The Obliterary Journal - Table of Contents

Here's sign painter S. Venkataraman again, starting work on the Table of Contents for The Obliterary Journal.

Note the N.S. Brand asoefetida T-shirt.

Here's the Table of Contents a little farther along:

Here's the nearly-completed wall with some neighbourhood donkeys cavorting merrily in the foreground.

Finally, here is the completed Table of Contents in its full glory.

And here's a close-up:

The book is releasing along with Yukichi Yamamatsu's Stupid Guy Goes to India during the Delhi Comic Con, Feb 17-19, at Dilli Haat. Yukichi Yamamatsu will be flying in all the way from Tokyo to do a manga workshop, and Vidyun Sabhaney, Amitabh Kumar, Roney Devassia and other contributors will be there too. Do come by the Blaft stall!

Unbound forms of Stupid Guy Goes to India stacked up at the printers

Yukichi Yamamatsu's Stupid Guy Goes to India... releasing next month yougaiz!

 

Coming Soon: The Obliterary Journal

We've been delaying the announcement because we weren't sure it would be ready. But now it's confirmed: The Obliterary Journal, a book-length collection of short comics, street art, typography, and assorted other wacky strange visuals by many extremely talented contributors will be released at Delhi Comic Convention, Feb 17-19 (exact date of event to be announced.) We will most likely also be having a gathering to celebrate the launch at a Delhi bookstore on Monday, Feb 20th.

That's Kolai Kathirikkai there on the cover, a psychopathic killer brinjal who is a character in one of the stories in the book. We would like also to draw your attention to the fact that the title of The Obliterary Journal has been actually painted on a wall by virtuoso sign painter S. Venkataraman.  This is what it looked like when he first did it:

(Note: Straatkunst means "street art" in Dutch.  चित्र कथा means "picture stories" in Hindi. Tipografia means "typography" in Spanish, though technically it's supposed to have an accent over the second i. And ஓவியக்கலை means "painting" in Tamil.)

This is what the wall looked like shortly afterwards, with an auto parked in front of it:

This is what it looks like now.

As you'll notice, it's been totally obliterated.

Watch this space for further announcements about the book and the launch!

Happy Birthday Gurdas Maan!

Bhangra legend Gurdas Maan turns 54 today. To celebrate, we share with you this beautiful piece of collage art by Vishwajyoti Ghosh from his postcard book Times New Roman & Countrymen incorporating a scanned Gurdas Mann concert ticket, a tasty-looking dessert (yum!), and the text of an actual-absolutely-100%-no-kidding-real-deal Delhi newspaper matrimonial ad.

Buy the book here -- there are 24 more very attractive postcards in it!

 

Happy Durga Puja!

Stolen from Detective Comics #35, January 1940. 

I always wonder: is there much fiction written in Asian or African languages where the authors have used totally made-up European gods and religions and ethnic groups?  If anyone knows of such stuff, please to share your information.

While researching for Tamil Pulp Fiction Vol. II, we did find a Tamil pulp novel by Rajesh Kumar in which Coimbatore police detective Vivek solves a case of political intrigue in Coluba, a small independent island nation situated between the US and Canada... but that's the only example I know of so far.

Happy International Literacy Day!

You must learn to read and write

Then your mind will shine so bright

Just plain Love won't do for me

You must also learn your ABC!

Commemorate International Literacy Day by picking up a copy of Kumari Loves a Monster by Rashmi Ruth Devadasan & Shyam for that budding young reader in your life.

Coming soon -- "Stupid Guy Goes to India"

We're happy to announce that sometime in late 2011 or early 2012 we'll be releasing Yukichi Yamamatsu's 2008 non-fiction manga インドへ馬鹿がやって来た, in a new English translation by Kumar Sivasubramanian. 

It's the hilarious true story of Yukichi's first journey to India--his first trip out of Japan, knowing no English and no Indian language--and his slightly insane mission to introduce classic Samurai manga to Hindi readers, even if it meant sitting on a mat on the Delhi pavement and selling them himself.

 
Here's Bharath Murthy with a short strip about Yukichi.

Look alive there, boys! Keep your eyes peeled!