Where are Nagraj and Chacha Chaudhary in the age of manga and Marvel

You saw it, felt it, flipped it and inhaled the fresh smell of print. Then came the reading. Comics for Indian kids of the 90s was an experience, now imprinted in nostalgia.

"On days I want to detach myself from things around me, I keep some snacks by my side and binge-read Bankelal comics, just as I used to as a kid," says Animesh Pandey. "It's a magical world of fantasy where there is no logic and everything and everyone is so innocent," says the 34-year-old engineer from Kanpur.

Ask any kid of the 90s, he will count Nagraj, Super Commando Dhruva, Chacha Chaudhary and Sabu, Suppandi and Shikari Shambhu among his friends. And they will also remember smuggling comic books into schools and placing them in a school book to read on the sly.

So what are our Indian superhero friends doing in the age of Naruto, One-Punch Man, Captain America, Iron Man and the Hulk?

What is the reason that the once-popular superheroes of the Indian multiverse who were ever-present at every book stall, bus stand and railway station have vanished from plain sight? How did the Indian comic lose its plot? And is there a way to breathe life into it again?

NO SUPPLY, NO DEMAND

Tinkle is available and has used the digital medium to promote its magazines and comics. Diamond Toons (earlier known as Diamond Comics) has also adopted a similar strategy. But sales have nosedived and the superheroes, mostly from the house of Raj Comics, Tulsi Comics and Manoj Comics, are hardly seen anywhere now.

"The biggest problem is the availability of Indian comic books. But it is also about pricing and craze," says Gavin Sharma, a 20-year-old manga fan from Delhi. Gavin, who is pursuing a bachelors degree in computer science from Canada, started his journey into the world of comics holding the hands of Chacha Chaudhary.

Manga is a term used for comic books and graphic novels originally produced and published in Japan. Animated Japanese films and TV shows based on the manga books are called anime. Both manga and anime are a rage in India now. One Piece, Naruto, One-Punch Man, Jujutsu Kaisen, My Hero Academia and Hunter X Hunter have taken India by storm. Their merchandise can be seen everywhere.

"The content is readily available online and most readers use mobile and tablets to read manga. That's not true for Indian superhero comics," says Gavin. "There is a lot of variety one can choose from too. There are 18 genres of manga," he adds.

Gavin says he grew up reading Chacha Chaudhary, Nagraj and Super Commando Dhruva and would love to read them again, just that they aren't available.

Chacha Chaudhary 'whose brain functions faster than a computer' and his aide Sabu, a person from Jupiter with Herculean strength, are immortal characters from Diamond Toons (earlier known as Diamond Comics).

"Changing reading habits, technological advancements, and shifts in pop culture have definitely influenced the comic industry today. But comics continue to be created and enjoyed by youngsters. Chacha Chaudhary and Sabu are still a craze among people of all ages and have a massive fan following," Diamond Toons CEO NK Verma tells IndiaToday.In.

According to Raj Comics founder and owner, Sanjay Gupta, the years from 1990 to 1999 was the boom time for the Indian comic book industry.

Nagraj, the first superhero of Raj Comics multiverse, who heals with his touch and attacks with snakes, was created in 1986. He can change his form too. Raj Comics gave India some of its most successful comic heroes, like Nagraj, Super Commando Dhruva, Bhokal, Doga, Parmanu and Ashwaraj.

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap wanted to adapt Doga 15 years ago. "We tried for five-six years. The owners of the copyright of Doga and Raj Comics, they did not resolve their own issue. So it never happened and it won't happen till they resolve their issues," Anurag Kashyap told IndiaToday.In.

Anurag Kashyap says he is not the only filmmaker who tried to adapt Raj Comics superheroes for the big screen. "Because after me, there were a lot of other people who attempted to do it. But I don't think they (Raj Comics owners) have any idea how films are put together."

"The biggest problem is, before we even started out, it went into their (Raj Comics owners) heads that we would make it like Marvel. And they want that (result) without wanting to do any of the hard work. So everybody turned them down. It doesn't work like that. I don't think it will happen with their attitude towards it, they will probably have to do it themselves," adds Anurag Kashyap.

Though none of Raj Comics superheroes have made it to the big screen, Sanjay Gupta tells IndiaToday.In that comic superheroes remain as popular as before. "The popularity of Raj Comics superheroes never diminished among readers. The issue was that newer generations were not introduced to reading as a form of entertainment," says Gupta.

At its peak, Raj Comics used to print two lakh copies of a single title.

But sales nosedived after the 90s and Tulsi Comics and Manoj Comics, two major publishers, had to shut down. Jambu, Angara and Tausi were unforgettable Tulsi Comics superheroes.

One of the people who have witnessed both the popularity and the disappearance of Indian comics from the market is Bharat Bhushan. The 41-year-old runs AK News Agency in South Delhi.

"Even though in small numbers, Indian comic books were visible even until 2015-2016. Sales had already tapered when the Covid lockdown sounded its death knell," says Bharat Bhusan. He says the shutting down of book stores and roadside stalls after the pandemic hurt the industry badly. "People used to buy comic books from these stalls, the loss of visibility delivered an irreparable big blow."

"There is very little demand for comics now," says Bhushan, who was himself a Super Commando Dhruva fan. He says the lockdown hurt the entire magazine and book industry, not just comic sales.

THE PRICE FACTOR

Gupta of Raj Comics has a contrarian view. He says PDFs of comics were being circulated during the lockdown, which made people reconnect with their superheroes. It has revived reader interest, he says.

"The period of pandemic and lockdown has kicked in a feeling of nostalgia in the minds of Indians and in that period, a majority of the population reconnected with their reading habits too," he says.

That was true even for old TV serials, and people got hooked on Doordarshan's Shaktiman and Mahabharat. Shaktiman was also turned into a comic book series.

But the post-lockdown period saw something unusual -- prices of comics rose manifold.

In the 1990s and even the 2000s, Indian comic books had the price advantage over Marvel and DC Comics.

"Before the lockdown, comic books used to cost between Rs 50 to Rs 60, now most comics cost above Rs 100," says Bhushan. "Some of the fatter editions, called digests, cost Rs 500. Parents obviously would buy a Tintin rather than an Indian comic at that price," he adds.

The kids of the 90s would remember buying a comic book for under Rs 10 and a digest for Rs 15 or Rs 20.

Then there were people and stores in some cities that would give a comic book on rent for Re 1 a day. That ecosystem has completely vanished now.

Youngsters, however, say they won't hesitate to pay for readily available and engaging content.

"If I were hooked on Chacha Chaudhary and Nagraj, I would even pay to read them online," says Gavin. The 20-year-old says he pays 5 Canadian dollars per month to read manga without ads and also to support the artists despite the comics being available for free online.

Thirty-year-old Zinia Bandyopadhyay, who hails from Burdwan in West Bengal, agrees on the price factor but also points out the cultural disconnect.

"Something like Chacha Chaudhary can't pull the younger population now. The way issues are addressed in Indian comic books has a patriarchal tone and there is a generational disconnect," says the ardent anime fan, who counts Naruto, My Hero Academia, Kengan Ashura and Mob Psycho 100 among her favourites.

Zinia says that more often than not, the human element is missing from the Indian superheroes. "The depth, the character's dilemma is missing," she says, pointing to the existential crisis of One-Punch Man.

THE LOST AGE OF INNOCENCE

Gavin says he doesn't consider the content of Indian superhero comics to be amateurish.

For Bankelal fan and engineer Animesh, the innocence of the Indian comics is what he cherishes. He says he uses Indian comic books to "venture out of the practical world for some time and return to his childhood".

"You have to become a child to enjoy these comics. If I have to find layers, I would rather watch a Christopher Nolan movie like Interstellar or Oppenheimer," chuckles Animesh.

Expanding on the disconnect, Animesh says the Millenials and the Gen Zs grew up watching Cartoon Network and are alien to the grandpa-grandma stories from our culture that the earlier generations grew up on.

The Indian superheroes actually were rooted in those stories. Nagraj, for instance, is based on the concept of 'Icchadhari Naag' (self-transforming human-snake), a concept which youngsters would find both alien and ludicrous.

"Youngsters aren't reading, but are watching Marvel movies and anime. It's like a cult and there's competition. We didn't read to compete," says Animesh.

Zinia admits that youngsters consume a specific kind of content that is trendy to stay relevant among their peers.

But Sanjay Gupta, who is also one of the authors at Raj Comics, doesn't see manga or Marvel as competition. "Manga is just complementing the Indian comic industry," he says.

The influence of manga can be observed in certain aspects of the Indian comic industry, says NK Verma of Diamond Toons. Indian artists, he says, can take inspiration from manga's dynamic layouts and expressive character designs, but we need to create content that resonates with our readers. "We have to maintain our storytelling traditions," he adds.

WEAR YOUR SUPERHERO MASKS

Zinia, a 30-year-old entertainment journalist now based in Delhi, also points out how manga is scoring big over Indian comics.

"Popularity of merchandise gets people to watch anime shows. And when they watch the anime, many go and read the books. So, the conversion is happening at multiple levels," she says.

People do watch Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies and then get hooked on the characters and get interested in YouTube shorts. In India, there is rarely a quality on-screen adaptation of a comic book superhero. The vice-versa is also true. Not many hit cartoons have successful comic runs.

Marvel is big on the merchandising front.

But both Raj Comics and Diamond Toons understand the importance of merchandise and have focused on it.

"The merchandising business is still developing in India. Our merchandise range varies from apparel, collectibles, toys and many utility products," says Sanjay Gupta of Raj Comics.

Diamond Toons has also seen an increasing interest in superhero-themed merchandise, including action figures, clothing, accessories and stationery.

WHERE ARE NAGRAJ AND CHACHA CHAUDHARY?

Are our comic book heroes keeping up with the times?

"Undoubtedly, Chacha Chaudhary and Sabu are evolving with time. The stories might have evolved to address contemporary themes, technologies, and challenges, but these iconic characters remain relevant and are still attracting new readers," says Verma of Diamond Toons.

He claims Chacha Chaudhary and Sabu have captured the interest of a new generation of readers. "Chacha Chaudhary and Sabu have a wide online presence, with their stories being made available on digital platforms and even engaging with fans through social media."

Indian superheroes and villains have no doubt evolved with time. Raj Comics even has a doomsday scenario where Parmanu and Dhruva find themselves as the two last survivors on earth.

"Our writers have regularly been giving new and more engaging stories, keeping the trends in mind. Also, with time, our way of presentation has drastically evolved as we have a team of young-age as well as experienced illustrators who have experimented and introduced more mature content," says Gupta of Raj Comics.

Raj Comics saw a split and the group under Sanjay Gupta's leadership is publishing 2,500 titles a year, of which 30 are completely new titles. Diamond Toons publishes at least 100 comic titles and special editions in a year, of which 30 to 40 titles are of Chacha Chaudhary alone.

Creating a new comic book takes anywhere between six months to one-and-a-half years, according to Gupta.

But the total sales are a far cry from what they used to be in the 90s.

WILL INDIAN COMICS HAVE A REVIVAL STORY?

To connect with the younger readers, all the publishing houses are trying to tap digital and social media.

Diamond toons says it always keeps exploring new-age media to expand its reach and engage younger audiences. The Chacha Chaudhary comic has been adapted for a TV Serial and ran for 600 episodes.

It says it offers digital versions of comics on various platforms, making it easier for young readers to access and enjoy the stories on smartphones, tablets, and computers.

But with digital editions comes attached the risk of piracy.

Piracy has eaten a lot into what could be the profits for publishing houses. In an interview with Aaj Tak Radio, Gupta of Raj Comics blames piracy for comic books being priced higher in India. In a way, the buyers are compensating for those reading pirated PDFs of comic books on their cellphones. But he also uses the piracy factor to argue that comics are still popular in India.

Despite the ground realities not supporting much optimism, Gupta sounds upbeat about the future. He is planning to take his comic books to a larger audience by publishing in regional languages.

Bharat Bhushan, who supplies magazines and comics to shops in south Delhi, is cynical and he points to the time gap.

"If you meet a friend with whom you haven't kept in touch with after 15-20 years, you will find it very difficult to connect. It is the same with the Indian comic book superheroes. It's too late now," he says.

"Anyone who has 'chicken dinner' in PUBG feels like a superhero these days," says Bhusan, indicating the switch from comics to online gaming.

Author and publisher Gupta isn't the one to give up. "We participated in all three Comic Cons in New Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai last year and it proved to be extremely motivating because we saw a huge crowd of fans, especially youngsters who are able to connect with the Indian content," says Gupta.

Gavin, who has read both Indian comic books and manga, says reviving Indian comics "isn't a far-fetched idea". He says focusing on original and relevant content, creating a buzz around the books and making them freely available would definitely help.

Gupta has taken several steps and pins hopes on the purchasing power of the 90s kids and the nostalgia value for revival.

Animesh Pandey, the 34-year-old engineer who loves Bankelal for his wit and humour, bought two sets of Raj Comics books. One for his residence in Gurgaon where he currently lives and the other for his family home in Kanpur. "I want to have the comic books whenever I want them," he says.

At his residence in Gurgaon, Animesh proudly displays his comic collection. "My friends come to my place and pick up the comic books and start reading," he says.

After all, reviving Indian comic might not need the superhero strength of the Hulk or Sabu but the intelligence of Chacha Chaudhary and Super Commando Dhruva.

(The article has been updated with Anvita Singh inputs from Anurag Kashyap)