Jambu: The Rise and Fall of India’s RoboCop Inspired Superhero in Comic Book History

When the Hollywood film “RoboCop” was released, it inspired the creation of many comic book characters with similar themes around the world. Various countries gave it different names and made several changes, presenting it as a comic book superhero to their readers. In India, an attempt was made in the form of Raj Comics’ “Inspector Steel,” which had a distinct appearance but a similar storyline that many readers believed was borrowed from “RoboCop.” However, before Steel, another superhero had already emerged, named “Jambu,” credited to the founder of Tulsi Comics and renowned Hindi novel writer, the late Ved Prakash Sharma. He ventured into the world of comics at the request of his daughters, as mentioned in his first comic, “Super Computer Ka Baap.”

“Jambu’s” first comic, titled “Super Computer Ka Baap,” depicted the creation of Jambu by Dr. Bhava. In the subsequent part, “Jambu Bana Bhava,” Jambu, at Dr. Bhava’s suggestion, transferred his consciousness into his own body, as his death was imminent. Removing the brain portion, Jambu became distinct from all other superheroes. Jambu possessed various powers, such as the ability to separate every part of his body and strike enemies in the air. He also had lasers emitting from his eyes, and his third eye emitted rays that could immobilize enemies.

After characters like Angara and Tausi in Tulsi Comics, Jambu became the character that caught the attention of the audience. When Angara, Tausi, and Jambu appeared together in a comic, fans embraced it enthusiastically. Stories like “Jambu Aur Angara Ka Yudh,” “Jambu Aur Tausi,” “Mar Gaya Jambu,” and “Jambu Ke Bete Ne Bikri Ke Mamle Mein Ek Kirtiman Sthapit Kiya” gained popularity. However, over time, while Raj Comics focused on enhancing the stories of their superheroes with illustrations, Tulsi Comics made no such efforts. Action in Jambu’s comics was not detailed, and the character’s face remained plain, contrasting with poorly designed faces of other characters. This led to a decline in interest, and people began to shift their attention to Raj Comics. Jambu’s last comic was released in 2004, and it was eventually discontinued. While Jambu was born out of experimentation to create a superhero, the lack of experimentation in his comics led to the end of “Super Computer Ka Baap.”