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Graphic Novel Review: Virgin Comics' Ramayan 3392 AD
Gautam Ghosh
Writer Shamik Dasgupta promised good things about Ramayana 3392 AD:
Sadhu is good, but just wait and watch for Ramayan Reborn (Now Ramayan 3392 AD). It will simply blow the minds off, India has never seen Ramayan like this I can assure that much...since I am the writer.[:)] you wanted a retelling of the Amar Chitra Katha...now read the retelling of the oldest and greatest epic in the world. Jai Shree Rama.
In a lot of ways it does not fulfil that promise. The story has been retold with a fairly futuristic approach and yet a lot of old elements have been retained.
The future in the story is not a very optimistic future. There has been an apocalyptic war and the ecology has been destroyed. Earth is surrounded by a radioactive haze and humans only live at Armagarh in the Aryavarta continent where they have managed to penetrate the haze and get some sunlight. In the other parts of Aryavarta live 'anthropomorphic' beings like Vanaras, Garudas and others.
To the south lies the continent of Nark, hellish in all senses as the name implies. Ruled by Ravana who is a creature spawned by the apocalypse and who seeks to extend his rule over the Aryavarta kingdom.
The kingdom of Armagarh (not Ayodhya) which is ruled by Chief Councilor Dasarath has four sons - Rama and Lakshmana from the deceased queen Kaushalya and Bharat and Shatrughan by Kaikeyi. The story tries to give a reason for Lakshman's bonding with his blue-skinned elder brother, the reason being tied to blood relations. He is more hot-headed, outspoken and resentful of his step-mother and for his father's lack of time.
Kaikeyi, unlike the Kaikeyi of the traditional epic is no sullen queen in the kop-bhavan sulking. She is empowered as she is a councilor in the kingdom's governing council. She is also quite a racist, believing that humans should not join forces with other beings.
It would be interesting to explore racism in the Ramayan 3392 AD setting. Would some parallels be drawn to today's stratified society? That would actually be hopeful to expect from the comics. On the other hand the use of the word
Kshatriyas for warriors and use of Aryavarta for the 'civilized' continent might actually reinforce caste and cultural stereotypes.
The story opens with the Armagarh council debating how to combat Ravan's Asura army and it is decided to send the four sons to the outposts of the kingdom. Rama and Lakshman get posted to the comparatively 'safe' place of
Janasthan which is underdeveloped. A reader might draw parallels with present day Bihar (a couple of clues: Lakshman says, "Why don't they understand, lack of necessity does not mean lack of initiative for progress?" and the rustics there insist on calling him Lachchman).
No sooner have they reached that they realise that the outpost is under attack by an army of Asuras led by Ravan himself.
The graphics are quite disappointing. For whatever reasons, close-ups of the protagonists do not convey the intensity of the story as much as the graphics of the landscapes do, with the exception of Lakshman, whose distinctive red markings on the face help in conveying his anger with his parents much more eloquently than his expressions.
The final full page graphic shows Ravan who looks more like a beast than his traditional ten-headed humanoid form.
The question that it leaves one with is, Would Ravan be shown as unidimensionally as the artwork suggests in future issues? One hopes not. Ravan's character is the epic is wonderfully diverse and rich. Ramayan 3392 AD's success will lie in making both Rama's and Ravan's character multidimensional and not the caricatures depicted in Ramanand Sagar's teleserial.
Curiosity makes one look forward to the rest of the story. Where would Sita come in? And everybody's favorite monkey god, Hanuman? Does this Rama have divine nature and will it be revealed? And how will the stories be radically different from Ashok Banker's series of Ramayana?
Aaman
URL
October 15, 2006
11:09 AM
Excellent review. You've captured the various aspects of the graphic novel well. Plot, that handmaiden of Drama seems to have won out over originality, like all the Virgin Comics so far. I'll try to collect my thoughts on Virgin Comics so far into an article
Gautam
URL
October 15, 2006
12:55 PM
That'd be a great article Aaman.
Could you also feature if they are going to be available in India too? Otherwise these reviews can get too 'stand-alone' with no feedback from readers so far
Sanjay
October 15, 2006
02:32 PM
Sounds like a mutual admiration society between Aaman and Gautam.
Gautam seems to pine for the authors to explore only the issues he wants -- racism, stratification, etc -- which are much-explored issues to the extent of being cliched.
I can list to you more fictional stories exploring racism than you can shake a stick at. It's not like it's an under-explored topic. Quite the contrary, Political Correctness endlessly demands that obeisance be paid to these issues.
Why do you think [b]Lord of the Rings[/b] was so strongly welcomed as a refreshing departure from the run-of-the-mill tedium of PC? It had highly articulated distinct races, old-fashioned chivalry and codes of honour, and was a direct follow-up rebuttal to [b]The Hobbit[/b], which was a story by the same author delineating the very same things that Gautam and Aaman are pining for.
Gautam, if you prefer the story of The Hobbit, then go read that. [b]But don't ask that Lord of the Rings be re-written to resemble The Hobbit.[/b] They are different stories with different messages.
Sigh - here at [b]DesiLeftistMutualAdmirationSociety.com[/b] all paths must lead to Rome, according to our trustworthy "guides". Any paths leading elsewhere must be chastised -- "don't go off the beaten path".
I find your paths to be mentally stagnant and thoroughly unstimulating.
You same to take offense at the idea of your dearly beloved Ravana being depicted as an unholy beast, as opposed to a gentle humanoid. Oh, dear me, must be the work of "fascist forces" again, vilifying the noble Ravana. :P
After Gautam and Aaman found the [b]Sauron Appreciation Club[/b], and also finish their thesis on how the green [b]Grasshopper[/b] was actually nobler than the saffron-coloured [b]Ant[/b], they can launch their next comicbook review in protest against the vilification of Lex Luthor and over-glorification of Superman. Ah, what happened to the good old days of Batman and Robin, where men can enjoy a close, intimate relationship while donning tights? ;P
Sanjay
October 15, 2006
03:14 PM
I really liked the quality of their artwork:
http://www.virgincomics.com/gallery.html#
I found it very graphically rich. Not like the pathetic Powerpuff Girlz crap that passes itself off as animated entertainment nowadays.
Gautam and Aaman will have their children shouting "By the Power of Greyskull!" during playtime, but I think Indian mythological content offers plenty of stimulating imagery and even moral examples.
For people like Gautam and Aaman, who loathe stories that clash with their own political obsessions (ie. they really must hate the story of The Ant and the Grasshopper because of its offensive moral message of hard work over lethargy), mythological stories will likely be portrayed as a dire threat. I however, as a rationalist atheist, feel that certain types of moral stories will stand out in the marketplace of ideas on their own merits, and should thus be allowed to present themselves to broader audiences, irrespective of the churlish poison pen reviews that the petty political partisans will resort to.
Sanjay
October 15, 2006
10:13 PM
Here, I uploaded the US promo trailer for "Prince of Light" onto Youtube. But I didn't do a good job on the video quality.
Oh well, I'll have to figure out how to adjust the settings better the next time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwVZeCLEWrE
Hehe, I love the American accents and Disney style musical numbers. It really works for me - gives it a broader appeal, makes it feel more universal. The US soundtrack producers did a better job than the Indian ones.
I really do enjoy epic fairytale adventures, and Lord of the Rings is my favorite, along with the Robotech saga anime produced by Harmony Gold. But Ramayana is certainly great entertainment too. I'd like to see an animated Mahabharata done as well.
kanjisheik
URL
October 16, 2006
05:29 AM
Actually, Sanjay, its you who has got it wrong. Contrary to popular opinion, Ravana was not pure evil. In both Valmiki and Kamba Ramayana, Ravana has been depicted as a great personality who fell into adharma. Its people who have only watched Ramanand Sagar's Ramayana TV series who have this misconception about facts. Well, after all, who bothers to go and read the Ramayana for a change? Everyone assumes that they "know" it. Try out the English translation of the Valmiki Ramayana by Arshia Sattar, The Kamba Ramayana translated by P.S Sundaram. Both these books are published by Penguin BOOKS. and then, try out the Ramayana series by Ashok K Banker.. Then come back to this article and post what you feel..
Durgesh
October 16, 2006
10:05 AM
My dear Sanjay,
That was quite a tongue lashing you have given the esteemed gentlemens.
Sanjay
October 16, 2006
06:34 PM
Those who are afraid of stories that depict a clear difference between good and bad conduct/values, are those who have trouble understanding what good and bad are about and wish to wallow in situational ethics.
Qalandar
URL
December 4, 2006
12:14 PM
I only read a few pages in a promotional comic handed out at the Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival in NYC in November, but I really liked the artwork. Admittedly it is very much in the superhero mould of Jim Lee, Jae Lee, Brandon Choi, and others, so not very original (which I would have wished to see in a Ramayana comic), but striking nonetheless. I also wish the characters looked more Indian, but maybe that's just me...
I must tentatively agree with Sanjay: I don't really go to the Ramayana or an adaptation thereof for meditations on racism, and I would rather not clutter up the epic (which in any event has a fantastic level of detail and richness, even in the English translations and retellings I've read) with that sort of thing. That's not to say it COULDN'T be done well, but simply that the comic book might not be the best medium for it...
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