Deepak: The Happiness Guru?

Undoubtedly, we live in trying times: a war in Iraq, a tubing economy, energy woes left and right, and a crumbling spiritual infrastructure. Seeking consolation, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart tracked down bestselling author and Virgin Comics’ Chief Visionary, Deepak Chopra, for words of wisdom. After recently duking it out with Guru Pitka of The Love Guru, Deepak goes toe-to-toe with happiness guru, J.P. “Gus” Godsey, author of “How to Be Happy Everyday”. It’s the mythological and spiritual teachings of the past versus ice cream trucks… what makes you happy?

To watch the video, click here.

To hear more from Deepak, be sure to visit our YouTube site for a series of interviews with Deepak about Virgin Comics and the exciting titles he’s helped create. We’ve provided a sample clip below. Enjoy!

Kalki Continues Cover of the Week Streak

On the heels of LINGER’s appearance on Wizard Universe‘s Cover of the Week roundup last week, PROJECT: KALKI issue #2 has scored again for Virgin Comics. In the June 18, 2008 edition of the Cover of the Week, Wizard’s Matt Cauli had this to say about the cover designed by Vivek Shinde and Ashish Avin:

“While shuffling through some covers, lo and behold I find this beauty. An Andy Warhol blast from the past style, but instead of an attractive young Marilyn Monroe, we get to feast are eyes upon baby fetuses in a variety of pantone popsicle colors. Such an eye catcher and pleaser if I’ve ever seen one.”

Written by Arjun Gaind and illustrated by Vivek Shinde, PROJECT: KALKI tells the frightening story of Avatar, a super-being created in a lab from the DNA of a mythological being. To read the article and see the cover click here. Issue #2 is on sale now and can be purchased at our Virgin Comics store.

Spotlight On The Witchblade/Devi Crossover

Check out the Wizard interview with Virgin Comics Chief Creative Officer, Gotham Chopra and Top Cow’s Publisher, Filip Sablik as they discuss the first crossover between the two companies—Witchblade/Devi.

The first issue, published by Top Cow, is on sale now and the second half of the story (published by Virgin Comics and featuring art by Mukesh Singh) will hit comic shops on June 25th.

THE SADHU TRAILER!

Sadhus do not know love or hate, desire or fear. They are detached from all emotional ties, devoted to a spiritual journey said to unleash unimaginable powers. This is the path James Jensen is fated to tread. But he must tackle his biggest obstacle yet… HIMSELF.

Music by Livebody Productions

Blood, Guts, and Terrorists… Oh My!

Okay, I’m not going to pretend that our new book Virulents (see trailer link below) is going to change literature as we know it, but there is a discussion emerging around it from those that have read it or heard the movie pitch evolving from the book. The summary: two military units, one American and one Indian, collide in the Bermuda triangle-like region of Afghanistan (amidst the mountainous Hindu Kush), and are forced to team up when they confront a terrorist-cum-demon. The demon, however, has an unlikely characteristic that makes him an enemy like none these warriors have ever seen. Ultimately, when they start to understand the local lore and the enemy they are up against, they realize there is only one out…

The comic is actually conceived out of an indigenous myth—the story of the blood demon Raktaveej that terrorized the Gods so that they were forced to summon the Goddess Uma who transformed herself into the fearsome Kali to once and for all take care of his menace. There are many morals to the story, some of which, as mentioned, have made their way into ours and feel particularly relevant to the times we find ourselves in.

Namely: be wary of the wars you start and know thy enemy. Today, we’re mired in a war and engaged with an enemy that we clearly don’t fully understand or know how to overcome. We’ve demonized the enemy with the title of terrorist without fully comprehending their powers. We’ve failed to understand that for every one of them that we think we’ve destroyed, we’ve seeded a thousand more (this has direct relevance to the story). And worst of all we’ve convinced ourselves —with the help of suits that work for corporations like Halliburton and Blackwater—that if we stay the course and rely on our archaic American military tradition of more might, we’ll somehow triumph. Ever heard of Gore Vidal’s Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace?

We don’t expect to change the world with our comics. Okay… maybe we do a little. Virulents is full of blood and guts and lives off of the tagline: “What’s the one thing worse than terrorists? Vampire terrorists!!!” And the fact that it’s built upon an actual legend of the East is lost on most readers, as are some of the other implications integrated throughout it. But that doesn’t mean they don’t exist or that they are not worth talking about. After all, that’s what great literature is all about…☺

Gotham Chopra
Chief Creative Officer
Virgin Comics

Deepak Chopra Launches New Graphic Novel on Indian Mythology with Virgin Comics

Prolific author launches “India Authentic” series worldwide

New York, NY, June 20, 2007: Virgin Comics announced today that they are launching a new ongoing graphic novel series with bestselling author, Deepak Chopra.

The new series, Deepak Chopra Presents – India Authentic, will focus on retelling numerous Indian mythological stories with modern artists and writers. Each issue will be centered on the story of a different Indian god or goddess. The first issue, Ganesha, portrays the legend of India’s cherished, elephant-headed god. The series will continue with subsequent stories on Kali, Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, Uma, Indra and others.

Commenting on the new series, Deepak Chopra stated, “The re-imagination of Indian mythologies and archetypes with a cross cultural flavor will ignite once again our collective yearning for achieving the impossible and embarking on a journey of mystery, magic, and adventure. It may well usher in an age that Homer never dreamed of.”

Each issue of the series will be introduced with a foreword by Chopra, describing the relevancy of the ancient myth in the context of today’s global world. Working with Chopra is a rotating team of India’s most talented young writers and artists including Saurav Mohapatra, Satish Tayade, Abhishek Singh and others.

“When I grew up, almost every child of Indian origin learned the legends and mythologies of India through comic books,” said Virgin Comics CEO & Publisher, Sharad Devarajan. “Working with an author of Deepak Chopra’s caliber allows us to recreate a series of Indian mythology comics crafted with the highest level of quality in artwork and story, bringing these cherished legends of India to audiences worldwide.”

“I grew up in Boston Massachusetts and worshiped the Red Sox and Patriots and felt bad about myself because kids teased me about believing in blue Gods with six arms. So what do I know about being authentic to India? I know I get to oversee a wildly talented group of young creators eager to tell their ‘authentic myths’ to the world and it’s exciting. And as they say, blue is the new black,” commented Gotham Chopra, Virgin Comics Chief Creative Officer.

The first issue in the series has been just released in North America with a monthly cover price of US$2.99, with a Rs.15 Indian edition following later this year. The series will also be translated into numerous languages throughout Europe and Asia later this year. The first issue in the series can be viewed in its entirety as a digital comic on Virgin Comics website at: http://www.virgincomics.com/slideshow_ganesha.asp

DEVI: A Living Goddess?

Her name is Sajani Shakya, she is 10 years old, and is worshiped in Nepal. Sajani is considered to be a living goddess and earthly manifestation of the goddess Taleju—though some sources refer to her as the incarnation of Durga or even Kali. A recently published New York Times article, talks about Shakya’s visit to Washington D.C. a couple of weeks back. Shakya was in the US primarily to promote an upcoming British documentary, “The Living Goddess” that focuses on the young goddesses of the Nepal valley. (For more info in the Kumari Devi from Nepal, click here.)

In Virgin Comic’s story of DEVI created by Shekhar Kapur—Director of the eight-time Academy Award nominated film, Elizabeth and the critically acclaimed movies, Four Feathers, Bandit Queen, Mr. India, and Masoom—a native of the mythic Indian city of Sitapur, Tara Mehta has no idea that she is about to become the centerpiece of a divine battle between the Gods of Light that created her, and the demon Lord Bala. In a never-ending war, innocent souls are the unfortunate but acceptable collateral damage. Tara Mehta, all-too-human Goddess and reincarnation of the divine female force, begins to wonder if either side deserves to win in Sitapur—a modern city atop the ancient, mixed amongst the profane, and where the divine drifts towards diabolical!

Pulp Secret Video Blog on Virgin Comics

http://www.pulpsecret.com/episode/PSR_20070611

What’s out in June?

Devi # 12

She is Tara Mehta, avatar of the DEVI, a celestial warrior who hosts the essence of an entire pantheon. Forever torn between the divine and the human, she has found some semblance of peace in devoting herself to making a better world. But all that is about to change. As ancient specters of Armageddon awaken from their slumber, and the countdown to a final cataclysm begins, Tara comes face to face with her most formidable opponent: herself.

Sadhu – The Silent Ones # 1

In the 19th century, when the sun did not dare set on the British Empire, James Jensen went to India as a soldier in Her Majesty’s Army. Losing his family to betrayal and brutal violence, Jensen became a SADHU, a mystic warrior who must walk the spiritual path to salvation. As the latest chapter of the saga begins, emptiness rules James Jensen’s heart, and he wanders aimlessly. His travels bring him to the Kumbh Mela, an epic gathering of mystics, where deadly enemies and shadowy allies lie in wait. But an even bigger surprise awaits James, as he learns that a loved one might still live!

Shekhar Kapur’s Snakewoman: Tales of the Snake Charmer #1

Jessica Peterson’s life used to be ordinary. And then, suddenly, it wasn’t. In the blink of an eye, she went from dive-bar waitress to reincarnated goddess, the “Snake Woman”. Since then, things have never been more different. She hunts and is simultaneously hunted by the 68, a secret society composed of the reincarnated souls of the British explorers who desecrated the snake-goddess’ temple in the jungles of India over 300 years ago. James Harker, head of the 68, has been secretly mentoring Jessica, but now she rejects him and his world, hoping to escape her murderous tendencies and reclaim the direction of her life. But as the modern-day incarnation of her ancient mate comes to the fore, will she be able to turn her back on destiny? Don’t miss the beginning of this NEW MINISERIES. Perfect for new readers!

Ramayan 3392 A.D. Reloaded #1

The epic tale Ramayan 3392 A.D. has just been reloaded! The quest of the hero Rama, his loyal brother Lakshman, and the beautiful Seeta has just begun, with the original creative team now guided by comic impresario Ron Marz. This issue marks a jumping-on point for readers, and sees the beginning of a regular series of character-driven back-up features, penned by Marz and drawn by a series of superstar comics artists. In this issue, Marz and Michael Avon Oeming (Powers, Red Sonja) tell the tale of Rama himself, while in the lead feature the wounds Rama has suffered in battle have left him at death’s door, and only a miracle can save him. If Rama perishes … so does the world’s hope.

Deepak Chopra’s INDIA AUTHENTIC #2: KALI

Virgin Comics presents as part of Deepak Chopra’s INDIA AUTHENTIC, the story of the most primal and feared aspect of the Indian Mother Goddess, the legend of Kaali.

She was born in a crimson haze. She bathed in the blood of a thousand hearts, devoured a million creations and smeared on herself, the ashes of infinity…and then she slept.

When Rakta Veej the Blood Demon and his unstoppable army of bloodspawns lay siege to Amaravati, the City of Gods, the Gods desperately invoke the slumbering Vampiric spirit of Kaali the Destroyer to fight their battle. But once the battle is done, will Kaali stop there? Or will her primal instincts cause her to turn on the Gods themselves.

Guy Ritchie’s Gamekeeper #1: Extended Edition

Enhance your experience of Guy Ritchie’s Gamekeeper with this special extended edition of Gamekeeper #1! As Brock’s past comes back to haunt him, he is sucked into a web of politics, science, money and death… Will his animalistic instincts be enough for him to survive? Go behind-the-scenes and get an exclusive look at the making of Gamekeeper #1, including original script pages from Andy Diggle and artist layouts of key scenes. With a special variant ink cover by John Cassaday, you won’t want to miss out on this extraordinary special edition!

Virgin Comics: Hello Blogosphere!

For those new to Virign Comics, it is a partnership between Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, author Deepak Chopra, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and the company our CEO Sharad Devarajan co-founded in 1997, Gotham Entertainment Group (www.gothamcomics.com).

Similar to the success of Japanese anime and manga, our mission is to define a new wave of Indian character entertainment and permeate this style and vision to audiences from Boston to Beijing to Bangalore.

Guided by Deepak Chopra and Shekhar Kapur, our studio of artists and writers are sparking a creative renaissance in India—leading the country’s transition from outsourcer to a source of innovative and dynamic creations and creators. With a unique creative and cultural identity, the 500 million youths of India today are sparking a transition in thinking for their country and for their world.

Our Shakti line of comics collects stories based on ancient Indian mythologies but re-imagined for a global audience.

The Director’s Cut brings together iconic filmmakers and the best comics writers, including Shekhar Kapur + Zeb Wells, John Woo + Garth Ennis, Guy Ritchie + Andy Diggle.

The Virgin Voices imprint collects comics created by innovative minds from artists of different media like Dave Stewart and Nicolas Cage.

For more info visit www.virgincomics.com