With Comic Con India spreading its foothold in new cities, it has managed to inspire more comic lovers to start pursuing their dreams to become a part of this comic industry. And out of these passionate writers are two young Mumbai based boys – Siddharth Shetty and Ankit Maroli. These childhood friends collaborated with a budding artist Soham Kamat to come out with their first graphic novel, ‘The Veil of Veracity’.
Title: The Veil of Veracity
Story: Siddharth Shetty and Ankit Maroli
Art: Soham Kamat
Publisher: Notion Press (India)
Pages: 100 colour pages
Price: Rs 250
Release Date (Print and Digital): 3 March 2017
The Veil of Veracity consists of two stories in different genres. Here’s the synopsis of the comic:
Nirvana
A fast-paced fantasy inspired by elements from Hindu mythology, this tale chronicles one monk’s quest for purity, a thirst to conquer his fears, and to attain Nirvana. Flip through and follow him as his thirst to vanquish his inner demons takes him past the dreaded doors and into the inner sanctum of the temple of purity.
What perils lie in wait for him when the temple stands in judgement of him pitting the piety of his soul against the crippling burden of the monsters that hide within him and pollute his spirit?
Will he succeed in his pursuit to attain Nirvana?
Or will his demons triumph?Perspective
A dark and intriguing short story, Perspective takes place in an eerily silent part of town, where it follows an unnamed protagonist in the pursuit of answers.
On a chilly winter night, our protagonist arrives at the humble abode of the Edwards Family; a seemingly cheerful old couple that each have their contradictory version of the truth.
Will our protagonist determine which version is actually true?
Will our protagonist finally discover the answers sought?
As you take the graphic novel in your hands, it feels nothing less than a premium quality book. Having said that, as we notice its cover, The Veil of Veracity‘s cover gives us more of a novel book feel than a graphic novel one. As we turn the pages, coming from a bunch of new entrants in the field, the comic is neat with high quality pages.
The first story – Nirvana, takes us through the journey of the struggle between our own selves. While the thought and the message that the author wanted to narrate was strong, what it lacked was the consistency. The story had few unwanted flashbacks which more than hooking the reader’s attention, became tad annoying. Apart from that, a good first attempt by Siddharth Shetty. What keeps one going is the fact that Nirvana has a nice mystery attached to it which is revealed as the story progresses.
The 30 page short Ankit Maroli’s Perspective has a simple yet strong storyline. It has beautifully addressed a social issue which is still prevalent in the society. The writing is crisp and to the point. The emotions of all three protagonists have come across well.
As far as the sketching and colouring goes, Soham Kamat has done a decent job. Both the storylines justifies the title of the graphic novel. It makes us look within ourselves and question the kind of society we live in.
The three new entrants have a long way ahead of them, but with persistent hard work and more guidance from the industry professionals, they have the potential to achieve greater success.
Verdict: Recommended (2.5/5)
