Vimanarama

Synopsis

It is the story of Ali, a young British Asian man awaiting the arrival of his unseen arranged marriage. A baby in his family accidentally opens a path to the centre of the Earth, unleashing ancient monsters hell-bent on destroying the world. Only the Ultra-Hadeen, a team of ancient and somewhat naive superheroes, can stop them.

Ali also must deal with several personal family crises, most of them influenced by the presence of the super-beings.

Influences

The story is a Jack Kirby-like (in particular his ancient astronaut series The Eternals) take on ancient Indian tales, for example the Vedas (a vimana as a flying plane, for example) and Mahabharata. It also has an Arabian Nights-style romance mixed with a large dash of psychedelia and general oddness.

Morrison has said that the idea arose after 9-11 when his research into Islam led him on to the ancient epic tales of India and some of the more speculative theories of people like David Hatcher Childress. He states: "I just liked the idea of taking all the pomp and high holiness of one of the world's great religions...and turning it into a Jack Kirby comic."

Reception

"Forget Superman, Wonderwoman and even the Incredibles. The new kid on the block is a teenage Muslim from Bradford, where his father runs a successful chain of corner shops. [It’s] a ripping yarn, with Ali and Sofia discovering a subterranean world beneath Bradford when a crate of Turkish delight cracks open a hidden entrance in one of the family's shops." - The Guardian

"As I read Vimanarama, I laughed out loud several times and was taken in by the infectious sense of wonder that Morrison and Bond have created. [It] sounds like the kind of thing that couldn't possibly work, but with these talented creators at the helm, it definitely does. 10/10" - The FourthRail.com

"Grant Morrison is a genius. Why, you ask? Because Vimanarama is one of the most original things you will ever read." - Paperback Reader.com

"With a rich tapestry of illustrations and backing from industry veterans, Vimanarama offers the long awaited arrival of Asians into the world of comic publications." - AsiansInMedia.org

"This is exactly the kind of thing that got me into comics in the first place. It's bright, it's imaginative, it's fun, and it's intelligent." - Comics Bulletin

"Vimanarama is just fun, pure and simple. If Morrison wanted to just write mini-series like Vimanarama for the rest of his life, and get artists as good as Bond to draw them, I'd cheerfully buy them all. If you want something that's going to make you grin from start to finish, look no further." - iComics.com

"A mix of gentle comedy drawn from the family, and deranged epic hugeness. The contrast is ridiculous which, of course, is the point. Rating: A" - TheXAxis.com

Publications

Released in three parts, starting in February 2005, Vimanarama was subsequently collected into a single volume that was released in January 2006: