Movies don’t really push up sale of comics

BENGALURU: David Lloyd is on his third trip to India, and his second to Bengaluru. The legendary comic artist will be the chief guest for the Indiranagar-based Puma Social Club’s KeepItRealNights event. Lloyd took some time out to talk about RK Laxman, the state of the comic book industry, the impact of the seminal V for Vendetta, and the huge blocks comics fans have towards reading them online.
Q. How does it feel to have V, your creation, transcend the comics medium and take on life and relevance in the real world?
Vendetta is very popular. It talks to people and it’s what people know me for. It is gratifying. Not only was the film successful, but the offshoot, the mask has become a symbol for the character and the philosophy of that character. And from an artist’s point of view, to see your creation actually move out of fiction into fact, and also be meaningful, is great.
Q Do you feel some of your other work gets overshadowed by V for Vendetta?
Of course, it’s just one of those things. Whenever I’m asked this question, I always say, “Sean Connery will always be James Bond”. But I’m lucky. I’ve co-created a character that actually means something, that says something truly political. And having a name, and having reputation helps me sell other things like Aces Weekly (his current project).
Q Tell us about Aces Weekly, your project to make comic anthologies available every week in digital formats?
There were a few people making comics available online before, and of course, there are web comics. But Aces Weekly is a little different. It’s an anthology. A lot of digital comics go to print, because it’s a better way of making money, because they know that comics fans love collecting. That’s a problem. We’re successful enough, but not as successful as I would like to be. I think in time, we will get over that barrier (as fans become more accepting of digital comics).
Q Do you think the success of comic book based movies bodes well for comic sales?
No, I don’t. The movie sales haven’t translated into comics sales. I also think that the biggest cause of the decline of comics was the arrival of video games. Kids just stopped reading comics.
Q Tell us about the sketch you’ve drawn for us.
I enjoyed Laxman’s work. I was initially unfamiliar with his work, but got to see more of it. I really liked the character of the Common Man.