Indie Spotlight: River Comics

It is a well-known fact that for independent publishers, projects like these are not an easy task to undertake. From speaking directly to the audience, to ensuring that the media relations do not suffer in any way, most independent publishing houses are committed to delivering graphic literature that ensures that their work is not lost in a sea of comics that are being churned out every single day all over the world. With the release of their first comic, Barcode: Catalyst, River Comics is now in the league of extraordinary people who decided to make their dreams come true.

An independent publishing house, River Comics’ recently launched Barcode: Catalyst, the first in a three part series, is an epic tale inspired by Odysseus’s journey. This comic is a chronicle of the imprisonment of a scientist, Dr. Verma, during World War II and his quest to return to home to his wife. What caught our attention here was the elaborate history of the Pacific Jewel Isles, a fictional locale with a history that is as convincing as it could be. Modelled along the lines of the Philippines, the PJI islands, four island provinces now controlled by an English Speaking colonial government originally was home to indigenous Asiatic people. Though the realm has a strong political and military base, they have been neutral in the realm of world politics post the incident at Pearl Harbour in 1942. The fun in this graphic novel starts when a giant asteroid crashes into a dormant volcano, Mt. Golo, on one of the islands, causing it to erupt.

With some great artwork and an even better story to boast of, River Comics’ journey so far, like most independent comic houses has been one full of ups and downs.

“There are many challenges an independent publishing house faces, but the biggest in my opinion is creating the right type of awareness where the fans choose your products over others. It has always been a big challenge to reach out and get new fans. There are so many graphic novels and comic books out there for people to choose from,” says J M Thakar, the man behind Barcode: Catalyst. With the greatest challenge coming in the form of raising awareness about not just the graphic novel, but River Comics as well, the people behind the comics who also have BarCode: Creation, and BarCode: Cure in the pipeline, J M Thakar promises an unexpected yet dramatic end to the trilogy that definitely piqued our interest.

Apart from the Barcode series, River Comics also has The Hunter, a mythological series set in the Middle Ages, Ashman, an ongoing new age super hero series and Life 101, an ongoing college dramedy to look forward to!