A significant portion of my youth was spent poring over my comic books, with their bright, vivid cartoon art and speech bubbles in sequential panels that represented different scenes. Comics were a source of amusement and entertainment but I never thought of them as an art form that could show me the world from a different lens, until I read Maus.
Known for highlighting serious issues of its time, it was the first comic book to win a Pulitzer Prize and it was so powerful that it started a movement. With its use of comic art depicting humans as cats, pigs and mice, Maus is a mix of genres such as history and autobiography and shows the author’s father recounting his experience as a Polish Jew and a holocaust survivor.
Apart from the attraction of comic books as a more visually pleasing medium, they are one of the most important art forms that can truly reflect what is happening in the world right now. Comics printed after World War II showed Captain America beating up Hitler, Muslim characters in comic books were featured more prominently after 9/11 and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1970’s in the United States resulted in the publication of many comic books with black superheros.
Since literature, comics and the arts of an era represent that particular time in history, a lot of issues can be dealt with through them. For instance, the concept of morality came up in comics for the first time in the first edition of Superman in 1930 and the tradition of using morality as a main theme has continued ever since then. By making use of comics as a medium, a lot of moral, social and cultural issues can be highlighted and addressed.
The second biggest genre in comics is seeing into someone else’s life — not a big surprise considering the impact and increasing popularity of reality television in this day and age. The idea behind it is that you are letting someone experience your life as you see it and you are letting them see it by putting them in your shoes. Through this idea of banality, various societal issues can also be addressed.
The comic book Persepolis shows the life of its author, Marjane Satrapi, from childhood to becoming an adult in Iran during and after the Islamic revolution. In the comic book, Satrapi didn’t address the issue of war but instead talked about her day-to-day life in Iran during that era and through it she addressed larger issues such as wearing a veil, class-consciousness, the realities of war and the ban placed on everyday activities such as wearing make-up. TIME described the comic book as “sometimes funny and sometimes sad but always sincere and revealing.”
The history of comic books in the sub-continent is short and incredibly varied. While we grew up reading Archie comics or the action-packed wonders of the Marvel industry aka Batman, Superman, Captain America, Iron Man and so on, comparatively fewer people seem to have been aware of the comic books that have been produced locally.
There are many comic books that address issues prevalent in Southeast Asia. Team Muhafiz is a comic book with multi-ethnic and interfaith heroes and it addresses social ills such as child marriages and targeted acid attacks. Another graphic novel Munnu is based on Indian administered Kashmir. The novel shows the struggles of Kashmiris as they live under occupation. Kashmiris as depicted as the endangered Kashmir stag while everyone else is shown as human. It is one of the best selling comic books in the region.
Pakistanis are also making bold and praiseworthy attempts to produce and promote this art form. Haider Ali Jan and Zain Naqvi from the National College of Arts (NCA) and Beaconhouse National University (BNU) have come up with the first locally produced comic book in Pakistan. Their graphic novel Sparrow at Heart is based on the life of Shakir Ali, eccentric painter and one-time principal of NCA, the oldest and most renowned art school in the country. Their aim is to celebrate the life and work of Shakir Ali and inspire other artists in a country where artistic endeavours are less appreciated by the community.
Shakir Ali is famous for introducing cubism in Pakistan and starting a modern art movement. He was an academically trained artist and had studied at London and Prague. He inspired many followers and fans and counted Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Jamil Naqsh, Bashir Mirza and Ahmed Parvez as some of them. The graphic novel Sparrow at Heart portrays his idiosyncrasies and shows him as a fascinating multi-faceted creature who left a strong mark on art in Pakistan. The graphic novel draws readers into the life and work of the man who wanted to create an environment under which other artists in the country could flourish.
Like books, movies and fancy artwork like oil paintings, the importance of comics shouldn’t be underestimated. They provide us with a unique window to looking into the visual and textual past, and create better comprehension and empathy by allowing us to understand history from another perspective.
So live long, prosper and read comics.