Special Interview : "Aghori" writer spills some beans!

All right folks! The wait is over... We have been teasing you with hints of an inside scoop about Holy Cow Entertainment’s (a.k.a HCE) next Magnum Opus – “Aghori” - and now your wait is ended!

For those of you not familiar with the basics of how this came to be : HCE was started by super-star artist Vivek Goel to be a creator owned and run publishing house, a rare feat anywhere in the world, with emphasis on always having excellent art and a style all it's own. They kicked off with the release of the horror/fantasy/therianthropy based Werehouse : Home of Monsters v1 which introduced them with a bang featuring three unique stories with different writers. This success was followed closely by the current fan-favourite re-telling of one of India's greatest saga's (from the other side of the fight) – Ravanayan. You should check this stuff out to whet your appetite before this new series that's going to be one of the flagship titles from HCE, hits the bookshelves and stands!

Read ahead now as we bring to you an exlusive rapid-fire interview with the writer of the series – Ram V. – and start to peel away the layers of mystery around the project.

Meeting Maniacs: Yogesh Chandekar and Saumin Patel (a.k.a masterminds of The Jungfrao Encounter!) + Preview Artwork!

Vinod... Agent Vinod.

We have a very special treat for you today everyone!

A one-on-one session with the brilliant creative team behind the awesome new The Jungfrau Encounter: An Agent Vinod Graphic Novel, which is a killer idea in that it does not tie-in directly to the movie but is an adventure all its own – a potential new side to franchising a character? We think it could be, so along with the interview we were lucky enough to get some brilliant art samples from the book.

(Yogesh Chandekar is the writer who cooked up this mad adventure and Saumin Patel is the brilliant artist who has so vividly brought it to life!)

1. Before we dive into the big comic news for which we're here today – would you like to tell us a little bit about yourself and how you found yourself working in graphic story-telling and comics?

Yogesh Chandekar (Y.C) : I’m an ex-advertising professional who simply got bored and left the field in 2007 to join Virgin Comics. Six months later, Virgin shut shop abruptly leaving me without a job. I had no intention of going back to advertising, so I did some freelance writing for a

Meeting Maniacs: Bhanu Pratap!

First of all, a real thanks for taking out time and doing this interview. Being a hardcore fan, I'm just gonna hop on to my mission rather than being all gabby.

COMIC ADDICTS: I know many of our readers want to get right to questions about 'Munkey Thugs' and 'The Damned Book', but I think we should start by you telling us a little 'bout yourself.

BHANU PRATAP: Hey Anupam and Comic addicts, thanks for this interview. I am already feeling like a celebrity( I hope to make this interview controversial enough). But really, I am glad that you guys are making a platform as cool as this available to us, as creators and fans of the comic book medium.

Ok, I am Bhanu Pratap, a painter, comic book artist/writer, or cartoonist. I was born in Una, Himachal Pradesh, but brought up in Delhi. I am currently working out of New Delhi, working on a few group art exhibitions, and two- three comic projects(not counting the thousands I conjure up in my head everyday). And I do plan to do a lot of things in these mediums in the foreseeable future as well.

CA: You are both a writer and an illustrator. So with this in mind: who have been the major role models of your life?

BP: Is this the question where I get to totally be a fanboy and name all the artist heroes I have? Yes!!!

Well I can’t name them all here, can I?

Let me just try to name all the people who have helped me get to this point in life and as an artist.

First role model would be my elder brother, who inspired me to pick up pencil and draw Jambu (an old Indian robot superhero). Then artists/painters like Phil Hale, Francis bacon, Egon Schiele, Ashley Wood, Kent Williams, Euan Uglow, Andrew Wyeth, N.C. Wyeth. Mangakas like Naoki Urasawa, Katsuhiro Otomo, Taiyo matsumoto, Junji Ito, Atsushi Kaneko, Jiro Matsumoto (NSFW), Okama (NSFW). Paul Pope, Alberto Breccia, Hugo Pratt, Jose Munoz, J P Leon,

(Click to enlarge)

THE ALEX TOTH and THE JACK KIRBY, Moebius, Nicolas De Crecy, Nicolas Nemiri, Jason, DAVID MAZZUCHELLI, Guido Crepax (NSFW), Al Columbia... Damn it, the list goes on… maybe I can make a list and then you add it to the end note?

There are so many awesome inspiring artists/writers/ demigods out there waiting to be discovered by more and more comic book fans, and I would implore anybody who reads this to know about all these stalwarts of art history.

Oh and I would also like to point attention to sites like drawn.ca, conceptart.org and others like these as great places to find hidden gems of the art world.

Meeting Maniacs: Harsho Mohan Chattoraj

 ComicAddicts chats with H.M.C

(Click to enlarge the awesome-ness!)

So Harsho, tell us a a little bit about yourself.

Let’s see – I’m a comic book artist ( well, I fancifully refer to myself as a graphic novelist at times ) based in Kolkata. I’ve worked in other fields too, and still continue to do so, albeit to a lesser extent these days, as I try to give most of my work energy to my comic projects. I love watching movies and TV serials, listening to music and reading books ( my favourite authors would be Stephen King,. P.G.Wodehouse and John Mortimer ), and let’s not forget comics – I prefer them to books, actually.

The man himself.

How did you get your first break in this industry?

The first break in the comic strip zone ( and they’re the strips in the newspapers, not to be confused with comic books ) came pretty early for me – I had a cartoon column and a comic strip column in 2 supplements of ‘The Statesman’ newspaper in Kolkata. That was around 12 years back, if memory serves me right.

And my first comic book break was a project for a US-based client. The comic’s name was ‘GunMetal Blues’. Strangely enough, that 80-pager is yet to be published, whereas the ones following it got published rapidly, almost immediately after creation.

Can you share some of the biggest influences on your life?

I suppose you are referring to the influences on my life in the comic world… so lemme see – Mike Mignola , Lee Bermejo, Stuart Immonen, Tony Harris, Jae Lee, J.H.Williams III , Leinil Francis Yu . The list goes on and on, but these would be the toppers any day.

What first made you want to not just be an artist, but a comic-artist?

Yes, at the start, and till around 4 years back, I preferred to be a jack of all trades, but comics had been my mainstay always, even among those other ‘trades’. And 4 years back, when I returned to my home in Kolkata from my sojourn in Bangalore, I focused primarily on comics, trying to get better at it.

A quick word with Abhijeet Kini, doodler extraordinaire!

Hi Abhijeet. Its great to have to speaking to us today hopefully we'll get lots of info out of you on whats ahead!

So its been almost nine months since the Delhi Comic Con, and we are now edging towards Comic Con Express - Mumbai. Excited?

Totally! Having the comic con come to my city was something I had always been waiting for, and here it is!

The horror... (Click to enlarge)

What made you decide to take a booth this time around at the convention and what can your fans expect to find there?

I had a lot of interactions with people at the Delhi Comic Con, without a stall to start with, and it was nice to see people finally being able to put a face to the names they’ve read in bylines - mine being one of them. So I decided to go for one this time around and have people know where to come and find me. Also, I’m going to be having some limited edition merchandise, featuring my artworks on it. Also on sale is an ambitious project I have been working on along with talented Delhi-based writer Anupam Arunachalam, called “Milk and Quickies”. We are completely looking forward to have people read this one!

Whats next after UBiMa? We have heard rumours of a sequel and there are definitely fans of the character looking to see more Bee-hari action – any light on the horizon?

Haha, I have heard similar rumours about the sequel too. And if they are true, well, the Bee-hari hunk would be back soon…we’ll have to wait and see. Besides this, I have been busy over the last few months with a couple of comics for Tinkle (more on that soon) along with the usual Tinkle stuff I do (Butterfingers, Defective Detectives, Sea Diaries, etc), and also some independent projects, one of them being “Milk and Quickies”.

Calling all Vimaniks! Your leader speaks!

HELLO ADDICTS!!

Excited? You should be, Comic Con Mumbai is inching closer and closer with every passing second, minute, hour and day! 

And in the continuing spirit of comic-camaraderie and sharing the joy, we have managed to secure an interview today with Mr. Karan Vir - the envisioner of and man behind Vimanika Comics. He takes time from his busy schedule to share some of his insight and thoughts on comics and the convention(s) and even was good enough to provide quite a few lovely art samplings from some of the beautiful books Vimanika has in the works and on the stands. 

So enjoy it all folks and remember: you keep reading, we'll keep writing!

 (And as always, remember the images can be clicked for big-ness!)

Mumbai Comicon Express : A roundup with Comic Addicts

Welcome addicts, to more inside news for the Comic Con Express! Today we speak with the organisers behind this event, the brains and the brawn making it all happen, and we bring it fresh off the note-pad to you! 

1. We were there at the last con and it was a huge success, a sortie of comic addicts from around India! Did its success spur you to create Comic Con Mumbai or was it always on the cards?


   The decision was certainly based on the reaction of the fans and the participants, we felt we were in a position to make it happen and we did.



2. Is it going to have a different flavour from Comic Con Delhi or is it essentially the same dish in a different city?


   Its bit of both actually. The format is essentially the same, with exhibit spaces and workshops/sessions taking place every half hour or so. However, the feel of the event will be very different, unlike Delhi/dilli haat, this is an in-door venue in the heart of South Mumbai, we are trying to bring in local flavor. As Comic Con India we believe in promoting local talent and a lot of our talent is based in Mumbai


Apart from local flavour, the focus of Comic Con Mumbai is different from Delhi since we are incorporating  the entertainment and advertising industries into the con since both of these industries are big in Mumbai.

You'll find the confirmed/announced participants on our site. Again, our approach is the same as it was 6 months back, the focus is on Indian comics, on the Indian industry. And this will be the first such event for Mumbai so like the first ever convention in Delhi, we'd like to highlight what’s happening in India, showcase the talent here.  

A day in the park with Daksh's creator!

Welcome back addicts! Today brings an EXTRA special treat for one and all!

We have for your pleasure, an interview with Shamik Dasgupta, Indian comic scribe extraordinaire, and uber-brain behind the already iconic “Daksh”.

In our last interview with Shamik he promised that he would be revealing all about this new comic that has built a whirlwind of energy around it, to us here at ComicAddicts. And true to his promise, here he is in a candid conversation with us on Daksh

(Also, we have been graciously given some sample pages of spectacular art to preview especially for all of you – click them to see them in all their wicked glory!!)

(Click to enlarge!)

CA: Shamik, thanks again for taking the time to be here. If you don't mind we're in total fan-mode and will dive right into the deep end!

CA: After a stormy start and a lot of great fan-approval, Daksh has finally reared his head again! Admittedly, we couldn't have been more pleased, except perhaps if it had been sooner. Where has Daksh been so far and why did it take so long for him to come back again?

SD: Well actually there had been some disruptions after the first issue which took us some time to get back in gear, but when we did we went full steam ahead. There were speculations whether we would follow the usual conventions with Daksh and keep it for all ages or we should go completely mature on this title. Finally and thankfully Level 10 decided to establish their brand Comic Jump as a full fledged mature oriented magazine and my shackles were broken. This is possibly the most fun I ever had writing a series with no holds barred.

Brainstorming with Bibo Bose

Biboswan Bose - the name that has been making people crazy since his first work on Level 10 Comics' “Jump Independent’s Daksh” is the subject of our interest tonight.

This young art star was recently interview by another youngster Anupam Sarkaar - who is a budding artist himself. Here is the transcript of the same:

A brilliant rendition of Zombie by Bibo!

Click on the image to view full size

"Virgin comics was both a boon and a bane on Indian comics" - Shamik Dasgupta in a tell all interview

Comic addicts got up close and personal with the talent power house Shamik Dasgupta, well known for his hit series from erstwhile Virgin comics - Ramayana 3392 AD , and his latest collaboration with Level 10 comics - Daksh.

Shamik speaks about his career post Ramayana 3392 AD , Irkin comics , the Daksh controversy , his current work and provides his perspective on Indian comic scene.  

Q:. After your stint with virgin comics is level 10 the first Indian comics company you have worked

with?

A: No, I have worked previously with Arkin Comics, a Pune based company which came out with

a bunch of interesting content in 2009-10. I was writing for their flagship title 'Irith' which is about a

band of Indian super-soldiers designed specifically to combat a newly emerged terrorist outfit who are

packed with alien technology.

Q: Sounds interesting, what happened with your work with them then?

A:: Arkin management had shut down in mid 2010...as it is with most new fangled comic publishing

houses they ran out of money. We had published around two issues of Irith and had work done for

almost five issues but they never saw the light of day.

Dheeraj Verma Speaks from Seattle Emerald city comicon!

Dheeraj Verma with Great Phoenix Jones

It was a really very nice feeling at ECCC and lot of fans were there, city was freezing but the welcome by the organizers was very warm, I love that.

Seattle is one of the best city I found in US after the San Diego. City was small but very pleasant to live there. Beautiful place and surrounded by sea and got a chance to meet so many people like Max Brooks, sitting next to me, as well as the team of Avatar Press,  Dave and Keith, both are such a nice persons and as usual Mike Wolfer and Jason.

Dheeraj Sir with Poison Ivy

People were looking to enjoy  for 3 days and am sure they enjoyed the show. I am puttin some of the pics I took , especially of real time Hero : the Great Phoenix Jones, a real super hero who fights with the criminals in Seattle streets in night and when I met him I was not aware that who is he, but when Keith told me about I was really amazed that we have such peoples in here on earth who are real time Super Heroes. A big salute to him, while to saving peoples he faced the guns and other weapons of course but he is tough guy and no doubt again a Super Hero.

Bye for now and will keep you update time to time. 

Till

Chow,

Dheeraj Verma

Nikesh Murli and Vinay Brahmania on Veera the Gaurdian

The team of  Veera the Gaurdian, Nikesh Murli and Vinay brahmania gives us their perpective on the graphic novel and shares some exclusive interior pages with us. ( click them to revel in their full glory!)

1.     Where many people shy away from Writing / working from comics, what made you think of doing this project as a graphic novel?

 NM:I have been writing and publishing short fiction for over a decade now and I teach fiction writing at university. For me comic books represented a new challenge in story telling because of the unique marriage between images and text.

I am a keen student of story structure and I do a lot of workshops/seminars for budding writers. When the opportunity for Veera came via an open call on COMIX INDIA blog, I jumped at the opportunity because I have been waiting to study the genre for a long time and here was a golden opportunity to combine what I knew about fiction with the conventions of comic books. I devoured books by Alan Moore, Will Eisner and Scott McCloud on the theoretical aspects and went back and studied everything from PREACHER to THE DARK TOWER graphic novel adaptations which have a prominent place on my book shelf.

Working with a major daily like DinaMalar and an uber talented artist like Vinay was something I couldn’t say no too.

 V: I accept that not many people want to be writing or drawing comics because its not very economically beneficial yet. The credit of getting nikesh and me together goes to dinamalar. They were launching a weekly magazine for kids, nikesh had a story and I was itching to draw

2.     What was the inspiration behind the concept of Veera ?

V: Honestly, The inspiration credit goes to nikesh it is his concept totally I just visualised and drew him

NM: Veera can be described as the hero’s journey in Slum Dog Millionaire + the emotional journey of characters in J.J. Abrams’s Star Trek.

I wanted to add emotional depth to the protagonists while still framing their journeys using Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey.

I also wanted to tell a story about children who are neglected and abused, irrespective of the social class they are from, and the strength it takes to face the past while battling the present.

While I have used techniques from comic book storytelling to bring the world of Veera to life, the series is written like a TV show, not only in terms of the 12/season episodic structure, but also the way each issue has been broken, to ensure that there are no boring story beats

I think the positive buzz from the first few weeks have justified my decision to attempt this fusion of dramatic storytelling devices.

3.     The synopsis sounds very kid friendly. What is your target audience?

NM: I had strict instructions from DinaMalar that they wanted a series for kids. The impression I got from speaking to the editor was that he was looking for something that was traditional but strong enough in the story department to keep the MICHAEL BAY generation hooked.

4.     What do you think is one of the most attractive features about Veera.

NM: I think the emotional journey that the characters undertake will resonate with children and adults alike. Not to mention the awesome action set pieces!

Veera wants to escape his wretched life in the slums and his abusive father but his sense of responsibility and love for his mother and brother, holds him back.

Nayana’s psyche has never healed from the trauma of a childhood event and she doesn’t view the role of a Guardian as a divine duty, but a burden that was imposed on her by the man who rescued her and adopted her as a child.

Vasu does not understand his anger and the sense of disgust he feels towards the poverty and filth that surrounds Veera. He feels responsible for his father’s death and knows deep in his heart that he may never measure up to his father. Add to this, the fact that he is overly protective of Nayana and loathes Veera’s friendship with her, we have the potential for conflict that can be mined for gold over several seasons.

V: I think Murli has explained beatifully, what I can add is the fact that the contrast in Veera's Character from a humble downtrodden rag picker to being a chosen one is totally fun to see. I love it.

5.      How was working with Each other? did you guys argue about certain things or was it a seamless partnership?

V: I feel things went way too smoothly between us. We both saw the concept almost through the same lens. Whatever revisions happened were logical to the story line

NM: I can’t praise Vinay enough for his professionalism and talent. I am in awe of his abilities and the way in which he has visualised my story.

6. Artwise, Why did you guys chose this particular style?

V: Well when it all began I did character sheets for all characters and nikesh was comfortable to take this style to the final drawing board

7. Vinay, your father is associated with Bahadur comics. Any plans of Bahadur in your future?

V: Yeah bahadur was dads dream hero we all loved him very much. I would love to work on bahadur but it is being handled by Mr Abid and my younger brother pramod they are doing good stuff.

8.     It’s been some time since its release. How has the response been for Veera?

NM: It is very humbling to be a part of a great tradition of comic book storytelling in India.

I have been informed by the publishers that the response was amazing and that they were inundated with telephone calls and letters, praising the new venture, so much so that Dinamalar printed a thank you in their daily edition to recognise and appreciate the support

Tamil comic book bloggers have said kind things about Veera.

9.     You are givin the entire novel for downlaod for free? Whats the idea behind that?

NM/V: It was DinaMalar’s idea. Siruvar Malar, the supplement in which Veera is published, is distributed for free. So it made sense to give it away as a free electronic download. I think it has paved way for increased readership. It looks gorgeous on the IPAD! Btw, the link to download Veera is :here:

10.  In 5 lines or less, Why should I read Veera?

NM: If you like epic quests set in fantastical worlds where brave protagonists battle inner and outer demons to find the meaning of what happened in the past and seek a destiny to light their path in the future, you will LOVE Veera! Don’t be fooled by the fantasy tropes, Veera is and always will be about the inner journey of the human psyche.

 V: It is a bundle of action adventure and fantasy. It’s a great story and I have tried to do justice to the art I have played with colors to keep it bright and interesting to kids. I promise it is worth a dekho. 

9.  Whats your next projects?

V: I am individually working on another series of comics for kids (fantasy adventure),one mythological based character series and one mature reader comic about an anti terrorist group. I am planning to complete all three than look for interested publishers

NM: Once the Tamil run is complete, I will be publishing Veera ‘s English edition.Hopefully, Season 2 of Veera. We have just skimmed the surface in terms of exploring the characters and their journeys and we haven’t even met the key players in Kaal, who want the conflict to spill into that world. Without giving away any spoilers, season one is not gift wrapped and delivered to your door in a neat package, it is messy; the Guardian’s have stirred the hornet’s nest. And there will be blood to look forward to.

I am working on a lit fic novel for my PhD and also developing several other novel length projects for YA and children. Also on the lookout for an artist to collaborate on a 7 issue comic book targeted at girls for an American company. If anyone is interested, drop me a line.

Project Reveal: Were House : Vivek Goel shows and tell

Lets start with the obvious question Vivek, you have got everyone excited with the brilliant art you have shown recently at your and our facebookpage. Time to tell us some more about the origin of your new project: Were House:

This project basically began with a curiosity, to do something black n white. Since I do tight pencils and my art style is also very noir/dark, horror provided with the perfect opportunity. I am mostly tagged as being a mythology/fantacy artist (can't help it, this is what I have got to draw till date) I desperately wanted to break from it but since my other creator owned project Ravanayan wasn't goin to allow me to do that for a long time, I decided to do something in it myself :)

Click to see in full size

It seems you have chosen shape shifting animals as your subjects this time.

  I was always into animals and am very fascinated by the amazing concept of Lycantrope (shape shifting) and so the idea of doing a mini series based on different creatures depicting different degrees of Lycantropy hatched. It is a kind of project that has been done and a no. of times (take a werewolf) and that is why I wanted to give it a different take and took the native Indian animals as the lycantropes !!

Tell us a little about the team of Were House.

  I wanted to have a veriety and so i started looking for different writers and got blessed in the form of Super talented Akshay Dhar, Shweta Taneja and Soumya Das who have written the 3 stories and I have drawn them all !! 

Why three different writers? 

The reason of working with 3 different writers is that I wanted a variety in storytelling and it has worked amazingly, all of them have their own forte and their own unique ability to tell a story !! 

The final but no less important player in this series is my pencilling assistant Ankur Amre whom i discovered 5 months back, his internship in my office is nearly completing and now he is working very closely with me. He has played a pivotal role in the backgrounds of the GN.

You have said that you wanted to do this in Black and white. Why avoid colors?

Click for full size

 I really want to explore black n white medium of story telling, I believe that a good readble comic does not needs colour dependency (no offence to all my colourist brothers and sisters.), colouring always enhances your drawing but every comic does not need it...especially horror and crime !! I have experimented a lot in the art with this GN and let me tell you that if you handle your pencil carefully with the right amount of pressure, the result just comes out amazing . I got a tremendous opportunity to play with solid blacks and whites and i just loved each moment of it.

Before we end this interview , anything that you would want to tell us about the project?

 To wrap up, I can just tell that all 3 stories are connected in some way and will definately relate to your personal fears !!! i guarentee you that !! Wanna find out more, go buy the book, its out in May 2011......and oh !! yes...we have the same publisher for ravanayan and were house .

Ravanayan Creators on Comicon India

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:

- What's your take on the first comicon

VG: First of all, we actually did not planned to visit comic con, 3 weeks before the event i recieved an invitation frm Jatin Verma for Ravanayan, myself and Mohanty asking us to conduct a workshop. We spoke bout our presence in it and then decided to be a part of it as this would have been the biggest exposure for Ravanayan to all the comic fans in India under a single roof !! I then decided to make 2 exclusive posters of Ravanayan just for the comic con.

 It was truly an amazing experience for us being an insider of the industry and to actually participate in the convention. Though very small as compared to the san diago comic con etc. but no less than in spirit !!! You should have seen the cosplays and that too mostly among adults proving beautifully that comics are no longer just for kids :) 

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?

VM: The one thing that we did most at the ComicCon was have fun. The convention was something of an oddity for me (and I suppose many others). The comic book fandom in India is not organised, except when the organisation in question is an online mailing list or a close-knit community of like-minded friends. So a space and an event dedicated especially to the comic book cause was a most welcome change. Our official purpose for being at the convention was to promote Ravanayan, our upcoming comic series, and that purpose was served beautifully.

VG: We did a workshop on ravanayan (i did a lecture on cover making) on the 1st day and did a signing session on the 2nd day where amazingly my friend and ravanayan colourist Yogesh was also present. I donned a horned headgear and a fake moustache to come into the charecter..Hope people enjoyed that.

 

- What's ahead for the Ravanayan Team?

VG: Strategy for ravanayan remains the same as i told u in the last interview, just the 1st issue will now come in double size in May ;) 
Publisher is very much finalised but this is still not the time to reveal it. March would be it.

Mark my words man, the next comic con would be huge !! The success of this event has paved the way for a much bigger event frm next year onwards. This was more like an experiment for all of us (publishers and artists) that is precisely why  most of the artist community just came as spectators. People will have a clearer idea what to do and expect from next time onwards.

You will not find us doing any workshop frm now on, as we will be inside a booth ;)

The time of just knowing the character and its comic books is gone, with events like these now titles will be known by their creators as these events give people like us to get connected to the random reader directly and vice versa.

For the 1st time in my life i had so many things to do and so many people to meet and 8 hours seemed too short. It felt like a 2nd home to me (its just the toilet was too far away..lolz)

Exclusive Interview: Vivek Goel on his style of art

We continue our conversation with Vivek!!.. 

For the first part where Vivek speaks about Ravanayan, please go here

Lets talk a little about the art itself. Can you share the process of your artwork with us?

 Artwise, my style is somewhat dark as I work in a lot of darker tones and cross hatching. I mostly got influenced by the new school of art and American comic artists and have been improving my linework as per their influence. The legendary creator Sir Michael Turner is my mentor, although he is no longer between us but he has left a rich legacy for me to draw inspiration from

Ravanayan is going to be very different artistically as it is drawn in the western style of art, with heavy character and background details, a lot of dynamic angles and widescreen storytelling. 

 I draw on super white cartridge sheets with normal HB pencils. Since I don't have an inker, I use a technique called as tight pencilling where I do pencils dark enough so that they can directly go for digital colouring.

  I get monthly scripts from Vijayendra and I then read it thoroughly to get a clear picture of the complete chapter in my mind, then I sit down and start making thumbnails of each page thereby visualising each panel with the best possible angle and look so as to suit the scenario of the panel.(NOTE : There are endless possibilities of drawing/showing a visual in a panel but it becomes an artist's duty to pick the best possible angle for every panel depending upon its requirement, we need to move our eyes like a camera so as to decide for either a long shot, a mid shot, a close up or an extreme close up again depending upon the story and page's requirement, it takes time and practice to get better in it, the more you practice, the more u get experience and the better you become.

I then e mail the thumbnails to Vijayendra for his approval, I consider him my editor and most of the time take his approval over thumbnails so that his thinking gels with mine and happily do the changes he requests for some scenes and then when the thumbnail gets fully approved I proceed for the final pages (NOTE : It is again very important for an artist to work under editorial as it improves him a lot, 2 minds are always better than one resulting into better product.

When drawing totally on our own we often oversee our artistic weaknesses and do only what we want to do but working under editorial makes us draw things we never even imagined we could do when pushed which surprisingly we are capable of doing artistically through proper patience and dedication, it also reduces the chances of drawing the final panels again or any corrections.

  When the pages are drawn, I then again show them to Mohanty for his final approval, the pages then go for digital colouring.

Do you use any references? 

 I hardly take any references nowdays, have been drawing for a very long time now, I mostly do stuff from memory but happily take references for objects and animals when required.

How long does it take to produce a comic page for you?

 Depends upon the details and the no. of panels on a single page which again depends upon the requirements of the script and your own artistic limitations/experiences. It usually takes me 3-7 hours on a single page. I maintain a speed of drawing 1 page a day since I don't cut on the detailing part.

 Our last question to you Vivek: What do you feel about the current Indian comic scene.?

 Very important and interesting question, I would love to answer that. Indian comic scene is very stable at the moment and we are witnessing a rise but at a very slow pace. The industry is highly disorganised, we need to understand that it’s a full circle, if we are to survive then we need to back each other up.

Comic making is a team effort and no single person can rule this world. People do not trust individuals here. Initial exploitations, family pressures, bad experiences and big ups/downs in careers make the freelance creators really picky. Lot of new ventures come and go, they start up with a lot of vigour, new writers and artists join them and gave their best but most of these ventures couldn't keep up and were shut down. The work does not shows up and the creators lose their morals in the process, then follows the classic family pressure of securing a stable job and getting a house. 

 Mark my words, there is no shortage of talent here and we have the perfect people to compete with our western counterparts but this is a long race and requires a lot of patience and hardwork to be in mainstream comics. I have seen a lot of promising talent diverting into gaming, concept art and animation due to family responsibilities. 

 But coming back to the current scenario, it’s looking good, although we just have about 4-5 mainstream comic publishing houses in India and just about approx. 25 pencillers working into comics, it is still looking stable for now.

A lot of my peers have published internationally and the American comic market is noticing us. I personally feel that the market/readers have evolved, we need some new stuff now, something fresh, something detailed, we need quality product instead of quantity.   

            

Thanks for your time Vivek. It was great chatting with you and getting a sneak peak into your creative process!