Lost in childhood memories

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Games is another media that has given a blow to the comics industry, for comics are a great source of gaming content. “Comics, with the right story line and characterisation, can make a great premise for a game,” says Salil Bhargava, CEO, Jump Games Pvt. Ltd. For instance, in the past Jump has created the hugely popular mobile games based on Virgin Comics’ Shakti series – Devi, Sadhu & Ramayan 3392 AD.

All this combined is painting the print comics industry red. Sales of popular comic books have registered negative growth during the past few years. Statistics for 2005 show that Tinkle, one of the leading children’s magazine of Amar Chitra Katha, went down to 40,000 copies a month from one lakh a year back. Diamond Comics too suffered a similar fate as sales dropped from a good 25 lakh copies a month to 14-15 lakh copies a month. Another possible reason for the decline in sales is the marketing expenses. There has hardly been any kind of a promotional event or advertising exercise or workshops that could evince interest in kids and parents alike. “The cost involved to create comic books is no more simpler with the artist fee soaring, with heavy job opportunities available through media & animation,” comments Clifford.

So, what is the way out for our beloved colourful characters in the comic strips? Giving the characters a Bollywood touch is one way perhaps. The Indian psyche always react to their on-screen idols. Having them as comic characters would in fact give our old comic strips a fresh and contemporary look. Also with the Bollywood craze increasing abroad, the comic book industry could actually benefit from the huge NRI fan base of actors scattered worldwide. The industry should also look at the rich heritage of mythology and folklore that our country has. “We need to tap them through comics rather than trying to imitate the western super heroes alone. There has to be an even blend to suit the palates of today’s consumers. The style has to be adapted to tell the story the way world wants. We also need to have strong domestic comic themes and characters to sustain longer and face competition,” says Ramaprasad. A potential market that has so far been neglected is hinterland India. The huge rural populace is still addicted to their daily dose of comics. “Using information channels and media, the comic industry guys should tap the big potential in rural and regional market, especially for low cost titles,” advises a senior illustrator in the comic industry.

Be that as it may, our comic book makers need to sit up and re-look at their business models, and ensure that the joy of reading comics does not get lost in oblivion in the future.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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