<p>A non-profit trust has been formed to make comic book culture mainstream in India. The initiative comes close on the heels of the Centre announcing plans to strengthen the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) sector, or the orange economy, in the 2026 budget.</p>.<p>The Comic Book Trust of India is based in New Delhi, with Jatin Varma, founder of Comic Con India, serving as its chief trustee. According to him, Bengaluru stands as one of the country’s top three comic book hubs. He names Rahil Mohsin, co-founder of the Dakhni motion comic series ‘Hallubol’, Prasad Bhat of Graphicurry, and Mohammed Ali Vakil and Mohammed Arif Vakil, the duo behind Sufi Comics, as some of the city’s most exciting talents.</p>.<p>The trust aims to increase the output of comic books, while addressing the systemic lack of physical distribution. “Currently, only 20-30 comic books are published in India every year, and fewer than 100 people are actively creating comics,” says Varma.</p>.Bengaluru’s big push for translation in literature.<p>He says a much larger number of people are self-publishing or producing webcomics, but they remain largely undocumented. Thus, the trust plans to map the Indian comic book ecosystem, including market size, creator demographics, and readership trends.</p>.<p>Offering financial grants to creators is another focus area. Producing a comic book of 100 pages can cost Rs 4-5 lakh. The amount covers the artist, inker and letterer, among others. They also plan to run courses on comic book creation, provide pro bono legal support to help creators safeguard intellectual property, and organise annual awards to recognise talent.</p>.<p>Varma’s dream is to see Indian comics for all age groups readily available in bookstores, even at airports. But he admits this is a lofty goal. Despite legacy publishers such as Amar Chitra Katha, Raj Comics and Diamond Comics, comics are still not widely popular in India. He attributes this to the broader lack of reading culture, and the perception that comics are meant only for kids.</p>.<p>He says comic book ecosystems in other countries enjoy strong government support. “The Japanese government has established the Japan Foundation in every country to promote their culture through manga and anime. In Canada, government grants support artistrs and publishers producing graphic novels and comics,” he adds.</p>.<p>But the Indian government’s growing recognition of the AVGC sector as a form of “soft power”, a domain traditionally dominated by films, gives him hope. Last year, the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies opened in Mumbai. Varma likens it to the IIT of content creation. </p>.<p>Visit tcbtindia.org</p>.<p><strong>IISc comic out</strong></p>.<p>The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, recently launched a comic in association with Amar Chitra Katha. Titled ‘The Crucible of Indian Science’, it is available for Rs 100 in English, Kannada and Hindi. To order a copy, write to iiscpress@iisc.ac.in.</p>
<p>A non-profit trust has been formed to make comic book culture mainstream in India. The initiative comes close on the heels of the Centre announcing plans to strengthen the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) sector, or the orange economy, in the 2026 budget.</p>.<p>The Comic Book Trust of India is based in New Delhi, with Jatin Varma, founder of Comic Con India, serving as its chief trustee. According to him, Bengaluru stands as one of the country’s top three comic book hubs. He names Rahil Mohsin, co-founder of the Dakhni motion comic series ‘Hallubol’, Prasad Bhat of Graphicurry, and Mohammed Ali Vakil and Mohammed Arif Vakil, the duo behind Sufi Comics, as some of the city’s most exciting talents.</p>.<p>The trust aims to increase the output of comic books, while addressing the systemic lack of physical distribution. “Currently, only 20-30 comic books are published in India every year, and fewer than 100 people are actively creating comics,” says Varma.</p>.Bengaluru’s big push for translation in literature.<p>He says a much larger number of people are self-publishing or producing webcomics, but they remain largely undocumented. Thus, the trust plans to map the Indian comic book ecosystem, including market size, creator demographics, and readership trends.</p>.<p>Offering financial grants to creators is another focus area. Producing a comic book of 100 pages can cost Rs 4-5 lakh. The amount covers the artist, inker and letterer, among others. They also plan to run courses on comic book creation, provide pro bono legal support to help creators safeguard intellectual property, and organise annual awards to recognise talent.</p>.<p>Varma’s dream is to see Indian comics for all age groups readily available in bookstores, even at airports. But he admits this is a lofty goal. Despite legacy publishers such as Amar Chitra Katha, Raj Comics and Diamond Comics, comics are still not widely popular in India. He attributes this to the broader lack of reading culture, and the perception that comics are meant only for kids.</p>.<p>He says comic book ecosystems in other countries enjoy strong government support. “The Japanese government has established the Japan Foundation in every country to promote their culture through manga and anime. In Canada, government grants support artistrs and publishers producing graphic novels and comics,” he adds.</p>.<p>But the Indian government’s growing recognition of the AVGC sector as a form of “soft power”, a domain traditionally dominated by films, gives him hope. Last year, the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies opened in Mumbai. Varma likens it to the IIT of content creation. </p>.<p>Visit tcbtindia.org</p>.<p><strong>IISc comic out</strong></p>.<p>The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, recently launched a comic in association with Amar Chitra Katha. Titled ‘The Crucible of Indian Science’, it is available for Rs 100 in English, Kannada and Hindi. To order a copy, write to iiscpress@iisc.ac.in.</p>