Undoubtedly, we live in trying times: a war in Iraq, a tubing economy, energy woes left and right, and a crumbling spiritual infrastructure. Seeking consolation, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart tracked down bestselling author and Virgin Comics’ Chief Visionary, Deepak Chopra, for words of wisdom. After recently duking it out with Guru Pitka of The Love Guru, Deepak goes toe-to-toe with happiness guru, J.P. “Gus” Godsey, author of “How to Be Happy Everyday”. It’s the mythological and spiritual teachings of the past versus ice cream trucks… what makes you happy?

To watch the video, click here.

To hear more from Deepak, be sure to visit our YouTube site for a series of interviews with Deepak about Virgin Comics and the exciting titles he’s helped create. We’ve provided a sample clip below. Enjoy!

Who knew Enlightenment could be so divisive? Guru Pitka has been called a poor man’s Deepak, a sham, an impostor who makes a mockery of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, and most “isms” in general. Now, he is calling out Virgin Comics’ very own guru, Deepak Chopra, in an online popularity contest. Although we at Virgin Comics personally feel that Deepak and Pitka are really one in the same, both part of the absolute universe, we’d still like to know: Who do you love? Vote here.

TALL TALES OF VISHNU SHARMA: PANCHATANTRA – ON SALE 2/13

Written by Samit Basu
Art & Cover by Ashish Padlekar

SOME OLD STORIES NEVER LOSE THEIR BITE…

The tales of Vishnu Sharma have barely begun and already he’s been kidnapped by talking animals, had a near-death experience with a homicidal boy wizard, and now he’s expected to walk INTO a book called the Panchatantra, the ancient collection of Indian fables of which Vishnu is supposedly the guardian. If that weren’t enough, when Vishnu is pulled inside the pages of folklore and fantasy, death and oblivion seem all too real. This fairytale is more like a nightmare, where “THE END” is something he desperately wants to avoid.

JOHN WOO’S SEVEN BROTHERS #5 – ON SALE 2/13

Created by John Woo
Written by Ben Raab & Deric A. Hughes
Art by Edison George
Cover by David Mack

Don’t miss this heart-pounding final chapter of JOHN WOO’S SEVEN BROTHERS!

Having tapped the very essence of the Seven Brothers’ powers, Li Jiao has become a seemingly unstoppable force. But the Brothers’ secret weapon, Ronald and his Dragon alter-ego, are still missing. As Jiao uses his newfound aptitude for destruction to settle a score, can the Seven Brothers bring down the renegade monk before he makes good on his promise to avenge his father’s death?

RAMAYAN 3392AD RELOADED #4 – ON SALE 2/13

Written by Shamik Dasgupta
Art& Cover by Jeevan Kang
Variant Cover by Luke Ross

Captured by a violent tribe, Rama and his brother Lakshman are thrown into the dungeons, whileSeeta is imprisoned in a harem. Facing almost certain death, Rama is offered a chance to escape but does he dare trust an enemy with his life and the lives of his comrades? Plus, a Seeta backup story by Ron Marz and Luke Ross!

JENNA JAMESON’S SHADOW HUNTER #1 – ON SALE 2/20

Created by Jenna Jameson
Written by Christina Z.
Art by Mukesh Singh
Cover by Greg Horn

From the mind of Jenna Jameson, NY Times Bestselling author and iconic entertainer and written by Christina Z (WITCHBLADE) comes a dark talef one woman’s struggle with forces beyond ordinary perception. In this Special Oversized issue, star artist Mukesh Singh (GAMEKEEPER) illustrates the beginning of the saga. A young, orphaned, beautiful woman attempts to make a life for herself in the big city. As she grapples with mundane problems like making rent and a creepy manager at work, something deeper brews; a nagging suspicion that her life is not her own. Seeking answers (not to mention extra cash) she enrolls in a past life regression experiment which seems to ignite visions of a demonic past that no one can explain.

Then comes the titillating and strangely dangerous power she’s not sure she can control, and a mysterious guy with the sword who just won’t leave her alone. It’s one hell of a day for our heroine, especially when she discovers who her real father is.

SPECIAL 40 PAGE OVERSIZED ISSUE FEATURING 32 STORY PAGES.

JONATHAN MOSTOW’S THE MEGAS #1 – ON SALE 2/27

Created by Jonathan Mostow
Written by John Harrison
Art & Cover by Peter Rubin

ALL MEN ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL!

From the visionary director of Terminator 3, Jonathan Mostow, we enter the world of The Megas. Beautiful. Powerful. Better. They’re everything you’ve ever wanted to be. But at the heart of this dystopic society lies a regime struggling for control over a populace that may just be tired of being inferior. Agent Jack Madison finds himself in the middle of a maelstrom as he struggles to solve a crime and come to terms with a truth he’s not ready to face. Not to mention a mysterious symbol and the seeds of rebellion.

THE STRANDED #2 – ON SALE 2/27

Written by Mike Carey
Art by Siddharth Kotian
Cover by
Variant Cover by Christopher Moeller

Continuing the first book in the groundbreaking new Virgin/SciFi line, created and written by acclaimed novelist/comics writer Mike Carey (X-MEN, The Devil You Know)!

What if your past, everything you knew, was a lie? A mysterious assassin called Janus knows…and he’s determined to kill the Stranded one by one before they can learn of their true, extraterrestrial origins. Now Tamree, their protector, races against time to awaken them to their true nature and powers. But Janus holds a secret weapon: his inhuman companion, Dzin — whose connection to Tamree may doom the protector’s mission before it’s even truly begun.

Featuring a painted cover by fan-favorite artist Christopher Moeller (LUCIFER, Magic: The Gathering, IRON EMPIRES).

DAN DARE #4 – ON SALE 2/27

Written by Garth Ennis
Art by Gary Erskine
Cover by Garry Leach
Variant Cover by Glenn Fabry

It’s the last stand on Port Napier as Dan Dare and the colonists find themselves nearly overrun by the onslaught of Torr, vicious killing beasts. Trying to hold them off until they can be rescued, what they don’t know is that the entire royal navy has been thrown into disarray by the disappearance of the Prime Minister back on Earth. As Peabody attempts to piece together the puzzle—and the government—Dan and Digby brace themselves for total annihilation, hoping for a miracle.

SADHU: THE SILENT ONES #5 – ON SALE 2/27

Written by Saurav Mohapatra
Art By Manikandan
Cover by Jeffrey Spokes

The second Sadhu saga reaches its stunning climax! James Jensen, the British soldier who became a mystic warrior, and his mysterious ally Trishanku launch an all-out attack on the stronghold of the Silent Ones in a desperate effort to save Jensen’s son. But even as they breach the outer defenses of the cult’s fortress, Jensen and Trishanku realize that the devious Grand Mistress has sprung a trap that might forever change the very fabric of this world and beyond!

DEEPAK CHOPRA PRESENTS INDIA AUTHENTIC #10 – ON SALE 2/27

Created by Deepak Chopra
Written by Saurav Mohapatra
Art by Virgin Studios
Cover by Siju Thomas

“At first, I shed tears at the massacre of my kin at the hands of a ruthless king. The Axe mocked me. I felt the anger well up in my heart, screaming to be unleashed. The Axe encouraged me. I tried to veer myself away from the path of vengeance. The Axe whispered in my ears. Once, I was a scholar, a man at peace with his soul. But now who I am is long gone. I have vowed to rid the earth of my enemies. The man I used to be is dead, his identity washed away in a deluge of retribution. Once, there was a hermit named Rama, now there is only The Axe.”

Virgin Comics and Deepak Chopra present as part of the INDIA AUTHENTIC series, a look at the metamorphosis of a peace loving hermit named Rama into one of the most feared warriors on the planet. When a tyrant massacres his family, Rama picks up the Axe and vows to rid the earth of Kings.

Witness the rage and fury of a man pushed too far as he embarks on a bloody campaign and the thirst for vengeance transforms him into the very thing he set out to fight.

We here at Virgin Comics did a double-take yesterday morning when we saw a blue guy being interviewed by Matt Lauer on The Today Show. Sure we have a blue guy in Rama from the Ramayan 3392AD comic, but it also made us think about the Blue Man Group, the time when Dr. Tobias Fünke painted his whole body blue, and crazy sports fans on Gameday. Do you have what it takes to turn yourself into a blue guy or girl? Send a picture to blue@virgincomics.com.

Whoever we deem most innovative will win a Ramayan prize package, featuring Ramayan 3392AD Vol. 1 TPB, Ramayan 3392AD Reloaded issues 1-3, and a limited edition Rama: The Warrior Prince collector’s statue. The winner will be selected on January 31, 2008, so get those pictures in soon!

Need a refresher course in our Ramayan 3392AD series? Head over to www.virgincomics.com/ramayan.html to check out a Ramayan 3392AD Widescreen Digital Comic.

So here’s the deal. I think Ramayan 3392 A.D. Reloaded #1 is a good issue. A damn good issue, in fact. Writer Shamik Dasgupta and artist Jeevan Kang accomplish the tricky task of introducing the characters, recapping past events, and setting the stage for future tales, all while telling an exciting adventure that stands on its own. I wrote a short backup story, with art by Mike Oeming, about the hero Rama. All together, that’s 29 pages of material.

I’ve been doing comics long enough to know that producing a good issue is only half the battle. The other half, especially with something that’s not a Big Two superhero comic, is getting that issue into people’s hands. Getting new readers to try something a little different. So I talked Virgin Comics into giving away signed copies of issue #1.

All you have to do is send a large, self-addressed stamped envelope into the Virgin offices, and they’ll send you an autographed (by me) copy of issue #1. All you have to do is pay the postage. How’s that for a deal?

The address:

Virgin Comics Ramayan Offer
594 Broadway
Box 407
New York NY 10012-3234

The postage:

$1.98 for U.S. addresses
$2.24 to Canada
$5.40 to other countries

The whole point here is to get the book into the hands of people who might not sample it otherwise. If you already bought the issue — thanks a bunch. If you’d like to take advantage of the offer and get your hands on an autographed copy, we ask that you put the copy you already bought into the hands of someone who might like to check it out.

Give it a try. Spread the word.

– RON MARZ

Click here for a preview of Issue #1

Leading Game and Worldwide Comic Companies Join Forces to Develop and Publish Massively Multiplayer Online Video Game Based On the Popular Ramayan 3392 A.D. India-Mythology Inspired Comic Book Series

SAN DIEGO, California & NEW YORK, New York (AUGUST 9, 2007) — Through a deal that joins two of the world’s most innovative entertainment brands, Sony Online Entertainment (SOE), a global leader in the online gaming industry, is teaming up with Sir Richard Branson and Deepak Chopra’s Virgin Comics to bring the popular, India-based Ramayan 3392 A.D. comic book universe to life as an MMO video game initially for the PC. The deal was announced today by John Smedley, President of SOE and Sharad Devarajan, Co-Founder and CEO of Virgin Comics.

“Ramayan has inspired the lives of millions of people through the ages. The re-imagining of this great ancient epic through the creativity of a game platform re-affirms the fact that Ramayan is one of the greatest stories ever told,” said Deepak Chopra. “The fact that the same creative team of young Indians that created the story will be involved in working with SOE’s game development team, is a testament to the innovative and mythic minds of these gifted Indian creators who will take a new generation to new frontiers across the seas of consciousness into new realms of mystery, magic, adventure, and transformation.”

Through this exclusive multi-year, worldwide license agreement, SOE will develop and publish an MMO based on Ramayan’s story of mythological lore. Virgin Comics will serve as a creative consultant on the project. Virgin’s creative involvement with SOE’s game development team will be spearheaded by its President and head, Suresh Seetharaman, who has also overseen the development of the comic series. Also involved is acclaimed filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, a co-founder of Virgin Comics.

“Virgin Comics approached us with a portfolio of amazing comic properties based on Indian lore. We particularly love Ramayan 3392 A.D., as we feel Virgin Comics’ telling of The Ramayana is particularly gripping, graphically brilliant and lends itself extremely well to an MMO,” said Smedley. “This a fantastic time for us to expand our games to include this culturally rich storyline and we are honored to do this with a diversified, creative and experienced company like Virgin Comics.”

Virgin Comics’ Ramayan 3392 A.D., initially released as a comic in late 2006, re-imagines one of India’s greatest epics into a futuristic realm. Gotham Chopra, Virgin Comics’ Chief Creative Officer commented, “While many of the characters and settings remain familiar to the original lore, we never intended to re-tell the story, but essentially use it as the key inspiration for something fresh. What remains intact to our story are some of the core universal themes like duty, honor, sacrifice, and fraternity while also mining uniquely Indian ideas like karma (how action and consequence are linked) and the malleability of time itself. To bring all of these ideas into a game with SOE is just awesome.”

Devarajan concluded, “In a world increasingly dominated with games influenced by a western Tolkien mythos, Ramayan will offer gamers a chance to experience a whole new universe of characters and archetypes derived from one of the oldest cultures on Earth. Our mission at Virgin Comics has always been to allow this generation of Indian youth to have a creative platform through which to speak to the world. Through this collaboration with the likeminded visionaries at SOE, our young Indian creators will make gaming history worldwide.”

I’m a sucker for the epic stuff.

I was in the theater for the first show on the day that “The Fellowship of the Ring” opened. And first in line when the DVD went on sale. Seeing “Star Wars” was a huge, formative experience in my childhood, and probably one of the main reasons that I do what I do for a living.

So when the opportunity arose to edit a post-apocalyptic retelling of one of India’s most famed epics, it was a no-brainer. When I agreed to take on some editorial duties for Virgin, we settled on three books in the Shakti line: Devi, Sadhu and Ramayan 3392 A.D. They were all, in one way or another, about the process of becoming a hero, one of my favorite subjects both as a reader and a writer. I’m a fan of Joseph Campbell’s work, especially his seminal “The Hero with a Thousand Faces,” which explores the commonalities found in myths from many cultures. Not coincidentally, it was a big influence on George Lucas in his creation of “Star Wars.”

I liked the first bunch of Ramayan 3392 A.D. issues. They presented a completely new take on an ancient story, in a unique setting. They were … epic. But I felt like we could do better. I felt like we could keep that epic sensibility, but bring even more focus to the characters, to the people we’re supposed to care about. Because that’s really what keeps you coming back every month – you want to find out what happens to these people. The spaceships and lightsabers in “Star Wars” are great, but you come back because you want to find out what happens to Luke and Leia and Han Solo, not to mention Darth Vader. Most writers will tell you that any good story begins with character. We wanted to make sure this one did.

So we decided to bring Ramayan 3392 A.D. to a close, take a few months off while we retooled our approach, and then put our best foot forward. The result is Ramayan 3392 A.D. Reloaded #1, which we just sent off to press and should be on the shelf in no time.

For those of you who have been reading Ramayan from the beginning, the story continues. For those of you who haven’t been picking it up, this new #1 issue represents a perfect place to jump on. It tells you who’s who, what’s what, and how we got here in one fell swoop (as they say). You meet our hero, Rama, his brother Lakshman, the beautiful Seeta, and the inhuman villain Ravan. You’re introduced to the visually stunning landscape they inhabit, a far future where civilization exists only in pockets, savage beast-men roam the land, and a dark lord threatens to crush the world under his heel. Plus, you get a pretty nifty adventure while you’re at it, as Rama’s long journey in exile from his homeland continues.

Shamik Dasgupta remains as writer on the book. I can’t even count the number of e-mails he and I have kicked back and forth, honing our approach to the book, making sure the characters are front and center, and coming up with the most visual way to tell the story.

The “new guy” on the team is the supremely gifted artist Jeevan Kang, who already put his stamp on Virgin’s 7 Brothers. Jeevan has made the book utterly his own, spending weeks on design and exploration artwork before ever drawing his first page. When his first pieces came rolling in, both in pencil and in color, we knew we’d found not just the right guy for the job, but the perfect guy. Jeevan breathes life into the world and people of Ramayan 3392 A.D. Reloaded. We’re tinkering with a project now that will give you a chance to check out a lot of the amazing artwork Jeevan generated.

Since I didn’t want Shamik and Jeevan to have all the fun, I wrote a series of five short backup stories, one each for the first five issues of the series. Each story focuses on a particular member of the cast, fleshing out each character even more, and I invited five stellar artists along for the ride.

In issue #1, I’m joined by Mike Oeming as we tackle Rama. In issue #2, my friend and mentor Jim Starlin contributes the art for a tale of Ravan. My issue #3 collaborator is David Petersen, whose book Mouse Guard is a deserved sensation; David and I will be introducing Hanuman into the series. In issue #4, I’m joined by my Samurai: Heaven and Earth partner (and upcoming Devi cover artist) Luke Ross, for a story about Seeta. And my buddy Bart Sears contributes some eye-popping art for a Lakshman story in issue #5.

Like I said, I’m a sucker for the epic stuff. That’s exactly what Ramayan 3392 A.D. is. It’s also a damn good book, and I’m proud of it.

- RON MARZ

Pages 1-3 of Issue #1:

In Hollywood, movie studios refer to their big summer blockbusters as their “tent-poles.” These are the movies, ala Spider-Man, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Shrek, on which production budgets can far exceed the $100 million mark, with marketing budgets to match, and are expected to make that much in their opening weekend. The scale of the whole business has become so massive that these blockbusters, you’ll notice, are now almost entirely sequels, remakes of familiar titles (The Dirty Dozen is in the works), or built off of big brands (Transformers). The point is that building a new “franchise,” as they call it in the biz, is virtually impossible because, to enter the game, you’d better come with a  big wad of cash and be prepared to lose it all.  That’s a pretty tough sell.

Thank God the comics industry plays by a different set of rules! At Virgin Comics, we like to say that money is no issue because, in a sense, we don’t really even have budgets. As a creator, if you want to create the Universe on page 3 and blow it up on page 4, so long as you can make that organic to the story, I’m all for it. In Hollywood, they’d run the numbers first, price out the scene and it’d be more than likely that it would never happen.

The re-launch of our series Ramayan 3392 AD is our equivalent of the tent-pole movie. The scale of the story is massive. The Universe of the story is massive. The main characters themselves are Gods–hence they are massive. In turn, to produce it, to “reload it” as we say, we needed massive talent. That’s why we’ve brought in story editor Ron Marz to guide a creative team that includes stalwart Shamik Dasgupta (the original series’ writer) and Virgin titan Jeevan Kang (artist on Spider-Man India and John Woo’s Seven Brothers). We know that Ramayan 3392 AD, which is based on India’s seminal 3,000-year-old myth, is not an easy story for the unexposed reader. It’s full of exotic character-names and settings, and a different type of story-telling than much of what you’ll see at your local comic shop.  But that is what makes it so special–it is a legendary tale of honor and sacrifice, tragedy and amazing triumph told through a different lens that, we think, our readers will find themselves connecting with despite the newness of it all.

We’ve crafted the reload as a fresh beginning, so that new readers can come aboard now and not feel lost. We encourage you to go back and read the “prequels,” if you will, out in trade paperback this summer.  But we also assure you that not doing so won’t get you lost in the matrix. And here comes the interesting twist of fate, Hollywood is waking up to it. Some of Hollywood’s biggest and brightest seem to have got their hands on our crazy comic Ramayan 3392 AD. I know too well the perfect storm of scenarios that is required to get a movie made in Hollywood, so I am not making any predictions, but watch out Spider-Man 8 and Pirates 5– our Blue Boy (read the book and you’ll get the reference) may be showing up at a theater near you very soon.

Gotham Chopra
Chief Creative Officer
Virgin Comics

Click here to read Ron’s recent interview with Newsarama. It explains his role as editor, the plans for Devi, and the relaunches of Sadhu and Ramayan 3392AD. Also, click here for the interview when Ron Marz joined Virgin Comics.

Click to view larger versions of the covers (L-R): Devi #14 cover by Luke Ross, Ramayan 3392AD Reloaded #3 (Variant Cover) by David Peterson.