in pop culture terms and associated with superheroes in a backtracking way. This happens even though superhero comics sell fewer and fewer copies every year and go largely unread by those who watch superhero movies,” says Groth, in an email interview.

Writer Adhiraj Singh

“I thought superhero comics were the bane of comics in the 1970s and 1980s when I was trying to push comics into higher expressions of art; now, I’m not so sure. So much of pop culture is produced with what used to be derisively referred to as comic-book mentality that superheroes seem like the status quo—in TV, movies, everywhere you turn. Just look at the international comic con in San Diego, where the most moronic pop culture captivates the audience. In a way, the prevalent idiocy makes it easier to carve out a niche of rich, intelligent, complex art,” he adds.

Groth, who started The Comics Journal in 1977, had earlier turned down an opportunity to work with Marvel in 1973. He says he had been obsessed with DC and Marvel when he was at school, but as he grew older, comics started to feel juvenile. He says, “In 1976, we had no plan to ever publish comics; we were primarily interested in publishing a serious critical and journalistic magazine about the artform and the industry. Eventually, we started to publish the kinds of comics we were championing, in 1981-82. Roy Thomas offered me a job as his assistant at Marvel in 1973, which I turned down, only because I doubted that the salary I was being offered could sustain life in New York City. I worked for three months for (freelance artist) Jim Steranko instead, which did not prove propitious for either of us. A big part of the reason I started The Comics Journal is because I am not temperamentally suited to work for anyone. Everyone I have worked for will probably confirm that.”

A copy of Abandoned Cars, published by Groth’s Fantagraphics

However, thanks to the work of Groth and publishers First Second, Drawn and Quarterly, “literary comics” are a thriving, expanding niche. Groth says, “I think comics are not going to grow huge any more. But I think they will be relevant, reaching a small but devoted readership with a handful of breakouts.”

Adhiraj Singh, co-author with Abhijeet Kini of Uud Bilaw Manus, which launched at Comic Con India last year, agrees. “Comics are a small niche, but there is enough of an audience to be able to get by. I know some authors who are able to do this full-time, and that’s really all that we need. The comic con is a great idea—I was able to launch two comic books, one last year and then a second at the Comic Con Express, and for both those comics we printed small runs and sold out completely at the comic con.”

He adds, “The audience is there. The audience is niche but they’re hungry for new content. We don’t want to read just the same old stories we’ve heard and seen before, people are keen for something new, and graphic novels are still gaining in popularity.”

The first Comic Con India also took place at Dilli Haat last year, and the two-day event saw at least 15,000 comic-book fans attending. For many comic-book authors, it was a strong platform to connect to an otherwise hard-to-reach audience. Jatin Varma, the Delhi-based founder of Comic Con India, says: “Last year, no one had any idea of what we were trying to do so getting funding was difficult. We had to try and pack a lot into just two days, and so this year, we are running for three days and are expecting around 30,000 people to visit.”

Ravanayan

Vijayendra Mohanty, Delhi-based author of Ravanayan, an ongoing comic series that is in its fifth volume now, believes there is a middle ground between the pulp comics the mainstream knows and the art comics that many believe are the future of the medium. His comic, he believes, falls between the two, bringing together the presentation of a superhero comic with a new take on the Ramayan.

He says, “The events of the Ramayan happen in much the same way in our story as they did in Valmiki’s original. Ram is still the virtuous hero, Sita is still the kind princess, and Hanuman is still the valiant warrior. Even our protagonist Ravana has the same character as the one he had in the original. The view we have taken in Ravanayan is that he had a more intelligent reason for doing the things he did and being the person he was. That like Ram, who was an incarnation of Vishnu and was playing out his part in a celestial plan, Ravana too was working towards a goal greater than what seemed to be his purpose.”

While the concept of looking at the story from Ravana’s point of view is hardly groundbreaking, it is an interesting take. The presentation—which includes the near-fetishised Liefeldian character design by artist Vivek Goel—is more evocative of X-Men than mythology. The short, action-packed instalments are meant to be palatable both to people who want an ongoing story with deeper meaning and those who want a good fight scene every now and then.

The middle road: Vijayendra Mohanty

Mohanty and others want to find the middle ground, but Groth is unconvinced. “What can Marvel or DC do differently? Approximately nothing. You probably have a couple inches of wiggle room on either side, but not enough to make any difference. It’s like asking how you’d reform Hollywood; the answer is, you won’t. They’re in the business of feeding mindless swill to an audience that’s been trained to see culture and art as nothing more than entertainment. You’re constrained within that paradigm; your corporate masters expect you to maximize sales, and if you fail to do that, you’ll be thrown out and replaced by someone more efficient at doing that.”

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The planner

Make sure you don’t miss out on your favourite events

The comic con in Delhi is packed with activities, so here are a few things visitors might want to plan for:

• Daily Cosplay: Show up in a comic-themed costume and you could win prizes (starting with comic-related goodie bags from merchandise maker Buzzinga. The first prize is a three-day trip to Disneyland, Hong Kong), at 6.30pm every day.

• Creating Comics: At 12.30pm daily, creators will talk about how they work and write graphic novels.

• Gary Groth, editor-in-chief, ‘The Comics Journal’, will speak on the evolution of the comic book subculture in the US, from 5-6pm on 18 February.

• American comic-book artists Robert Crumb and Groth will address the audience, from 4.30-6pm on 19 February.

• Amar Chitra Katha pays a tribute to Anant Pai by launching ‘Anant Pai—Master Storyteller’, which tells the story of the amazing Uncle Pai. The book will be launched by his widow, Lalita Pai.

The Second Annual Indian Comic Con is on at Dilli Haat till 19 February, from 11am-9pm. Entry charge, Rs 20 for adults and Rs 15 for children. For details, visit www.comicconindia.com or call 45052007.

gopal.s@livemint.com