The Potential of Sri Lankan English Comics

Comic books are a popular form of entertainment throughout the world offering stories in a variety of

styles and genres. As a Sri Lankan who enjoys comic books, I would like to see Sri Lankan English

comics. Sri Lanka has had comics for some time, but there are only a few comics in English. Sri

Lankan English comics are slowly starting to emerge. In this article I am listing types of English

comics I’d like to see Sri Lanka produce.

Social Commentary

There could be social commentary on issues facing Sri Lanka. Examples of this include both the

good & bad of social media, the problems of crime, the cost of living problems, bribery & corruption,

issues of discrimination, the rule of law or the lack of it, the lack of road discipline among others.  

History

Stories of Sri Lankan history could be featured in graphic novel form. History could range from
prehistoric stories such as tales of Sri Lankan Kings to 20th century events such as the story of Sri

Lanka’s independence. There also could be fictional stories set in the past.

Politics

When it comes to political stories, one story I’d like to see is a political hero. It would be a story of a

minister who is one of the good politicians with integrity. This politician is not pleased with the

existing political culture Sri Lanka has and takes steps to improve it discreetly in order to protect his

or her job. This character would prevent corrupt persons comprising politicians, public servants,

business people or ordinary people from carrying out their plans. Another thing this hero would do is

expose corrupt politicians and public servants resulting in them getting out of office.

Humour

Sri Lankan comics offer potential for humorous stories showcasing Sri Lankan humour. A famous

brand of Sri Lankan jokes are Udurawana jokes. These jokes are about a Sri Lankan who doesn’t

know English very well. Udurawana jokes could be presented in comic strip form.   

Graphic Novel Adaptations

When it comes to graphic novels, there could be graphic novel adaptations of successful Sri Lankan

novels, including those which originated in Sinhalese, Tamil and English.

Superheroes

As superheroes are popular, I think Sri Lankan English comics have an opportunity to feature Sri

Lankan superheroes. I think villains superheroes could take on include the underworld and corrupt

politicians, businessmen & public servants.

As a sci-fi fan, I would love to see Sri Lankan sci-fi superheroes. Sci-Fi superheroes could be those

without superpowers who become superheroes with a tech-supersuit that does amazing things.
Another type of sci-fi superheroes are those who obtained superpowers via contact with technology or alien life forms. This goes into my next type of comic, that being sci-fi.

Sci-Fi

Sci-Fi is the type of comic I’d most like to see. Sci-Fi is perfect for comic form as it allows the

comic artists to draw creative and enjoyable imagery. Sci-Fi is at its best when it discusses the human condition. Sri Lankan sci-fi comics could discuss the human condition and of course Sri Lanka & its society.

There could be stories set in the future offering two possibilities which are:

• A dark future showing us where we as a country do not want to go to.

• An optimistic future showing us where we as a country wish to be. 

Another option is an alternate version of the present which could go in all sorts of different ways.

• An alternate universe Sri Lanka which is worse than our current setup. This would show us where we as a country do not want to go to.

• An alternate universe Sri Lanka which is better than our current setup. This would show us where we as a country wish to be. 

• An alternate universe Sri Lanka which is neither better nor worse but simply different.

Some Sri Lankan sci-fi stories which could be featured are aliens landing in Sri Lanka (It could be in

an open way or where only a small number of people get into contact with the aliens), a Sri Lankan

inventor inventing a new piece of technology and its implications for Sri Lanka (and possibly the

world), time travel stories which go to the past and/or future, a Sri Lankan or group of Sri Lankans

travelling into space set in the present or the future.

International Themes

There a number of international themes which could be featured. Some stories could deal with Sri

Lanka’s relationship with the outside world. An example of this is a story about a Sri Lankan

Ambassador to the United Nations. There also could be adventure stories with heroes based in Sri

Lanka who travel the world and also have adventures where their friends from overseas come to

visit them.

Many Sri Lankans have good knowledge of the world, so we can use our international knowledge to

write stories set in other countries. This would be examples of comics made in Sri Lanka appealing

to a global readership.

Export Product

When it comes to comics printed and/or published in Sri Lanka, they could be an export product that

generates revenue for the country. They would be read by Sri Lankans around the world as well as

people native to other countries.

Unity

English speaking comics would have an opportunity for unity. These would be Sri Lankan stories in

English showing Sri Lankan characters dealing with both common Sri Lankan and universal themes

enabling it to appeal to Sri Lankans of different ethnicities.

Final Thoughts

We can look to both American and European comics as influences. It’s worth noting that comics

could also have combinations of some of the different types I mentioned above. An example is the

Belgian comic The Adventures of Tintin. Tintin is an adventure comic that is also a comedy which

goes around the world. It has also delved into other genres throughout its course which include

mysteries, spy stories and sci-fi. I would like to see a Sri Lankan version of The Adventures of Tintin.

We should also create some comics that are unlike any comics created elsewhere in the world.

I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on the potential of Sri Lankan English comics where I gave different

types of Sri Lankan English comics that can be created. I would enjoy hearing others give their

thoughts on Sri Lankan comics they’d like to see.