The Real Inspiration Behind the Story’s Concept
The idea for this story was inspired by a mining accident that occurred in Copiapó, Chile. The accident left 33 workers trapped underground for 69 days. Seeing their mental and physical changes, writer Anupam Sinha wondered how humans would change if they remained underground for centuries instead of just a few days. From this thought arose the idea of beings living in darkness—the ‘Negatives’.
Brief Summary of the Story
The story begins with an attack by mysterious shadows on an ocean liner named ‘Claudia’. Five amazing shells discovered among the remains of the ancient Maya civilisation, called Dark Spheres, are being brought to India aboard this ship. These spheres have the power to completely absorb the sun’s energy and light.
In the depths of the Earth lies a dark world named ‘Talakshetra’. Here, humans who remained buried underground for centuries have transformed themselves according to the heat of the lava and the darkness, becoming ‘Negatives’. These creatures live in shadows and cannot tolerate bright light. Andhaman, the brutal commander of Talakshetra, captures the five Dark Spheres.
At the same time, five powerful satellites are about to be launched simultaneously into space from Sriharikota, India. Andhaman and his army install the Dark Spheres in these satellites. Their plan is to spread such darkness from space across the entire Earth that all humans are forced to become slaves of the Negatives.
During this conspiracy, the dark energy of the Negatives takes control of the minds of the superheroes Tiranga and Doga. Both lose their senses and become Andhaman’s puppets.
The story then unfolds on three major fronts:
• Nagraj’s Front: Nagraj goes to Talakshetra and directly fights the armies of Andhaman, Kaalsarpam and Andarka.
• Parmanu’s Front: Parmanu travels into space and tries to break the dangerous network of satellites.
• Dhruv, Chandika and Lori’s Front: The three begin working to stop the terrorists’ conspiracy on Earth and find a cure for the Negatives infection.
Finally, Dhruv discovers that a special bacterium is responsible for humans becoming Negatives. The antibiotic powder used to disinfect the satellites can eliminate this bacterium and the dark energy. After this, all the protectors use their powers and wisdom to save the Earth from being plunged into darkness forever.
Information About the Major Characters
Nagraj
When darkness begins to affect Nagraj because of Yamini, he confronts dangerous enemies such as Andhaman and Kaalsarpam with the help of his microscopic snakes, shape-shifting powers and venomous attacks. He descends into Talakshetra and directly challenges the forces of darkness and their laws.
Super Commando Dhruv
Dhruv has no magical or supernatural powers. Yet, through his sharp intelligence, detective skills and scientific understanding, he discovers the greatest weakness of the Negatives. He discovers that a bacterium is responsible for the transformation into Negatives and that it can be eliminated with antibiotic powder.
Parmanu
Parmanu flies into space with the power of his belt. When the satellites connected to the Dark Spheres begin absorbing the Earth’s light, Parmanu himself becomes an electrical conductor and short-circuits them. His action proves to be extremely important in stopping Andhaman’s plan.
Tiranga
Tiranga is a patriotic superhero who fights with his national shield and the Ashoka Chakra, the symbol of justice. A dark shadow takes control of his mind in the early part of the story. After this, he loses control of himself and begins attacking his own comrades and the police.
Doga
Doga is a tough and fearless protector of Mumbai. He throws himself into a diesel fire to create a ‘sun’ and save a train carrying satellite parts. Later, the dark energy also takes control of his mind, and he becomes violent towards Dhruv and Chandika.
Villains and Opposing Forces
Andhaman
Andhaman is a cruel commander and the self-proclaimed ruler of Talakshetra. He was once the leader of 75 labourers who were buried in a deep Venezuelan mine. After the death of King Andhaka of Talakshetra, he seized control of the kingdom. His goal is to turn every human being into a slave of the Negatives by eliminating sunlight from the entire Earth.
Yamini
Yamini is the daughter of Andhaka, the rightful king of Talakshetra, and the legal heir to the kingdom. Sometimes, she traps Nagraj with her words, while at other times, she uses him for her personal gain. Even Nagraj is unable to fully understand her schemes until her true intentions are revealed.
Kaalsarpam
Kaalsarpam is a huge, shape-shifting and demonic snake living in Talakshetra. The black poison released through his breath can take away a person’s eyesight. His body is so powerful that he can easily withstand even Nagraj’s venomous attacks.
The Shadow Gang and the Negative Creatures
These are dangerous creatures that live in and emerge from shadows. Their bodies are unaffected by ordinary bullets and physical attacks. They can also spread the Negatives infection into human bodies simply by touching them.
Supporting Characters
Chandika, Also Known as Shweta
Chandika enters the space centre, control room and terrorist hideouts and saves the scientists. She becomes Dhruv’s most important ally in this mission.
Lori
Lori is a Tantric heroine who brought the Dark Spheres from the Maya civilisation. She confronts the shadows of the Negatives with the help of her Tantric chakras and mantras.
Dada Vedacharya and Bharati
At Vedacharya Dham in Mahanagar, Dada Vedacharya predicts the arrival of terrible darkness through his magical Kalapatra. He later uses his magical axis to help Parmanu, who is trapped in space.
Keshini
Keshini is a loyal Negative agent of Andhaman. Later, she begins to struggle between her loyalty and the doubts arising in her mind.
The Story’s Secret Lies in Its Connection to the Comics Universe
‘Negatives’ is a complete story in itself, but it is also connected to other important stories and special issues in the larger timeline of Raj Comics.
The Situation Before This Story
‘Negatives’ was introduced as the major multistarrer special issue of ‘Sarvanayak Year 2012–13’. Earlier, Anupam Sinha had completed long comic series such as ‘Nagayan’.
‘Fighter Toads’ and ‘Rajnagar Mayhem’ developed the idea of a ‘Universe Protector’ team after bringing Dhruv and Nagraj together. ‘Negatives’ featured this team and its different heroes on such a large scale for the first time.
Major Comics That Came After This Story
• Sarvanayak Series: ‘Negatives’ was followed by the main Sarvanayak saga, ‘Sarvanayak: Ek Yug…Yuddh Ki Ore’. ‘Zeitgeist’ and then ‘Zeitgeist’ were subsequently published.
• Super Commando Dhruv Series: The exciting special issues that followed in Dhruv’s series included ‘Maximum Security’ and ‘Aladdin’.
• Nagraj Series: Nagraj’s new epic begins with ‘Narak Nashak’. It presented the story of Nagraj becoming the destroyer of hell and the history of Kautilya Nagmani.
• Parmanu and Dhruv Multistarrer: A multistarrer special issue titled ‘Last’ was also introduced, bringing Parmanu and Super Commando Dhruv together.
Review of Anupam Sinha’s Vision and Art
Drawings and Panels
Anupam Sinha’s artwork in this long story is fantastic. Scenes such as the enormous ocean liner, the explosion on the train and the major battle between Nagraj and Andhaman make the story visually grand. Speed and depth are clearly visible in every action panel.
Equal Opportunity for All Heroes
It is extremely difficult to give an important role to every superhero in a multistarrer story. If Dhruv had been included in the story from the beginning, the entire narrative could have revolved around him because of his intelligence. Therefore, he was introduced in the middle of the story. This also gives Tiranga, Doga, Lori and Parmanu a full opportunity to demonstrate their powers and abilities.
Combination of Science and Magic
This story brings science and magic together. On the one hand, it features scientific elements such as space, satellite frequencies, coding and bacteria. On the other hand, it also includes Dada Vedacharya’s Kalapatra and Lori’s Tantric mantras. These two different worlds are intertwined in the story in such a way that they do not appear separate from each other.
Conclusion
The Raj Comics special issue ‘Negatives’ is an important story in the history of Indian comics. It demonstrates that the perfect combination of scientific thinking, mythological mysteries, magic and superhero drama can keep even a long story exciting from beginning to end.
This comic is not only a large and complete superhero story but also serves as a strong gateway to Raj Comics’ massive crossover saga, ‘Sarvanayak’. The roles of different superheroes, dangerous villains, a large-scale crisis and science-based solutions make ‘Negatives’ a memorable multistarrer special issue.
Description of the Comic and Editorial Credits
• Name of the Comic: Negatives
• Issue Number: 2527
• Series: Sarvanayak Year 2012–13 multistarrer special issue
• Price: ₹200
• Story: Nitirang—Jolly Sinha and Anupam Sinha
• Artwork: Anupam Sinha
• Inking: Vinod Kumar
• Computer Effects and Colours: Abhishek Singh
• Calligraphy: Jeet and Mandar
• Editor: Manish Gupta
• Founders: Manoj Gupta and Raj Kumar Gupta
• Presentation: Sanjay Gupta
• Story Length: The main illustrated story is approximately 156 pages long
