The Year of the Snake

The Year of the Snake is a short comic story which we did for Motherland magazine’s Issue No. 6 themed ‘Prisons’. 

However, this wasn’t the story we set out to tell initially. That story, had it come out, would have been a rare, once in a lifetime opportunity… where we would have adapted a beloved (autobiographical) tale from Kerala’s favourite storyteller (but, keeping his original language intact), a love story set in a prison - of the young author and the woman on the other side of his prison wall. Some of you know this story… and maybe, someday we’ll be able to share the artwork from it.

But, as things turned out, we decided to tell a different story:

(click on the images to enlarge)

This one too, is a love story, though not in the way you’d imagine.

People fell in love (hopelessly) with Charles Sobhraj. There is no other way to describe his effect on those around him. Even his biographer admitted as much. What kind of a power is that? What would you do if you had that kind of a power? The answer to the question is that old comic book adage: With great power comes great responsibility. Unfortunately, only comic book super heroes seem to pay heed to it. Sobhraj, for one, did not.

The Year of the Snake is written by Pratheek Thomas (author of Hush) and illustrated by Prabha Mallya (a big Hurrah! to Annette Ekin, our editor at Motherland.) It’s a fictionalized 9-page comic story based on Charles Sobhraj’s life, the centre-piece of which is a daring prison break sequence.

This is Manta Ray’s first comic in colour, and as you can see, it’s come out gorgeously!

Motherland #6 PRISONS is out in stores now. You can also order a copy online here.