May 13, 2024
I have been writing for more than a decade now. I still remember when I was studying medicine and I got an issue of Comic Jump I realised that I wanted to become a comic book writer. Comic books were a rage in 90s and every middle class kid used to read them. I had my collection of comic books which was my prized possession. I seperated from comic books in 2004 and moved on to other media like cartoons and of course music. In 2012, the issue of Comic Jump just for a bit rekindled my love for comic books and I realised what I would have been if the Indian society was not so hell bent on making doctors and engineers. Comic books took their last breath in this country around 2013. I saw resurgence of comic books during the corona period when people, bored, started whatsapping PDFs of old comic books to each other. Communities were formed. Communities however don't last in this nation for long and even though Facebook groups and pages were made, now they are just avenues for pulling legs and bitching about each other. Still, I hope that these communities last. Indian comics artists outsource their work to DC and Marvel which is great. The rich kids of India read Marvel and DC. The middle class, except, the kids of those who were fans of Indian comics probably are making reels on Instagram or preparing for NEET or IIT-JEE. The era of comics was great, it was something that could only be felt. That's gone. Indian comics has already breathed its last around 2013, when people like Shekhar Kapoor and Gotham Chopra tried to revive it, but comics don't really work in this country anymore. Old Indian comics fans are keeping Indian comic publications alive, but I have no idea for how long. I do, however, hope that they flourish. As far as becoming a comic book writer goes, that's not possible anymore but I do a lot of general writing and it's enough to get me through life, hopefully.
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