Grafity's Wall

February 24, 2020
V and Radhakrishnan’s vibrant graphic novel follows four young dreamers’ coming-of-age and doubles as a portrait of Mumbai, the bustling and grimy metropolis where their youthful exploits take place. Grafity, a street artist, gets freed from arrest thanks to a bribe from the charismatic Jay, only to meet further conflict at home, where his father’s own failed dreams of being a singer have soured into a contagious disillusionment. The next chapter peels back Jay’s confident veneer, detailing his subservience to a vicious drug dealer named Mario. The story moves on to Chasma, a writer, who counters racial prejudice and loneliness by giving letters to strangers on the street (a habit that feels like a contrivance). Finally, Saira, the requisite underrealized mysterious beauty, is attracted to sensitive Chasma and his writing—and deals with Mario’s unwanted advances. Radhakrishnan’s fluid, rakish art recalls Paul Pope and teems with depictions of the city’s traffic, commuters, beggars, and street vendors. Mumbai’s millions of lives provide a constantly unfolding multiplicity of stories surrounding the four protagonists, told through small asides and artistic detail in the background. Despite some messy plot moments, the fabulous art and sense of place carry this story of four very different people and their aspirations in a city where the odds are stacked against them.

April 1, 2020

The vibrant streets of Mumbai come alive in this deeply felt coming-of-age story about a group of young people struggling to hold on to their dreams despite difficult circumstances. After a slum kid named Grafity begins practicing his artistic technique on a section of partially demolished wall in the wreckage of a condemned slum, the spot becomes a regular meeting place for him and three of his friends. Jay works for a loathsome drug dealer and hopes to become a musician instead of obeying his grandmother and applying for a job washing cars. Chasma, a thoughtful college student who hopes for literary success, persists in writing letters to strangers despite the mockery he receives in return. He's in love with Saira, an aspiring actress, who commits a desperate crime that sets the course for the remainder of all of their lives. VERDICT Illustrator Radhakrishnan heaps images and faces together in a disorienting, dynamic jumble to capture the fast-paced hustle and bustle of life in Mumbai, and author V's (These Savage Shores. Vol. 1) skillfully develops endearing characters and slyly, eschewing melodrama, establishes how economic inequality oppresses them all.

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