Good man Bishan – review of the comic book “Wild Land”

You only have one chance to make a good first impression. Lost in Time, a new comic book publishing house on the Polish market, took advantage of this opportunity perfectly. The Wild Land is not only a very good story, but also a graphic feast for the eyes.

The year is 1766. A quite important vampire falls into the London environment, and as a result his creator sends him to Kalikuta (India). The man is to hide there in the prince’s palace and take the chance for a fresh start. Unfortunately, due to reckless behavior, he is quickly confronted with a monster much bigger and more terrible than himself. The land on which he found himself is full of dark and bloody secrets.

How to enter it with a bang

Lost in Time is a new publishing house in our country, the editors of which write about themselves: We want to provide you with as many interesting, intriguing and unusual titles as possible that will steal your hearts . I admit that their first publication fully complies with what they announce. We get a comic book with a captivating plot with paranormal and mythological elements, as well as references to history. The content is also perfectly complemented by amazing illustrations with extremely well-refined colors. In addition, the release itself also causes a pleasant thrill of excitement. In short: a miracle, honey and nuts!

The return of the classics

The comic, for which the script was written by Ram V, although partly based on the often used vampire theme (not to say even overused in recent years) does it in an original style. The vampires in this story are (quite classically) an elite who has many units and outposts under their control (including even the powerful East India Company). As always in the case of such a creation, cold-blooded people are sure of their superiority and strength, which also means that when reading we do not sympathize with them very much. However, the situation is different with their opponent, the monster from the old world, from beliefs and legends – Rakshas. This – in theory – the beast that feeds on e.g. human flesh, it seems to be much more human in its feelings, decisions and behaviors. Her story is so deep that it is impossible not to get involved in it.

People write letters, and vampires sometimes

We get to know the plot through direct events and from time to time thanks to letters written by individual characters. Apart from Bishan – Rakshas – there are also other interesting individuals in the comic. There is a mortal Kori who has feelings for a mythological beast, there is also a leech-hunting vampire hunter, a very young Prince Wikram, and several others. Each of these people gets their 5 minutes in this story, thanks to which we can understand the emotional baggage that it carries, or the reasons behind its decisions. The background to the events are political games aimed at increasing the influence of the English in the Indian subcontinent (which is to some extent a metaphor for what it actually looked like in history with the East India Company).

Cold England and warm India

Referring to the graphic side of the comic, I can still only sigh with praise. The graphics created by Sumit Kumar are characterized by amazing frames and simplicity, which show us not only the characters, but also the world they live in and the emotions that torment them. These drawings literally reflect the essence of the moment (e.g. the scene in which Kori is thoughtful takes place on the ship, by the side, with a view of the night sky, waves hitting the ship and wind in the woman’s hair – for me it is a perfect scenery to get lost. in my own thoughts). The colors of this album are at an equally high level. Vittorio Astone uses a rich color palette, which he uses extremely consciously. In England, we are accompanied by cold, blue and green shades, in India, in turn, sunny and warm yellows and reds.

Maybe it’s his charm, maybe this … edition

I mentioned earlier that the release also deserves praise. Hardcover, sewn and glued pages and chalk paper make the comic book worth the price. In addition to the story itself, there is also a gallery of (great) covers for individual parts. There is also a glossary, which, unfortunately, I noticed only after reading the whole thing (which is a pity, because it would help me a little with the explanation of certain terms used in the content).

“It’s a wild land where the days are steamy and the nights bare their fangs” *

To say that this comic is good is not enough. It is definitely one of the original ones. The use of intertwining references to mythology and history meant that after reading it, I reached out to various sources with interest in order to learn about the East India Company and the legends and beliefs of the Indian subcontinent. Therefore, it can be concluded that it has educational potential. The graphic side is very elaborate and reflects the character of the epoch, action places and emotions of the people taking part in them. I am delighted and I keep my fingers crossed for the next Lost in Time selections.

* Comic book quote