‘Pig Flip’: Malayalam writer Joshy Benedict’s unique style redefines Indian graphic storytelling

In a country where graphic novels are rarer than the rains in the May summers, Joshy Benedict’s The Pig Flip is an anomaly: a translated graphic novel. Joshy mentions in an interview, “I’m not even sure if most Malayalam readers have an understanding of what graphic novels are.” And that extends beyond the state of Kerala and Malayalam literature. Graphic novels, at their very best, exist as comic strips for kids in regional literature and don’t extend to “mainstream” and “serious” literature. From that perspective, this book is a much-needed step in the right direction.

The story

In an unnamed village in Kerala, the men assemble on an isolated island at midnight to play the “king of all card games,” the spot flip. And there resides Babycha, who’s stuck between his love for his wife and his gambling addiction. You see the typical inner gambling voice in Babycha’s lines, as “the cards favour the fair and the wise” and “with luck on your side, one flip of a single card can fetch you a fortune in a split second.” But when he comes across the beautiful Paulikutty, he’s forced to choose between the two loves of his life. A true gambler, he contemplates “putting an end to...

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