Book Review: Blind Eye, and Pineapple Cake by Aamir Rangwala, and Shirin Kekre

The cons of the word 'alternative comics' have always been that it gets dissected under the hands of academia who at times refuse to use the word 'comics' or 'graphic novels' to make it elusive.

Came across a Facebook post recommended by a friend about two young independent creators selling last few copies of their self-published alternative comics, so I got my copies of two short graphic stories called Pineapple Cake, and Blind Eye.

Blind Eye, is black and white, with a strict sense of paneling and a really scary story. It's about a boy who sells green dyed chicks to rich kids. For such a short story it touches upon multiple themes of poverty, child prostitution, drugs, cruelties and ingrained inhumanity of our species. The story is also filled with juvenile angst against the powerlessness of an individual in a selfish society.

Pineapple Cake, is set in the dark of the night, is colourful, has better control on the panels, strict but better put. I loved the quick narrative pacing of Now, 17 minutes ago, and 9 minutes later, has a beautiful impact on sense action. The story of a Taxi Driver who wants to buy the last piece of pineapple cake for his son was predictable but well executed. It had the effect of a satisfying dessert at the end of a meal.

Now, since these two books are self-published, they do not come with the fineness of an indie comics published by a publishing house. They have few issues of arrangements of sequences and editing, it is almost painful to watch that the books began from right folio, there was lacking in breathing space, and I think the glossy paper should be avoided. But as a reader, I advise overlooking these.

I really hope, in their next production Aamir Rangwala and Shirin Kekre will put their names on covers! The need of equality between creators is must especially in comics, but no matter what the creation, self-published or publication house production, a book needs names of it's the creator.

Of the two books, my personal favourite would be Pineapple Cake as the art and the story is balanced, and after a long time, there was a genuinely funny story that didn't try to portray its intelligence through overuse of words and layered nuances called influences.

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