Friday, June 18, 2004



Spider-Man, by way of India: Now this is interesting. The Times of India reports that Marvel plans to adapt Spider-Man for an Indian audience. This isn't just a dialogue translation, though; it's what Marvel's partner in the endeavor, Gotham Entertainment Group, calls a "transcreation":

"Spiderman India interweaves the local customs, culture and mystery of modern India, with an eye to making Spiderman's mythology more relevant to this particular audience."

Peter Parker will be replaced by an Indian boy named Pavitr Prabhakar, while Green Goblin will become a Rakshasa, the Indian mythological demon:

"Unlike traditional translations of American comics, Spiderman India will become the first-ever 'transcreation,' where we reinvent the origin of a Western property like Spiderman so that he is an Indian boy in Mumbai and dealing with local problems and challenges."

The Indian Express has a few more details, including that Pavitr Prabhakar gets his "magical powers" from a yogi.