The Illustrated PEN is a weekly online series that aspires to be at the intersection of literature, journalism, and visual storytelling, where images and words come together in an ever-emerging and essential creative form. We’ll feature fiction and nonfiction graphic narratives, comics journalism and illustrated reportage, stories of social justice and personal stories that can’t be told through words alone.
This week, we feature an excerpt from the comic book Priya’s Shakti, a collaboration between poet and playwright Vikas K. Menon, artist Dan Goldman, and filmmaker Ram Devineni. The provocative story portrays an Indian female “super hero” who fights against sexual violence in a Hindu-inspired mythic reality. The comic’s creation was prompted by the December 2012 gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student in Delhi.
As part of the PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature, the creators of Priya's Shakti will be taking part in the event Priya's Shakti: Augmented Reality Comic Book and Exhibition on May 7, and Build Your Own Comic Workshop on May 5.
Priya's Shakti is part of an augmented reality (AR) comic book and exhibition. The comic can be viewed in its entirety here.
