Combining entertainment and education, India's most beloved comic book series, Amar Chitra Katha, or "Immortal Picture Stories," is also an important cultural institution that has helped define, for several generations of readers, what it means to be Hindu and Indian. Karline McLain worked in the ACK production offices and had many conversations with Anant Pai, founder and publisher, and with artists, writers, and readers about why the comics are so popular and what messages they convey. In this intriguing study, she explores the making of the comic books and the kinds of editorial and ideological choices that go into their production. McLain (religion, Bucknell Univ.) did exhaustive research on this topic, and here she captures the essence of India's most popular comic book series, 'Amar Chitra Katha,' known for its entertaining and educational renditions of Indian history, religion, and mythology. . . . This study is welcome both for the author's care with her subject and for its affirmation that the comics can be an important medium―in this case, one that helped define Hinduism and Indianness to younger generations of Indians. . . . Recommended.January 2010 , Choice The careful and extensive research, insightful analysis, and the very lucid, accessible, and engaging style of writing, all go toward making this a very enjoyable read. . . . It is an excellent resource for scholars exploring popular forms of contemporary Hindusim, and the role of modern mass media in both capturing, and shaping, Hindu sensibilities in a modern transnational context. , Journal of Religion and Popular Culture What McLain repeatedly heard from ACK [Amar Chitra Katha] readers is that the comic books seemed to almost radiate a spiritual force. In many households, other comics were seen as a waste of time and discarded, but ACK was preserved carefully. Grandmothers covered them with those brown wrappers used to cover school textbooks to keep them clean. Nieces and nephews inherited bound volumes from uncles and aunts. . .August 2, 2009 -- Pradeep Sebastian, The Hindu McLain shines a light on Anant Pai and his staff at ACK to really examine the motivations behind creating the comics. Was it just about educating children or were there other motivations? . . . [L]ike the famed author of A People's History of the United States (1980), she does aim to create a public awareness of how history is told, albeit in India.August 28, 2009 -- Shyam K. Sriram, PopMatters [T]his beautifully produced volume will not disappoint. Indiana University Press has supported McLain in publishing a book that is a visual delight, sporting an attractive layout and plentiful reproductions, in both color and black and white, of the comics. In today's era of digital publishing, this is a pleasure that is not to be taken for granted.December 2010 , Journal of the American Academy of Religion The book's clear prose will appeal to those teaching popular visual culture at the undergraduate level, as well as fans of ACK in India and around the world, many of whom participated in McLain's study. . . The book shines at moments when McLain relies on and shows her scholarly apparatus while maintaining an eye on her broader audience: her discussion of the machinations related to artist, popular religion, and text in the production of the Tales of Durga; or her clear narration of complex caste disputes over the representation of Shivaji starting in the nineteenth century (121–31). India's Immortal Comic Books is a welcome addition to the growing interdisciplinary analyses of India's popular culture. , caa.reviews . . . Almost every reader of Amar Chitra Katha interviewed here has spoken of the spiritual force the comics radiate―this, Karline McLane notes, is unique in the history of comic books. Which is one, among many reasons, why these comics will always be beloved not just to Indians but be special to comic book lovers everywhere.June 27, 2009 -- Pradeep Sebastian, Businessworld McLain's two greatest contributions may be her discussion of religious iconography and the meaning of secularism in India.May / June 2009 -- Uppinder Mehan, Society for Critical Exchange In this intriguing study, [the author] explores the making of comic books and the kinds of editorial and ideological choices that go into their production.3/18/09 , Indologica . . . fun to read and a rewarding work of scholarship on the origins, history and influence of Amar Chitra Katha.August 2009 -- Pradeep Sebastian, The Sampradaya Sun . . . ACK (Amar Chitra Katha) is excellent for its popular format (comics), its enduring history and appeal―and its accessibility.July 24, 2009 , Not Just Books blog In India's Immortal Comic Books . . . Karline McLain argues that the Amar Chitra Katha (ACK) comic book series represents a form of public culture through which creators and readers participate in national and religious discourse. . . . This analysis of India'
