Links to the Amar Chitra Katha comics covered in this section:
Regular Issues Giants & Special Issues Complete List
Commentary:
Amar Chitra Katha comics, founded by Anant Pai in 1967, have a remarkable publication history that spans several decades and the series has played a significant role in popularizing Indian mythology, history and folk tales. Notable writers and artists have contributed their talents to Amar Chitra Katha comics (often shortened to A.C.K.), making them an integral part of India’s cultural landscape.
The A.C.K. series comprise the earliest indigenous comic books in India, which set a strong precedent and established the standard for Indian comics content and style ever since. The first 10 issues of the series were an unnumbered set of 10 Western fairy tales retold in Kannada (and possibly Hindi) but these have been largely forgotten. The ‘real’ A.C.K. series started in 1969 with A.C.K. #11: Krishna, and this milestone marked the start of a long-running series of Indian comic books which are hugely popular to this day.
The original A.C.K. series ended with issue #436, after which the title mainly reprinted the older stories with a new number (which is shown in the ‘Reprint’ column of the table), though there were some new stories that were created. The latter are listed individually right below issue #436. Altogether, about 460 regular (base series) issues of A.C.K. were published.
The A.C.K. comics were primarily spearheaded by Anant Pai himself (even though he may not have personally scripted many of them), and he was affectionately known to his colleagues and protégés as “Uncle Pai.” His passion for preserving and sharing Indian cultural heritage shone through in his storytelling. Additionally, many talented artists, such as Ram Waeerkar, Dilip Kadam, and Pratap Mulick brought the picturesque visuals to life, captivating readers with their intricate illustrations and attention to detail. These comics provided readers with a glimpse into the rich history of India, fostering a sense of pride and understanding of their cultural roots.
Later in their publication history, Amar Chitra Katha comics became known for their ‘Giants’ or ‘Bound Set’ series (either 3-in-1 or 5-in-1), which compiled previously published A.C.K. comics based on certain themes or commonalities. These giants often features the lives and legends of prominent historical figures such as Akbar, Rani Padmini and Shivaji, as well as collections of mythological tales.
The A.C.K. series also featured ‘Special Issues’ that covered a wide range of topics, including stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata epics, tales of legendary statesmen or warriors and exploits of iconic mythological characters. The special issues, usually unnumbered, often featured original stories, though they sometimes contained much larger collections of previously published tales (such as the three 14-in-1 sets of sequential Mahabharata stories). These special issues allowed readers to delve deeper into the vast treasure trove of Indian mythology, folklore and history, expanding their knowledge and appreciation of their cultural heritage.
A good reference site for the Amar Chitra Katha comics can be found here.