Superhero Rahul Dravid: The Wall begins new innings as comic book hero

A Chennai-based startup released the book, titled ‘The Wall’, on his birthday.

Features Sports

Former captain of the Indian cricket team and current head coach of the Under-19 and ‘A’ teams Rahul Dravid is celebrating his 45th birthday today. And in an attempt to immortalise him, Sportwalk, a sports media and merchandise startup in Chennai has released a comic book titled ‘The Wall’.

Hailing him as a superhero, the comic book has compiled 15 of the most glorious moments from his life and career. Written by Himanshu and illustrated by co-founder of the company and cartoonist Adheedhan, the events recorded in the book range from him taking on Allan Donald, former South African Cricketer, at the Wanderers to the famous Eden Gardens comeback he led.

Divakar KS, another co-founder, said that the book will be a breath of fresh air for cricket aficionados and those who love collecting sports memorabilia. Upon getting in touch with Rahul Dravid Fan Club (RDFC) last year, the team went ahead and conceptualised a comic book on the legend.

“Sunny the Supersleuth was a famous comic series on Sunil Gavaskar that came out in the ’80s, but times and audience tastes have changed since. We’ve now tried to adapt our comic to new mediums so readers can connect to it better,” said Divakar.

The book also features the superhero avatars of other players like VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly. The book also has an episode from Dravid’s childhood.

The team is currently working on their next book, ‘Adored’ featuring 50 illustrations of glorious moments from Manchester United’s rich history spanning several decades. A book on the Chennai Super Kings is also in the offing.

On January 20, Sportwalk is also organising an exclusive Rahul Dravid-edition of their monthly event, Huddle, at the Backyard in Adyar. “We’ve planned for a quiz on Indian cricket’s fab four,” said Divakar.

Sportwalk became the first sports comic brand to be a part of Comic Con India.

The book on Dravid is currently available on their online store for Rs 199 and will soon be made available in bookstores across the country.