Bizarro Back Issues: When Amitabh Bachchan Was A Comic Book Superhero

Words by Amandeep Singh Virdi

Welcome to the Brown History Newsletter. If you’re enjoying this labour of love, please do consider becoming a paid subscriber. Your contribution would help pay the writers and illustrators and support this weekly publication. If you like to submit a writing piece, please send me a pitch by email at brownhistory1947@gmail.com. Check out our Shop and our Podcast. You can also follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Bizarro Back Issues: When Amitabh Bachchan Was A Comic Book Superhero by Amandeep Singh Virdi

At the peak of his popularity in the 80s, Amitabh Bachchan was everywhere. From films to commercials to even politics, the 70s and the 80s belonged to Big B, long before he was even christened with that name. I’m a 90s kid, so although I did miss out on the “angry young man” phase of the actor’s career, I have been fortunate enough to witness his “comeback” – with stellar performances in films like Mohabbatein, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Aks, Black, Sarkar, Paa, Piku, and many more. Such was Bachchan’s popularity in the 80s that, as I learnt recently, he even had a comic book series under his name, where the actor would double as the vigilante Supremo. For almost two years, India Book House, under its comic book imprint Star Comics, published The Adventures of Amitabh Bachchan, which saw stories such as “The Lost Idol”, “Treasure Island”, “The Hijack”, and the one I stumbled upon recently that sent me down this rabbit hole, “The Impostor”.