Download Project: Kalki by Arjun Gaind and Vivek Shinde (.CBR)

itzAmrit Comics, Ebooks

Project: Kalki by Arjun Gaind and Vivek Shinde
Requirements: CBR Reader, 51 MB.
Overview: Project: Kalki is a four-issue mini-series currently published by Virgin Comics. Created by writer Arjun Gaind with art by Vivek Shinde, it tells the story of the Kalki, the last Avatar of Vishnu, being created by an evil geneticist.

Image Image Image Image

Project: Kalki

    Arjun Gaind writer
    Mukesh Singh, Dean Hyrapiet cover
    Nilesh P. Kudale, Ravikiran B.S. letterer
    R. Gavaskar colorist
    Vivek Shinde artist
    Mariah Huehner editor
    Published by Virgin Comics, 2008

      In Hinduism, Kalki (Devanagari: कल्कि; also rendered by some as KalKin and Kalaki) is the tenth and final Maha Avatar (great incarnation) of Vishnu who will come to end the present age of darkness and destruction known as Kali Yuga. The name Kalki is often a metaphor for eternity or time. The origins of the name probably lie in the Sanskrit word "kalka" which refers to mud, dirt, filth, or foulness and hence denotes the "destroyer of foulness," "destroyer of confusion," "destroyer of darkness," or "annihilator of ignorance." Other similar and divergent interpretations based on varying etymological derivations from Sanskrit – including one simply meaning "White Horse" – have been made.

      In the Buddhist Kalachakra tradition, some 25 rulers of the legendary Shambhala Kingdom have the title of Kalki, Kulika or Kalki-king.

      by Timothy Callahan, Columnist/Reviewer. Thu, May 22nd, 2008 at 8:10PM (PDT)

        In 1874, an artifact is found — a tiny portion of remains from the god Rama. Over one hundred years later, Dr. Shyama Bhalla attempts to create a clone from that ancient DNA. As you might imagine, it’s not such a good idea.

        First of all, she’s working for a bad guy. It’s one of those Faustian bargain situations: he’s supporting her research, and she’s cloning an avatar of Vishnu. You can tell he’s a bad guy, because he’s got really gnarly teeth. Plus, he wears a fedora and trenchcoat. And he’s all shadow. And, he has red, mind-control eyes. He’s certainly a menacing figure, an evil being who was present at the original excavation back in 1874. He had no qualms about killing archeologists back then, and in the present he snaps a kitten’s neck without hesitation. He wants the clone of Rama for apocalyptic reasons.

        This comic is filled with religious overtones about salvation, but it isn’t burdened by them. It’s a pulpy story of mysterious characters, secret science, and the end of the world. Even if the themes are heavy, the pace of the comic isn’t. "Project: Kalki" #1 is a good first issue, intelligently scripted by Arjun Gaind and drawn in strikingly bold images by Vivek Shinde. This isn’t a fully-painted comic like "Ramayan: Reloaded," but rather a moody, Michael Gaydos-inspired visual narrative. It looks like an issue of Gaydos’s "Alias," actually, although with a heavier use of black. Mignola meets Gaydos, perhaps — not a bad combination from Vivek Shinde. Although the figures are somewhat stiff, such poses of the Rama clone serve the story. The character, hyper-aging a year every few days, might indeed stand with the awkward stiffness of a mannequin.

        The plot is simplistic, focusing on Dr. Bhalla’s attempts to create a clone from the Rama DNA and then her care and concern for the rapidly growing blue child, but the emotional subtext is strong. Gaind gives Dr. Bhalla some depth — she’s been in a wheelchair since she was young, and her loneliness has led to her devotion to science, but it’s also left her without the possibility for a child of her own. Until she cradles the infant Rama in her arms, she didn’t realize how much her loneliness had affected her. It’s a nice moment, and it sets up later plot developments as she realizes that she must protect this beautiful creature from what her evil benefactor has planned.

        I don’t know anything about the Hindu mythology upon which this series is based, but that doesn’t matter. Gaind and Shinde present their version of the story clearly and effectively. It’s not a heavy-handed "religious" comic book. It’s the story of a woman who has sacrificed too much to achieve what she has, and who may ultimately doom humanity because of it. And it’s the story of an innocent, a clone who seems able to channel the emotions around him and convert it into energy. I don’t think the character will don a costume and jump from rooftop to rooftop punching jewel thieves — his destiny is to be a greater hero, no doubt, although the path will be anything but easy.

        If you’ve been avoiding comics from Virgin because you feared they might be inaccessible to Western readers, you needn’t worry. "Project: Kalki" #1 is a good example of a mythological world that transcends geographic boundaries. It’s worth a look.

Download Instructions:
http://destyy.com/wKBBxO — Project Kalki 01 (2008)
http://destyy.com/wKBBxS — Project Kalki 02 (2008)
http://destyy.com/wKBBxG — Project Kalki 03 (2008)
http://destyy.com/wKBBxX — Project Kalki 04 (2008)




Leave a Reply