ABOUT THE COURSE:‘Comics and Graphic Novels in Indian context’ course is an exploration of unique and powerful visual medium. As storytelling continues to evolve, comics and graphic novels are significant art forms for bridging the gap between literature and visual art. We will examine the fundamental elements that make comics and graphic novels distinct—panel layout, pacing, character development, and visual storytelling techniques, etc. We will also study a broad range of works from classic strips to contemporary graphic novels, analyzing their artistic and narrative innovations. Highlighting the work of Indian creators like Raj comics, Indrajal comics to graphic novelists like Vishwajyoti Ghosh, Amruta Patil and Sarnath Banerjee, we will discuss the unique local contexts that shape their illustrations. Additionally, we will discuss the works of many national and international comics/graphic novel scholars such as Scott McCloud, Will Eisner, Nandini Chandra, Emma Varughese Dawson, Hilary Chute, etc., for better understanding and possibilities of this form. The course also explores essential tools and techniques, from traditional drawing methods to experimental techniques of storytelling in print thus tapping into India’s vibrant indie comics scene and global trends. This course is an invitation to understand comics as a means of social commentary, cultural exploration, and personal expression.INTENDED AUDIENCE:U.G. & P.G. & PhD students and researchersIndependent researchersPREREQUISITES: Proficiency in English languageINDUSTRY SUPPORT: Cultural Studies and Social Science institutions, Media agencies, Content writers, Visual storytellers/Creative artists, Literary publishing houses, Cartoonists, etc.

Syllabus

Week 1:Visual narratives in print: Background, concepts (understanding panels, gutters, speech balloons, and captions), techniques (layout, design, color texture), types (manga, cartoon strips).
Week 2:Indian Comics: Brief history of comics globally and in India, approaches (mythology, fantasy, history), word-image interplay, visual politics, production, distribution and consumption patterns, comics from postcolonial to liberalized India.
Week 3:Introduction to Indian Graphic Novels: Situating the shift from comics, form & content analysis, post-liberalized India, production, distribution and consumption patterns, popularity, themes.
Week 4:Drawing women from comics to graphic novels: empowerment and feminism of superheroines, politics of representation, changing notions of femininity, visualizing male gaze and women’s bodies.
Week 5:Indigenous art in graphic novels: folk artwork, distinct language and expression techniques, usage of traditional symbols and folktales, endorsing alternative visuality.
Week 6:Graphical biographies: from life writing to seeing life, production of a new self, photographic truths, viewer as a participant/eye witness, comparatively deeper affinity and insight with the narrated subject.
Week 7:Counter-reality through graphic visuality: Engaging with magical realism; censorship; conflict and resistance, alternative truths, reclaiming erased histories, lives, and images.
Week 8:The Contemporary Indian Graphic Novel: Intertextual references; multimodality; montage art; local to global readership, non-linear narrative, transformed spatial landscape, multiple voices.