Issue of gender and violence in Graphic fiction : Raj comics universe and the depiction of female characters and violence

Abstract

Comics and graphic fiction in India have treaded on a fluctuating journey of sorts. The decade of the 90's was definitely a golden decade for comics and graphic fiction in India. Raj Comics as a torchbearer of sorts in graphic fiction in India can be studied to ascertain the issues with gender and violence in graphic fiction. The Raj Comics universe with its ensembled superhero universe is a big sample space for scholarly study in the finer aspects of graphic fiction. The study can also be vital in terms of psychographics and demographics of the Hindi heartland as the Raj Comics found its true footing in Hindi speaking states. The influence of Amar chitra katha can be seen on many comics of the era as the graphic artists often hopped from one project to other, simultaneously illustrating several works of graphic fiction at a time. An interesting observation is the depiction of female gender in graphic fiction in India. To add to it the visual depiction of violence within the realm of visual aesthetics of violence is also a worthy study in the direction of scholarly study of the comics and graphic fiction narrative in India.