Writer’s Corner: Bengaluru comic author Falah Faisal on how he got started, and what it takes to create a superhero

The first story arc of Musalman was drawn by an illustrator who goes by the moniker ‘The Artist Spud’, while the current artwork is done by artist Arun Prasanthen.

On the process and rationale behind creating a comic hero who is visibly Muslim both in name and costume, Faisal said, “A stand-up comedian friend of mine used to make a joke about how he looked like a Muslim Clark Kent (the secret identity of Superman). That made me think – what if there was a Muslim Superman? I do feel that growing up, Muslims were portrayed negatively in the media in the post 9/11 world. You didn’t have many good characters to look forward to and aspire to. I wanted to create something that gives the next generation of kids something to look up to as a positive role model as opposed to seeing ourselves as villains”. On these lines, he has come up with a whole array of characters and villains – from the martial artist Begum Badass to the villainous Taana Shah.

For all this, Faisal doesn’t let the comic take itself overly seriously, with a strong sense of humour and satire grounding the work – something that he attributes to the influence of shows such as South Park.

He added, “A lot of stuff that I watched in my formative years was satirical. I was also hugely influenced by Alan Moore and Grant Morrison (the former is known for comics such as V for Vendetta, while the latter created the cult classic Invisibles comic.).”

He also lists American author Kurt Vonnegut amongst his influences. Another factor that has shaped his work is the format he started out in. Faisal says, “Back in the day, Instagram gave you only ten images in which I had to include a beginning, middle and end, and a cliffhanger for the next episode. So I had to structure it based on the limitations of the medium.”

Another long standing creation of his, Falahdeen, is based on what he describes as Grant Morrison’s concept of “putting on a fiction suit, entering your own story, and influencing it from within”. Falahdeen, a roommate of the hero Musalman, is an irreverent take on the Aladdin tale, while also serving as Faisal’s avatar within his comic world.

Faisal views his character Musalman as a unifying force, written in a syncretic context, with elements of Hindu mythology cropping up in storylines. With regard to the occasional online troll who might be drawn by the title of the comic, he says, “I have had the opposite effect, where trolls are often converted to being a fan when they actually see the work.” He is also looking to put out a collection of the initial comics that describe the origin of the character in the form of a graphic novel titled Musalman Finds His Roots, via crowdfunding.

By way of advice for aspiring comic creators, he says, “Read, read and read. There is no substitute for reading comics to teach the visual language of storytelling. If you like a comic, try and make it your own way….do not have the anxiety about creating something completely original. If you have influences, feel free to do a homage to them. You will not know if it works or not until you put it out to an audience.”

Falah Faisal’s work can be found on his website https://musalmancomix.com/.