Draft:Legends of Halahala
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Legends of Halahala (2013)
[edit]| Author | George Mathen |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Publication date | December 20, 2012 (originally published ebook); February 1, 2013 (paperback) |
| Publication place | India |
| Media type | Graphic Novel (paperback) |
| Pages | 148 |
| ISBN | 978-9-350-29580-9 |
| Preceded by | Moonward (2008) |
| Followed by | Aspyrus (2014) |
Legends of Halahala is a silent graphic novel by George Mathen, also known as Appupen. It is the second graphic novel in the Halahala series, published in 2013 by HarperCollins in India[1]. The work is made with ink on paper and watercolors, a few years before he adopted digital art into his works.[2]
The novel depicts five silent love stories spread across the Halahala universe, from the Oberian age to the era of dystopian dome cities. The work has made headlines in popular Indian newspapers like The Hindu and The Indian Express.[3][4] The Halahala universe is an imaginative creation by Appupen, a shifting universe that critiques power, greed, environmental collapse, and human excess.[5] The deliberate absence of words encourages readers to make their own interpretations as they trust the artist and increases accessibility beyond language barriers.[3]
Background
[edit]The Halahala universe is an alternate dystopian world created by Appupen. This universe consists of four of his interconnected graphic novels- 'Moonward: Stories from Halahala'(2009), 'Legends of Halahala' (2013), 'Aspyrus: A Dream of Halahala' (2014), and 'The Snake and the Lotus: A Halahala Adventure' (2018). The works are populated by imaginary creatures, mythical figures, animals, ordinary people, and surreal landscape of both man-made and natural constructs. The name Halahala is derived from the cosmic poison in Hindu mythology, 'halahala' in Lord Shiva's throat. The work invokes a poisonous, dark mirror of contemporary times, exploring issues like capitalism, consumerism, political control, personal and artistic freedom. The stories frequently navigates unsettling realities using satirical elements, allegory, and mythological references.[6][7]
Plot summary
[edit]The stories in this graphic novel are divided into five chapters: Stupid’s Arrow, The Saga of the Ghostgirl Part 2, Oberian Dysphoria, 16917P’s masterpiece, The Accordion Manoeuvre.[8][9]
Stupid’s Arrow is a story where the prince and the princess of two different kingdoms, recognised by their green and red attire, fall in love with each other. But the lovers are separated as the bridge connecting the two nations is burned. In an attempt to reunite with his lover, the prince sends out a message with an arrow. The scroll falls off, and the arrow kills the queen of the neighbouring nation. This incites a raging war between the two kingdoms, killing off everyone as the dead bodies fill up the gorge between the two kingdoms. As the corpses fill up the gaping distance, the lovers are reunited again. The story ends with a flag of love being hoisted amidst various war weapons.
In the story, The Saga of Ghostgirl Part 2: Legacy, a young boy and his family are saved by Ghostgirl (the halahala superwoman) from a monster-like creature. As she flies away, the boy receives a picture of the superhero he admires as his saviour. This part of the novel is shown in strokes of black and white. Later, when the boy grows up, the colour changes to yellow and black. The grown-up boy still remembers his saviour. The story ends with the protagonist dressing up like supergirl and smoking on top of a building.
Oberian Dysphoria is a colourful world of alien non-human creatures in the Halahala universe. The story starts with a couple of round, chubby creatures in love. Unfortunately, they are separated as one of them is picked up by a large bird. The purple creature journeys far and wide to be reunited with its lover. On the journey, it stumbles upon a dragon’s nest. It enters the dragon's mind, the structure inside is similar to a control room. The creature uses the dragon to look for its lover throughout the forest. In its frustration, it uses the dragon to burn away all plants and animals on the path. This atrocity continues till it reaches the territory of another giant. This gorilla-like giant knocks out the dragon as it rebukes the dragon for causing such havoc. The purple creature gets knocked out of the dragon’s mind during the fight. It finally reunites with its partner, but the partner already has another one by its side. The story ends with all three of them happily living together.
16917P’s masterpiece has a dystopian theme. We see a guy crawling out of the sewage system of a gigantic city with skyscrapers covering the skyline. The city is covered in a dome separating it from the surrounding landscape polluted with smoke. In the garbage dump, the man tries to create his own mark by stacking various discarded equipment. The story ends with the man dying in the process of creation as the stone carrying his only mark of identity is ultimately shattered.
The accordion manoeuvre is the final story in this graphic novel. A little girl prays to a Goddess to gain a model tall body with big breasts. She enjoys the Goddess’s boon, attracting people’s attention. Incidentally, one of her breasts falls off, and runs away. This incites a huge uproar as people begin searching for the stray breast. A reward of 100 million is issued for whoever finds and returns the breast. Here, a Bollywood-style hero emerges with his array of stick figures. The story ends with him claiming the reward, but in the final moments, he steals the breast and rides away on his motorbike.
Academic Reception
[edit]Legends of Halahala has received sustained scholarly attention within the emerging field of Indian graphic novel studies. Instead of reading it as a work of mere fantasy, scholars have interpreted it as politically engaged dystopian allegory that criticizes consumerism, religion, violence, and media through a fictional lens. Scholars have argued that each five legend in the story uses satire to attack a different social pathology, while cultivating empathy in the reader through grotesque imagery and dystopian allegory.[7]The first legend in the story deliberately uses grotesque aesthetics and it turns conventional romantic ideals into catalyst for war and vengeance. In global intertextual context, scholars have pointed out the influence from DC comics' Batman's tragedy in 'The Saga of Ghostgirl Part 2: Legacy'. Isabel Sarma identifies Appupen as one of the principal innovators of Indian graphic novel, highlighting his contribution to silent narratives inspired by Lynd Ward.[10]
Other works
[edit]'Moonward' (2008) by Blaft Publications was Appupen's first published work.[11] He continued his works by publishing 'Legends of Halahala' (2013), 'Aspyrus' (2014), 'Snake and the Lotus' (2018), 'Rashtrayana: Trouble in Paradesh' (2018), 'Garden of the Snake' (2019), 'Rashtrayana II: Divide and Fool' (2021), 'Dream Machine: AI and the REAL World' (2024), and 'Vaadivaasal: The Arena' (2025).[12]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Legends Of Halahala by Appupen - HarperCollins India". HarperCollins. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
- ↑ Rego, Natasha (2013-12-10). "Legends of Halahala (2013)". Appupen. Retrieved 2026-07-24.
- 1 2 "The silent comic". The Hindu. 2013-04-06. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2026-07-24.
- ↑ "Halahala is a fantasy world which changes with every story: George Mathen". The Indian Express. 2014-06-12. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
- ↑ "Appupen – Ishara Arts". Retrieved 2026-07-25.
- ↑ "Appupen | People, Modern & Contemporary Art". Impart. Retrieved 2026-08-01.
- 1 2 Mondal, Kabita; Banerjee, Joydeep (2021-12-08). "Silence, Satire and Empathy: Reading Appupen's Topoi in His Wordless Graphic Narratives". Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities. 13 (4). doi:10.21659/rupkatha.v13n4.32. ISSN 0975-2935.
- ↑ "Client Challenge". www.scribd.com. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
- ↑ Sarma, Ira (2018-10-29). "Indian Graphic Novels: Visual Intertextualities, Mixed Media and the "Glocal" Reader". South Asian Review. 39: 175–194. doi:10.1080/02759527.2018.1514150.
- ↑ Sarma, Ira (2018-04-03). "Indian Graphic Novels: Visual Intertextualities, Mixed Media and the "Glocal" Reader". South Asian Review. 39 (1–2): 175–194. doi:10.1080/02759527.2018.1514150. ISSN 0275-9527.
- ↑ Rego, Natasha (2008-12-13). "Moonward (2008)". Appupen. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
- ↑ Appupen (2015-12-29). "Books". Appupen. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
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