Saad Akhtar was the early bird in the webcomics game with his Fly You Fools!; The Testimonial Comics gives M.Tech student Nishant Jain (below) a welcome break from academics. Pic by Rupinder Sharma

For graphic designer Saad Akhtar it happened by accident. He was editing some pictures and in an idle moment, added speech bubbles to them. Soon, he began uploading his comic-style illustrations on the web.

Initially, Akhtar uploaded his webcomics on his blog and social networking sites. But today, he has his own website — www.flyyoufools.com. Each strip on the site — he only uploads one when he has something worthwhile to say — tells a new story. “It’s all about the content. Observation is the key,” says Akhtar.

Want a funny take on office politics? Or how about carving up the latest Bollywood blockbuster? It’s all happening out there in the world of webcomics as a bunch of caffeine-charged, tech-savvy observers of daily life are gunning to get their voices heard. And just as the Indian comic book business is going through a resurgence (see pages 6-9), a similar phenomenon is taking place on the web.

Consider this. Akhtar’s Fly You Fools! gets a cool 15,000 to 20,000 hits whenever it’s uploaded. Then, there’s the hugely popular The Vigil Idiot (it’s all about Bollywood) which has over 6,680 followers on Facebook. And they aren’t the only ones. You can also log on to www.theholycow.co.in or check out “the Karmic cycle of life” on www.geekykarma.com. Indeed, there’s a veritable explosion with an estimated 50 Indian webcomics clamouring for your attention.

“With an increasing number of people accessing the Internet, webcomics have become a convenient way to let off steam,” says Nishant Jain, creator of www.thetestimonialcomics.com.

According to the 31-year-old Akhtar who works for a job portal, webcomics in India picked up after social networking sites opened up a whole new way for youngsters to have their voices heard. Around then, the Delhi-based Akhtar launched his own webcomic. He took on the petty irritants of daily life from office politics to the Great Indian Wedding to news channels.

The Little Conversations of Zak and Zik is Arjun Chatterjee’s take on overheard absurdities and the little irritations of daily life Pic: Rupinder Sharma

Or, look at 23-year-old Sahil Rizvi whose favourite target is Bollywood. He likes to watch a movie, spot its loopholes and then completely decimate its every premise. It’s a technique that’s got Rizvi a fan following worth mentioning.

But how did it all start for him? “I started posting Facebook notes about the worst movies I’d ever seen,” says Rizvi — a freelance illustrator for Cricinfo.com, the popular cricket website. Then, in 2009 he started a website which now gets 1,00,000 page views a month. And while he’s not making any money from The Vigil Idiot, Rizvi admits that it gets him freelance projects with other websites.

A smart observation can do the trick too, as Jain, who’s originally from Calcutta, will vouch. Jain, who’s studying for an M.Tech in the Netherlands, launched his webcomic two years ago with a comic of a friend in stick figures. What began as a joke became so popular that he created a Facebook page for it.

Now, his simple stick figures, with their snide, observant and even touching commentaries on “life, Bollywood and rajma chawal”, can be found on www.thetestimonialcomics.com, which, on average, gets 1,000 visitors a day from some 50 countries around the world. His comic’s also got him some unexpected attention. When music composer Vishal Dadlani tweeted about Jain’s post on the Bollywood number Sheila Ki Jawani, the webcomic became an instant hit.

Clockwise from left: A panel from Sahil Rizvan’s review of Raavan; Arjun Chatterjee’s The Little Conversations of Zak and Zik and Nishant Jain’s An Open Letter to Sheila

“I use the comics to silence my existential crisis. Maybe one day, I’ll start making money off them and won’t have to pretend to do anything else,” hopes Jain.

Also, the online world provides much space for experimentation and constantly attracts new creators too. Like Arjun Chatterjee, the 23-year-old creator of The Little Conversations of Zak and Zik. He’s only three months and 50 posts old in the world of webcomics. His newly launched website www.zakandzik.com is already getting 3,000 hits a day.

Like the others, Chatterjee’s banking on the flexibility and freedom of the Internet to comment on culture and society. So Zak, who’s a free-thinking boy, and Zik, who’s a driven and motivated girl, talk about everything that catches their creator’s fancy. “The content can be more realistic without the threat of censorship,” feels Chatterjee.

Most Indian webcomics aren’t venturing into the fictional world of superheroes and fantasy — they’re more like pocket cartoons about everyday life. In most cases the illustrations are quite basic — the focus is on the content. Webcomics like www.theholycow.co.in, www.geekykarma.com and www.wastedwalrus.com are all cashing in on this trend. “The webcomic has picked up even more in the past year as newer people are turning to it,” says Akhtar.

But unlike international webcomics like theoatmeal.com and cyanideandhappiness.com, none of the Indian webcomics are making money. “Internationally, webcomics, which have a larger viewership, make money from merchandising,” says Chatterjee. “They sell their comics printed on mugs, tees and posters,” adds Akhtar. But that isn’t happening in India yet. Nevertheless, the freedom to vent their ire — and the dream to make some money eventually — is spurring the Indian webcomic creators. And it’s really not about money — for now it’s all about passion.