Chennai Comic Con: How lack of original content has stifled Tamil comic industry
In the age of animation and AI, as comic industry across the globe finds a door to revival, a look at how Tamil comic books, which were popular in the 1980s and 1990s, are fading out
After tasting success in cities like New Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, the Comic Con, a pop culture celebration, is being held in Chennai for the first time on February 17 and 18 at Chennai Trade Centre. Founded by Delhi-based entrepreneur Jatin Varma, Comic Con India is an event where fans of comics come together to celebrate their favourite comic characters through cosplays, merchandising and book launches.
In an era of animation and AI, the comic industry is rediscovering itself across the globe through events like Comic Con. However, in contrast to this, the Tamil comics industry has been losing its allure drastically over the last few decades.
Who can forget fictional superheroes like Irumbukkai Maayavi, Mugamoodi Veerar Mayavi, Lady James Bond Maadasthi, Tex Willer and many others that shaped the world of children who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s in Tamil Nadu? Until the late 90s, the Tamil comic industry had more than a dozen brands, including Indrajal Comics, Muthu Comics, Rani Comics, Rathna Comics, Ponni Comics, and many others. Out of these, more than half have shut down. Experts point out that a lack of original content and marketing strategies have put an end to cultivating new readership for Tamil comics.
Sivakasi, the capital of comics
In Tamil, popular magazines like Ananda Vikatan used to dedicate a couple of pages to comic strips. It was the earliest attempt in the genre of comics. However, comics as a separate publication began to emerge in the mid-60s. The brand, Indrajal Comics by the Times of India, ruled the roost then.
The genre found a market in the South, and Tamil Nadu immediately caught on to it. The first attempt to bring out Tamil comics from the state was taken up by Soundra Pandian of Prakash Publishers through its earliest brand, Muthu Comics, in 1971.
Published from Sivakasi (in Virudhunagar district of Southern Tamil Nadu), the town, known for its firecrackers and match factories, has been a capital of the Tamil comics industry for many years now. Prakash Publishers alone have published more than 300 comic works from English to Tamil.
A special dialect for comics
The first title it brought out was Irumbukkai Maayaavi, the Tamil translation of The Steel Claw, published by the London-based Fleetway in 1962. The 128-page Tamil work was sold for 90 paise. Interestingly, most early Tamil comics were translations of Fleetway comics. At a time when the communication systems hadn’t developed much, Muthu Comics contacted the Fleetway through snail mail and bought the formal rights for the artworks.
The success of Irumbukkai Maayaavi created a new readership for Tamil comics that resulted in Muthu Comics launching another brand called Lion Comics.
The Tamil translations were created under the supervision of Mullai Thangarasu, the then editor-in-charge of Muthu Comics. He was the one who created a special kind of dialect for comics. Even the action sequences had written sounds. The language had such a native quality that readers never felt any kind of strangeness while reading the book, even though the artworks were steeped in foreign characters. Thangarasu later launched his own brand, Rathna Comics.
The success of Irumbukkai Maayaavi created a new readership for Tamil comics that resulted in Muthu Comics launching another brand called Lion Comics. It was helmed by Soundra Pandian’s son, Vijayan. While the earlier heroes of Tamil comics were English-speaking, the French heroes forayed into the Tamil comic scene in the 1980s. It was the period of cowboys and Mexican robbers. Every fortnight, readers would eagerly await for the arrival of Lucky Luke and Tex Willer. Recently, Vijayan formally bought the rights of Tintin comics series and the first book has been translated into Tamil; it was released at the Chennai Book Fair 2024.
The need for awareness
King Viswa, a comic collector and researcher, said that younger generations born after the millennium are not exposed to Tamil comics and there is a need to create awareness about it. “The comic works which are in print were originally published in the 80s. So, whenever the reprints are brought out, they sell like hot cakes. But it becomes difficult for the existing comic publishers to push fresh content,” he said.
It is interesting to note that all this while, the Tamil comics industry published the translations of works from abroad. “It is only recently that they have woken up to focus on works from Indian languages,” Viswa added.
According to popular Tamil writer S Ramakrishnan, who is a fan of Tamil comics, today’s children have moved from Tamil comics to graphic novels and Manga comics. “Across the world, the comics industry has changed a lot in the last decade. It is not only exploring new kinds of genres but also catering to various age groups. There are so many possibilities available for us in Tamil if we are interested in creating comics from our folklore. It can be achieved only if people come together,” he said. Almost all Tamil comics currently in print are translations. Unless publishing houses come up with original content, there would be no future left for Tamil comics, he added.
Ramakrishnan, who also played a part in coordinating and collecting Tamil comics for Michigan State University library, said, “Tamil comics industry lacks even an archive; hence, the social and cultural impacts of the Tamil comics has not been studied well.”