Review & Spoilers: MISTRY P.I. #1

MISTRY, P.I. #1

“” (24 pages)

Writer: Ashwin Pande

Artist: Arjuna Susini

Letterer: Aditya Bidikar

Cover by: Arjuna Susini

Publisher: Graphic India

Cover Price: $2^.99

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Darius Mistry is in hot pursuit of a perp through the streets of Mumbai. He is super-confident he can nab the dog-napper. For a young buck, he’s out of shape or bit off more than he can chew [natch!] The perp won’t give up that easily. Obviously!! He morphs into a man-spider and leaps on to a rooftop. Darius’ partner, a rock-made man easily takes him out.

Police Commissioner Kishorilal makes a statement to the press debunking the existence of supernatural beings. The big guy is named Amos. He is none too pleased that the Commish took credit for their efforts. He asks fellow officer Reena why he and Darius have been relegated to menial cases. Reena surmises that the general populace is far from ready regarding the truth about things that go bump in the night.

Dee and Amos head to the Underbazaar. Dee is most sure that something there will point them to the right direction of the missing dogs. Amos feels heavily discouraged. His love of old school detective movies doesn’t reflect the reality of the profession. He’s contemplating a career change. Dee tells him that something will turn up. They’re the only two P.I. (paranormal investigators) in town, making them fully qualified. When they resurface, they spot Rustogi the perp that they had just busted. They follow him. Andaaz, a female admirer of Dee’s happily greets him as he and Amos meander through the market. He hushes her and carries on. Amos points out the crush she carries. Dee isn’t that oblivious but detective work is priority number one. Rustogi has disappeared as the duo reach a dead end. An ominous voice addresses them and they are knocked out.

In the brief moment that Dee is under, he thinks back to his meeting with Amos. Secret origin time!! Dee’s father had brought him and his brother Alexander to Rabbi Amos for education and enlightenment. Hormuz, Dee’s father, is emphatic on awakening the Golem to defeat the overlord Ahrimaan. A red-skinned demon with black feathers towers over Dee. He desperately wants the secret knowledge Darius holds. The Golem appears, lunges at the demon, and saves Darius. A friendship is formed.

Wakey wakey. No eggs, no bakey. The mastermind behind their troubles is none other than Kishorilal, their S.O.(B.)!! Darius is half-right since the commish has been possessed by the demon Ahrimaan, making him a Two-Face template.

This is the big bad who murdered Dee’s father :0 Amos is hopelessly trapped behind an unbreakable, soundproof, magical glass cage. Dee is working on freeing himself while Ahrimaan rambles as villains are wont to do. The disappeared dogs come out at a snap of the fingers. They have been mystically enhanced. Ahrimaan has conconcted an injection that will bring about more unearthly creatures and give him complete reign over Mumbai. He still needs the word to control the Golem of Prague (Amos). Dee head-butts him and breaks free. Ahrimaan commands Rustogi to take care of the whelp and injects him, making him even more super-sized.

Dee’s mind is racing. How exactly to deal with this giant grostequerie? He brings out a vial of amrit. He splashes it on the spider-demon. Rustogi reacts violently and crashes into the supposed-impregnable prison. Ahrimaan casually states his displeasure. Amos busts loose and pounds the arachnid. Ahrimaan takes the rest of the injection and fully transforms. Poor Commish. He’s gone L The jig is up! All citizens can now see the big red demon. Dee rushes to Andaaz. He needs an enormous amount of amrit. There is a hefty price to pay. He agrees with no time to lose. She plants one on him. Dee is left spellbound. I’m glad that happened sooner than later 😉

The final battle. Dee opens a portal.

A female dog pushes him through while Ahrimaan has Amos in his clutches. The two make their way through.

Darius utters the word necessary to beat the snot out of Ahrimaan. He hurls the bag of amrit at Amos while the pack of dogs tackle him.

Amos takes out his frustrations on the Commish soundly beating him before forcing the liquid down his throat. Oversaturation. Ahrimaan violently releases it all. They are successful but the world will keep being ignorant. Nope! The media is out in full force.

Epilogue: an unspecified amount of time has passed. One of Ahrimaan’s former lackeys (the giant porcelain-faced figure) gives a sit rep to a man in black (with trenchcoat and sunglasses!) Mistry and Amos are now official P.I.’s with their business booming. The people now doubt what they witnessed. The monster serum is in mass production. The shady human states that once he gets the word, he can unleash his army of golems!!!

What’s in a name? Plenty!

• Darius – the third king of the Persian Achæmenid Empire.
• Mistry – common last name throughout India. It is Hindi for “carpenter”. Also, a pun of ‘mystery’. Duh!!
• Amos – one of the Twelve Minor Prophets.
• Rustogi – common last name. Villainous in origin?
• Kishorilal – the separated names (Kishori Lal) refer to a freedom fighter from Punjab who operated with Bhagat Singh and the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA).
• Reena – Hindi for “gem”.
• Ahrimaan – without the extra ‘a’ at the end: this is the spirit of evil in Zoroastrianism; arch rival of Ormazd.
• Djini – alternate spelling of the word djinn which literally is “hidden from sight”. They are invisible spirits who are good or evil and can possess humans if they so choose.
• Andaaz – without the extra ‘a’ at the end: a Hindustani word (both Hindi and Urdu) word meaning “unique style”; Andaz is also from the Persian andaazeh, meaning “size”.
• Kohinoor – actually spelled Koh-i-Noor. It means “mountain of light”.
• Rakshasha – demonic being from Hindu mythology. They are maneaters.
• amrit – The editor states that it is the “nectar of the gods”. For that, the actual word is amrita which is Sanskrit for “immortality”. Spelled as it is in the story, it is a common first name for Hindus. (2) It was an ancient Phœnician city near Tartus, Syria. (3) The name of a 1986 Hindi film.

3G: Dariu’s intentions for being a P.I. aren’t quite as inspirational or heroic “Becoming a P.I. might have been Amos’ idea but I wanted everything else that went with it. Glamour, guns, *sigh* girls…”

Worlds apart: Mumbai and Prague couldn’t be more different in terms of culture and mysticism. The distance between the two metropoli is 6,156.76 km (3,825.74 miles) and takes 10 hours and 15 minutes by plane.

High praise: “Yes, master. You are as ever the scorpion stinging the lion of hope.” – Mysterious female lackey

Noble savage: “You think that stone behemoth is alive, don’t you? It’s a machine created to destroy! A remote controlled killer! A toy!” – Ahrimaan

Cross-cultural: Darius mentions the following –

• the Manticore from Persian mythology
• Linda Blair, the possessed seven-year-old from The Exorcist
• Godzilla – Japan’s beloved lizard king. Actual name Gojira!

The rule of three: Darius invokes three separate spells from the Kohinoor Society to give him a major assist.

Graphic India is a fairly nascent company: two years old. It came on to the scene really recently with the publication of 18 DAYS #1 penned by Grant Morrison, released two weeks ago.

The history behind this publisher is an interesting one. Originally known as Virgin Comics in 2006, it was co-founded by Sir Richard Branson (synonymous with that brand), acclaimed author Deepak Chopra as well as Sharad Devarajan, Gotham Chopra, and Suresh Seetharaman (current founders of Graphic India).

A “management buyout” occurred in Sept. 2008 rechristening it Liquid Comics.

From there, GI came to be! I actually have a WITCHBLADE/DEVI DEVI/WITCHBLADE two-part crossover in conjunction with Top Cow from that year as well as SNAKE WOMAN #0-1, Nicholas Cage’s VOODOO CHILD #0-1 and Jenna Jameson’s SHADOW HUNTER #0-1 on top of whatever Free Comic Book Day samples were offered. Stan Lee has a stake in this company as well since he conceived CHAKRA, the INVINCIBLE. The latest number one comes out next week, coincidentally!

Ashwin Pande is still a bit green when it comes to writing comics. His Twitter account describes him as “Editor. Writer. Doer of deeds and things.” LOL He put himself in the spotlight for Bangalore Comic Con this past April. Mr. Pande composes a simple enough character in Darius Mistry. The young P.I. has an incredibly high blithe spirit. No matter what dark things he encounters with his faithful companion, he has a smile on his face and is gung-ho. He has unbridled optimism. Amos is an obvious contrast and necessary foil to the main star. Perhaps it’s due to his rock-hard appearance (as well as nature) that he be more grounded as well as cynical, doubtful, hesitant, and wary. He embodies the gentle giant archetype. He will only harm those who inflict harm on others. Darius’ age is undetermined but he is a young adult ready to make his mark on the world and contribute to society. The fact that he easily gets the girl in this first issue is a bonus. I’m sure they’ll be a follow-up. His innocence is not naïveté. He is not completely blind to the harsh realities of the world. Amos is his bodyguard, buddy, and fall guy. Dee’s orphan status has not embittered him.

Arjuna Susini does not have a profile on http://www.comicvine.com/ nor does he have a Wikipedia entry. *gasp* However, he does have a profile on Behance!! And he is featured on YouTube. Enough plugs!!! He is an Italian illustrator who has worked for ZumZum eBooks and he designed his own board game POSTHUMAN. He does triple overtime covering the pencils, inks, and colours. Mr. Susini uses a lot of natural tones to highlight the slums of Mumbai, coarse lines for the assortment of unworldly beings, and balanced bright pastels. I mentioned this in another review I’ve done this past week – WHAT IS IT WITH IMPOSING MALE FIGURES HAVING SMALL HEADS??? I simply can’t grasp that concept!! Amos has the appropriate physique but the neck and head are too slender! It makes him look less threatening (perhaps that is the intent). He doesn’t look comical but by the same token he doesn’t look commanding. Since I have no artistic ability, I suppose I cannot judge the perception.

Graphic India is slowly taking a foothold among the numerous funny books’ creators. Welcome!! I will praise them for their affordability J The introductory issue of 18 DAYS was only one dollar and written by one of the highest profile names of modern times!! This title has 24 pages with no ads for only $2^.99. If that’s not a bargain, I don’t know what it. Bravo!!

The editor has compiled some info on this brand-new book and its mythology. Have a gander:

There are also some whimsical reviews by fictional monsters aside from a real-life author.

Sneak peek for the second issue!

I’m going to have to master Hindu magic. In honour of that mystical art, I give this book eight mantras and tantras out of ten!