Level10 Comics
Encyclopedia
Level 10 Entertainment is a comic publishing
company based out of Mumbai
, India
. Founded in late 2009 by Shreyas Srinivas and Suhas Sundar, the company started publishing comic books for the teen audience in April 2010. Its flagship
monthly publication JUMP is India's first full-fledged comic magazine
targeted at the 18-30 male audience. The company is currently in the process of creating a digital comic publishing platform.
In late 2009, Shreyas Srinivas – a former Unilever Manager and Suhas Sundar – a former software
professional decided to form Level 10 Studios. The Indian comic scene mainly comprised public domain mythological characters inspired from Ramayana
and Mahabharata
. Level 10 Studios focused on creating original intellectual properties. The company also ran a full-fledged Studio division offering visual graphic and design services to external clients.
In December 2010, the company managed to raise angel funding from Seedfund and Mumbai Angels, two of India's prominent early-stage venture capital firms. The company was renamed as 'Level 10 Entertainment' and eventually shut down its studio division to focus on the creation of new intellectual properties. It also re-launched its flagship publication 'Comic JUMP' and decided to shift focus to the 18-30 Urban Male demographic.
thriller The Rabhas Incident, superhero
epic Shaurya, fantasy
series Batu-Gaiden, dark-hero titles Daksh and Odayan. Other titles include Northern Song and Sando. They also published a variety of creator-owned titles during 2010-11.
Each of the above mentioned series' have unique design and art styles and are popular among both adults and children.
Publishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
company based out of Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Founded in late 2009 by Shreyas Srinivas and Suhas Sundar, the company started publishing comic books for the teen audience in April 2010. Its flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
monthly publication JUMP is India's first full-fledged comic magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
targeted at the 18-30 male audience. The company is currently in the process of creating a digital comic publishing platform.
Company
FormationIn late 2009, Shreyas Srinivas – a former Unilever Manager and Suhas Sundar – a former software
professional decided to form Level 10 Studios. The Indian comic scene mainly comprised public domain mythological characters inspired from Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
and Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
. Level 10 Studios focused on creating original intellectual properties. The company also ran a full-fledged Studio division offering visual graphic and design services to external clients.
In December 2010, the company managed to raise angel funding from Seedfund and Mumbai Angels, two of India's prominent early-stage venture capital firms. The company was renamed as 'Level 10 Entertainment' and eventually shut down its studio division to focus on the creation of new intellectual properties. It also re-launched its flagship publication 'Comic JUMP' and decided to shift focus to the 18-30 Urban Male demographic.
Level10 Comics' "Titles"
Level 10 Entertainment experiments with a variety of genres. Some of their titles include the zombieZombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
thriller The Rabhas Incident, superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
epic Shaurya, fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
series Batu-Gaiden, dark-hero titles Daksh and Odayan. Other titles include Northern Song and Sando. They also published a variety of creator-owned titles during 2010-11.
- The Rabhas Incident is a ZombieZombieZombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
survival horror story set in the urban Indian city of BangaloreBangaloreBengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
. - Shaurya is about 5 Indian teenagers with superhuman abilities which they use to defend the country against villainous characters.
- Daksh is the half son of Lord YamaYamaYama , also known as Yamarāja in India and Nepal, Shinje in Tibet, Yanluowang or simply Yan in China, Yeomla Daewang in South Korea and Enma Dai-Ō in Japan, is the lord of death, in Hinduism and then adopted into Buddhism and then further into Chinese mythology and Japanese mythology. First...
. - Batu Gaiden is a MangaMangaManga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
fantasy series that incorporates cricketCricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
into mythology.
Each of the above mentioned series' have unique design and art styles and are popular among both adults and children.
External links
- Level 10 and its characters mentioned in an article about the upsurge in the maturity of Indian graphic novels and comics Source: The Times of IndiaThe Times of IndiaThe Times of India is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. TOI has the largest circulation among all English-language newspaper in the world, across all formats . It is owned and managed by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd...
October, 2011. - Level 10's Batu Gaiden featured in Bangalore Mirror in November 2011
- An article about the changing scenario of graphic comics in India and how Level 10 is affecting this Source: The TribuneThe TribuneThe Tribune is an Indian English-language daily newspaper published from Chandigarh, New Delhi, Jalandhar, Dehradun and Bathinda. It was founded on 2 February 1881, in Lahore , by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising five eminent persons as...
- Shreyas Srinivas, Co-Founder and CEO, Level 10 in conversation with AdGully
- Indian Graphic comics site on Level 10 Comics
- Level 10 Comics in a panel discussion in Mumbai about Writing for Comics