Abstract:

The essay is an explication of the creative process of creating a comic based on Bijon Bhattacharya's play, Nabanna. The comic was an attempt at a transmedial translation; while the script was in Bangla and meant to be performed, the comic is an abridged version in English. The objective was to examine the transformative potential and limitations inherent in transmedial representation. Originally performed in 1944 as part of Bengal's Indian People's Theatre Association's initiatives, Nabanna portrayed the struggles of people amidst the Bengal famine. In adapting this script of the play into a comic, the process essay looks at how the comic negotiates with some of the frameworks postulated by Will Eisner, where he highlights the intersections between performance and sequential art. The comic adaptation also includes creative reinterpretations in the strategic use of colour symbolism and selective omissions that underscore certain thematic elements. While not a performance, the comic engages in a 'mise-en-scène' in its process of combining text and image, thereby presenting a new system of signification.