school

2. A Brief History of Raj Comics
Indian Comic Book Series founded in 1984 as
Raj Pocket Books
Gave birth to vigilante figures such as Nagraj,
Super Commando Dhruv, Shakti, Doga, Bheriya
et.al

3. The Founders of Raj Comics
Rajkumar Gupta Sanjay Gupta Manoj Gupta

4. Why Raj Comics?
• Raj Comics was one
of the first series
of mass based
graphic narratives
for juvenile
readers in India
• Since this
presentation is on
the Global South,
the focus is on
India.
In the
context of
comic
studies, the
Indian
superhero
comic is
often
overlooked

5. Nagraj
A figure deeply steeped in
Indian mythology, Nagraj's
history is inspired by the
myth of shape-shifting
snakes and represented as
the scion of the ancient
kingdom of Takshaknagar
The name, Nagraj, literally
translates to the King of
Snakes

6. Nagraj
Originally deployed as a
human weapon by an evil
scientist in the comics, who
controlled his mind via a chip
to wrest control of an
artifact belonging to a hermit
Upon the removal of the chip,
by the hermit, Nagraj
becomes his disciple and a
vigilante out to destroy crime
and terror in the world

7. Nagraj
Nagraj lives under an alter
ego named Raj and works for
a communication company, and
has two wives, Visarpi and
Bharati
His powers and abilities are
immense, ranging from
telepathy and control over
serpents to superhuman
strength, stamina, shape-
shifting, size-altering,
regeneration, and so on.

8. THE COVER OF
NAGRAJ AUR BAM
BAM BIGELO,
Sankya 470
Translation: Nagraj
and Bam Bam
Bigelo, issue no:
470.
Bam Bam Bigelo is
represented as an
Italian crime lord
who is defeated by
the vigilante
Nagraj

9. Nagraj
rescuing a
damsel in
distress by
defeating Bam
Bam Bigelo by
incinerating
him in burning
embers and
smashing him
into a burning
furnace in the
two panels
shown.

10. Super Commando Dhruva
Created by Anubhav Sinha
One of the central figures amongst the
Vigilantes of Raj Comics.
Master Tactician, Assassin, Martial
Artist, Marksman
Posssess superhuman physical
attributes and willpower
In many ways, Raj comics' equivalent of
The Hawkeye in Marvel Comics

11. Super Commando Dhruva
Works in the fictional town of
Rajnagar
Adopted by the commissioner of Police
of Rajnagar
Grew up amongst circusmen,
trained by them
Therefore, in certain ways, also
similar to the Dark Knight in DC
comics who was trained by
R'as Al Ghuul.

12. The Cover of Samudra ka
Shaitan. sankhya 138
The Cover of The Sea
monster or the
Abomination of the Ocean.
Issue No 138.

13. Super
Commando
Dhruva
defeating the
villainous Sea
Monster with
the help of
his aide,
Renu, here
seen on
her
motorcycle
dashing at

14. We saw two Male
vigilante figures
fighting crime and evil.
Its time now that we
look at a female one.
Shakti. The human
manifestation of the
Goddess Kali.
Her appearance too
resembles the goddess
of the Hindu Pantheon.

15. Shakti's alter ego is
Chanda, an ordinary
housewife. She is
transformed into
Shakti when she finds
her daughters killed by
her husband. Her anger
is the channel through
which she incarnates as
Kali.
Importantly, her modus operandi of
Justice is towards distressed
women and their distressed cries

16. Shakti
responding
to a
woman's
distress
cries and
arriving to
punish the
men who
kidnapped
her
and
attempted
to
murder her
ruthlessly

17. So, how do all these tie in together with the
theme?
• Quite evidently, the juvenile readers get a sense of the distinction
between good and evil, both fantastic as well as realistic.
• The idea of crime and punishment becomes a communicative
message for the children.
• Above all, what does in fact become most important for the
consumers of these comics is their proximity to their culture,
myths, and social systems. In this context, language too, plays a
vital role.
• Furthermore, the visual medium allows a more meaningful and
profound impact on the readers' psyche.

18. Thus, the vicissitudes of the title of my presentation stems
from the variety of vigilanteism as seen in the Raj Comics.
In Conclusion, the goal of the presentation was to explore the
same through the three examples presented.
Thank you