“The comic book/graphic reading edition had a lot of new things… Shaktiman plays in the background. An evening starting with spice, coolers, and tangled wires.”
POCKET DIARY BOOK CLUB
MINUTES OF THE MEETING
YEAR 2024
07/12/2024, 8:45 PM
Edition No.: 43
Venue: Akshat Drama Group Studio
Facilitators: Meghna and Mitesh
Written by: Casey, with Mohit and Meghna
Edited by: Priya (Probably)
Prologue:
The evening started with spice, coolers, and many wires intertwined. Everything seemed to fall
into place. The comic book/graphic reading edition had a lot of new things, and it was all worth
it.
Shaktiman plays in the background.
Raunak, bright in his One Piece and Death Note merchandise, was totally the center of
attention, while I tried to recollect my calm.
Bharath reads Berserk by Kentaro Miura.
With much ado about compiling the PDFs, Bharath started the edition with the manga Berserk.
Before beginning his set, he mentioned how Berserk had inspired a lot of pop culture, like
Vinland Saga, Elden Ring, The Witcher, and many more.
Bharath’s explanation of the plot and the scenes was articulate.
“I’m telling you this for your own good,” said the protagonist, and Bharath mentioned how the
manga had detailed drawings while fanboying for a moment.
One of the greatest details mentioned was ‘The Protagonist Bias,’ where the story keeps the
reader wondering whether Guts is right, or if it’s his point of view that makes him the hero.
This reminds me of a conversation I had with Priya a few weeks before when we were spoiling
our good night’s sleep for Yellowface.
I tried sneaking out popcorn in the middle, along with coke in the dark room, which practically
made it look like a movie night. Thanks to Chirag’s movie creating experience for getting us the
projector popcorn coke combo!
Keyur reads – Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud.
The tablet was passed to Keyur, and it suddenly made sense that handling a Kindle while the
tablet was operated by someone else, was not the best option. The reader’s perspective was
better under his command. I instantly regretted my previous idea.
Coming back to Keyur, he was actually dressed up as the protagonist.
“What is comics?”
“Sequential art!?”
His comic book was actually a meta-comic, breaking the fourth wall at times. It was describing
the art of writing comic books, exactly.
“What space does for comics is what time does for film.”
“Presenting the presenter in a presentation.”
“HOLD ON!”
Prince reads Amar Chitra Katha.
The first thing that caught my attention was a massive ZZAP in black and yellow, reminding me
of how I have always perceived comic books.
The story was set in 1990, and the 10-year-olds back then were traveling 3990 years into the
past.
“Our grandfather found it here, at the ruins.”
“Ruins? Where are the ruins?”
Proceeds with a “BANG.”
“What was that?”
“Crackers.”
Technically, it was about inspiring people in the past to create something for the future, which
came from the future. Wait, what?
Paradox.
And the Beethoven Paradox or Bootstrap Paradox started to make its way.
Mohit says, it was called AMAR Chitrakatha, meaning it always existed.
Bharath adds, “It has never, not existed.”
Hillori reads Magus in the Library by Mitsu Izumi.
Meghna mispronounces it and calls it “Ma-goose,” while Hillori corrects her, saying “Meh-gus.”
Hillori also mentions that this work was different from the author’s previous work and was
more detailed.
“… Lies a fortune vast enough to rule the world.”
“Thus was born the first library.”
I imagine, if this is true, are we all descendants of the story, since we’re sitting inside a library?
Okay, I must not interrupt.
The boy was teased for his long ears, and he was trying to find a place in the library where he
wouldn’t be made fun of.
Rohan reads Archie’s by Ian Flynn (Archie Comics Publications).
The first one was Show & Tell.
“Bah! Who wants to do all that show-off stuff?”
“Me! I want to do all the show-off stuff!”
The second one was Double Your Pleasure.
“Nobody breaks a date with VERONICA LODGE!”
Aunt Agatha goes on a date with (Uncle?) Josh, and it’s a double date.
Anushee reads Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.
It spoke about the turntables in Iran during the Iranian Revolution.
“What do I see here? Michael Jackson! That symbol of decadence? No, it’s Malcolm X, the
leader of Black Muslims in America.”
How my Persian friends still describe Iran—it hasn’t changed much in 24 years since the book
came out.
“Lower your scarf! You little w#*re.”
How I’ve been told about the delicacies, the wide roads, and the cuss words of Iran by Iranian
women back in college—this read punched me back to the night outs with them.
I could taste the tea, sugar candy, and baklava while Anushee continued to read.
Back home, Marji lies to her mother about her encounter and starts listening to “We’re the
Kids in America!”
Persepolis is the old name for Persia, which is the old name for Iran.
Bhimayana—A story of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar through tribal art—was recommended.
Mohit mentions the rap song called Hijabi.
Gautam reads Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba.
Gautam begins with an explanation of the plot.
“But what if there is more than one person with the same name?” I ask.
Gautam explains, with no malice, of course, “If I take Keyur’s name and imagine his face while
writing his name in the notebook, he dies.”
“I am the god placed here to save the weak and create a perfect world. I am justice.”
Gautam then mentions The Republic by Plato. “I will imagine the world to be perfectly happy
today.”
‘The world is happy, Sisyphus is happy, so why are there so many fake smiles at the office?’ I
think, and keep that bit to myself to avoid thinking about Monday on a Saturday evening.
There are two definitions of justice: Are you Yagami, who punishes the evil? Are you L, who
believes killing another is anti-justice? Or are you Kira, who notices everything, laughs at
everything, and everyone imagines you to be happy?
Socrates says, “There is no such thing as justice; unjust things are defined on a case-by-case
basis.”
It was somewhere mentioned, ‘Democracy is a better structure because it’s much harder to
corrupt a group of people.’
Devyani reads Raman of Tenali by Anand Pai.
Brings in nostalgia from childhood as Devyani mentions these to be core memories.
“Before Rajguru could protest, Raman hosted him on his shoulder.”
Jay reads SAGA by Brian K. Vaughan.
Reminded me of the time I took to understand the sequence of pictures until Jay began to
explain.
The scene opens with the lady with wings delivering a baby.
Jay later explains that the lady with wings and the guy with horns are from different
extraterrestrial races, and the baby is the protagonist, with wings from her mother and horns
from her father.
The artwork is extremely appealing.
There are people with TVs instead of their faces.
“It takes someone you love to break your heart.”
There is a large Egyptian kitty and an extremely adorable otter in overalls.
“Because the opposite of war… is f***ing.”
Mugdha reads Tintin by Hergé (Georges Prosper Remi).
Enters Abhiraj after dinner.
Mugdha begins with, “I believe everyone has read Tintin as a child.”
‘I haven’t, I know things about it, and watched the movie too.’
Everyone gasps!
So, Tintin and Captain Haddock were visiting in search of Shank.
“Billions of blistering barnacles in a thundering typhoon! You did that on purpose, you gang of
bashi-bazouks!”
“क्यों जी? देखते नहीों हय सामने क्ा है?”
Raunak reads One Piece by Eiichiro Oda.
Blah-blah, very funny conversation—Mohit.
Insert “One can only start One Piece, there is no end to it” joke.
Raunak introduces all the characters, with the protagonist being the very famous Luffy.
Sanji is a chef, and he never denies food.
Chirag takes a picture of the Luffy bobblehead with Luffy on screen.
Everyone comes to know that Rohan is convincing Gautam to start One Piece, to which Gautam
responds with a partially understandable reason, which is scientific but also as long as One
Piece.
“I’m not the least bit afraid of getting hurt!! Take me with you on your next voyage!!”
“I WANNA BE A PIRATE TOO!!!”
Mohit reads Asterix the Gaul – Asterix Obelix by René Goscinny.
Asterix is the Gaul.
I ask whether the characters act according to their name. Everyone gasps again.
I accept that I have not read comic books.
Asterix is both for kids and adults.
Mohit had several realizations that he actually doesn’t recall things from when he read this. The
realization starts at the introduction of Cocofonix.
Mohit reads Ginandtonicus as ‘Gai-nehn-towni-cuss,’ and not, well, exactly…
“This ancient Roman game is played with one less chair than the legionaries.” Mohit randomly
bursts into laughter, “It’s musical chairs.”
Keyur suggests: The Wall from 1990.
The edition ends with Mohit reading the minutes, which he scribbled in the first place, cracking
a lot of jokes. It does not, and I repeat, does not include a ‘That’s what she said’ joke. No. NOT
AT ALL.
fin.