Kashmir Pending: Better Drawn than Written

In the world of Indian comics, one of the things I'm glad about is that while the output is relatively lower in number than say the US or UK, the quality is not. The issues with which they deal are contemporary and real; be it the double-life of Kari, or the journals of The Barn Owl's Capers. Penned by Naseer Ahmed, Kashmir Pending is yet another novel on these same lines. 

Naseer takes on the decades old strife in the Kashmir Valley, one that we now take so much for granted that it no longer even makes the news. The story, however, is not from an outsider's point of view where facts and events are laid out so that good and bad are as easy to tell apart as black and white. Instead, it takes us into the life of young Muslim boys growing up in Kashmir and being manipulated by larger forces. 

But before going on to discussing what I think is the true highlight of the book, here's a short brief on the storyline: The chief protagonist is Mustaq, a boy with unresolved anger issues against the army. To top it off, his family is not supportive of his artistic abilities. While at the university, he attends fiery lectures by charismatic leaders of the Kashmir freedom movement and is so smitten that he goes off to a terrorist camp across the border for training. 

While there, he, along with other incumbents from across the border, are treated with scorn. He starts getting disenchanted with it all and, bribing the guard with a wrist watch, makes his way back to the Valley. He then discovers that the militant recruiters themselves are involved in double-crossing conspiracy, and loses his best friend to them. This finally sets him on the path to reformation. 

That's basically it. What comes out of it is the question of ownership: who's war is it? 

Apologies if that didn't want to make you pick up the book and read it, but I've tried to copy the same bland manner of the author. It's disappointing that given a situation like Kashmir, where there's plenty of opportunity to infuse the dialogue with wit and irony, Naseer chooses to be simple.  But here's why you should go and get the book: the artwork. 

Saurabh Singh's dark and harsh portrayal of prisoners in cells, smoking, praying, and talking set the tone brilliantly for the book. Making the cells shadowy, so  that if it weren't for the bars, you'd think they were caves, gives the story a distinct no-nonsense look. Readers will also be reminded of Sin City in Singh's use of black and red. 

The storyboarding has also been done very interestingly. If it were a movie, it would jump from far shots to close-up zooms, which gives the novel a very surrealistic feeling. All in all, I wouldn't really ask you to go mad looking for it, or even buy it if you see it… but it's a good book to borrow. 

Note to readers: I'm sure that many of you would have read this book. It's possible that I got so taken with the artwork that it set my expectations of the story much higher. Do let me know your views on it. 

"Who watches the Watchmen"

Note to readers:  Alan Moore's 'Watchmen' has been in the news for quite some time now. Thousands across the world are awaiting the release of the movie in March '09 - which the director has promised, is as close to the novel as possible. Judging from the trailer, it might well be. I'm optimistic that it won't turn out to be the disappointment that Wanted was. But still, why take the chance of judging the book from the movie when there's plenty of time to read it first.

 

In 1939, masked heroes arose. Some called them the Minutemen. Others, the Watchmen. Guarding society against crime. Battling criminals on their own terms. Going beyond the law whenever necessary. For 38 years, they reigned. Two generations of disguised crime-fighters.

 

In 1977, the Law was passed. Vigilantism became illegal. The heroes were forced to give up their masks. Only the ones who already worked for the government were allowed. And there were few enough of them. Once more, urban crime-fighting became the realm of the Police.

 

Now, it is 1985.  The US had won the Vietnam war. Nixon is still President, now in his fifth term. And the Cold War is at its height with the US and Soviet Union edging towards a war.

This is the alternate history which forms the background of the Hugo Award winning Watchmen. 

 

The novel opens to a murder. A man has been beaten and thrown out of his high-rise apartment window. Two investigations ensue. One, by the Police. The other, by the only remaining independent (hence illegal) vigilante - Rorschach. The man who has been killed used to be the vigilante formerly known as The Comedian. A man who worked for the government and one of two legal vigilantes in the US. So that makes Watchmen a murder mystery.

 

The story revolves around 6 vigilantes: The Comedian, Rorschach, Nite Owl, Silk Spectre, Dr. Manhattan and Ozymandias. The volumes skip between the Now and the Past, giving the reader biographies of each of the characters, how they came to be vigilantes, insights into the frictions within the community, and their love lives. So that makes Watchmen a drama.

 

Of them all, only Dr Manhattan has super powers - that's strength and intelligence. His conversations on humanity, actions, consequences and on life itself are at times unethical, but always logical. He is the one character that seeks to understand, rather than know. His view of himself? "There is a God and He is American." That, perhaps, makes Watchmen philosophical.

 

Watchmen also has one more thing. It's debatable since its got a long ending, but I thought it had a surprise ending.

 

In terms of illustration, the style is simple, but there's loads for the reader to look out for. The pattern of Rorschach's mask keeps changing, for instance.  The graffiti on the walls often says "Who watches the watchmen".  Each volume ends with a quote by a famous person, which encapsulates the thoughts of the character that is the subject of that volume. Notice what the people in the background are doing. The back covers of each of the 12 volumes features a clock which progressively inches towards midnight. It's the doomsday clock. All of it builds up to the fatalistic society that is portrayed within.

 

Watchmen also has a 'comic within a comic' where there's one character who's reading a comic next to a news stand throughout the book. The reader can hear snatches of conversation going on around him, but can also read the comic - which in itself is a noir 'Count of Monte Cristo meets Robinson Crusoe'.

 

All of this makes Watchmen a classic. Ever since DC Comics brought it out in 1986, it has enjoyed a cult following, and, in many ways, set a benchmark for graphic novels that few others have equaled. If you're going to be reading it for the first time, then here's a word of caution. Don't compare the novel's characters with other vigilantes. When it comes to superheroes, familiarity breeds superiority and you may lose interest in the initial volumes. In Watchmen, vigilantes aren't about skills, gadgets or intelligence. They're simply people out to do the right thing.

 

Before I sign off, here's a bit of trivia. In the novel, there is a dialogue that explains the etymology of the title as something that John F. Kennedy wanted to say in a speech. However, the quote 'who watches the watchmen' is from the writings of the Roman political  satirist Juvenal (circa 100 AD). He wrote:

"I hear always the admonishment of my friends:

'Bolt her in, and constrain her!'

But who watches the watchmen?

The wife arranges accordingly, and begins with them."

 

Well, that's enough said. I'll leave the rest to you. For those of you who've already read it, let's talk about it.