Broken Frontier

It seems as if there are at least 3-4 announcements of new comic book companies sprouting up each year. The difference between all of those and the most recent one? Well, they didn’t have multi-million selling author Deepak Chopra and Sir Richard Branson behind them.

Virgin is one of those companies that seem to be successful at everything. Known the world over as a multi-media mega power, recently they announced that they were getting into the industry of comic books and animation, with one animation studio and 2 comic book lines (Shakti and Director’s Cut). With international resources at their disposal and a name that stands out, it’s hard to imagine them not being successful. BF got a chance to talk with their new Chief Marketing Officer, Larry Lieberman, and discuss just what was going to make Virgin Comics stand out from the crowd.

Lieberman has mostly been involved in television and music, but is intimately familiar with the world of comics and what is necessary to succeed.  He spoke enthusiastically of his choice to join Virgin Comics, “It’s an opportunity to develop stories that aren’t being told elsewhere.  We’re creating a ‘boutique’ company that is extremely selective about the titles we release.  The stories we develop are worldly in origin – suitable for readers on several continents.” In fact, much of our discussion with him focused on the worldly nature of not only the stories, but of the company itself.

One of the things that seemed the most interesting about this company was that most of its employees are based in India. The company’s origins are there, and that is where they own a creative studio employing 50 full-time artists, writers and designers. Why India you might ask, well to Larry the answer was an easy one, “India has one of the most ancient and creative histories, but those resources seem to get overlooked.   Right now this is a country known for its call centers and ‘intellectual outsourcing.’ There is a great amount of technical knowledge there. But we shouldn’t let that overshadow the county’s mythology and elaborate storytelling. 

"And let’s not forget that a billion people live in India, over half of which (550 million), are under the age of 20.  If you look at the effects of the baby boom in America, it’s easy to see that a cultural revolution is about to occur in Asia.  Our intent is to establish Virgin as a lifestyle leader to this enormous audience of youthful Asians.” 

When asked if he thought this focus would make it harder for the books to be embraced in America, he again focused on the global nature of the company. “We are going to be the first comic book publisher to launch stories simultaneously in the United States, the United Kingdom, and India. Our main focus is to be successful worldwide.  Our popularity in India and the UK will give us time to allow the stores to develop their audiences in the US market.” 

Larry also made it a point to show that even though most of the names involved in the company’s first few comic book releases are Indian in origin, in actuality, they provided a wealth of diversity. “Gotham Chopra, who is writing a Shakti release entitled The Sadhu, is an American. Born in Boston and now living in L.A. (much to my disappointment as a Yankee loyalist), Gotham is one of the most diehard Boston Red Sox fans you will ever meet.”

The Shakti (the Sanskrit word for power) line of comics takes that Indian heritage and truly makes the most out of it. With stories based on classic Asian mythology, Lieberman believes that there is a universal nature to these stories that make it so anyone can truly get into them. He spoke of how the essence these stories are classic in nature and have been around in one shape or form for thousands of years. “Google any of our titles in the Shakti line, and you will end up learning about some of the classic Indian stories and legends that our books are based on.”

When asked if he thought this would cause any problems, as people nowadays don’t like having to work for their entertainment, he assured otherwise. “Yes, they are based on mythology, but in no way will you require prior knowledge to enjoy the stories. They can all be read on their own and you will not miss a thing. However, we do hope that we can energize people, upon reading the books, to go out and look up these legendary tales.”

Lieberman embraced the idea of working for this “character entertainment company” where they would work incredibly hard to utilize their comics and animation to give the world new heroes and characters that we all would love. At the same time he makes sure that the focus was always in the right place. “First and foremost, the focus is on the characters,” Lieberman said when asked whether this was a company that would focus more on creating good stories or good intellectual properties.

Not only that, but with the Director’s Cut line of comics (where Virgin has gone out and gotten famous movie directors from around the world to help create comics), he assured BF that these people were not around just because it provided them with a name. “Our first announced Director is John Woo, and he has brought a great deal of creativity with him in creating this comic. He is intimately involved and embraces everything about what we’re trying to do. And when you get to read the book, it will feel like vintage John Woo. John will not only be involved in the creation of the comic book, but also with translating the story over to the animation studio in order to make a great movie out of it as well.”

Our focus then turned to Virgin Comics’ first 3 comic book releases, Devi, Snakewoman, and The Sadhu, set to debut July 12, 19 and 26 respectively. “Devi and The Sadhu are from the Shakti line. Devi literally means goddess and is about a female warrior and The Sadhu are Indian mystics who actually exist today in India. Snakewoman is part of the Director’s Cut line and is the brainchild of Shekhar Kapur (Elizabeth, Four Feathers). This one is based on the old Naga legend and is a very interesting tale about a girl who is seen as a serial murderer.”

When asked if it was a coincidence that two of the first three releases featured female leads, he responded that it was slightly. “Anytime you release three books, it’s simple math that you’ll end up with a split like this. These particular myths feature strong female lead characters and we do feel like we should emphasize that.” Asked if this meant that they would also be embracing the more sensual and exotic nature of India’s most famous book, the Kama Sutra, Mr. Lieberman did not shy away from it. “India is a very sensual country. The stimuli in India are tremendous, full of wonderful smells, sights, and textures. That is where most of the emotions and impact is from, so of course that is going to be felt in every one of the books.”

Lieberman then spoke of Virgin’s first release from their Indian studios, “You realize that the most published English language translation of the Kama Sutra, and that was by Sir Richard Burton in the 19th century. So here is this world-famous book on sexuality, and the translation into English was done by a British aristocrat who could scarcely understand the true nature of what he was reading… Deepak Chopra (father of Gotham Chopra), is India’s most successful author. He has written books on spirituality and sensuality. Who better to do a proper translation of the Kama Sutra? And in June, we will be releasing a hardcover, coffee table-sized version of the book. Finally given a proper translation by Deepak, and beautifully illustrated by our studio of artists, this could already be considered the quintessential version of the Kama Sutra… So yes, we are embracing the exotic and sensual. With such a wealth of material, it would be foolish not to.”

Asked for final thoughts and what he would like to leave readers with (as if a new Kama Sutra translation wasn’t enough), Lieberman summed everything up nicely with a few teases, “First, keep an eye out for an artist named Jeevan Kang. He has been illustrating for years in India and is ready to become a star. He provided the cover for Snakewoman and is illustrating The Sadhu. Moreover, Jeevan’s already had a modicum of success as the illustrator for Spiderman: India. 

“I also want to stress that Virgin Comics is a global company, with a simultaneous worldwide launch. Our releases will not only be available in the direct market stores, but also in every Virgin Megastore around the globe. Our first book release will be the June Hardcover Coffee Table Kama Sutra, and our first three comic releases will be out beginning July 12. And by the end of the year, look for us to have mobile phone content and to be pushing to be a true multimedia company.”