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Fluid Friction to enter India with comic series DevaShard
The comic series will be launched in India in March and in the US, the UK, Hong Kong and Singapore in April
Fluid Friction, a Hong Kong based company specialising in comic design, will launch its first series of comics starting with the Indian market. The comic series is titled DevaShard and will be launched here in March. The US, UK, Hong Kong and Singapore markets will get them a month later in April.
Fluid Friction was formed through a partnership between Fluid, a design and marketing agency, and Zero Friction, an integrated entertainment corporation in Asia. The company has an in-house team of artists and scriptwriters who are involved in the creation and ideation process of comic books.
In India, the comic series is targeted at teenagers in the age group of 14-21 years belonging to the SEC A segment. The price of the comic books will be around Rs 250. The initial print run is around 2,50,000 copies. DevaShard will be a 25 book series, released over a period of 12-18 months.
An 18 month research study conducted by the company in the region indicated that the comic and graphic novel industry continues to flourish throughout Eastern Asia, while India remains a fairly undeveloped market. However, India’s rich history and culture provide an ideal opportunity for inspirational storytelling. India’s large population of youth could be another point of advantage for Fluid Friction.
There is rising global interest in Indian mythology and prominent comic design companies such as Virgin Comics, already present in India, have also been concentrating on Indian mythology. Some of Virgin Comics’ titles based on Indian mythology include Ramayan 3392 AD, Devi, The Sadhu and India Authentic.
Fluid Friction test-marketed DevaShard in India and it claims to have received an enthusiastic response in terms of pre-orders. According to the company, readers in India have found the storyline and artwork very compelling. Currently, the company is running a character design competition in India as part of its marketing initiative.
The deadline for all character design submissions is February 1. The winning artist’s creation will be featured in Fluid Friction’s debut comic series and at the upcoming CGF-X exhibition in Hong Kong. The company plans to adapt DevaShard to a gaming platform and as feature films in the near future. A soundtrack has been specially designed for the DevaShard title, which will be launched along with the comic series.