PAKISTANI-AMERICAN DOCTORS CREATE COMIC SERIES

by Amna Khawar and Marisa Wong

New York City physicians, Omar Mirza, 30, and his friend and former roommate, Khurram Mehtabdin, 28, are the creators and writers of a new historical fiction comic series “Zindan: The Last Ansaars” set in 17th century Mughal India. The first-generation Pakistani Americans were inspired by the richness of their South Asian heritage and wished to share stories from the region on a global level using a new set of superheroes.

Mirza, who grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, has been collecting comics since he was a kid and is currently a psychiatry resident at Kings County Hospital. Mehtabdin is a South Asian history buff who was born in Albany, New York and is starting a nephrology fellowship with North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System.

The pair are working with comic book artist, Sajad Shah, who they found online through a comic book forum. The team also includes inker Adelso Corona, illustrator Sam Couture, letterist Jessica Jimerson, and colorists Alonso Espinoza and Sabine Rich.

This video originally appeared in Voices of NY, a publication that showcases the best of community and ethnic media in New York.