6 graphic novels that are a visual feast of Indian storytelling

Detail from Adi Parva via Amruta Patil (left) and from Grafity's Wall by Ram V and Anand Radhakrishnan. (Photos via amazon.in)

Graphic novels are a unique form of storytelling, blending words with visuals, showing rather than telling, immersing us in the narrative. It treats the child flipping through picture books making meaning of symbols while also embracing the adult who escapes into a world of words.

Most readers have migrated to e-books; who can justify buying yet another bookshelf? Graphic novels demand you make that exception. They can be a quick easy read but also have you returning to find new meaning and nods in the art, line work and even font choice. They appeal to the child, the art lover and the literature lover, the serious and the playful.

Indian graphic novels have come into their own with uniquely local stories and visual styles. Here is a round up of Indian graphic novels published at different times on different themes, but all of them are visual feasts, rooted in a world we know, taking us to worlds we don’t:

Adi Parva and Sauptik: In these two books, Amruta Patil revisits the Mahabharata, the tale that can’t not be re-told. This time in bold visuals and with interesting sutradhars.

An immortal Ashwathama is a reluctant narrator in Sauptik. Ganga narrates in Adi Parva, a predecessor to Sauptik.

The cover simply says “Sauptik: Blood and Flowers” via Amruta Patil, not calling her author or illustrator. Looking at the glorious illustrations, each a work of art, and extraordinary storytelling, the books feel alive and independent, birthed into existence. The verse takes detours, a tale from the puranas here, a rumination there and returns to the central narrative in a deliberately circular path. This is not an illustrated Mahabharata, it is a re-telling with its own identity - picking fragments of the epic and making interpretations. For example, in Sauptik's stunning spreads, there is no disrobing of Draupadi with Krishna’s magic saree to the rescue. Instead, the incident appears in a striking illustration of Draupadi in Avenging Goddess mode with blood red tongue and murderous wavy tresses. The novel is alive and energetic, with a fluid style. It is evocative and lush but does not objectify any character, keeping them real, though dramatic. This is excellent for a first foray into Indian graphic novels.

Amruta Patil's works: Aarankaya, Book of the Forest, 2019, Westland |Sauptik- Blood and Flowers, 2016, HarperCollins India | Adi Parva- Churning of the Ocean, 2012, HarperCollins India |Kari, 2008, HarperCollins India

All Quiet in Vikaspuri: In Sarnath Banerjee’s fourth novel, we follow Girish the psychic plumber drilling into the centre of the Earth to find River Saraswati, to end Delhi’s water wars. Yes, the water wars are fiction but seem so obvious and inevitable, you wonder if you missed a real-life war.

The artwork is mostly black and white, with the white spaces and occasional colour used effectively to make the visuals stand out. The art magnifies the absurd while keeping it stark and real. The book is a social commentary looking unflinchingly at social inequities where power, wealth and resources are for a few.

Residents in a gated community see their buildings as self-sustained ecosystems. The building gives us water, they say. The building gives us electricity. The wit and sarcasm amplify a clear-eyed gaze noting a first world within a third world. The plot goes all over the place, but it doesn’t matter. You are drawn into the world, you engage, you reflect. It’s a book to savour and to return to.

Sarnath Banerjee’s works: Doab Dil 2019, Penguin | All Quiet in Vikaspuri, 2016, HarperCollins | The Barn Owls Wonderous Capers, 2007, Penguin | Corridor, 2004, Penguin Books

Grafity’s wall: This graphic novel by Ram V. and Anand Radhakrishnan centres around four young people struggling for self-expression, trying to escape into new lives with faith in their ambitions and in art. Each has a creative identity – artist, rapper, writer, actor – that they nurture and protect even as the stakes rise. It seems impossible and bleakness grounds the urges to fly. Their lives are captured on graffiti artist Grafiti’s (aka Suresh’s) wall.  Bombay (Mumbai) is a fifth character.

The narrative merges with the environment in a startling way, transporting you to Bombay. The chawl illustrations are chaotic and claustrophobic, yet sprawling and full of life. Every illustration is rich, full of detail, colour and has hope streaming stubbornly through nooks and crevices. The book is a collaborative effort with multiple creators.

The narrative by Ram V follows the four lives - each little vignettes, coming together inexorably towards a climax. The visuals by Anand Radhakrishnan match this pacing and add a sense of place and atmosphere. The hand lettering by Aditya Bidikar adds personality. Colours are by Jason Wordie, Irma Knivila with Anand Radhakrishnan. Both Ram V and Anand Radhakrishnan have multiple books and awards in their kitty, with Anand RK going on to receive the Will Eisner Comic Industry award for their next book Blue in Green.

Ram V and Anand RK works: Graffiti’s wall, 2018, Unbound | Blue in Green, 2020, Image Comics

PAO Anthology of Comics 1: Another way to sample a variety of styles is anthologies. PAO is a collaboration between graphic novelists Amitabh Kumar, Sarnath Banerjee, Orijit Sen, Vishwajyoti Ghosh and Parismita Singh. It is a collection of 12 beautifully crafted stories, each with a distinct voice and style.

“The Pink”, my favorite piece, merges narrative and art when an insurance salesman morphs into a flamingo on his way to work. The story “Plasmoids”, with bright and vivid colours, brings aliens to earth. “Helmetman Zindabad” by Raj comics and Amitabh Kumar feels like a 1970s thriller movie. The anthology takes you on a journey, from quirky to dazzling to natural and classic, with every re-visit offering something new.

PAO Anthology of comics, 2012, Penguin