Sunday 13 October 2013

Comic Book Review- Akhiri Dhruv

Title- Akhiri Dhruv
Publisher- Raja Pocket Books (Raj Comics)
Artwork and Story- Anupam Sinha
Editor- Manish Gupta

Today, I'd be reviewing a comic book on my blog. Being a big fan of this art, it was always due on my part to review one of these amazing stories that continue to fascinate and capture the imagination of everyone who is young at heart.

I am aware that a sizeable population of my audience might not be aware of these characters and stories but I have had an awesome childhood just because of these. Here, I'd be reviewing one of my favourite characters- Super Commando Dhruv's comic book- Akhiri Dhruv. I picked up this book from a small stand near Patel Nagar Metro station, New Delhi. The ownder of this stall seemed like a comic book enthusiast himself. He told me how his collection of comics is the largest in the whole area. Also he dared me to find these comics anywhere else in Delhi upto New Delhi railway station.

Anyway, coming to the comic I have in my hand- Raj Comics has been improving a lot to match up to the international standards these days. That is visible in the glossy paper used and the amazing coloring effects. I think the first comic of this new age was Kohram which changed the whole way we viewed Indian comics. Akhiri Dhruv is also one such comic with a complex and amazingly entertaining storyline. It is based on the back to the future theme where there has been a major exchange. The lineage of Dhruv has survived in the future and has been defending the world against the evil. Now one of Dhruv's successors- Dhruvishya had to come back to past while Dhruv has gone to the future due to some mishap. This major exchange pits the two greats against difficult problems of each other's eras. When it's Dhruv, you know he will come out as a winner. No matter what the situation. The indomitable spirit of this guy keeps amazing me every single time. I have never come across a bad Dhruv comic and that is because of the unique problem-solving attitude of this superhero.

Anupam Sinha's artwork and story is as always, spot on! This guy keeps getting better with every comic. If anyone has the right to be called the Stan Lee of India, it's him! I just hope he keeps churning out many such tales from his stable. The concept of the futuristic cellphones with 3-D images is mind-blowing. The cover page art is dynamic too. The colors in Dhruv's costume always brighten up the pages. I wonder why this character never falls victim to petty vainglory given that he knows how awesome he is. I bet that'd be a great concept to work upon for Anupamji.

Ok, now a few brickbats- the decision to do away with the calligraphy in comics and go with the printed word has backfired with Raj Comics. For Hindi purists, there are far too many spelling and grammar mistakes in the text and even if you ignore them, the comic sans-like font is a bit tacky. One other minor problem I have with the artwork is that sometimes, Dhruv's face keeps changing it's contours in different frames. I think in this regard, Anupamji should take a leaf out of the book from Manu (Doga-fame)'s artwork. His drawings of different characters were fairly accurate and even without the mask, we could easily identify Suraj aka Doga in each frame.

Anyway, that hasn't been a big problem and I have been thoroughly  enjoying the super adventures of the Super commando Dhruv! Here's hoping for many more such comics!!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Don't leave without saying anything...!