Webcomics have grown in popularity inIndia since the early 2000s. Early webcomics created byIndian people were written and illustrated by people abroad and focused primarily on the differences in culture the creators experienced. Later webcomics put a strong emphasis onsocial and political issues present in the country, usually from aliberal perspective. Webcomics can reach large audiences in India when shared throughsocial media.
Though webcomics have been a popular medium since the establishment of theWorld Wide Web in the early 1990s, the first Indian-centric webcomics started being published at the start of the 21st century. Early Indian webcomics, such asSandeep Sood's 2003 webcomicsBadmash andDoubtsourcing, were primarily written by Indian people living outside of India. These webcomics expressed the stark differences in culture between India and the country of inhabitation.[1]
According to Sreejita Biswas ofScroll.in, Indian webcomics were defined by "stick figures, unimpressive humour and banal writing" in 2010, but that webcomics of a few years later are of much higher visual quality and use the medium for more meaningful content. Among other things, Biswas noticed a change in focus frompolitical discourse to an effort to spreadsocial awareness.[2] Tarishi Verma of theHindustan Times stated in 2016 that Indian webcomics are "coming into their own" due to the efforts of the young "social media-friendly" generation.[3] Similarly, Jaideep Unudurti ofThe Hindu Business Line described India as going through digital comics "renaissance" in 2016.[4]
Traditionalcomic books were a lucrative business in India untilcable television became prominent in the early 1990s.Rahul Vikram, creator ofIndia 2047, described in an interview that he attempted to reach out to publishing companies to distribute his comic, but eventually realised he could save money and reach more people by releasingIndia 2047 on the Web. Vikram also described interaction with readers as a "bonus". Webcomics in India are greatly affected byonline virality: according toHemantkumar Jain, "the viral effect on websites likeTwitter is strong [as] things get retweeted pretty fast and reach more people."[1]
Success of Indian webcomics is frequently measured by asubscriber-count, though the most prosperous webcomics display their status by selling merchandise such as prints,post cards, andT-shirts.[1] However, very few webcomic creators in India are able to do so professionally: most Indian webcomic creators work on comics in addition to working their day job.[5]
"Most webcomics today are satires and the format is suited for it."
Tarishi Verma of theHindustan Times stated that the young generation of Indians use webcomics as a tool for "underlining their absurdity [of] current ills of Indian society." Usually of asatirical nature and intended for adult audiences, Indian webcomics explore a variety of themes, such as "Indians and Indian-ness,Bollywood, existential angst, politics andfeminism." Many webcomics in the country are opposed to thestatus quo and existing unjustsocial norms.[3]
For example,Crocodile in Water, Tiger on Land (2010) satirisessocio-political-economic issues such as the2015 Bihar cheating scandal. Digital politics-researcher Sriram Mohan described the webcomic as progressive, liberal and pro-poor, saying that "it wasn't always so political. I really like it more now. It's certainly top of the pile." Other webcomics, such as Rachita Taneja'sSanitary Panels, specifically focus ongender issues in the country. Many webcomic creators, including Taneja, follow the news closely so they can follow up oncurrent events.[3]
Some Indian webcomics present traditional aspects of the country's culture. Meenakshi Krishnamoorthy'sKinnari is highly influenced by Indian mythology, creating unusual spins on ancient literature. To involve foreign readers more, Krishnamoorthy incorporates footnotes explaining the source material of her comics.[2]Aarthi Parthasarathy and Kaveri Gopalakrishnan'sUrbanlore, meanwhile, highlights the culture and history of urban Indian cities.[6]
American webcomics such asCyanide & Happiness have also found a large amount of popularity in India.Cyanide and Happiness co-writer Rob Denbleyker has noted that the webcomic's readership in India came as a surprise to him. DenBleyker has gone to multiple India-basedcomic book conventions since.[7][8] American works have influenced various Indian webcomics: Dalbir Singh createdSikhPark based on the crude political humour of American television seriesSouth Park,[9] and Aarthi Parthasarthy based the concept ofThe Royal Existentials on David Malki'sWondermark, usingMughal miniature paintings instead ofVictorian art.[3]