‘Anthony’ is a character in the Indian comics world who has always made a different place in the hearts of readers. A dead man who comes back alive just for his daughter—the idea itself is very unique and heart-touching. ‘Bereham(Ruthless)’ is one of those old classic stories in the Anthony series, which offers a great mix of horror, suspense and a little espionage. The story of this comic revolves around the mysterious deaths of school children and the art of a painter. The name ‘Merciless’ perfectly sums up the thinking of the villain of the story, who does not hesitate to take the lives of innocent children for his own sake.
Summary of the story
The story begins with a happy but slightly mysterious atmosphere. There is a drawing teacher in a school named ‘John’, who loves making children’s faces. He believes that the innocence of children is the best subject of his art. The first big twist of the story comes when John is drawing a picture of one of his students ‘Mili’. Mili is a perfectly fine child, but as soon as her portrait is completed, she suddenly dies after drinking water.
Here writer Tarun Kumar Wahi has increased the suspense in a very interesting way. Mili’s death does not seem normal at first glance. Doctor Johnny (who is a regular character in Anthony Comics) is shocked when he examines Mili. Instead of coolness, there is heat in Mili’s body, and the blood circulation also does not stop, even though her heart has stopped beating. This was absolutely impossible according to medical science. Mili’s death scares her best friend and Anthony’s daughter ‘Maria’ to the core.
This is where Anthony’s wonderful entry takes place. At the cemetery her father’s friend, Prince (Crow), tells her that Maria is in trouble. Anthony coming out of the grave and consoling his daughter is the most emotional part of this series. He promises Maria that he will definitely solve this mystery.
The story progresses and the needle of suspicion starts turning directly towards painter John. Even after Mili’s death, John keeps her portrait and also garlands her picture, which the other children consider a bad omen. John then decides to make another baby ‘James’ drawing on his birthday. As the picture is completed, James also dies suddenly while cutting the cake during the party. James’s death is exactly like Mili’s—the body remains warm and no clear cause of death is found.
The argument between Doctor Johnny and James’ father (Mr. William) shows a tension of science versus emotions. Doctor Johnny wants to conduct a post-mortem considering the entire incident as a medical mystery, while the father looks at it emotionally.
The real tension of the story begins when Anthony himself enters the investigation. He learns that the death of these children has a direct connection with those paintings. Any child whose picture is completed dies. Fear increases when next comes Anthony’s daughter ‘Maria’ herself. John is working on her portrait and Maria’s condition begins to worsen. Anthony arrives in time and the whole truth comes out.
At the end of the story it is revealed that the real villain is not John, but the school yoga teacher ‘Janardan’. Janardan wanted to sacrifice 11 children to get his own children, under the dictates of a Tantrik. He had secretly replaced the magical colors received from the Tantrik with the colors of John. As soon as someone’s picture was completed with those cursed colors, that child’s life would be captured in that picture.
Eligible analysis
Anthony:
Anthony appears in this comic in both a father and a protector role. His biggest specialty is his “duality”—he is a corpse, but he has more emotions than ordinary humans. His love for Maria is what makes him come out of the grave. In this story Anthony, despite his weaknesses (such as not being able to stay long during the day or being afraid of water), puts all his strength into saving Maria. In particular, when he realizes that water can wash off colors and save children’s lives, he is not afraid to use water, even if water is his worst enemy and harms his body. That’s what makes him a real ‘superhero’.
Maria:
Maria is the real heart of the story. She is an innocent child, who is devastated by the death of her friend. Her belief that “papa will come and fix everything” is the basis of Anthony’s survival. Maria’s character keeps readers emotionally attached to the story.
Doctor Johnny:
Doctor Johnny is the face of logic and science in the story. He is constantly worried because whatever incidents are happening go completely against science. His character gives the story a relatable and surreal feel, making the story not just look like a witch hunt, but feel like a medical mystery.
Painter John:
The author has used John like a “red herring”, that is, the story is written in such a way that the reader feels that John is the real villain. His different behavior, continuing to paint even after the death of children and becoming emotional quickly make him more suspicious. But in the end it is revealed that he was also a helpless person, whose art and emotions were taken advantage of.
Janardan (villain):
Janardan is the real hidden villain of the story. On the outside he is a yoga teacher, whom everyone trusts, but on the inside he is immersed in superstition and selfishness. His thinking of sacrificing others’ children to have his own child makes him the rightful owner of the name ‘Bereham’. His character shows how dangerous superstition can make a person.
Drawing and Art
Vivek Mohan’s hypothesis and Taiseef’s portraiture give this comic the identity of 90’s Raj Comics. Anthony in horror scenes looks scary and powerful as always—his blue-grey skin, scattered long hair and cracked eyes make him look like a real ‘undead’. Emotional scenes are also great, whether it’s Maria crying or John getting emotional after seeing his painting, facial expressions look very clear and effective.
Colors have also been used according to the mood of the story—cemetery scenes are in dark and sad colors, while school scenes look a little lighter and brighter. When it comes to “cursed colors”, the artist has made the danger feel great through colors and shading. In the action scene, the fight between Anthony and Janardan, and Anthony’s pounce from the sky, all of these are made very fast and full of enthusiasm.
Narrative-flow and writing
Tarun Kumar Wahi was adept at writing suspense, and ‘Merciless’ is a great example of this. The pace of the story does not seem slow anywhere. Mili dies early in the story, leaving the reader instantly lost in the story. The events then happen so quickly that it becomes difficult to leave the comic.
Dialogues are also very accurate—Anthony’s dialogues have depth and weight, such as—“Crimes will not end as long as humans stand on the ground of their selfishness.” At the same time, children’s dialogues show their innocence and simplicity.
The author kept this secret till the end—that how are children dying, is this a disease, poison or magic? And when later it turns out that the real reason is “painting colors”, it may seem a little filmy, but it fits perfectly in Anthony’s supernatural world. For this reason the suspense of the story remains intact till the end.
Main themes and social messages
Even though ‘Bereham’ is a superhero/horror comic, there are many deep social and human messages hidden within it. The story depicts the dangerous truth of superstition, where Janardan—an educated yoga teacher—becomes so blind after falling into superstition that he even kills children. This shows how superstition can spoil both human thinking and understanding. On the other hand, Anthony repeatedly comes out of his grave just for his daughter—it symbolizes his selfless and strong father-love. The clash of innocence and cruelty goes on throughout the story, where the name “Merciless” stands just opposite to the innocent world of children. On one side there are small children who do not even understand any evil, and on the other side there is a person who is destroying those innocent lives to fulfill his wish.
Critical Approach
Positive side:
The idea of the story (to know as soon as the painting was made) was a very different and fear-inducing concept from that period. It has a slight ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ feel, but it is presented very well with the Indian atmosphere and tantric elements.
Suspense is also brilliantly crafted—it was a strong twist to first get John doubted and then suddenly shock the reader by bringing the real murderer to the fore.
In the end, Anthony washing the painting with water shows that not every problem is solved by strength alone—understanding and wisdom are also required. Also, Anthony’s use of water despite being afraid of water makes his character stronger and emotional.
Downside:
The mix of science and magic can sometimes seem a little strange. Doctor Johnny constantly looks for medical reasons (like the example of a refrigerator compressor), but in the end the reason may seem a little unbalanced to science-loving readers, which seems like medical science has completely lost.
Janardan’s motive (sacrificing children to get children) seems a bit old-fashioned, as such Tantriks had these goals in many stories of the 80–90 era.
In terms of art, the backgrounds don’t look as detailed in some places, although this doesn’t have a huge impact on the main story and suspense.
Conclusion
‘Bereham’ is a comic in the Anthony series that every fan should read. It’s not just a story of fear and action, but it also has a great detective-style mystery. Anthony emerges in this story like a “silent guardian”—less spoken, but always doing the right thing at the right time.
This comic reminds us why Anthony is one of the strongest and most passionate characters in comics. He’s not invincible like Superman—he has his own fears, he has his own weaknesses (grave, night, water, Prince)—but his passion for justice and his love for his daughter make him a huge hero.
Final decision:
If you’re a fan of 90’s Indian comics, or like a horror-mystery genre, you’ll definitely love ‘Bereham’. There is emotion, fear, mystery and in the end the victory of goodness is also there—even if in a slightly scary way. Tarun Kumar Wahi’s powerful handwriting and Vivek Mohan’s artwork make it a memorable experience.
Rating: 4/5 Stars.
