I spent my last year in Manipal working on my 150-page masters thesis on the power of comics. It wasn't the beginning of my fascination with the art form, but definitely my first introduction to the expansive world of graphic art. I remember sitting for hours on the stone bench outside my uncle's house, facing the valley and reading about how comics smuggled their way into art books and went through many revolutions and movements over three centuries to gain some cultural legitimacy. The history of comics, even though relatively short, is still vast and fascinating and infinitely debatable. It is one medium that we easily immerse ourselves in, enjoy thoroughly and still refuse it the artistic status it deserves.
My research was meant to be a study on how comics can be used for development communication. Since illiteracy or semi-literacy and poverty go hand in hand, graphic storytelling was seen as one way to convey social messages. I read hundreds of visual narratives and graphic novels and studied illustrations that were being used to raise awareness and have witnessed their power in influencing attitudes and our manner of living. But, more than anything, the medium is undoubtedly one of the most straightforward and universally intelligible mediums that I have come across.
As I speak of "development" and "social awareness", I think I should also mention that the comics I read were not those boring comics that no one ever reads. I presented a comparative analysis of Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes and Pat Brady's Rose is Rose and touched on lots of other popular comics since the early 19th century.
Has my thesis been beneficial to anyone or in anyway contributed to an understanding of the medium and how it can be used? Probably not. There is one untouched copy that has been sitting in my shelf for five years and another in my university library equally ignored, but my research was undoubtedly one of the most fun and rewarding experiences of my life. I remember when thanking my guide on the "Acknowledgements" page, I said "It took me 21 years to do something that has motivated me to learn more"
Despite doing a second Masters in Film and Video since then and working in the development field as a creative media designer for a few years now, I still think my love for comics has in some way influenced my career choices.