3. What are your perceptions of the moves towards openness in South Asia? How can the Internet and sites like IntentBlog, Desicritics, etc. help foster this openness?
Blogs, digital cameras, laptop computers, and other innovations have really opened up the medium of expression and creativity and enabled a degree of media democratization. But democracy - even opening up the media - requires patience and practice so i think experiments like intentblog, desicritics, and others are all very essential in empowering the everyday voice and creator to get involved and part of the process.
4. Series like X-Men, etc., and the whole superhero mythos were successful in part because of the individualism of the American mindset, and American exceptionalism. How would this translate to the Indian ethos?
When I look at the superheroes that defined American culture, I see a man vs. science themology: Spiderman getting his powers from a radio-active spider, the incredible Hulk getting his powers via a nuclear accident. Japan brought us the man vs. machine themology with stories like Godzilla and the birth of robotics gone awry. I think when we look at the Indian/Asian themology, we see a man vs. mythology themology. Whereas in the west, heroes often charted out their own destinies, our cultural stories often find heroes dealing with issues of their fate, challenging it or alternatively facing it. This is increasingly a narrative structure that I think is resonating even in the west. When we look at some of the most popular stories and films of the last few years, The Matrix, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter, we see those sensibilities.
5. Are you planning to use Marvel creative talent, etc. in Virgin Comics?
Our goal is to work with the top creators no matter where in the world they are. We feel strongly that India is an unmined marketplace for this type of talent and are excited about really discovering and fostering it there. But we'll not be help back from working with mavericks wherever they are in the world as our goal is really to make sure that we are creating the best properties possible.
6. What do you think is the role of the New Media like blogs, and how do we get away from the echo chamber effect?
The echo chamber effect? Not sure my lingo is up to par! In general I think blogs and the like are revolutionizing the media and providing a voice to the normal creator and critic who before has been locked out by the establishment. I think it's also enabling us to bring information to one another with an air of subjectivity which is the new trend in news. "Objectivity" (which never existed) is yesterday's fad.
Article comments
1 - Susan Caffery
Seven full adventure books written about a girl-child avatar who takes birth in Bangalore to fight the dark forces killed in heavenly war now living in Bangalore. Firat book written as script for animation. Bala Devi Sharma could be an icon for Indian children and there are enough adventures to last years and years as aanimation series. This is a free download but...is anything really free? The fifty artists you have working in Virgin Comics Bangalore studios could spend the rest of their lives doing Bala Devi Avatar. Is it a co-incidence that these books and the script are available just when your Virgin Comics is ready to manifest Bala?