India's Immortal Comic Books: Gods, Kings, and Other Heroes

Combining entertainment and education, India's most beloved comic book series, Amar Chitra Katha, or Immortal Picture Stories, is also an important cultural institution that has helped define, for several generations of readers, what it means to be Hindu and Indian. Karline McLain worked in the ACK production offices and had many conversations with Anant Pai, founder and publisher, and with artists, writers, and readers about why the comics are so popular and what messages they convey. In this intriguing study, she explores the making of the comic books and the kinds of editorial and ideological choices that go into their production.

Author: Karline McLain
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Published: 03/04/2009
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.25lbs
Size: 9.90h x 6.90w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9780253220523

Review Citation(s):
Chronicle of Higher Education 05/15/2009 pg. 19
Choice 01/01/2010

About the Author

Karline McLain is Assistant Professor of Religion at Bucknell University.