You serious,” he asks the young man with playful humour, before obliging him with an autograph. Clad in blue jeans and a plain t-shirt, he poses with the other guy, who is dressed as a super-villain. The bloke goofs off, aiming for Gary Groth’s neck with his shiny sword.
Groth has just finished an hour-long session at the 2nd Comic Con in the capital.
Ask his views on this one. He launches into a string of words, too improper for this daily’s dignity! “It's ****ing crazy. It's very like a small American comic convention.
“There are lots of people who like superheroes and dress up like them.
“Then there are a few people interested in artistically convincing comics.”
He adds, excitedly, “There is something here for everybody who loves comics. It’s a very nice intimate event. Haven’t been to something quite like this.”
Ask him what he thinks about Indian comics and artists, and he confesses he doesn’t know much.
“I never saw an Indian comic before coming here. But I read about RK Laxman and got hugely interested. I thought he was going to be here. I wanted to interview him. But I was told he is 97 and couldn’t come,” says Groth, who launched The Comic Journal, at the age of 21.
Among numerous stalls at the convention in Dilli Haat, there was one that caught Groth’s interest.
“I can't remember its name. But it had work produced by non-cartoonists. This man went around and asked underprivileged people to sketch their experiences. It was amazing.”
So does he plan to publish Indian work? “Not now. We are interested in publishing internationally. But don’t know whom to get in touch with,” he said.
A champion of free speech, Groth has got into many legal tangles due to the work published in The Comic Journal, which is known for its scathing reviews.
Fantagraphics Books, which Groth launched in 1976 with Mike Catron, is known for publishing alternative and classic comic strip anthologie s— Denice the Menace and Mickey Mouse to name a few. Artists like Jessica Abel, Peter Bagge and Charles Burns published work through Fantagraphics.
Ask what trends he sees in the comic publishing industry, and pat comes the reply.
“We try to publish the best work possible, and hope it catches the trend.”
Commenting on the e-books phenomenon, Groth believes e-comic books and physical books will be able to co-exist in the future, contrary to the naysayers.
“E-books have transformed the landscape. Maybe there will be fewer print books in the future. But ultimately they will co-exist,” he said.
The comic book critic is also an advocate of self-publishing.
“It’s a great thing. Artists have to do everything to find an audience. So I advocate it to people. But you must be careful not to lose your shirt. At least 99 out of 100 people don't make any money.”
Groth ended, “In the US, there was a self-publishing boom once. Everyone was doing it. Lots of kids ended up losing money.”
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