Devi (comics)
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Devi is the fictional character created by Virgin Comics, as part of their debut Shakti line, which focuses on Indian settings.
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[edit] Credits
Issues #1-#2 written by Siddharth Kotain, art and cover by Mukesh Singh, and colours by J Nanjan. Issues #3 onward written by Samit Basu.
[edit] Plot summary
In the second century of mankind’s history, the pantheon of gods took up arms against one of their own. Bala, a fallen god, had rejected the ways of the pantheon led by his father, Bodha, and sought to impose his dominion over mankind.
Bala's growing powers, fuelled by the forced worship of men, struck fear in the heart of the pantheon. Feeding off the forced worship of men Bala grew too powerful for the pantheon. So the gods each sacrificed a part of themselves to create a powerful entity - Devi. A fierce feminine warrior, strong as the gods themselves, she is reincarnated into the body of a human woman each time a great threat faces mankind. She is the champion of the heavens, and the protector of man. The first Devi incarnation defeats Bala, but is prevented from killing him by Bodha.
Now Bala has escaped from the celestial prisons and returned to Earth, older, wiser and even more dangerous. Spinning plots from the shadows, he has taken control of the sprawling city of Sitapur – a metropolis of slums and technology built on the ruins of the ancient city of Candaka. Somewhere in these ruins is the reason for Bala’s quest – a concealed vessel that holds the unimaginable energy of millennia of human prayers. It is called the Source, and Bala seeks to wield it to gain complete control over the heavens and Earth. It is up to Devi to protect the Source, and thus the gods and all of mankind.
Devi’s current incarnation is a young woman named Tara – a goddess like no other. A Devi in whom the human spirit, with all its contradictions and complexity, has not been eradicated, who is more than a powerful instrument of an ageing pantheon whose very divinity has rendered it remote from mankind and it’s doubt-ridden concerns. A Devi who is more than divine – the first true goddess of the people, and for the people.
Now Devi must heal the city of Sitapur, where the ancient and modern collide, where ancient forces with modern means play deadly games with innocent lives, and collide and collaborate in murky plots as they walk down twisting, shadowy paths. Her single ally is a burnt-out, alcoholic detective named Rahul who has long claimed to see the city’s demons, but has been dismissed by everyone because of his own dark demon-filled past. And Devi’s fascination for Rahul, her increasing desire not just to save humanity but to save him, not only to exorcise Sitapur’s demons, but to exorcise his, is what fuels and complicates her quest. This is not the story of the girl who wanted to be the Goddess – this is the story of a Goddess who longed to be a girl. This is the story of a Devi who cherished, above all things, her muddled, evanescent life as a human being.
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[edit] Characters
[edit] Devi
An avatar conceived by the Gods once again to stop the renegade God Bala, Devi is a sleek and sexy seductress who has been dispatched to the modern city of Sitapur on her latest quest. Now incarnated into a human vessel however, this Devi starts to discover a longing that none before her have ever experienced, the desire to be human.
[edit] Rahul Singh
A burnt out inspector in the Sitapur police force, Rahul has made a name for himself as being the hunter of vile things. As he tries to clean up the Sitapur underworld and uncovers and truly ancient plot, Rahul he comes face to face with a woman that could only be described as a Goddess.
[edit] Bala
The God who wanted it all, chased it, lost it, and now is after it again. Unhappy with simply being of the pantheon of Gods, and defiant of the Gods own code of righteous morality, Bala once rose but was brought down by the first Devi. But now Bala has escaped the fiery prison of Jwala and set himself up in the modern city of Sitapur with a new quest – to uncover The Source, a vessel containing the energy released by the timeless prayers of man to the Gods of Light. Empowered by this mystical relic, Bala would threaten all of existence.
[edit] Iyam
Bala’s immortal right hand man, Iyam is a loyal soldier that does both Bala’s bidding and his dirty work, wearing the guise of an unseemly gangster and roaming the decadent cityscape of Sitapur’s underbelly.
[edit] Kratha
One of the many characters of the Devi mythos, Kratha is an Apsara, a race created solely for the purpose of killing. She’s mean, she’s sexy, and defiant of the race of Gods whom she has little tolerance or respect for. Happy to provide her services to whatever able bidder, she finds her newest assignment has an added bonus – killing a Devi.
[edit] The Durapasya
A secret society that dates back to the days of the Great Battle at the dawn of mankind, the latest batch of Durapasya are charged with safeguarding the birth of the newest Devi. Once she’s conceived, the Devi finds in them the Durapasya instant devotees that covertly exist in the shadows, always willing to engage against evil.
[edit] Issues
[edit] Devi #1
Be a part of history! This is Virgin Comics debut issue.
The rapid decay of the city of Sitapur and its festering crime forged by the fearsome renegade god Bala has forced the divine pantheon to re-birth a fierce feminine warrior by the name of Devi!
Taking the form of a young city girl now cast as a "warrior of the light," the Devi finds her only ally is a burnt out detective whose made quite a name for himself as a hunter of the strange creatures that lurk the city's underbelly.
A modern take on a very ancient myth.
[edit] Devi #2
To combat a world corrupted by demons and renegade gods and demons, the forces of Light have reincarnated the fierce and feminine warrior called Devi. However, the odds of Devi just surviving her rebirth get a whole lot worse when the world’s deadliest assassin arrives in Sitapur to kill her! Inserted into this issue will be a poster by cover artist Greg Horn!
[edit] Devi #3
Inspector Rahul Singh makes an unholy discovery, and Tara's transformation into a goddess begins. Traversing the mystical realms, she walks the path of the Devi. Will she survive the journey, or will the assassin Kratha get to her first?!
[edit] Devi #4
Torn from the Devi ritual before it is complete, Maya must use her untrained powers in order to defend herself against the Apsara assassin, Kratha. Meanwhile, inspector Rahul Singh uncovers the secrets of Sitapur, makes the acquaintaince of true evil, and comes face-to-face with the woman who will change his life forever.
[edit] Devi #5
The gods unite to bless Tara and send her hurtling irrevocably towards divintiy. Meanwhile, with murder on their minds, the warriors of the light and dark assemble at a ruined temple where the Devi-to-be lies in a deep trance. Only two people want Tara to live - a failed policeman, and a lapsed priest. Can they save her in spite of the overwhelming odds?
[edit] Devi #6
It's been a month since Devi desappeared. In hiding, Tara tries hard to understand whether or not she wants to be a goddess or if she has a choice anyway. Meanwhile, Kratha launches a desperate attempt to break Iyam out of Durapasya captivity to help her finish what she started, and another power that seeks to shape the future of the world emerges.
[edit] Devi #7
Devi has her first encounter with Bala's forces, which leads to certain alarming realizations about the extent of her powers, and how she's able to use them. Liberated from Durapasya captivity, Iyam attempts to regain control of the Darinde, to win back his rightful place at the head of Bala's army, and teach Amara Gaelle a lesson or two in the art of skullduggery.
[edit] Reception
Critical response to Devi has generally been posetive, especially towards the artwork, which has drawn almost unanimous praise. The first two issues drew some criticism for lack of world development and cliché dialogue, but reviewers found these issues were resolved in Devi #3. In terms of sales, Devi seems to be the most popular comic of the Shakti line. [1] [2] [3]
