Voyeuristic Pleasures

There is a new strip club on the block and it is populated with skilful illustrations, mythical hero Ram, and stories of little known characters from Indian folklore. In short, Pushpuck.com is a fun website for comic lovers and history buffs to spend an hour (or four).

Move Aside, Spiderman!

Animator Umesh Shukla, creator of Pushpuck, claims to be inspired by the epics he heard from his mother and grandmother. These are expressed in strips like the Forgotten Tales, which consists of three different stories set in the land of Ayodhaya, with King Ram as the common thread.

Tarak, Lahoo, and Shantal, It’s Nice to Meet You

The cool thing about Pushpuck is that it introduces us to the lesser known heroes of stories we’ve all heard before.  Tarak is a poor drummer boy  who welcomes King Ram back from his exile by playing the dhol; Lahoo wins the favour of the mighty king – and his personal bow and arrow – with his sharp skills; little Shantal embarks on a quest for her own identity after learning about her deceased father.

These unusual story lines, along with good illustrations and a clutter-free user interface almost make up for the weak and often amateurish writing. Push(puck) past that, we say!

Read online for free at www.pushpuck.com, or download on iTunes.