News & Updates
Indian Illustrators Anand RK and Charbak Dipta Earn Eisner Award Nominations
From surreal graphic fiction to Pulitzer-winning visual journalism, two Indian illustrators are proving that illustration can tell every kind of story.
It's a significant moment for India's illustration and comics community.
Illustrators Charbak Dipta and Anand RK have been nominated for the 2026 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards - widely regarded as the highest honour in the world of comics and graphic storytelling. While both artists work in the same medium, the stories that earned them recognition couldn't be more different, highlighting the incredible range of contemporary Indian illustration.
Joining him is Anand RK, nominated in the Best Short Story category for trAPPed, an illustrated investigative feature created with journalist Suparna Sharma and reporter Natalie Obiko Pearson for Bloomberg News.
trAPPed explores the growing issue of "digital arrest" scams in India through the story of a neurologist trapped by an elaborate cyber fraud. Instead of relying solely on words, the piece uses sequential illustration to communicate tension, emotion, and complex information—demonstrating how comics can become a powerful medium for journalism.
The project has already made headlines earlier this year after winning the Pulitzer Prize for Illustrated Reporting and Commentary, adding another milestone to Anand RK's international career. He is also an Eisner winner, having received the award in 2021 for Blue in Green.
Journalist: Suparna Sharma
Reporter: Natalie Obiko Pearson
Illustrated by AnandRK
Colours: Nisha Singh
Letters: Aditya Bidikar
Translation: Zeeshan Hasan Akhtar
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Charbak Dipta has been nominated in the Best Digital Comic category for The World of Lublu, a self-published graphic work that follows Lublu - an absent-minded philosopher wandering through a surreal Indian town. Along the way, he encounters eccentric characters, strange situations, and quiet philosophical questions, creating a narrative that is equal parts whimsical and thought-provoking.
Originally published in Bengali as Lublur Prithibi, the work has also been nominated for the Harvey Awards, making it one of the rare Indian creator-owned comics to receive recognition at both of the industry's most prestigious international awards.
What's particularly inspiring is Dipta's journey. Rather than following the conventional route of publishing through international comic houses, The World of Lublu began as an independently created project rooted in regional storytelling - showing that stories deeply connected to local cultures can resonate with readers across the world.
For the Creative Gaga community, these nominations represent more than individual achievements.
One creator is being recognised for an imaginative graphic novel born from regional storytelling. The other is redefining how illustration can serve investigative journalism. Together, they demonstrate that illustration today isn't confined to books, magazines, or commercial projects - it is a medium capable of documenting reality, building fictional worlds, preserving culture, and reaching global audiences.
Congratulations to Charbak Dipta and Anand RK on this well-deserved recognition. Whatever the final outcome, their nominations are already a proud moment for Indian illustration.
