Retelling Goddesses: The Devi Graphic Novels of Virgin Comics

This paper discusses the mythologies and iconographies of Hindu goddesses such as Durgā, Kālī, and Śakti as they are presented in one popular graphic novel series—Shekhar Kapur’s Devi (Virgin Comics, 2006-8). How does the Devi series—which is explicitly aimed at a global audience—transmit, popularize, (re)interpret, and consolidate earlier understandings of these goddesses? What methods of storytelling and visualization are used to reach audiences who have little or no prior knowledge of Hindu goddess narratives? And how have these strategies landed with audiences? In addressing these issues, we explore how Hindu goddesses’ fights against demonic (male) forces are blended into contemporary urban settings, how the novels are marketed through celebrities (Shekhar Kapur, Priyanka Chopra), how the novels’ central figure is portrayed as an affectionate, reflective, “all-too-human Goddess,” and how audiences have responded to the novels in reviews and other forums of public discourse.