A few days ago we were wondering just what’s up with comics in India, as we frequently see items come across our news feed, but have no idea what the popular reaction is. One of our commenters had an interesting take on the matter. Now from the Business Standard of India there’s a fuller account:

You’ve been hearing about foreign graphic novels for some time. Now desi ones are hitting the market, and more hearteningly, they are getting better.

Signs are that the desi graphic novel is coming of age. When Sarnath Banerjee’s Corridor, widely marketed as the first Indian entry in the genre (or more accurately, medium), was published in 2004, the response was mixed: fans were pleased that a start had finally been made, but it was widely felt that though Corridor was clever and good for belly-laughs, it didn’t break new ground.

The article goes on to say that Bannerjee has hit his stride more with his second book, The Barn Owl’s Wondrous Capers, a retelling of the legend of the Wandering Jew. It also covers the work of Phantomville, an Indian publishing house specializing in graphic novels. It’s interesting to see comics sprout up in an entirely new culture like this, something we’ll continue to track.

[Link via Dirk.]