In the golden era of Indian comics, where Raj Comics, Diamond and Manoj Chitrakatha dominated, ‘King Comics’ also made a special place in the hearts of the readers with its different types of stories and interesting characters. King Comics stories were usually a fun mix of detective, science fiction, and fantasy. The presented comics “Dragon” is a great example of this. This story is the story of the combined horrific experiments of a mad scientist, a human being, an animal and the courage of two brave spies.
Storyline
The background of the story is in ‘Himphal’, the capital of ‘Swarashtra’. As soon as the darkness of the night falls, an atmosphere of fear is created in the city. Some strange and scary creatures—which look like half human and half animal—are kidnapping people. These creatures are so powerful that they do not seem to be within the power of the common police. In just seven days, more than 200 people are kidnapped, which worsens the condition of the administration and police commissioner Gargi.
To deal with this dreadful situation, Security Minister Rajnath calls the most capable spy of the National Security Squad, ‘Raj’. Raj is a fearless and sharp-minded hero, who is given the responsibility of solving this mystery and bringing out the truth behind these kidnappings.
The real opponent of this story, on the other hand—Dr. Dragon. He conducts his dangerous experiments in a secret lab in the dense forests of ‘Bitora’. Dr. Dragon is a mad scientist whose motive is to challenge the laws of nature. He procures the brains of the kidnapped people through his companion Hichhak. Dr. Dragon’s use is very scary—he is applying the human mind to the bodies of wild animals. He believes that if the human mind and the power of animals come together, he can create a slave army that will establish his rule over the entire world.
When Raj leaves to investigate, he encounters these strange creatures. The story takes a big turn when Raj confronts ‘Sheru’—a lion with a human brain inside him. Raj and Sheru fight, the bike bouncing in the air, and both challenging each other—these scenes are one of the most exciting moments of the comics.
Raj is not alone in this mission; he gets the support of another powerful companion named ‘Baxar’. Baxar is also a skilled spy of the National Security Squad. Together, they attack the dragon’s ‘Dragon Tower’. There they encounter Hichhak, Dr. Dragon’s mutants created by him and ultimately a giant mechanical/organic dragon.
Character analysis
Raj (hero):
Raj is the main hero of this story. He is shown like a classic action star. He is not only strong and powerful, but also sharp minded and expert in taking quick decisions. His blue-red costume in the cover and inside pages of the comics gives him a superhero look. His bike-lifting scene during his fight with Sheru shows his true strength and makes him stand apart from ordinary humans.
Dr. Dragon (villain):
Dr. Dragon is a great example of a mad scientist from the ’80s–’90s. His look—bald head, long hair on the sides, and beard—gives him a dangerous and clever villain-like appearance. He is extremely cruel and does not understand the value of human life. His dialogue—”If my experiment is successful, we will be able to get the animals to do whatever we want”—clearly shows his bad thinking and crazy ambition. He uses his intelligence only for destruction and power.
Boxer (associate):
The Boxer’s entry fills the story with new enthusiasm. As his name suggests, he is famous for his strong boxing and physical strength. Whenever Raj gets into trouble, whether during a fight with Sheru or after falling down into the Dragon Tower, the Boxer saves him. Raj and Boxer’s pair—‘Batman–Robin’ or ‘Pole–Blackcat’—looks like a perfect team.
Hiccup:
He is Dr. Dragon’s most trusted henchman. He is not just a command-abiding servant, but is also very clever and ruthless. Hichhak smuggles people’s minds out of greed for money. He also has a gadget like ‘Sprint Spray’, which instantly brings unconscious people to their senses.
Bizarre creatures (Mutants):
The most unique and memorable characters of the comics are the same animals inside which the human mind is inserted—especially ‘Sher’ (sher–human) and ‘Hawz–human’. These characters are a strange mix; both create fear and sympathy. Because they are not of their own free will, but under compulsion, Dr. Dragon is enslaving them.
Drawing and art
Color combination:
Bright colors have been used well in the comics. Yellow, blue and green colors are often seen in the background. Even in night scenes, colors have been used in such a way that the characters look clear and the atmosphere also looks scary.
Action Scene:
The action scenes have been made very fast and lively. Like on pages 10 and 11, when Sheru picks up the bike and Raj tosses it in the air—the true movement is felt in these panels. Sound words like “Dhadam”, “Tadak”, “Gurrr” are written in big bold letters, which further increases the effect of the action.
Character Design:
Dr. Dragon’s hybrid creatures—like six-handed monster, rhinoceros–human, and giant dragon—their design is quite imaginative. These are as scary for children and teens as they are interesting.
Story highlights and themes
Misuse of science:
The biggest message of the story is how dangerous the consequences can be when science is used in the wrong direction and moral boundaries are broken. Dr. Dragon’s idea of ‘brain transplant’ may sound like science, but in reality it is a very disgusting and fear-inducing experiment. This thing is reminiscent of the story of ‘Frankenstein’, where the creator himself suffers destruction with his creation.
Mystery and adventure:
Writer Mahesh Dutt Sharma has created such an atmosphere of mystery since the beginning of the story that the reader wants to know, “Who is taking people away in the darkness of the night?” This question forces the reader to read further continuously.
Climax (Climax):
The story ends in a bang battle with a giant dragon. When the bullets and the rest of the weapons do not affect him, the Boxer shows his sanity and traps the dragon’s tail in its own jaws. This method may seem a bit filmy, but according to the comics it is completely fun and entertaining.
Cliffhanger (Cliffhanger):
Finally, when Dr. Dragon falls into the water and shouts—”I will come again Boxer! I will come again!”—it clearly shows that evil does not end so quickly. On top of that, the heroes do not even find his corpse, which leaves open the possibility of a sequel.
Critical Approach
Positive side (Pros):
Fast speed (Fast Pacing):
The story does not stop anywhere. Some incident or the other keeps happening on every page. Start, increasing tension and then climax—everything moves at a very high speed.
Imagination:
In a period when VFX was not common in films, comics were the only medium where such a fantasy world—man-animal mix, big monsters, science experiments—could be shown in a fun way. The author’s imagination is really worth praising.
Action choreography:
The scenes of fight between Raj and Boxer are very exciting. Especially the use of chains and kicks given by jumping in the air (Flying Kicks) looks great.
Downside (Cons):
Lack of logic:
Some things seem a bit strange in the name of science. For example, as soon as a human brain is inserted into a lion’s body, he immediately starts speaking Hindi and starts following commands. It sounds quite strange. And in the climax, the giant dragon ends up chewing its own tail—this ending feels a little childish.
Violence:
The level of violence is high in the story. Brain drain, sight of blood, head blow—these things can be a little disturbing for children. Although it is part of the ‘Thrill Series’, such scenes can be expected.
Conclusion
King Comics’ “Dragon” is a classic masala entertainer. This is a comics that is read more for fun than logic. Mahesh Dutt Sharma’s story and Vinod Bhatia’s art together create a world where there is danger at every turn and our heroes face those dangers with their strength and courage.
It’s hard to say everything about this comics in 1200 words, because there’s a little anecdote hidden in almost every panel. But overall, it’s kind of like a ‘time machine’ for readers of Comics of the 90s who used to read comics from store rentals during the summer holidays. It has everything that a good action comics should have—smooth villains, loyal companions, dangerous mutants, and the victory of good over evil.
This may seem simple in front of today’s advanced technology and modern stories, but “Dragon” must have created a stir in its time. The character of Dr. Dragon is so memorable that readers must have wanted to see his return in the end. If you like old Indian comics, then these comics must be in your collection.
