ABSTRACT
On a long, two-storey, ochre-coloured building, striking images of Indian comic book superheroes such as the dog-masked Doga and the snake-like Nagraj are painted in full swing. This chapter presents a wide trifocal lens – historical, graphic as well as ethnographic – to reflect on how Raj Comics superhero comics came into being. It also focuses on the representative features of key artists, outlining their formative influences and contributions to the birth of this vernacular superhero genre. Popular films had also been made on the snake theme, as with Nagin and Nagina. Such a confluence of forces, both foreign and indigenous, in a gestation period of more than two years, led to the creation of the hardy perennial desi superhero. Into their middle ages, the relationship between the Guptas and their employees is friendly and fairly paternal, tutoring as well as nurturing new talents based on a common love for comics and the exhilaration of making modern mythologies for India.
