…And the comic book industry will never be the same again!
Over the last twenty years or so, I’ve had the pleasure to work for some of the biggest and greatest names in the world of comic books, but it’s been a long time since I felt as excited as I did last week, when I paid a flying visit to Delhi to see the crazy gang at Campfire, one of India’s hottest and greatest graphic novel publishers.
I’m currently writing a new, top secret and hush-hush graphic novel for Campfire and was thrilled to accept an invitation to visit the offices to discuss the art, script and procedure for the book.
From the moment I stepped out of the airport to be met by angelic Andy Dodd, Campfire’s maestro of marketing, my senses were in a whirl. Words can’t describe the sights, smells and sounds of Delhi. I guess the best I can do is sum it up as overpowering. Think of a cross between Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and a scene from Conan the Barbarian and you might just about get it.
Jet-lagged, I was ushered into Castle Campfire, where I was greeted by awesome Aditi Ray, Campfire’s ultra-cool editor-in-chief and introduced to the team, which included sultry Sukanya Mehta, who has the onerous task of making sense of my ramblings and turning them into a graphic novel that will shake the universe. Then I was escorted down into the dungeons to meet an incredible team of artists, including the amazing Amit Tayal, whose past work includes Campfire’s take on the Jungle Book and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. I’ve got to say it’s not often you find your self surrounded by so much talent in one small place.
A trip out for lunch introduced me to yet more of the delights India has to offer, although hindsight tells me I should have known better than to accept a glass of jal jeera from Campfire’s rascally Reema Singhal. For those of you who have yet to experience this dubious pleasure, let me tell you that jal jeera looks like a glass of swamp water, with bits of sweet corn floating on top of it. I assured myself that there was no way it could possibly taste as foul as it looked and prepared myself for a pleasant surprise. Alas, I was proven wrong. Rumour has it that jal jeera has taken top place over water boarding as one of the CIA’s main methods of getting suspected terrorists to talk. I’ll be taking it up with the UN to try and outlaw the practice.
Campfire’s web-weaving master of the internet, Rajat Malhotra then insisted on giving me an after dinner treat that came in the form of something unknown wrapped in a leaf, skewered on a cocktail stick, with a cherry on top. This delicacy is known as paan and as instructed I popped it in my mouth and began to chew. Juice and flavour erupted and the experience would have been delightful had Rajat refrained from telling me not to swallow, as the results could be fatal. Luckily, he told me he was kidding just before I drowned in juice.
In between meetings at Campfire, the gang took me out on the town and believe me, Delhi is like nowhere else on earth. It makes London look like a quiet country village, there’s craziness and beauty everywhere you look, and yet for me, the absolute highlight of the trip had to be my visit to Campfire itself. This company has gathered together a real army of titanic talent, all of whom take pride in their work and the company. They have no doubt that they will conquer and neither do I.
I expect great things from Campfire because they are unwilling to settle for anything less. I felt as if I was standing at the dawn of a new golden age of comic books, an age that I feel privileged to be able to play a small role in. Forget about the British invasion of comic book writers and artists. Look out, world, the Indians are coming!
Jason Quinn
