Growing up amidst a pile of comics books and drawing inspiration from his father Soundrapandian’s efforts,
S. Vijayan, the editor of Lion Muthu Comics set foot into the comics world in 1984.
Bringing in a full length Tamil version of popular British comics, the company came into existence with a super hero who had a steel claw and powers of invisibility and till date Irumbukkai Mayaavi is a name that invokes wonderful memories amongst comics lovers.
Vijayan took up the initiative to translate foreign language comics to Tamil, thanks to his father. “My dad had largely stuck to British and American comics strips like Phantom; Mandrake. I tried my luck with Franco Belgian comics; Italian creations; some Dutch and Yugoslav features and they have been well-received,” he says.
Gearing up for the Chennai Book Fair which commences on January 11, he says, “Chennai ranks amongst the top spots when it comes to adoring quality comics. Enthusiasm cuts across age barriers and there are many comic lovers and collectors who are incredibly passionate. This is the 40th year of Muthu Comics and we are bringing out a 456 page anniversary titled the Never Before Special. ”
Quiz him on exposing the local audience to international comics through translations, and he says, “The Tamil comic lover has a very distinctive appetite for quality artwork; a credible story line and good crisp translations. Even if one aspect falls a bit short that series will not click. Western cowboy tales; detective stories; adventure series and cartoons that aren’t too juvenile are popular.Mostly, I just rely on my gut feeling when it comes to selecting a new series and I have not been let down too often.” Vijayan says that comics to the uninitiated means a crude page or two that is for kids to read. “The day that people realise there is so much to cherish and treasure in the world of comics, we would probably progress to match our fellow comics lovers across the globe. Passion for
Tamil comics isn’t by any means restricted just to Chennai; we have people living in the States; Sri Lanka, France, UK and Singapore buying our books! This, despite the fact that they can savour the original versions in English or French and in much better quality too ! But for them the experience of reading in their mother tongue is the best and they are amongst our very focussed readers!”
source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> LifeStyle> Books/Art / DC by Nidhi R Daiya / January 09th, 2013