The world of comic books, especially the ones following the superhero trope, are easily dismissed as trivial and juvenile, but scratch beneath the surface and a rich and complex history is unveiled. Much like all mediums of mass communication, comics have lent themselves to propaganda and promoting a certain world view. In the world of superhero comics, mainstream US superhero comics were often seen as promoting war in the garb of heroism served with a side of saviour complex. And much like all art, comics have been a tool of challenging power and dishing out sharp social commentary. Musalman, with its first comic strip released in 2017, has arrived on the scene loaded with clever plot lines, a keen eye for the socio-political realities of its time and an unwavering commitment to the wit and whimsy the medium is known for.
Musalman takes a Western trope and flips it on its head. Situated in India, the character’s adventures reveal not just the shortcomings back home but manage to pack a few punches about the happenings at the global level. Flipping through the pages of Musalman gives a sense of interconnectedness of the world that can only be brought out by a storyteller not afraid of exploring possibilities beyond the local. Musalman takes us along to witness how he deals with toxic newsrooms, finds his long-lost companion and takes on the fraudulent Dhongi ji and the Ravana he has unleashed.
Musalman’s backstory in a certain sense is the backstory of not just the Muslim community in India but all minorities facing persecution. The shadows of violence, bloodshed and unforgettable tragedies pave the path to a desensitized majority looking the other way. Newsrooms shedding journalistic integrity and chasing the views of a frenzied population, injecting more and more propaganda and prejudice into their veins are represented very cleverly in the narrative. The domicide against the Muslim minority currently underway in the country falls in line with the classic trope of super-villains destroying structures in comics. The current form of violence the community is facing is woven seamlessly into the narrative. Amongst all the fun one has while flipping through the comic book, the story sends a very strong message about solidarity with the comic strip titled ‘Musalman meets Chandrashekhar Quaid’. The ultimate masterstroke is the ultimate villain of the series. Who is being mindlessly followed, is there a pawn that is being sacrificed, who benefits and who loses?
Musalman is a reclamation of the dignity of the community and a hard to miss, ingenious form of identity assertion. Falah Faisal has created a character that flies past simplistic representation of the community at supersonic speed. Faisal’s Musalman holds multitudes and shuns oversimplified formulas of Muslim representation overflowing the Indian media ecosystem. Musalman fights hate but he is not defined in relation to oppression. While his origin story is marked by anti-minority violence, how he recognizes his superpowers is at a fun party. He fights evil but also runs a new costume fund. Ironically, Falah Faisal’s superhero is one of the rare deeply human representations of Muslims in the country. The other characters too are thoughtfully written and add richness to the comic. Worth mentioning is the phenomenal job Artist Spud has done in bringing these characters to life.
Musalman mostly doesn’t fight with kicks and punches; he fights back with humour and wit. Over the years, humour has become a potent way to challenge the anti-minority tide taking over Indian society and politics. Musalman is a unique addition to this wave of pushback, and a pleasant way to spend an afternoon and later maybe dwell upon the resilience and creativity of communities fighting misrepresentation, erasure and disenfranchisement in today’s India. Especially for the young mind, Musalman can become a very good entry point to start making sense of their identity, the politics and eventually the nation that is their home. It sits comfortably in the space between sharp, serious social satire and a superhero comic book following the adventures of a very lovable, funny and quirky superhero.