India's Immortal Comic Books

McLain (religion, Bucknell Univ.) did exhaustive research on this topic, and here she captures the essence of India's most popular comic book series, 'Amar Chitra Katha,' known for its entertaining and educational renditions of Indian history, religion, and mythology. Besides interviewing ACK founder and publisher Anant Pai and ACK staff, the author visited Indian grocery stores, temples, and community centers in India, England, and the US to talk with the comics' many fans. She even worked in ACK offices in order to become more informed. She discusses ACK plots and how they were fashioned; their adherence to or deviation from the original stories; the historical and religious contexts in which they were retold; and the reactions of parents, educators, and fans. McLain discusses some controversies concerning ACK, such as its portrayals of women and Muslims, but she seems to pull back from delving fully into the negative appraisals of the comic books. This study is welcome both for the author's care with her subject and for its affirmation that the comics can be an important medium-in this case, one that helped define Hinduism and Indianness to younger generations of Indians. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. - Choice