| Vimanarama | |
|---|---|
| File:Vimanarama cover.jpeg Philip Bond's cover for the Vimanarama trade | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Vertigo Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Mini-series |
| Genre | Template:Comics infobox sec/genre |
| Publication date | 2005 |
| No. of issues | 3 |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Grant Morrison |
| Artist(s) | Philip Bond |
Template:Comics infobox sec/formcatTemplate:Comics infobox sec/genrecat
Vimanarama is a three-issue fictional comic book mini-series written by Grant Morrison, with art by Philip Bond, and published by the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics. Set in the United Kingdom, it follows the Jack Kirby-esque story of Ali, a British Asian man who must confront ancient monsters inspired by Indian folklore, as well as more mundane crises in his family and personal life.
Synopsis[edit | edit source]
It is the story of Ali, a young British Asian man awaiting the arrival of his unseen arranged marriage. A baby in his family accidentally opens a path to the centre of the Earth, unleashing ancient monsters hell-bent on destroying the world. Only the Ultra-Hadeen, a team of ancient and somewhat naive superheroes, can stop them.
Ali also must deal with several personal family crises, most of them influenced by the presence of the super-beings.
Influences[edit | edit source]
The story is a Jack Kirby-like (in particular his ancient astronaut series The Eternals) take on ancient Indian tales, for example the Vedas (a vimana as a flying plane, for example) and Mahabharata. It also has an Arabian Nights-style romance mixed with a large dash of psychedelia and general oddness.
Morrison has said that the idea arose after 9-11 when his research into Islam led him on to the ancient epic tales of India and some of the more speculative theories of people like David Hatcher Childress. He states: "I just liked the idea of taking all the pomp and high holiness of one of the world's great religions...and turning it into a Jack Kirby comic."[1]
Reception[edit | edit source]
Vimanarama has received largely positive reviews. Critics praised the series's imaginative original setting,[2][3] its humor,[4] its bright and high-quality illustrations,[3] and its vibrant story and characters,[4][2] although some reviewers criticized it for attempting to fit too many ideas into too short of a series, leaving elements of the story underdeveloped.[5]
Publications[edit | edit source]
Released in three parts, starting in February 2005, Vimanarama was subsequently collected into a single volume that was released in January 2006:
- US (Vertigo ISBN 1-4012-0496-1)
- UK (Titan Books ISBN 1-84576-207-X)
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "Inside Morrison's Head: Leaving Marvel Vimanarama, & More" Archived 2009-08-05 at the Wayback Machine, Newsarama, August 11, 2003
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Wainwright, Martin (10 Feb 2005). "New take on life in Bradford". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Review of issue #1, Comics Bulletin
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Fiction Book Review: Vimanarama". Publisher's Weekly. January 2, 2006. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
- ↑ Carroll, Tobias (March 3, 2016). "Kill Your Boyfriend/Vimanarama Deluxe Edition by Grant Morrison, Philip Bond & D'Israeli". Paste Magazine. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
External links[edit | edit source]
- Vimanarama at Crack Comics
- Vimanarama: British Pakistani saves the world in new comic!
- New take on life in Bradford article in The Guardian
- Crack Comicks shows a frame from the comic, showing a vimana as a large flying saucer with Indian-type architectural features, in a dogfight with several modern jet fighters.
- Review of the trade, Comics Bulletin
