Comics are one of the most enduring forms of visual storytelling. One can argue that Egyptian hieroglyphics, Europe’s eleventh century Bayeux tapestry and ancient Indian cave paintings are early signals of image-text narration. This medium, in modern times, has only grown from caricatures, magazine strips, to now comic books, graphic novels and autobiographies. In this dynamic space which welcomes diverse narratives, voices and identities, France and India host a culturally distinct industry for comics.
Visual storytelling is an integral part of our country’s history but comics as a form emerged as a viable narrative medium only after the British had occupied the subcontinent. One needs to understand that India’s geographical vastness and complex historical trajectories do not allow to establish a clear and categorical historiography since each region had different timelines, distinct influences and varied understanding of image-text narration. Hence, it is difficult to define the origin of the Indian comics in a monolithic fashion. However, throughout this essay, I would try to highlight the important milestones to trace the evolution and cross-cultural influences of Indian comics.
The first occurrence of narrative drawing was in the Delhi Sketch Book in 1850. Inspired by British satirical magazine Punch, it showcased the life of Britishers in the city. Although short lived, over the next two decades, cartoon magazines sprung up in Bengal, Lucknow, Punjab, Gujarat, Lahore and Bombay. These magazines were mildly humorous and usually were a commentary on everyday life. According to John Lent, comics historian, Indian comics sprung up early twentieth century onwards. In The Asian Comics, Lent retraces that political cartooning became a prominent feature as C Subramania Bharti tried it in Chitravali in 1910 and weekly magazine Ananda Vikatan in 1926 in Tamil Nadu; Kerala had Viswadeepam and Shankar’s Weekly in late 1930s, also Bengal’s Amrit Bazar Patrika. During this period, Independence movement influenced sharply the themes and tonalites of publication.
Indian comics were influenced by British culture as many cartoons published were in newspapers and magazines that were established by the British like the Times of India, The Bengal Gazette and The Statesman. The British administrative and railway networks determined the circulation patterns, which followed the British trade routes. The paradox of using British editorial and distribution models to found an anti-colonial movement through political cartooning and satire is not at all lost.
Post-Independence, comics witnessed a transformation in terms of format, themes, production and distribution as British stronghold started to wane and other international cultures began to influence the print culture and subsequently the comics production in the country.
Parallel Trajectories—Indian and French Comics Heroes: In the 1960s, illustrator Pran Kumar Sharma created two iconic characters: teenager Daabu and the old, wise Chacha Chaudhary for the Hindi belt readers while Bengal also witnessed Narayan Debnath’s Bantul, Bengal’s first superhero. More Indian-produced comic books began to appear. Anant Pai while reprinting American illustrator Lee Falk’s The Phantom at Indrajal Comics realized the need for an indigenous culture of comics. In 1967, he created Amar Chitra Katha, one of the most celebrated Indian exports internationally in the world of comics.
Fascinating similarities emerge when examining the creative trajectories of Indian comic pioneers Pran Kumar Sharma and Anant Pai alongside their French counterparts René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. Both regions developed distinctively unconventional protagonists that diverged dramatically from American superhero archetypes, immensely popular at that time.
Pran catapulted to extraordinary success through his beloved creation, a bumbling yet intelligent elderly protagonist uncle Chaudhary, who remained deeply anchored in traditional Indian society and cultural values. Meanwhile, Anant Pai meticulously relied on rich mythology, extensive historical narratives, and vibrant local folklore to establish an authentically indigenous comics culture through his acclaimed Amar Chitra Katha series.
Simultaneously in France, similar creative forces were gaining popularity. René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo introduced the hilarious duo Astérix and Obelix (who first debuted in 1959), two bumbling Gallic warriors who took pride in their ancient Celtic identity. While in Belgium, Hergé’s intrepid young reporter Tintin (first appearing in 1929) and his globe-trotting adventures shaped the popular culture of both France and Belgium, establishing influential storytelling conventions. Belgium and France are intricately tied in comics’ production and editorial process. These oddball yet culturally rooted protagonists created amusing situations while heroically saving their village, is a refreshing departure from those of American comics who portrayed typically flawless, physically perfect male saviours.
The serialization format proved equally crucial in both traditions. Each volume presented fresh adventures featuring recurring characters, incorporating cultural clashes, exotic geographical discoveries, and episodic storytelling that maintained reader engagement across multiple instalments.
The distinctive visual aesthetics, bright, clean colouring techniques and conventional panel layouts that eventually reached Indian comics publishers likely drew considerable inspiration from these successful French and Belgian counterparts.
Diverging Destinies—Indian and Franco-Belgian Comics After the 1980s: From 1980s onwards, the destinies of Indian and Franco-Belgian comics diverged dramatically, despite their shared foundation in comical, serialized narratives designed for general audience.
The pivotal difference emerged through governmental recognition and institutional support in France and Belgium. The French government began acknowledging comics’ significant cultural value, implementing various policies and funding mechanisms to nurture this growing artistic medium. Calling it the ‘ninth art form’ elevated its significance and provided crucial intellectual legitimacy. Art schools offering professional comics training, internationally acclaimed comics festivals celebrating authors and amateurs, public libraries preserving sequential art collections, and museums showcasing comics as legitimate cultural artefacts, all of it nurtured the ecosystem for the comics to flourish. Meanwhile, Indian comics lacked comparable governmental recognition and institutional support.
Cross-Cultural Collaboration—Since the 2000s, renewed interaction between Indian and Franco-Belgian comic cultures have invigorated comics production and reception. This period marked significant translation initiatives, bringing beloved Franco-Belgian classics like the adventurous Astérix and Obelix series and Hergé’s internationally acclaimed Tintin adventures to Hindi-speaking audiences.
French creators Artoupan and Labremure depicted Indian cultural experiences, bringing subcontinental perspectives to European readership through their graphic narrative Maharaja (2014). Meanwhile, Indian graphic artist Appupen joined hands with French scientist Laurent Daudet, exploring intersections between visual storytelling and science to publish Dream in 2024. Simon Lamouret represented the city of Bangalore in all its chaos and glory to the French audience in his narrative Bangalore (2021).
To inform and discuss about complexities of urban geographies, comics make a fertile medium to challenge socio-economic representation through their visual language. While French comics have innovated the language of comics to include various kinds of histories and storytelling consistently, the Indian comics are yet to use this medium to their advantage to complement their existing visual storytelling practices.