Review : Ravanayan #5 (Holy Cow Entertainment)

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In terms of the actual chronological events of The Ramayan, this issue reaches the milestone where Ravan kidnaps Sita using Mareech as the decoy/sacrificial lamb and kills the vulture warrior Jatayu, nullifying any efforts made to prevent Sita's abduction. This issue also presents a take on the fight between Mayavi and Vali which, as we all know, caused the bad blood between the Vanar brothers Vali and Sugriva, eventually leading to Lord Ram defeating Vali and as a result winning the support of the powerful Vanar army.
So, according to Vijayendra Mohanty (a.k.a, “the writer”) it was Ravan who lays the seeds of enmity between the Vanar brothers. It was Ravan who used Mavayi as a mere pawn to create the perfect misunderstanding. 

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Review: RAVANYAN #4

The Ramayan is probably the first Indianized/desi superhero/superhuman story we listen to or read in the early stages of our lives, a story which instantly burns a long lasting circuit in the cache-memory part of our brains. I guess the stellar significance of The Ramayan can be felt by the fact that most of us develop the sense and the ideology of right and wrong, good and evil, kind and cruel via The Ramayan and throughout our lives we keep referring to these ideologies and changing them according to our needs and demands, either consciously or subconsciously.

Now why I mention this very trivial information is to emphasize the level of creativity and innovation that the people at Holy Cow have used while concocting RAVANAYAN. I mean they have taken probably the most popular Indian reading material and completely changed the position of the pieces to create an entirely new and extravagant viewpoint. Truly Holy Cow has shown us the other side of the coin. And with chapters 5 and 6, Ravanayan has reached a different level of awesomeness altogether - both in terms of writing as well as the artwork.

Wishing Well : Indian Comics in 2012

 In a lot of ways, the future will remember 2011 as the year the Indian comic-book geek came out of the closet. The success of the first ever comic-book conventions in the country being held in Delhi and Mumbai went a long way in illuminating fanboys in regard to the presence of their fellow comic addicts.

It’s a year that saw Ravan’s side of the story, the beginning of an indigenous Martial Arts epic, Shiva finding his way back into comic books, the conclusion of India’s first home-grown Zombie comic book series and an arguably ballsy move from print to digital (and free), among many other exciting prospects.

Keeping in mind all these developments, It’s difficult not to imagine what this oh-so-beautiful monster, currently in its infancy, is going to grow into tomorrow. Bear in mind, however, that this is all just speculation and wishful thinking, but its fulfillment would make this little geek very happy:

A Shared Universe

In my mind, this is the one thing from a creative point of view that needs to happen soon. We are already seeing the seeds being sowed for this, with Yumi coming to a computer screen near you soon, as a Shaurya spinoff, but there is still quite a long way to go. The reason a shared universe is important is that it opens a whole world (literally) of literary possibilities, and helps give multi-dimensional looks at a character and settings. If the upcoming Avengers movie can’t convince you it’s awesome, I don’t know what will. Picture the cast of Shaurya stuck in a zombified Bangalore or a Daksh-spinoff Ravana escaping from hell into the modern day, keen for redemption.

REVIEW: Ravanayan #3 & #4 - Double sized!

Ravan’s audition and Brahma’s casting ouch! (Spoilers ahoy)

Well written and equally well illustrated, Ravanayan issue 3 is a triumphant return to form after issue 2 which seemed more like an illustrated version of the “The story so far...” section of a book. The good folks at Holy Cow promised to treat us to a double issue this time round and the issue was a treat.

Coolest Indian Comic Cover Ever?

Most of Vijayendra Mohanty’s photos that I've come across till now depict him deep in thought. While most writers want to portray a brooding aspect to their personality, Mohanty appears to be someone who actually thinks. Ravan’s mindset throughout the issue is eloquently depicted in words. A noteworthy highlight is the dialogue between Brahma and Ravan - The conversation is quite interesting (though I sat in the brooding pose and have some questions which I shall raise later) and refreshing.

And speaking of refreshing, how cool is the way Brahma is depicted!!!

Having a sit-down with Holy Cow!

You've all been aching to learn more about upcoming issues of Ravanayan, we've all been teased by art from Skull Rosary and been enticed by hints of much more still not revealed – well be at peace good readers!

We at Comic Addicts have finally nailed down the elusive creative head of Holy Cow Entertainment (HCE), Mr Vivek Goel himself along with some of his creative co-conspirators and now bring you an in-depth and honest talk about what in the coming months will make you exclaim “HOLY COW!!”

Thanks for taking out time to sit with us Vivek, its a real pleasure.

To start with, tell us how does it feel to be at the forefront of changing face of indian comics?

It feels great, honestly. Finally I have got the chance to do the things I always wanted to do, the projects, the kind of art, stories, experimentation with different art styles without being answerable to anyone. Also, I love teaching comic book art and with HCE, I finally can do that. Being a self taught artist I understand the value of time and if it took me 2 years to prepare myself I can cut short that period for my young interns to 8 months under proper guidance thereby infusing new blood in Indian comics which we seriously need at this point of time.

How did the idea for Holy Cow Entertainment germinate? what are you looking to do within that banner?

It basically started with a need and a want. A need to give myself a stable platform as an artist and a want to something unique in the form of projects of different genres, giving independent ideas a stable platform. Now is the time that creators take control of their own content and the only way possible is self publishing stuff.

Our basic aim under the banner of HCE is to unite the artist writer fraternity, to give them creative freedom so that they can deliver the best possible comics for the Indian market. The Indian comic industry is very disorganized and fails to understand that we need to work together in order to flourish together as comic making is a team work, no single person can rule it!

Rooting for Ravan!

Call me odd (that will make the two of us) but there are times when I root for the bad guy. Always found that most good guys end up being, stereotypical Mr. Goody Two Shoes. The problem is that heroes are like open books. We know their past, their sufferings, their weakness, their strengths and their beliefs. Nothing is hidden from view. I mean, most superheroes even wear their underwear on the outside.

Most stories, irrespective of the format (movies, books or graphic novels) in which they are told, focus more on the hero. The villain is just put forth as a strong adversary to give the hero a challenge and a reason to exist. Not much is revealed about their lives. Or the parts that are revealed just add to their villainy. We know all the bad things Darkseid did or how naughty a boy Voldermort was.

So when Ravanayan was launched, I was excited. Based on the epic Ramayan by Valmiki (and not Ramanand Sagar as I grew up believing) this graphic novel story arc tells the story from the so called villain, Ravan’s point of view. It’s about time his side was heard.

I picked up the issue with great expectations and Holy Cow delivered the goods. And then some. The main highlight for me was the story. A complex character like Ravan needs a writer who is capable of understanding his psyche and put it forth in a manner that is not defensive. The job is to put forth the story from Ravan’s point of view. Not to turn him in to a hero. A good story gives you a moral. A great story gives you something to think about. I have a gut feeling Vijayendra will end up telling a great story.

After Bala from Nothern Song, Vijayendra has another demon’s story to tell. Looks like he will own this niche. A literal devil’s advocate. I liked the pace and manner in which the story was told. The twist in the initial part was unexpected. I knew of Valmiki’s past and yet was taken aback when the revelation was made. When you know something and yet the writer manages to catch you off guard, it can be safely said that you got a good story teller on your hands.

Moving on to the art. Vivek hadn’t lived up to my expectations in Werehouse 1. Ravanayan has made me raise my expectations from him. The art was amazing. Every panel seems like a labour of love and it shows. The initial fight sequence was especially very well conceptualized and executed. Apart from the illustrations, the angles and poses were also eye catching. The colorists, Yogesh and Komal have done a great job too. 

My own real grouse is about Ravan’s look! It is a tremendous improvement from Ramanand Sagar’s version but he looks too much like Geralt of Riveria. For the uninitiated, Geralt is the main character in the mind-blowing RPG ‘The Witcher’ and ‘The Witcher – Assassin of Kings’. But it is just a minor distraction, that’s all. The creators had mentioned that they have taken some liberties with the original script to take the story forward and the two fights in the first issue were part of the liberties I guess. I only hope these liberties are kept to a minimum. There is enough in the original script to provide an insight in Ravan’s motives without taking a lot of creative licenses.

The first issue is to me a tremendous effort. It really set the mood for the issues to come. I look forward to an enthralling story and great art. It might just be as good an epic as the original Ramayana.

Rajat's Random Ramblings - Ravanayan Begins...

Comic Addicts has done it again. In an unprecedented move, we are doing, probably for the first time in India, a pre-release review of one of the most anticipated book this summer, Ravanayan.

This has only been possible with the cooperation of Mr. Vivek Goel the owner and the chief artist of the Holy Cow Entertainment, who was futuristic enough to realize the way cookie crumbles. Other Publisher friends… Ahem. We are waiting... Our public DEMANDS pre-release reviews!!! ;)

Anyway, as always, I get distracted and wander off to paths unexplored. Let us come back to the task at hand.

One of the 2 covers from Issue 1 - The inner turmoil - Sage Father, Demon Mother

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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!

Exclusive Reveals: Talking Ravanayan with Vivek Goel

I am sure we all have heard of the great Indian mythological epic – Ramayana, the story of prince Ram’s conquest over the evil lord of Lanka – Ravan. There have been many epics written on Lord Ram, but very little has been said about the character of Ravan.

This is about to change if two young Turks have their way; Ravanayan is an independent graphic novel project being undertaken by Vijayendra Mohanty (writer) and Vivek Goel (artist), which explores the character of Ravan in ways not thought of before.

We sat down with Vivek Goel (recently known for his work on first 4 issues of Northern song in Jump form Level 10) for a quick chat on the upcoming project.

First question Vivek; right off the bat – have we not seen it all in Ramayan?

Wow, you are a bit direct aren’t you? Haha! Well kidding aside, unlike most people understand, Ravanayan is "not" our take on the legendary hindu epic Ramayan but its the life story of Dashanan Ravan - the lord of Lanka. On the contrary Ramayan is a very small part of the series since it marked the end of the rakshasa (Demon) kings reign over Lanka. Whatever part Ramayan has in this story will be the original, Ramayan thereby remaining untouched :)

Nice to know the original revered epic is going to be unchanged! But what is your aim in creating Ravanayan then?

Our aim with Ravanayan is to take a look at the Ramayan universe from the so-called dark side. The story of Rama follows a straight-cut path right to the end. We want to follow the story from its much celebrated end, to its beginning, and in the process, re-imagine much of what is accepted as being true about one of India's most-loved epics

There is definitely a lot of new stuff in Ravanayan. We have taken a unique view of Ramayan and presented it as a story about the nature of good and evil. The aim of the story is to help throw some light on the definition of "evil". If someone as well-known and evil as Ravana could have a side that we can be sympathetic to, then almost anyone can be good. Think of all the "bad" people in your life. Can't they also be "good" in one way or the other?

Sounds interesting – very “Two Face”(Batman villain) like if I might say! How did this project originate?

It is my brainchild and it occurred to me 2 years back sitting at Vijayendra Mohanty's house at Delhi that why don't we do a book on this character, he has been like totally untouched by anyone till date and undoubtedly is one of the most important character of Ramayan. It is our co-owned project as Vijayendra is doing the research and the script part, he is basically spinning the story and I am doing the storyboards and the character re-designs. 

How has the experience of working with Vijayendra Mohanty been like?

 My comic book relationship with writer Mohanty goes very long, we both started our carriers together - literally and our mind set is so similar and strong that we both saw each other fitting for this project, we both know each other's strengths and agree on most of the things, the things that we do not agree on don't have much relevance.

 I am always inclined to the out of box thinking!!! Generic things don't appeal me that much, Both I and Mohanty believe that a tree remains the same if you look at it from the other side BUT the perspective changes, this is what Ravanayan is all about, an untold story about to be unleashed !!!

 But we both needed to grow, as an artist and as a writer and so we started doing a monthly comic book "Northern song" for Level 10 comics and I did the 1st 4 issues and Mohanty the 1st 5 issues and then when we saw that the time is right, we moved on to Ravanayan. It also have been covered by the 3 major newspapers of india - D.N.A, TIMES AND H.T.

Talking about northern song , you weren’t on the art duties on 5^th and final part ? How did that happen?

 Good old NS. I consider myself blessed to be an architect of such a project, Got a slow start though but it has tremendous potential !! The good people at Level 10 comics wanted to experiment with some new art style, something very simplified and light and i think they succeeded in that, loved the artwork of NS # 05. 

Tell us a little about the evolution of Ravanayan from the idea stage to the comic

 It’s been wonderful ride up till now, truly wonderful !! Trust me, we as a layman have only scratched the surface of our mythology. I got a chance along with Vijayendra to do some research and its mesmerising, the characters are very rich and larger than life.

 I have re -designed the characters of Ravanayan (artistically- to make them more interesting as comic is a visual medium) according to their personal characteristics and the result is truly amazing.  

While re-imagining characters, you need to think clearly why you are keeping this guy's long hair, removing somebody's moustache or making some character colourful or dark, for that u need to read about them, understand them so that their designs itself should speak about them. Their body type, drapery, ornaments, accessories - everything should reflect their individual personalities.

Before entering into mainstream comics, I did a lot of character designs for various ad agencies and Star Plus and it has come in real handy with Ravanayan.

 I bet the kind of story Vijayendra is spinning is going to be amazing, he has a great hand in my evolution as an artist !! There has been a no. of occasions that scenarios/landscapes/angles have come into the script which were totally "un Vivek Goel" but the story needed them and so I pushed myself beyond my drawing skills in achieving them.

This is your own personal discovery and you keep doing it for the rest of your life as an artist. Every practicing artist goes through this continuous evolution and this is exactly what keeps us giving better and better product.

How has the reception of the project been so far?

People are very excited and the support is enormous. They are waiting very patiently for it to see the light of the day as it explores something totally unexplored till date. The character of Dashanan is very interesting and powerful and his life has been a wonderful journey.

Let me ask you a personal question, how much do you know bout Ravan ?? only that much what u must have heard in Ramayan? but he also had a life before Ramayan, a family, a kingdom !! He had many positive and interesting qualities and adventures too !! Our aim basically is not to gather sympathy or love for Ravan or to change anyone's religious belief (this is the part where the epic Ramayan goes untouched in our story :) but to tell an interesting and untold story. I think the guy at least deserves that!

 I truly feel sorry to the good people who have waited so long for this project and all we have revealed till date are some teasers and a single interior page (as most of the pages have crucial characters and it has to be kept under wraps for now) but trust me, it has gone through a number of changes (and from the page which is there on my drawing board I can say it’s for good) but I can safely say that THIS is the final stretch and I hope the product is worth the wait.

There have been some initial negative response also (mostly due to the misunderstanding of this being our take on Ramayan which has been cleared out on a number of occasions).

We aim to create a product which will make young people of our country want more of our mythology.

There is a lot more than meets the eye as I said, our characters are just waiting to be explored, all we need to do is to make them more interesting to our younger gen.

  

Very rightly put Vivek. Accha, do tell us a little about your third cohort in crime.

 Yogesh Pugaonkar, who is my proud discovery and my cover colourist, is also playing a pivotal role in the series with us.

 I found an e-mail in my mailbox one morning 5 months back and there was this young boy wanting to do something in comics, we got along pretty well and now he will be seeing himself publishing internationally in just 5 months of his professional comics career !!! This is something to get inspired from !!  A truly dedicated fellow. Will reveal his full feature in the next interview where he gets internationally published with Moonstone (it will be his 1st international cover with me and mine 3rd)

Who thought of the name of the title. I think its very cool!

Vijayendra Mohanty deserves full credit for that!

Can you share some more concept sketches with us?

 I apologize for not been able to share with you most of the character designs/pages/ covers as they are totally under wraps for now as we have worked very hard on them and the designs are very unique. But just for our beloved readers, here are some behind the scenes pages from Ravanyan – first time seen anywhere! ( Please click on the image to enlarge it)

Have there been any changes along the way from your original plans for Ravanayan?

We originally planned it as a 120 page GN, but now that we understand it has limitless potential as well as such deep story, it has evolved into a 12 issue maxi series.

We are at a final stretch now as the books are getting ready fast, I have already done 4 issues and am trying to do most so that the monthly schedule does not mess up, our good readers have waited for very long and it becomes our duty to take care of them in every way possible.

Has the Publisher and release date been finalized?

Publisher has indeed been finalized but this too is under wraps, it will be a big surprise for all. It releases in early 2011.

Thanks to Vivek for sharing the inside pages with us. Hope to see Ravanyan on stands soon!!

We talk to Vivek some more regarding his artwork and future of comics in part 2 of this article. Stay tuned