Vijay Laxmi Rai
Senior Correspondent
If you were born in the 80s or 90s, you can probably relate to the mind-blowing era of comic books. During our childhood, we were surrounded by a plethora of different comic books such as Nagraj, Champak, Chacha Chaudhary, Vikram aur Betaal, and Super power Vikrant, just to name a few. The memories of those comics still flash and pop up in our minds, mesmerizing us with their beautiful, creative colors and cartoon characters.
The Best Time Pass and Support System
Many of us would agree that during that time, we didn’t have access to multichannel televisions or internet-related games. So, we mostly played outdoor games, but during summer vacations, we mostly stayed indoors, and comic books became our support system and the best time pass. Even now, we get thrilled and entertained with fond memories of comic characters.
The Impact on Our Brain and Imagination
But how many of us realize that comic books deeply and positively impact our brains? They increase our thinking capacity, love for reading, and imagination power. Many of us tried to paint and draw the comic characters at a very young age, which gave us knowledge of pop-up colors and more. Some of us even tried to write our own comic stories.
The Evolution of India’s Comic Industry
India’s comic industry began in the mid-1960s when the leading newspaper The Times of India launched Indrajal Comics. Until the late 1960s, comics were only enjoyed by the children of wealthy parents. However, from that time until the early 1990s, they established themselves in the market for all readers and children. Diamond Comics, Manoj Comics, and Tulsi Comics have gained immense readership and fan following in North India since the 1980s.
Comics: Another Medium of Expression and Storytelling
Comics are considered another medium of expression and storytelling, a unique art form that coalesces a startling range of human emotions – innumerable versions and degrees of envy, greed, hope, inspiration, melancholy, redemption, and so much more. Some comics segregate good and evil in a way life never could, while others focus on the complexities of our own emotions and our own strength of spirit. Superheroes and super-villains, anti-heroes and anti-villains, comics have it all. They have become an indomitable part of our narrative as a species, combining the power of the written word with powerful visual imagery. They have become as telling of our existence as literature, music, or any other art form, despite a cartoonish exterior that often deems it childish.
Unlike its storytelling predecessors, comic books and graphic novels are a more recent development, especially in a country like India, which means their history and evolution are still entirely traceable. They have left a deep impact on our childhood memories and continue to do so for generations to come.
We can guarantee this article is of interest to just about anyone who might feel nostalgic.
