Why comic books picking up steam

Comic books are rapidly gaining popularity alongside books featuring mystery, thrill, and horror stories among children and teenagers. One of the main attractions of the Amar Ekushey Book Fair is its comic book collection.

Dhaka Comics publication emerged as one of the top sellers, releasing comics 'Chronichol of Allen Swapan' from the original series 'Myself Allen Swapan' and the 'Superhero Ibrahim Series.' Another hit, the 'Basic Ali Superhero 1-17' series published by Panjeree Publications, has also seen significant success. Additionally, the books 'Around the World in 80 Days' and 'A Journey to the Center of the Earth' are topping the sales charts.

When visited, a large crowd was seen gathered in front of the comic books at the 'Dhaka Comics' publication stall. Particularly, 'Chronicles of Allen Swapan,' attracted readers of all ages. Additionally, Panjeri's stall also witnessed a similar influx of comic book enthusiasts.

Expressing excitement about the positive response to 'Chronicles of Allen Swapan' the stall workers of Dhaka Comics, said: "This is just the beginning of a new era for comics in Bangladesh's cultural landscape."

The book 'Chronicles of Allen Swapan' features five psycho-horror stories: Dom, Skandhakata, Faad, Mansanka, and Piyaju. These comics, illustrated by Mehedi Haque, Kazi Maruf, Jabir Mahmud Ratin, and Abdullah Al Junayed, are available at the Dhaka Comics stall (949-950) at the Ekushey Book Fair.

"Comics are gaining attraction not only with children and teenagers but also with adults," said the publishers.

Shafayet Sagar, Comic book artist at Dhaka Comics, shared his thoughts with Views Bangladesh. "The demand for comics is strong in Bangladesh. Comic books of all genres and sizes are available, and the market demand continues to rise alongside short stories and other types of books," he said.

Aranya, a student from Dhaka Monipur High School, was seen having an eye on comic books at the fair with her parents. He had purchased the comic book 'Pishach Kahini,' explaining that reading comic books is far better than spending time on mobile.

Fahim, a stall worker at Panjeree Publications, also noted the strong sales of comic books, especially the 'Basic Ali Superhero' series, which many readers are purchasing in full sets. Additionally, classic comics like 'The Last of the Mohicans' and the 'Babu series' are performing well in sales.

"Teenagers are particularly fond of comics. They once preferred reading stories, they are now increasingly drawn to books that combine narratives with illustrations," he added.

He also highlighted the success of children's educational books, which are performing well in the market.

To offer more accessible options, Panjeree Publications is working to provide some of the best works of world literature at more affordable prices compared to other publishing houses. Books like 'Around the World in 80 Days' and 'A Journey to the Center of the Earth' have been met with a positive response.

Dhaka Comics, which has been publishing original Bengali comics since 2013, has observed a growing attraction towards the medium. Mehedi Hasan, the publisher and comics writer of Dhaka Comics, told Views Bangladesh that while comics had always been popular, they were not as widely embraced as they are today.

He further explained that the younger generation is particularly drawn to visual content. They prefer to see pictures before reading text, and comics provide a perfect blend of imagery and storytelling. Mehedi Hasan emphasized that young readers, especially, are eager for illustrated works that help them understand complex ideas through visuals.

Comics have already gained significant popularity in pop culture, with iconic names like 'DC vs Marvel' and Japan's 'Manga' being well-known to many. When these comics are made available in Bengali, they have been embraced even more warmly by local readers.

According to Mehedi Hasan, the appeal of comics spans all ages, from children to adults. Dhaka Comics prides itself on offering a diverse range of books that cater to various tastes, including educational and science comics for children, as well as comics on folk culture, fairy tales, superheroes, and horror. He believes that the wide variety of genres contributes to the growing response from readers of different preferences.

With the rising demand for comic books, Mehedi Hauque said, "The popularity of graphic novels—larger comics that span 200 to 300 pages—is also growing rapidly. Dhaka Comics plans to release at least four major graphic novels soon." He further expressed optimism about the future, saying, "It will continue to expand, with many publishers eager to get involved."

Hauque's thought created excitement among comics writers, with many drawing inspiration from this growing trend.

Tanjim ul Islam, the author of the 'Superhero Ibrahim Series', shared with Views Bangladesh that the presence of comics at book fairs today is vastly different from the past. "There were fewer comics before, and most publishers didn’t want to publish them or feature them at book fairs. Many publishers are now bringing out comics and setting up stalls, which marks a gradual change," he said.

Reflecting on the early days of Dhaka Comics, Tanjim ul Islam recalled that comics weren't very popular at first. It was initially thought that there wouldn’t be a significant audience for children's comics. "It was about creating a market," he explained. "When we began publishing comics at Dhaka Comics, people started reading and realizing there was a demand for them. This led even well-established publishers to start producing comics. Now, many people are working on comics, and the market has steadily grown."

Tanjim ul Islam expressed that the increasing demand for comics is a great source of inspiration for him as a writer. "There are now large stalls dedicated to comics at various publishing houses, including Panjeree Publications and Dhaka Comics," he said. "This adds energy to the book fair, which is very satisfying for me as a writer."

He also shared his pride in having worked on the 'Superhero Ibrahim Series' for so long, with 10 episodes now completed. "I’m hopeful that the demand for comics will continue to rise, and they will expand even further in the coming years."