ComIN20: International Conference on Indian Comics Online Department of Design, IIT Delhi, India, December 5-6, 2020

ComIN stands for ​Comics in India​. As the name suggests, the discussions under this will be largely surrounded with primarily two themes: Comics+India. The need for such a space has been felt for long. A space that provides scope of dialogues to researchers, practitioners, publishers, and fans of the medium. The tradition of comics reading is nothing sort of new in India. The mythic figures, the kings with demons, flying superheroes in the local cities, the black and white detectives, and so many other characters have touched upon an India kid’s life at some point of time. With the popularity of technology driven entertainment, Indian comics has seen a transition of form and content.

The advent of technology can also be seen as a ground of opportunities for new stories, formats and media. India has a rich legacy of graphic arts, visual narratives and storytelling. Subsequently, contemporary formats of comics are also gradually evolving. Gone are the days when only dhoti clad kings used to save a princess in distress. Gone are the days where a local hero used to fight the deadly dacoits. Gone are all those days when comics used to be a medium printed poorly on pulpy papers. The new age Indian reader has different expectations from the media they consume. They are better aware of cheap tricks and faulty storylines. They are the tech savvy, hashtag marching, black mirror generation who speaks loud. And speak sense certainly. With such an audience, where does Indian comics stand now? Are we producing stories that can bring moments of silence or peace in troubled times? Are we doing enough to lead Indian comics across the Globe? What is the perception of Indian comics in general? Are we missing on something? With these prominent questions, we initiate a conference dedicated to the medium and its understanding in the context of India. Hence, the theme of the first edition of this conference is REFOCUSING INDIAN COMICS.

Proposals might address (but not limited to) the following ideas: 

• Defining Indian comics and its evolution
• Indian comics and its academic scholarship
• Publishing models of Indian comics
• Indian comics in uncertain times (like COVID)
• The relationship dynamics between Indian creators-readers-publishers 
• The formal aspects and stylistics of Indian comics 
• Modern forms of Indian comics 
• Indian comics Vs. Global comics 
• Research in Indian comics 
• Future possibilities for Indian comics 

Submission Guidelines

All papers must be original and not simultaneously submitted to another journal or conference. The following categories are welcome:

1. Paper Presentation

Send your extended abstracts of up to 2000 words count. If accepted, send your Full papers written within 3000-5000 words count excluding references/bibliography. The papers should follow the template guidelines of the conference. The full papers will be published in a conference proceeding (with ISBN). All papers should be written in English for a wider reach of the conference. Each paper should not exceed 10 pages following the template.

Participants can also send link to their pre-recorded video in the form of a presentation or interview/discussion. The link will be made available to the audience in the conference website. The pre-recorded videos should be between 15-20 minutes. The video may include, explainer presentation, or the author/s speaking about the work. During the live conference, audience and author will engage in a discussion related to their video submissions. In case authors of video submissions choose to publish their work in the conference proceedings, they would require to submit the extended abstract or the full paper of the presentation.

2. Workshops: Proposals for workshop can be sent within 1000 words explaining the content, need, requirements, duration and other relevant details as felt by the workshop conductor. Depending on the number of registrations in the workshop, conductors will be notified further regarding the confirmation.

Early career researchers and students planning to join academia are specially encouraged to submit their works for having a first-hand exposure of research driven discussion. This conference also encourages scholars and practitioners working across diverse themes in Indian comics. The conference is inclusive in nature and welcomes people from all genders, colors, professions and temperaments with the single aim of celebrating Indian comics studies.

Committees

Program Committee

• Subir Dey, Department of Design, IIT Delhi
• Jyoti Kumar, Department of Design, IIT Delhi
• Jay Dhariwal, Department of Design, IIT Delhi
• Sumer Singh, Department of Design, IIT Delhi
• Snigdha Banerjee, Department of Design, Shiv Nadar Unversity
• Subhajit Chandra, Department of Design, Shiv Nadar Unversity

Contact

All questions about submissions should be emailed to: comicsindia20@gmail.com