The talented group of students of Whistling Woods School of Animation left an impeccable impression at Comic Con 2018. With the guidance and support of Whistling Woods School of Animation HOD- Animation Yusuf Mehta, the students displayed some exclusive and original comics aimed to transfer the reader into a world of awe-inspiring possibilities.
Whistling Woods International president Meghna Ghai Puri quoted, “At Whistling Woods, we encourage our students to think out of the box and challenge the status quo. It is excellent what these young minds had created! I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Yusuf Mehta for his constant endeavor to lead and guide and most importantly nurture the innate potential in our students that have successfully translated into fine works of art.”
These are the illustrative comics on display at the Comic Con booth:
Nirvahana Vol 1:
Volume 1 of Nirvahana was the best-selling comic in Comic Con 2017. A unique amalgamation of Indian Folk art styles and culturally rich stories, Nirvahana offered the audience the chance to revisit old folktales portrayed through the vision of Indian aesthetics. One can explore comics made in the Gond art style from Central India, Pattachitra from East India and Kalamkari from South India.
Nirvahana Vol 2:
Taking off from the idea of volume one, Nirvahana Volume 2 is also a reflection of Indian folk art styles portraying the stories that either are a legend or a myth among the people. With unique qualities depicting each of the stories, in this volume, one can see the art forms of Pahari from North India, Mughal style paintings from West India and Kerala Mural Painting from South India.
Nirvahana Vol 3:
Volume 3 of Nirvahana is also an anthology of short comics but in this, the team decided to take on Western art styles while still keeping the stories indigenous to India. Going around the countless art styles prevalent through the history of art, the artists decided to take up Ukiyo-e from Japan, the Ottoman folk art from Turkey and the style of Impressionism from Europe, the works of the renowned artist, Vincent Van Gogh.
Menekapura:
Menekapura is a mix of an illustration book and a graphic novel. This unique venture portrays the life of a Queenpin who rules over a red light area called Menekapura. This gritty action-packed narrative offers the reader the chance to enter a world of underworld politics, drug trade and the sheer of power, will and determination of the one everyone calls Laxmi Tai.
Ephemeral:
Ephemeral as the word denotes refers to the temporary and transitional nature of every phenomena known to us in our universe. Likewise, the poems contained within this book pertain to themes such as space and feelings both of which are largely incomprehensible and eternal as we can never fully understand or, conquer them. Hence, the following poems that deal with the above two themes go hand in hand with the title of the book Ephemeral, as they lay emphasis on the very short time we have to re-examine the jaded image of ourselves and our worldly views through the vast possibilities we are presented with internally and externally but choose to ignore.
Adhikaar:
This collection of comics talks about the civil rights and the extents to which people have had to go to attain justice in the name of the rights they hold. This version, in particular, speaks of the experiences faced by Muslim women, one in case of the system of triple talaaq, and the other in case of women drivers in the country of Saudi Arabia.
Shaktirupen:
It is very difficult to be a single parent, especially in the society that we live in. Shaktirupen is the story of a single mother, trying to raise her daughter while shielding her from the hardships that she has had to face. It is a story about faith and being able to do the right things for the people who you love. And, this story is dedicated to all the mothers.
Born Again:
This action-adventure comic is a story about a man on a mission, training to fight his foes and willing to prove his worth to the people who matter. A take on creating a manga style comic, Born Again offers a thrilling ride to adventure seekers and ardent readers alike.
The comics are a perfect amalgamation of excellent literature and visual representation, showcasing the students’ creativity to bring the comic characters to life in a splendid manner.