Corridor - A graphic novel

Graphic Novels are a growing phenomenon – emerging out of the shadow of cartoon and comic books building its own genre. A cartoon is generally characterized as children’s books or humorous satires both intended to bring laughs to the readers. The kids smile at the innocence, visual appeal and message, whereas adults smirk at the sarcasm, humor and hidden message. I have been a big fan of comic books since childhood, but now Graphic novels satisfy both the child and the adult in me. Giving me both interesting cartoons-characters and a life fiction. They are quick reads and a collector’s item too. This was probably the reason I picked up the graphic novel – Corridor.

The famous Connaught Palace Corridor in Delhi is the setting of this novel – with quaint characters walking in and out of the circle, meeting, conversing and discussing their stories and lives. Anybody who has lived in Delhi would be familiar with the Quack advertisements on the walls, the crowded CP corridors and the corner book stalls. They will definitely identify the book to the essence of the city and its people. But beyond that not much happens.

Some bizarre set of events thrown here and there to ensure interesting cartoon characters, drawings and humor in the scenes. The story shifts from one character to the another without a pause. You lose the track, not knowing who or what is being talked about and when. There are random topics and incidents explained creating a chaos of a story with an insufficient climax – making you feels as if the paper finished or the ink went dry. It is a good attempt at drawing cartoons and observing the city from by lanes and hearsays but not really at story telling. I would strongly advise the writer to spend some more time at the story and plot than the drawings and art. Whenever I read something which makes me wonder – whether I failed or the book - I only conclude ‘If you can’t convince them then confuse them’.

Wish to Buy Corridor