She also tells you in no uncertain terms that you are in a different world now, known to its one billion inhabitants as. . . Wait for it. . . India. Thirdly, you have their son, Ty, aka generic angry teenager. He plays video games, has earphones plugged in permanently and complains about how his mum is embarrassing. Finally, there is the Rishi, who fills in the role of the Shakti line’s compulsory heavy dosage of Hindu mysticism.

So, if a half dimensional character line up excites you like nothing else can, then you will be pleased to know that the fun doesn’t end there. There’s also my favourite part of the story: generic angry teenager carries a comic called the Rishi that has the family as the protagonists and tells their story as it unfolds. I can just imagine Ron Marz asking Deepak, ‘have you seen Heroes?’ Maybe he hasn’t. Which would make this another prime example of how out of the loop Deepsy is as far as pop culture and the modern teenager is concerned. Seeing as comics are pop culture, one of his main characters is a teenager and the target audience is mainly teenagers. This is not good.

Artwork is Edison George’s (John Woo’s Seven Brothers) contribution. His artwork is gritty and very British. One thing you’ve got to say about Virgin is that, like Image or Top Cow, their artwork never disappoints. I called George’s style ‘very British’ because it is just that. The character’s are very human looking (the husband and wife aren’t exactly Mr & Mrs Smith in the looks department), nor are the characters (and I quote) ‘Olympic-level athletes, trained in most known forms of martial arts and gymnastics’. In English, that means they’re not over-proportioned. Basically, they’re human.

So, after all my whining, I say get. Yes, that’s right. Knock yourself out. Go crazy. You know, whatever. Why? Well, as long as it’s a free download from the Virgin Comics website, you are getting your money’s worth. Besides, who knows? Maybe you’ll enjoy it. If you haven’t read anything from Virgin’s Shakti line then you may find something new here. Otherwise, leave it.