From superheroes to fantasy worlds, Appupen has found a distinctive voice

The Batman of his childhood, Appupen says, doesn't have the same baggage and agendas as today's Batman

In late 2015, soon after the protests led by students of Jawaharlal Nehru University made headlines, a desi superhero made his presence known in the virtual world. Sanskaari in his outlook, this green tea-loving, masked and muscled strongman calls himself RashtraMan, the Guardian of Rashtria, a country in a fantasy world called Halahala. Soon after he whacks protestors demanding justice, RashtraMan hands them over to the police, instructing them to arrest those with “radical” ideas. 

“We must be careful, these days, that’s why I have green tea every morning,” says RashtraMan in a comic strip. “It has antioxidants that arrest the