Chitragaatha Comics’ Vichitra Puraan is an anthology that steps into the strange, unsettling and unexplained, bringing together horror, science fiction, mystery and supernatural adventure.
The title itself prepares you for something unusual, and the book largely delivers on that promise. While some of its stories could have benefited from greater narrative depth, the anthology remains an interesting experiment, strengthened by atmospheric artwork, imaginative concepts and a particularly impressive final story.
At the centre of Vichitra Puraan is writer Gautam Yadav, who also handles the lettering. The interior artwork is by Spandan Gogoi and Sushil Sonare, with colours by Ujjwal Bhargav and Harendra Singh Saini. Together, the team takes readers through very different settings and situations while maintaining the strange, mysterious character that connects the anthology.
Behind Vichitra Puraan is also a story of persistence. Gautam Yadav faced rejections from several publishers before the anthology eventually found its home at Chitragaatha Comics. A significant part of that journey was publisher Anadi Abhilash, whose belief in Gautam and his vision helped bring the project to readers. Gautam himself has acknowledged that Vichitra Puraan might never have happened without Anadi Abhilash backing the project and giving a new writer’s vision the opportunity it needed.
The opening story, “Bhookh,” is a short but effective tale built around an interesting “tit for tat” situation. The concept works, the conclusion is satisfying, and the artwork successfully establishes the isolation needed for the story. At the same time, it feels like an idea that could have supported a few more pages. More about the astronauts’ journey, the reason they moved off course, their relationships with each other and the psychological build-up behind their actions would have made the eventual payoff considerably stronger. The positive side is that the premise is interesting enough to make you wish the creators had explored it further.
The next story, “The Delivery,” moves into another kind of disturbing territory. Its strange premise immediately creates curiosity around the driver and the mysterious delivery at the centre of the story. There is an unsettling quality to not completely understanding what is happening, which certainly works in its favour as a horror tale.
At the same time, the story leaves several questions behind. Why does this happen to the driver? Does the same thing happen during every such delivery? Why are these deliveries being made at all? Who brings the truck back afterward? Horror doesn't need to explain every mystery, and sometimes the unexplained is considerably more frightening. But a little more character backstory or contextual information could have made “The Delivery” feel more complete without sacrificing its mystery. Once again, the problem isn't a shortage of ideas; it is that the idea feels larger than the space given to it.
And then comes “Kupasya Param,” the story where Vichitra Puraan really finds its strength.
Longer and more developed than the preceding stories, Kupasya Param gives its characters and world more room to breathe. The mysterious teleportation incident is presented effectively, the strange environment immediately creates curiosity, and the action sequences bring a welcome sense of adventure to the horror and mystery. More importantly, we actually learn enough about the characters to become invested in what happens to them.
The response to Kupasya Param has also been particularly enthusiastic. One reader, who described having read comics since the age of four, went as far as placing the story above Anupam Sinha’s celebrated Mujhe Maut Chahiye in terms of their personal emotional response. They praised Gautam Yadav’s writing for delivering a story capable of leaving the reader deeply moved. Whether every reader makes the same comparison will naturally depend on personal taste, but such a passionate response says something important about the connection this story has been able to create.
Perhaps the most exciting thing about Kupasya Param is that even after finishing it, you want to understand its world better. How did the uncle survive in this mysterious place for so many years? Was he really alone throughout that period, or does another civilisation exist somewhere within this world? How did he know about the connection between the wrecked ships and the Bermuda Triangle? Was he a researcher before arriving there? How did he appear at precisely the place where the children were transported? Why does the guardian prevent people from returning? And what exactly is this place: another planet, another dimension, or something entirely different?
These unanswered questions can certainly be viewed as areas where the narrative could have provided greater depth, but they also reveal how much potential exists within the concept. Kupasya Param doesn't feel like an idea that needs to end with one anthology story. There is enough mystery, mythology and world-building potential here to support a much larger narrative. A future continuation could turn many of these questions into some of the story’s greatest strengths.
Visually, Vichitra Puraan is consistently appealing. Spandan Gogoi and Sushil Sonare’s artwork, complemented by the colours of Ujjwal Bhargav and Harendra Singh Saini, gives the anthology the atmosphere its stories require. Some panels are particularly effective in their use of lighting and tone. There are places where the visual storytelling could be refined further, but overall the artwork remains one of the book’s stronger elements.
Beyond the illustrations, Vichitra Puraan also benefits from a carefully developed visual identity. The title design has been beautifully crafted by Vivek Shashwat under the expert guidance of Piyush Kumar, giving the anthology a distinctive presence that complements its strange and mysterious character. Murshid Alam’s chapter covers are another highlight, creating striking visual introductions to the individual stories and giving each chapter an identity of its own.
The covers deserve special mention as well. The Hindi cover begins with Gautam Yadav’s concept, beautifully interpreted by Deepjoy Subba and given its final atmospheric colour treatment by Prasad Patnaik. Its unusual faces-within-faces composition initially appears simply surreal, but becomes much more interesting after experiencing the anthology. The multiple faces can be read as a visual representation of multiple strange tales existing inside a single book. What might initially seem like an unusual design decision therefore becomes surprisingly appropriate for Vichitra Puraan.
The English edition has its own distinctive cover, elegantly illustrated by Puneet Shukla and brought to life through the captivating colours of Minhaj Mahady. Giving the two editions different visual interpretations is a welcome decision. Deepjoy Subba and Prasad Patnaik bring one interpretation to the Hindi edition, while Puneet Shukla and Minhaj Mahady give the English edition its own personality. Together, they expand the visual identity of the anthology rather than simply repeating the same artwork.
The biggest limitation of Vichitra Puraan ultimately comes from its brevity. The creators have interesting ideas, but several of them feel compressed into too few pages. More space for character development, world-building and narrative progression could have significantly strengthened the first two stories in particular. Interestingly, Kupasya Param itself demonstrates why this matters: once a story is allowed more time to establish its characters and world, the emotional and narrative impact immediately becomes stronger.
That criticism should be taken as positive feedback rather than a dismissal of what the creators have achieved. There is imagination here. There is a willingness to experiment with genres and concepts, and there are worlds that readers genuinely want to know more about. The foundation is already present; allowing future stories more room to breathe could take Vichitra Puraan considerably further.
Ultimately, Vichitra Puraan really does turn out to be “Vichitra.” It is strange, unpredictable and occasionally leaves you with more questions than answers, but that is also a significant part of its charm. The stories may not all land with equal force, yet the anthology offers good artwork, memorable covers and concepts that distinguish it from a conventional horror collection.
And above everything else, there is “Kupasya Param.” It is the story that brings together the anthology’s strongest qualities: mystery, adventure, emotion, action and the promise of a much larger mythology. For some readers, it may be reason enough to pick up the book on its own. Vichitra Puraan may still have room to grow in terms of depth and narration, but as an attempt to give Indian comic readers something different, it is certainly worth experiencing at least once.
