The demand for graphic novels has gone up by over 50% since the pandemic, say Indian booksellers, despite challenges like the steep rise in cost of paper. While the mythological retelling remains popular, we are seeing much more today, from books on the environment, technology and public policy, to memoirs, biographies and a whole range of experimental, genre-defying stories. Says Naveen Kishore, publisher, Seagull Books, “We’ve reached a stage where, for instance, we’re now revisiting the best stories by Mahasweta Devi and doing it as a series of graphic novels. So, there is an agenda but it comes from the spirit of not just liking graphic novels, but of the need to reinvent different formats.”
Karthik Venkatesh, Executive Editor at Penguin Random House India, too talks of their commitment to the graphic novel format. This year, they are reissuing artist Sarnath Banerjee’s books, Corridor (2004) and The Barn Owl’s Wondrous Capers (2007) with new covers. “Barn Owl has already been released, Corridor too will come out shortly,” he says. “That kind of signals our commitment to this format outside of the usual debates about numbers and sales and all of that. We believe we have to stay invested in this market, put good content out there and expect that this format will become more popular.”
Here are four recently-published works, fiction and non-fiction, that showcase the changing themes in graphic novels, and reading lists from their authors to get you started. Also, write to us at mag.letters@thehindu.co.in with your recommendations.
Review: ‘The Moral Contagion’ | The history of pandemics, told in a most engaging manner
Review: ‘The Pig Flip’ | A slice of Kerala’s gambling underworld
Review: ‘We, The Citizens’ | A primer on India’s policies, with simple text and illustrations
