Free (Indian) Comic Book Weekend For All!

International comic month continues. Our next stop is India for Free Comic Book Weekend (FCBW). Readwhere.com and Comic Con India have teamed up to offer free comics on the Readwhere app. The weekend seeks to “increase popularity of Indian comics among today’s generation.”

“We are taking steps to ensure that Indian comics are available to its fans easily,” said Jatin Varma, head of Comic Con India. Eight publishers are taking part in the event including world renowned Amar Chitra Katha (ACK) and Diamond Comics. "Relive your childhood. Be a kid again!" the site proposes.

It is necessary to download the readwhere app through its website (also free). The app is compatible with Android decides, Apple devices (specifically noted the iPad), and PCs and tablets that have Windows 8.1 or higher.

Readers can choose from five comics per account from a selection of ten comics. Draupadi: The Fire-Born Princess (Campfire Graphic Novels), Tinkle (ACK), Satya Police (Pop Culture Publishing), and the fan favorite Chacha Chaudhary (ACK) are standouts. Some of the titles are in Hindi (the website, however, is in English.

This is the second Free Comic Book Weekend held in India. Manish Dhingra, co-founder and director of readwhere.com, stated they supplied free comics to “more than 15, 000 comic book enthusiasts” the previous FCBW.

Free Comic Book Weekend is May 3rd and 4th in India. Keep in mind India is 10 hours ahead of New York local time (Eastern Time).

Head to http://www.readwhere.com/fcbw2014 and get reading. The same page includes “Comics on Sale” ; don’t get confused!

Indian Comic Con Showcases a World of Talent

India held their own Comic Con in New Delhi this weekend at Thyageraj Stadium. It is the fourth convention of its kind for the country. 

Guests include Mark Waid( Kingdom Come, 52,Irredeemable,Daredevil ), David Lloyd(Illustrator, V for Vendetta), John Layman(Image Comic’s Chew, Gambit, Detective Comics), Brazilian twins Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba( Collectively: Daytripper, Casanova, The Umbrella Academy) , and Indian creator Pran(Chacha Chaudhary and Sabu). Comixology also visited to give a talk “Digital Comics & It’s Scope”. The Comic Con had a lot to do:Screenings Sherlock and Supernatural, PS4 game station, Peanuts Museum, “Learn to write comics”, grass root comic campaigns, and “A chance to visit New York”. The 4th annual Indian Comic Con connects the international community with India's rich comic book culture. 

A staple of Indian childhood since the 60s: Amar Chitra Katha comics created by Uncle Anant Pai, educates children in multiple languages about a variety of Indian folklore, mythology, biographies  and history. Their online store offers international shipping.

Pran, present at the Con, has been called the “Walt Disney of India” . He has created many diverse characters and his flagship property: the mustached super genius Chacha Chaudhary, has 600 animated  episodes under his belt. Learn more about the characters and the creator here.

Chacha Chaudhary, created by Pran

Spider-Man:India, published Gotham Entertainment Group was a 4 issue Indian adaptation of Spider-Man. Released in 2004(2005 Stateside), it was created by Suresh Seetharaman,Jeevan Kang, and Sharad Devarajan. In the story, Pavitr Prabhakar lives with his Auntie Maya and Uncle Bhim, he crushes on Meera Jain. Nalin Oberoi(Green Goblin) and Doctor Octopus(with magic tentacles) threaten the young wall crawler.

Marvel/ Gotham Entertainment Group

Marvel Global Comics released their app this week, featuring multiple titles in Hindi. Viz Media is heavily pushing Manga in India. With multiple Indian publishers accepting and embracing Digital Media, their future is as bright as ever.