Amar Chitra Katha: Giants & Special Issues

This is a selection of the giants and special issues of Amar Chitra Katha comic books (with GEMs highlighted).  The list includes links for the following: (a) Wiki page (from the Grand Comics Database, or GCD), (b) e-book (available upon request), and (c) More info on each comic (via optional posts by various contributors).

Please note that the list is sortable by each column. (Multiple levels of sorting are possible by sorting more than one column in succession, from lowest to highest.)  You can also do an instant filtering of the table by entering a character string in the ‘Search’ field.

Amar Chitra Katha comics, founded by Anant Pai in 1967, have a remarkable publication history that spans several decades and 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.  Over 450 regular A.C.K. comic books have been published since the first English issue #11 with Indian stories was published in 1969.

Later in their publication history, Amar Chitra Katha comics became known for their ‘giants’ (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.

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