Young Tadam Gyadu is a graphic artist from Diyun, a village located an hour’s drive from Namsai, a tourist destination in Arunachal Pradesh.

Tadam’s first memory of his sketch work is of the figures he carved on the clay and mud walls of his house. When those drawings were erased, he started drawing on the floor of the house. Now, he draws sketches for Marvel Comics.

“More than an achievement, it is a dream come true,” Tadam, whose favorite Marvel character is Spiderman, said on the sidelines of Comic Con in Hyderabad. I still have a long way to go but I feel accomplished because I can draw Marvel characters.

For Tadam, going to school was a luxury. He says, “Therefore, there was no question of having an art school or stationery to practice the art. School books were the only study material provided to children in Diyun. Things started to change as we grew up and when I was in middle school, I was introduced to Raj Comics and stationery for art. It was very basic, but yes something different from school study material.

Spiderman in Dhoti by Tadam Gyadu | Photo Credit: Special Arrangements

The artist says that as he began to explore the world of art, he found himself creating more portraits than landscapes. Landscape art never excited him. “I may sound arrogant, but when my art was compared to my friends’ art, my art stood out because I did 3D art while they stuck to landscapes. I found myself doing a lot of Buddha sculpture. As a Buddhist family, we have a lot of Buddha statues, his monks, etc.; I grew up drawing them a lot from different angles and backgrounds. Raj Comics has been my biggest inspiration and I never stopped buying them even after growing up,” he adds. When he became an adult, his most prized possessions were his comics.

During his higher secondary in Digboi (Assam), Tadam watched more comics. “Superheroes entered my reading material late, as did Tinkle,” he says. Due to inconsistent supply in the area, rather than quantity, I would buy a digest whenever I found it and had the money. Raj Comics improved my Hindi.

There was also pressure on Tadam to pursue a professional course: engineering, medicine or law or a government job, but he honestly told his parents that he wanted to pursue arts in Delhi.

Comic strip by Tadam | Photo Credit: Special Arrangements

“I wanted to do art at the Lalit Kala Akademi, but missed the time. Not to waste any more time, I took admission in Amity University. After that, I worked in the graphic design industry and also tried many ways to get into the graphic comic industry but it was difficult. Then I met an art talent scout from Marvel in 2022 and he decided to look at my art. Finally, when I heard from him after about a month, I was thrilled,” Tadam recalled.

How long does it take him to complete sketching for a comic? “About a month to 40 days,” he explains. Tadam has been enjoying his work sketching Marvel characters like Iron Man, Wolverine, Avengers, Captain America and of course Spiderman.

Indian Characters in Marvel Comic Strips by Tadam | Photo Credit: Special Arrangements

To recognize Tadam’s drawings in Marvel Comics, look for the Indian elements in the background. He explains that he adds elements like “an auto rickshaw, a Hindi poster, Indian graffiti etc.”

What is included in Tadam’s comic collection? Tadam says, “It is very big; My room is full of comic books, about 3000 books. Taking care of them is a huge task, each of my comics is in a plastic jacket to protect them from insects. Thankfully, now when I am away from home, my family takes care of them by brushing and cleaning from time to time.

Would he ever want to do a Spiderman in India comic? “In India, there are so many cables everywhere, it would be difficult for them to move around,” laughs Tadam. In my opinion he should stay in New York.”