Superstars of the Indian comic-book world, Suppandi and Shikari Shambu, are transitioning to the online medium. Webisodes featuring the popular Tinkle magazine characters, including Defective Detectives, can now be viewed on YouTube, on what is being called India’s first digital cartoon channel with entirely original content, Suppandi & Friends.
“We thought that the online medium would work better for these stories,” says Manas Mohan, CEO Publishing, Amar Chitra Katha, adding that the content featured is original and not adapted from earlier comic books. In 2010, the Amar Chitra Katha comic book series was adapted for TV.
Watch an episode of Suppandi and Friends here
The YouTube channel releases weekly episodes of three-four minutes each. Eighteen webisodes that are already available to view online are quite a hit with the netizens, if the views are any indication. So, while the ‘Suppandi Hijacked’ episode has amassed over one lakh hits, ‘Shambu: Monkey Menace’ has logged over 70,000 views. “We started posting the episodes in July in beta mode. Tinkle has loyal followers, and we wanted to test the content before going public. So, we posted eight videos initially and incorporated changes in the ones we uploaded later, depending on the feedback we received,” he says. While the current webisodes feature Suppandi, Shikari Shambu and Defective Detectives, there are plans to introduce stories with other popular characters like Kalia the crow, Tantri the Mantri and Pyarelal, in the future.
{{/usCountry}}The YouTube channel releases weekly episodes of three-four minutes each. Eighteen webisodes that are already available to view online are quite a hit with the netizens, if the views are any indication. So, while the ‘Suppandi Hijacked’ episode has amassed over one lakh hits, ‘Shambu: Monkey Menace’ has logged over 70,000 views. “We started posting the episodes in July in beta mode. Tinkle has loyal followers, and we wanted to test the content before going public. So, we posted eight videos initially and incorporated changes in the ones we uploaded later, depending on the feedback we received,” he says. While the current webisodes feature Suppandi, Shikari Shambu and Defective Detectives, there are plans to introduce stories with other popular characters like Kalia the crow, Tantri the Mantri and Pyarelal, in the future.
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