Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Two Unknown Indian Publishers

TODAY India Celebrates 66th Independence Day.:)) 
-------------------------------------

In my recent(& very rare) visit to old-book shops, I got  a couple of issues of some unknown Bengali publishers : Avik Chitrakatha & Tin-Murtir Ovijan. Do anybody ever read these series?? So these are new additions in the Indian Comic Publisher's list. I also wonder whether these were published in English as well! The titles of AC & TMO were "Baghrya Devata O Tarzan(means Tiger-god & Tarzan)"  and "Bandhya Deeper Rahashay(means Mystery of the barren island)", respectively.

  
         
  One thing that I find odd, but yet to confirm my doubt, is that in AC you will read a Tarzan story but there is a strange similarity of this Tarzan(art & plot-wise) with another hero, Conan the barbarian! Here you can check some scans of this issue(for Conan's comic, check Mr.Ramesh's blog) and if any of you know better, please inform!
                                                            

Monday, August 13, 2012

Comic #94 : Indrajal Comics (Bengali) : No. 170 - Gandhagurur Rahashya/গন্ধগুরুর রহস্য(Mandrake)

 This is one of those few stories where you won't find Mandrake in the central role - rather the conman - namely Dr.Xoz, that eccentric genius who invented scents which will turn animals & birds quite vicious!Of course,for different species there were different kind of scents!
 Originally from a '70s daily "Dr Xoz . Prof of Smells(D152)",you will find this plot quite unique.Also,Narda played an important role.In fact, Mandrake & Lothar arrived in the scene much later,when that crazy scientist kidnapped Narda!
 And don't you think the Indrajal cover-artist brilliantly captured the mood of that particular scene? I never saw another Mandrake book's cover where Lothar has been shown in such furious and attacking mode!
Now,come to a new thing - my art! :o) I left serious drawing over a decade ago and did only a few time in between,that too only water-color,not sketch. The following one is from this very story where Mandrake successfully saved Narda from those millions of dreaded moths!

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Comic #93 : A Phantom Strip - Samudri Lutera(সমুদ্রী লুটেরা) from the COMIC WORLD Magazine

 This story,titled Samudri Lutera(সমুদ্রী লুটেরা), was originally from S074(The Black gold Pirates) and published in the very first CW issue on 1998.This was also appeared in both Indrajal Comics(E #157/B #135 & Vol.22 No.5) and Diamond Comics(Phantom Digest #1) aswell..
 The printing quality of early CW issues were top-notch and so you will find this strip in very good quality,both story-wise and the presentation(unedited & colored).

                                      

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Comic # 92 : Indrajal Comics (Bengali) : No. 245 - Lal Eter Bari/লাল ইঁটের বাড়ী(Bahadur)

Today you can read the first ever adventure of our own Indrajal hero - Bahadur!
  Now,many of us already have read all/most of 75 Bahadur adventures than spanned from 1976-1990 but I wonder if there is any fan among us(visitors/bloggers) who read this issue as his/her very first Bahadur comic?? If yes,then he/she is lucky to experience the initial development of the characters/back ground because at the beginning nobody would imagine that a son of dacoit, who once determined to kill a police chief responsible for his father's death, will turn a famous crime-fighter.
For those who came in late,you won't find Bela in this story,as she was introduced much later,in the 4th Bahadur adventure - another master-piece by Aabid Surti - Sada Bhuter Adda(White Ghost's Dane) when her dad was kidnapped by some dactoits that incld. one future CSF member,Lakahan! [For a brief intro of Bahadur,you can check this old blog-post that I wrote exactly 5 years back.]
Now read how this brave son a dacoit became our own hero!