I have high regard for editorial cartoonists – regardless of their political leaning – because it's a tough business to be in. Being a fellow visual journalist may have something to do with it too. But their lot is facing some tough times.

John Balzar's article in the Los Angeles Times (online) suggests that editorial cartoonists are a tough bunch, ready to evolve not dissolve. It's a good read.

Via Jasmeen Patheja

“For decades comics in India have been synonymous with children's playthings. They are popular educational aides for myths & fables, but little more. Comics can change societies, archive societies, create and enforce new archetypes for heroism, and still be fun to read.”

That's from Rohit Gupta's introduction to The Doppler Effect. You will find the original story written by Gupta at Tatlin's Tower, an online literary magazine. Illustrator Gabriel Greenberg massaged the story into a comic book. A successful symbiotic relationship, wouldn't you say?

Via Sree Sreenivasan

Spider-Man in India. Not sure about the dhoti, but the concept to have a super-hero fighting evil in India sounds good to me. The press release (see link below) seems to be well-timed for the June 30 release of the Spider-Man sequel.

SPIDER-MAN INDIA!

SPIDER-MAN EXTENDS FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD TO STREETS OF BOMBAY!

Bangalore, India (June, 2004), Marvel Enterprises, Inc. & Gotham Entertainment Group, Indian publishing licensee of Marvel Comics and the leading publisher of international comic magazines in South Asia, announces the launch of Spider-Man India.

Spider-Man India interweaves the local customs, culture and mystery of modern India, with an eye to making Spider-Man?s mythology more relevant to this particular audience. Readers of this series will not see the familiar Peter Parker of Queens under the classic Spider-Man mask, but rather a new hero, a young, Indian boy named Pavitr Prabhakar. As Spider-Man, Pavitr leaps around rickshaws and scooters in Indian streets, while swinging from monuments such as the Gateway of India and the Taj Mahal.

Mumbai's (Bombay's) first web-swinging Super Hero will be joined by a reinterpretation of the classic Spider-Man villain, the Green Goblin — reinvented as a Rakshasa, an Indian mythological demon.

“We feel this is one of the most exciting and unique projects in comic history,” said Gotham Entertainment Group CEO Sharad Devarajan. “Unlike traditional translations of American comics, Spider-Man India will become the first-ever ‘transcreation,' where we reinvent the origin of a Western property like Spider-Man so that he is an Indian boy in Mumbai and dealing with local problems and challenges?

Marvel Enterprises President of Publishing, Gui Karyo offered, “Marvel has continuously done its best to push the boundaries of traditional comic books and to look for new venues for our characters. Gotham is helping us to expand the Marvel brand with a truly global vision.”

The first four issues of the new comic series will be published and released by Gotham Entertainment Group in India. Marvel Comics will provide publishing details for the States at a later date.

For additional images on the new Indian Spider-Man go to:http://www.gothamcomics.com/spiderman_india/

Contact:

FOR GOTHAM ENTERTAINMENT GROUP, LLC

USA: Sharad Devarajan; (732) 335-1094; sharad@gothamcomics.com
INDIA: Suresh Seetharaman; +91 9844077707; press@gothamcomics.com

FOR MARVEL ENTERPRISES, INC.
Andrew Lis; (212) 576-4022; alis@marvel.com

What is your Graphics IQ?

I am a die-hard Macintosh user and there is nothing that will convince me that PC's are better. If the network issues and crashes at work are any indication (where I am forced to use a PC), I'll play it safe with a Mac.

But once in a while I hear of a program on the PC side of life that ought to be on the Macintosh platform. The Font Creator Program is full of promise for font designers. If there is a Macintosh version, please let me know.