Bangalore-based comic studio TBS Planet Comics has raised an undisclosed amount from a group of angel investors, including Startup Buddy founder Amit Singal and HuHuba Comics Reader founder Rohit Prakash.
Singal, who joined the board of TBS Planet as part of the recent transaction, believes comics are making a comeback in a big way and there is enough opportunity in the domestic market. “There have been a few very big players for a very long time who have introduced great heroes. It is time India created its own.â€
TBS Planet Comics, the publisher of paperback and digital comics and graphic novels, releases one new title every month across genres such as action superheroes, comedy, horror and mythologies. It has created seven superhero characters – Ved, Varun, Karma, Takshak, Yug, Dhwani and Prakriti.
The content is also available on an android app, and has been official partners for a number of Bollywood movies.
The company was founded in July 2016 by IIT Roorkee alumnus Rajeev Tamhankar, who had stints in Flipkart and Xiaomi before starting out on his own.
“We at TBS Planet are committed to bring fresh and interesting content for children. This funding round will help us move closer to our goal. Our investors come from varied backgrounds – while some have been founders of successful startups, some are seasoned professionals from leading globally-renowned companies such as Microsoft and Flipkart,†said Tamhankar.
“Comics is possibly the most important way to help a child develop reading habit. Comics are short and crisp and help them imagine while reading. The child can also learn new words. We are currently working under the guidance of some IIT professors on framing sentences in a way that can help boost the vocabulary of children and also in imparting interesting scientific facts,†said HuHuba’s Prakash.
Besides global giants, such as Marvel and DC, there are a number of Indian players in the graphic novel category, such as Orange Radius and Graphic India, who are trying to penetrate the market that is still at its infancy, but is maturing fast.
Bengaluru-based Graphic India, which creates comic characters and superheroes for digital and mobile platforms, had raised an undisclosed amount in May 2016.
Graphic India had earlier secured $2.8 million in seed funding from CA Media LP and Start Media, among others.