‘Devastation (Vidhwans)’ is a superhero and action-adventure story from Manoj Comics. It is written by Nazra Khan and illustrated by Naresh Kumar. It has been edited by Sandeep Gupta. The story follows an orphan boy who suddenly gains divine powers and becomes a superman fighting injustice.
Summary of the Story
The story begins with a very sad incident. An innocent boy named ‘Vishal’ is going in a car with his parents. On a stormy night, their car meets with an accident due to lightning and bad weather, killing Vishal’s parents. Vishal now becomes completely alone.
Vishal has two uncles. The first is ‘Jagudar Khoka’, who is a very noble person at heart and loves Vishal like his son. The second is ‘Doctor Shivana’, who is an evil scientist. Shivana’s focus is on Vishal’s parents’ insurance of Rs 5 lakh. He takes custody of Vishal through a legal battle so that he can use the money for his secret scientific experiments.
Dr. Shivana is a mad scientist who wants to bring some alien or demonic power from the black hole of space to Earth. He imprisons and tortures Vishal, but Vishal somehow escapes from his grip. While fleeing, he ends up in an old subway or basement-like place, where he meets a 5,000-year-old divine being named ‘Kabhum’.
Kabhum tells Vishal that he has been looking for a capable child for centuries who could inherit his powers. Kabhum hands over all his mental and yogic powers to Vishal. Now whenever Vishal utters the word ‘Kabhum’, lightning falls from the sky and he turns into the powerful superman ‘Vidhwans’.
The story goes on, and Dr. Shivana succeeds in his experiment. He frees the ancient devil named ‘Kakora’. Kakora threatens to destroy the world and hijacks an airplane full of scientists. This is where the war between Vidhwans and Kakora begins. Vidhwans saves the scientists with his powers, but Kakora manages to escape. The story ends with suspense, laying the foundation for the next part.
Analysis of Characters
Vishal/Vidhwans: The development of the main character is emotional. His journey from a scared child to a powerful warrior is exciting. Vidhwans is giant and muscular, symbolizing power.
Doctor Shivana: The main villain of the story. Greedy, cruel, and extremely clever. His character is like the classic ‘mad scientist’.
Jagudar Khoka: Symbol of morality and love in the story. His magic is just for fun, while Shivana’s science is for destruction.
Kakora: A fearsome and powerful villain whose powers are shown to be equivalent to Vidhwans.
Art and Illustration
Naresh Kumar’s portrayal is quite effective for that time. The superhero ‘Devastation (Vidhwans)’ is shown to be muscular and powerful, which attracts readers. The scenes of lightning and Vidhwans’ transformation have been brought to life. Some panels have slightly bright colors, but this was a particular style of the ’90s comics era.
Inspiration or Imitation from Foreign Comics? (Inspiration or Copy?)
When the story and characters of ‘Destruction’ are analyzed carefully, it clearly seems that this comic is inspired by—or rather an Indian ‘imitation’ of—DC Comics’ famous character ‘Shazam’ (earlier Captain Marvel).
Mode of Transformation:
Billy Batson in Shazam, a child, turns into a superhero as soon as he speaks the word ‘Shazam’. In exactly the same way, here young Vishal becomes the giant ‘Vidhwans’ by speaking ‘Kabhum’. During the transformation in both stories, lightning strikes and an ordinary child suddenly turns into a powerful adult superman. This similarity is so clear that it is difficult to call it a coincidence.
Mentor (Guru):
In the story of Shazam lives an ancient wizard, ‘Wizard Shazam’, who entrusts his powers to Billy. In this comic, a 5,000-year-old man named ‘Kabhum’ gives his powers to Vishal. In both cases, the Guru is a mysterious, ancient, and supernatural personality who retreats after giving power to the next generation.
Villain Name:
This is probably the biggest proof. Shazam’s main enemy is ‘Dr. Sivana’, while in this comic the villain’s name is ‘Dr. Shivana’. The name differs only slightly, which clearly points to imitation and raises questions about the story’s originality.
Source of Powers:
Both characters get their powers not from any scientific experiment but from ancient, magical, and divine sources. These powers are beyond the understanding of ordinary human beings and are directly linked to an old mystery or ascetic tradition.
Costume:
The costume of Vidhwans is also reminiscent of Shazam. The lightning mark on his cape and chest—which looks clear on the cover page—directly resembles Shazam’s costume. This similarity is not limited to just ideas but is also visible at the visual level.
This was common among Indian comic publishers during that period. They often portrayed foreign characters (like Superman, Batman, and Phantom) in Indian settings. ‘Destruction’ also falls into this category.
Dialogue and Language Style
The language of the comic is in simple Hindi, with Urdu and English words used in between. The dialogues are quite dramatic, which were liked by children of that time. Example: “Be careful, people of the world! Kakora is coming back to Earth after 5,000 years.” Such dialogues add both seriousness and thrill to the story.
Positive and Negative Sides of the Comic:
Positive Side:
The pace of the story is fast, which keeps the reader engaged. The emotional connection (the pain of parental death and loneliness) is well portrayed. Seeing the world from a child’s perspective and then becoming powerful gives wings to children’s imagination.
Downside:
Lack of originality. If you have read Shazam, you will not find anything new in it. In some places, the plot seems approximate. The sudden arrival of the villain ‘Kakora’ and the kidnapping of scientists could have been shown in a slightly better way.
Conclusion
‘Vidhwans’ is one of those characters in Manoj Comics that did not gain much popularity but initially raised hopes. This comic is pure nostalgia for those who read Hindi comics in the ’90s.
Although it is a clear copy of DC’s ‘Shazam’, the way it is presented in an Indian environment is interesting. Characters like ‘Jadugar Khoka’ add a desi flavor to the story. If you’re not looking for originality and just want to read an action-packed superhero origin story, ‘Destruction’ is worth a read.
Manoj Comics tried to show through this that they too could bring international-level superhero concepts to Indian readers. Today, while rereading it, we get a glimpse of the period when experimentation and inspiration (or imitation) went together.
