Shiv Panikker, a seasoned Producer, Director, Screenwriter from the Bollywood industry recently launched his first ever graphic novel, 'Gone Case', a horror/mystery comic book that Indian audiences would be able to relate to.
Published by Blue Rose Publishers, Gone Case is a series of events all connected together after tumbling down the rabbit hole that connects to one big case. A Mumbai based cop with a dark past is tasked with escorting an escaped inmate back to the asylum. Along the way, he suspects that the inmate might be a serial killer and the asylum may be haunted.
"Two years ago while working on Ryan Reynolds and Michael Bay's film set for Netflflix's 6 Underground, I got inspired to write my own story. Just the scale of what a Netflix production could be in today's day and age made me believe that anyone can do it in their own little way, if they have a good content-driven story. After pitching the script to a producer, I was told to reduce the intensity, add a couple of songs and a love story arc to Gone Case, that's when I realised that Gone Case isn't ready for the screen as yet," said Shiv while speaking on how he came up with Gone Case. In 2019 I fell victim to debit card theft while living in Bangkok. Living in a foreign country with your only source of finances blocked was one of the most nightmarish experiences I've ever faced. I was later informed that debit card theft is not uncommon and that the information is sold on the dark web. To my amazement I then found out that 98% of the card information being sold online were Indian. I knew I had to talk about this and bring awareness about the dark web in my own little way and that is one of the main reasons why I refused to commercialise the story, added Shiv.
I've always been a lifelong fan of comic books. Living in Bangkok, and seeing the street artists make their own Batman and Spiderman stories inspired me to take the leap and turn my story into a comic book of my own. Thus, was born the idea of Gone Case'. It is a book that I've put a lot of thought and heart into, and a book that I believe a lot of Anime and comic book lovers are going to enjoy," said Shiv, speaking on the launch of his book.Two weeks into the launch, the trailer for the comic went viral on Shiv's social media and the comic book became Amazon's No.1 hottest new release and even debuted in the top 50 bestselling comics list. Since then, the book has garnered critical praise for it's dark and mysterious story line, with critics calling it a new alternative for Indian comic book fans.
"It was a pleasure working with a creative personality like Shiv on this book. It is an honour to have him join our existing family of 5000+ authors. The moment we read the storyline for the first time, we knew instantly that it is one that would change India's comic book industry forever. The characters will connect with every comic book lover on many different levels. Gone Case is a must-read and I am confident it will leave a long lasting impact," said Syed Arshad, Director of Blue Rose Publishers.As a fan of the hugely successful Marvel and DC universe, Shiv felt that Indian comics and characters lacked the recognition they deserved. He looked to create an enthralling experience that would keep readers hooked onto the story and illustrations which would immerse them into the world of the characters.
For this, he chose to work with the best of graphic designers and illustrators. Gone Case has a blend of different styles. The illustrator Karan Danda has given an Anime vibe to the illustrations, while the colourist, Warrens Rojas who hails from Venezuela added a commercial action packed comic book' feel to the colours. The editor is Shiv's long time collaborator Myron D'silva. Myron and Shiv started their careers together as assistant directors 7 years ago.
Recently, Shiv also launched the first look of the Gone Case action figure line, for which he has partnered up with a Malaysian toy company. Over the past few days, pictures of the collection have garnered quite a response on social media in the Malaysian and Indian toy collector community. While the initial idea for the author was to pitch 'Gone Case' as a feature film, he decided to maintain a comic book feel as it allowed him to tell the story in the most authentic way possible, with no alterations to the plot. However, the author is currently working on Gone Case 2 and has already penned down an entire universe with a live action film and an anime series around the franchise.
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