There are many tales in Indian mythology that have been used as reference points for movies, books, documentaries and even plays; now Campfire Graphic Novels is releasing its new book titled ‘The Kaurava Empire volume 1: Abhimanyu and the Conquest of the Chakravyuha’. With the intentions of making it a series of novels and work already underway on the second volume, AnimationXpress.com caught up with Jason Quinn, who is also the creative content head at Campfire Graphic Novels.
“It is the latest in our mythology line and the first in a brand new series focusing on the Kauravas in a space-age setting. Volume 1 tells the story of Abhimanyu as seen through the eyes of Dusasana’s son who ultimately kills him. It’s a pretty groovy book and its going to for print as we speak,” expounds Quinn.
Backtracking to the thought of working on this topic Quinn further says: “When I first
came over to Campfire, I took a look at all the books that we had done in the past, being new to the Indian mythology space I was unfamiliar with it and thus I read up and found this to be a great topic.”
Quinn really wanted to do something around mythology and wanted the story to not only connect with the Indian readers but also strike a chord globally. “We have made it visually very exciting. I have always had a soft spot for baddies and thus the focus on Kauravas, you will also get to see the story from Abhimanyu’s point of view as well as Dushashan’s son,” he reveals.
This particular novel is going to have 70 pages and Campfire would be printing around 10,000 copies as it is also looking to take it to the US market as well. “When I was carrying out the research, I found the characters to be really timeless; they are as relevant today as they were then,” he adds.
“Sachin Nagar and I were confused on which story to begin with, and since we wanted to hit the ground running, we chose the story of Abhimanyu as both the main characters are mere teenagers, and are arrogant as well as recklessness, and I am sure that the youngsters will love it,” Quinn exults.
The look and feel has been keep traditional but also given a futuristic backdrop, thus keeping the reader hooked on. Campfire will be launching it digitally along with the print copies; the books will be priced at $10 in US markets and Rs 250 in India.
Quinn has earlier worked on Steve Jobs’ biography and a graphic biography of Gandhi which won the best graphic novel at the Indian comic con last year. This will be the third graphic novel he would be working on.
The company is already showing samples of the artwork digitally, and also running a poster campaign. Quinn is hopeful for a great presence in India and globally as well.