Woot!

If you liked what you saw in the excerpt, you'll be excited to learn that you can now watch all of Nina Paley's Sita Sings the Blues for free here!

Sita Sings The Blues

So this isn't exactly a comic. But animation counts too, right? Right. Check out this funky-fresh eleven-minute excerpt from Nina Paley's Sita Sings the Blues, which is based on the Ramayana. It looks great. I would snap up a DVD of this, but unfortunately the use of old jazz songs has created copyright problems and so the film's distribution has been delayed somewhat. Though it sounds like they're making progress.

PS: Apparently Paley has faced opposition not only from copyright lawyers but also fundamentalist Hindu nationalists, who've threatened to hang her!

Peace be upon you!

Ever wake up in the morning and say: "Gee, I wish there was a comic featuring a Muslim protagonist, mythological Hindu superheroes, and a cute girl?"

Well, your wish has been been fulfilled:

Meet Vimanarama, by Grant Morrison and Philip Bond. The religious elements seem a bit garbled, but the story features Satanic villians who curse God and seek to foul all Creation. They're opposed by the Ultra-Hadeen, heroes drawn from Hindu mythology. The main character's Ali, a hapless young Muslim who lives in the UK. He spends some time in Heaven, or someplace near it - a sequence that's drawn with great imagination. But religion aside, Vimanarama's just a whole lot of fun. Give it a look. And peace be upon you!