Deepak Chopra Starts Comic Book Company

Posted: Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Posted By: Michael A. Diaz

World-renowned author and spiritualist Deepak Chopra and director Shekhar Kapur have joined with Gotham Ent. Group, the leading publisher of comic magazines in South Asia, to announce the launch of Gotham Studios Asia, a new company focused on creating original comic books and character properties for a global audience.

Over the next year, the studio intends to attract more than 150 of India's most talented artists and writers to create a portfolio of original character properties for comic book publishing and licensing into movies, animation, toys, videogames and consumer products. The firm intends to produce original content, infused with Indian and Asian mythology, to meet the growing demand of the industry for properties and stories that cater to this emerging global audience.

Deepak said, "As the narrow walls of nationalism come down, and as a new collective humanity, we break through our tribal identities, Asia will become the home of the entertainment, media and business activities of the world. Through the studio, we plan to reinvigorate some of civilization's greatest mythologies, to tap into the primal energies of India and Asia's great tradition of storytelling. The Super-Powers of tomorrow will not be defined by their military prowess but by their cultural contribution and we firmly believe our new venture will be at the vanguard of this global, cultural and economic shift."

"Similar to the phenomenon we have seen with Japanese anime and manga, which has influenced virtually every aspect of popular media today, our mission is to reinvent contemporary Indian popular art and permeate this new style and vision throughout the globe," said Gotham Ent. Group ceo, Sharad Devarajan.

Shekhar said, "Comics are becoming the new pop art. The new pop communication. The new drug. This is not just comics, but a breathtaking new multi-media format. Comics are the new culture."

Gotham Studios is working with Marvel Comics to produce the SPIDER-MAN: INDIA comic series. The first issue was successfully released by Marvel in North America last Wednesday. A collector edition is being marketed to non-resident Indians at http://www.spidermanindia.com . Gotham Studios intends to launch their first original comic magazines in 2005.

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