Happy New Year !

Bolti Lakeerain: Reviewed by Rumana Husain in Nukta Art Magazine

Government School Teachers Training - 21-23 Oct 2010, Karachi

Farozaan - Dec Issue

Comics by Fatima Soomro and Kishwar Riaz

Comics Power reached Chotiari, Sindh !!!

A Three-day training on Grassroots Comics as a Teaching-Learning Tool and Environmental Education for Government School Teachers’ was organized with Indus for All Programme, WWF - Pakistan from 26 -28 October, 2010 at Chotiari, Sanghar - Sindh. Workshop was conducted by Nida Shams, Azmeena Alidana , Muhammad Zafar Khan and Naveed Soomro.

Farozaan-Nov 2010

Farozaan Magazine- Nov 2010

Comics by Ms. Abida Aziz and Ms. Ghazala Yasmeen

COMICS POWER -KARACHI

Certificate Distribution and Comics Exhibition
Grassroots Comics Workshop on Environment with City District Government School Teachers of Karachi, Pakistan. Green Learn-n- Fun Programme, WWF and SSGC and World Comics Network - Pakistan

Grassroots Comics Reached Nawabshah!

A Three-day training on Grassroots Comics as a Teaching-Learning Tool and Environmental Education for Government School Teachers’ was organized by Indus for All Programme, WWF - Pakistan from 22 -24 Sep, 2010 at Nawabshah, Sindh. Workshop was conducted by Nida Shams and Muhammad Zafar Khan.

FAROZAAN - OCTOBER 2010

FAROZAAN - Monthly Magazine on Environment - October 2010. Comics by Azmeena and Shumaila

Our New Trainers!

A one day Training of Trainers' session for a selected group of Mass Communication students from University of Karachi - 26th sep 2010

Farozaan Magazine - September 2010. Comics on flood by Sidra and Ashfaq

Indo-Pak Kids Workshop

A group of children from Pakistan was welcomed by "Indo-Pak peoples Comics Exhibition" at Wagah Border. These children shared their own experiences through comics on 2nd September with Indian kids in a workshop in Delhi, India.

Farozaan Magazine - August 2010 Comics by Sonia and Shagufta

Farozaan - July 2010

World Comics introduced a two-pager section on Grassroots Comics in Farozaan Magazine. This was part of its recently launched syndicated strip service in Pakistan. Farozaan is the only monthly Urdu magazine focused on environmental issues in Pakistan and is being distributed in more than 30 towns of the country.

Parallel Lines

Parallel Lines (English) and Samanantar Rekhayein (Hindi) are the second in the series of Devcom (development comics) published by World Comics India. It has a foreword by Polyp, a British cartoonist based in Manchester.

These comics start describing development from where the earlier ones left and take it a level further, not just in terms of description but visual aesthetics and storytelling techniques as well. All stories have a different art as well as narration style owing to the different backgrounds of the artists. It is to be noted that most of them are not trained artists and have learnt the art over a period of time working with World Comics and their local organizations.

The stories this time are longer (14-16 pages) contributed by Sunder Mohan Murmu, Rajeswari Saha, Siddharth Sarathi, Amrith Basumatari and lakhindra Nayak. The comic took an year in the making and throughout that period the creators had extensive discussions and workshops on the art of making comics, visualization, frame composition, inking, texturing etc. They also had prolonged discussions on their stories where each had to defend their story from the critical view of the rest as well as accept suggestions.

COMICS FOR ALL

Comics For All is the annual bulletin of World Comics India. This twelve-paged bulletin comprises of stories and activities undertaken by World Comics in different parts of the world. Articles inviting views on wide arrays of issues and cultures have been presented though comics as an innovative mode of communication. Information regarding experimentation with comics done by different artists is covered under the section ‘Meet the Artist’. This bulletin covers people’s stories through their indigenous comics’ strips.

Reviews - Bolti Lakeerain

Read review on Bolti Lakeerain - An indigenous comic book by Sharad Sharma and Nida Shams in The Express Tribune.

Reviews - Bolti Lakeerain

COMICS RELIEF - Review on Bolti Lakeerain in New Line Magazine- July 2010. Have a look....

Reviews - Bolti Lakeerain

Read review on Bolti Lakeerain - An indigenous comic book in Dawn and Sunday Express – 27/06/2010

Network's New Website Launched!

World Comics Network in new avatar_now online. Please check our new website !!

www.worldcomics.net

Syndicated Strip Service in Pakistan

World Comics introduced a two-pager section on Grassroots Comics in Farozaan Magazine. This was part of its recently launched syndicated strip service in Pakistan. Farozaan is the only monthly Urdu magazine focused on environmental issues in Pakistan and is being distributed in more than 30 towns of the country.

Raising voice with comics

Read review on Bolti Lakeerain in "The News" - 15/06/10

Bolti Lakeerain : An indigenous comic book is now available at The Second Floor (T2F), Karachi - Pakistan

Bolti Lakeerain : An indigenous comic book

If you think comics is just western art focused on superheroes, you should change your perception now. A new comic book titled 'Bolti Lakeerain' has hit the market now. Completely indigenous creation and you can call it a book for the people by the people.

This is the collection of some of the numerous comics gathered together during the last five years. These are not merely ink lines sketched on paper aimlessly but each one narrates a story with a significant meaning behind it. These comics are created by the common people living in distinct places; e.g. from Kakapeer to Kashmir in Pakistan. In these comics they narrate real stories of their day today life.

These are the stories, that were narrated to us during the workshops, helped to open debate in the society on several social issues. People who attended the workshop are of the view that this skill has got immense significance in their lives as a unique means to express themselves. This method is so interesting, easy and effective that just with the help of two A-4 sized paper and pen it makes each one of them capable to bring out their perils and plights. Simplicity is in the core of each story and the same echoes in comics they create. Their lifestyle, culture and their verbal relation to the people living in the community- each line they draw cover every aspects of their life.

These workshops were organised in villages, cities, schools, universities in collaboration with different organizations to impart the skill of comics making to the people living in that area and to equip them with the art of self expression. Some of the comics are created by those who cannot even read or write but they successfully expressed themselves through pictures. The editors of the book say, “we are printing only few among the numerous comics. The purpose of compiling this book is to spread the thoughts of common people to masses. Book has a foreword by Dr. Muhammad Ali Siddiqui.

The book was compiled by Nida Shams and Sharad Sharma who has trained several common people in South Asia in this kind of communication methodology.

Published by World Comics Network, which is a collective of cartoonists, media persons and grassroots activists. World Comics promotes comics as a communication tool and as mode of self-expression in remote and difficult areas South Asia and other countries.

Nida Shams

Karachi, Pakistan

The books are priced at Rs. 200 inside Pakistan and South Asia and $15 outside South Asia.

email to order book

nida.shams@gmail.com

Hyderabad, Sindh - May 2010

Agahi – Human Development Organization and World Comics Network – Pakistan organized a Training of Trainers Workshop on Grassroots Comics in Hyderabad from 21 – 23 May 2010. Youth group, theater artists and activists of Sindh attended the workshop.

From the Land of the Sufis - May 2010, Makli - Sindh

A Three-day training was organized in Makli, Thatta for Field-based Teachers’ on Environmental Education & Grassroots Comics as a Teaching-Learning Tool. The workshop was conducted by Muhammad Zafar Khan and Nida Shams, World Comics Network - Pakistan and organized by Indus for All Programme, WWF – Pakistan from 11 – 13 May 2010. 24 teachers from different parts of the Sindh attended this workshop enthusiastically and made amazing stories on environmental issues of their region.

COMICS FOR BEHAVIORAL CHANGE - April 2010, Rawalpindi

The Four-day Training of Trainers Workshop on Grassroots Comics “COMICS FOR BEHAVIORAL CHANGE” was held in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The workshop was organized by Insan Foundation Trust and conducted by Nida Shams, World Comics Network – Pakistan held from 19 -22 April 2010. 12 participants attended workshop from Peshawar, Charsadda, Karak, Rajanpur, Chakwal, Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

COMICS POWER FOR YOUTH - March 2010, University of Karachi

22nd – 26th March - A Training of Trainers workshop for Mass Communication Students was organized at University of Karachi, Pakistan conducted by Nida Shams

Comics Workshop with Balidya Town Schools - 17 & 18 March 2010, Karachi

A grassroots comics workshop was organized from 17 – 18 March 2010 at City District Government School of Balidya Town, Karachi. Workshop was conducted by Nida Shams from World Comics Network – Pakistan and Abida Naz and attended by 40 students and teachers. Participants produced wall poster comics on social issues of the country.

7th March, 2010

7th March - A Comics Exhibition of South Asia on International Woman's Day Celebration was organized at Press Club, Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan

Coming up....

World Comics celebrated International Women's Day, Another grassroots comics workshop for government school of Karachi and much more on comics power....

People's Comics Exhibition at Nature Carnival on 7th March 2010, Karachi.