Queen's Baton Relay: Pakistan's new comic book heroes

Nofal Khan and Ramish Safa are two young men from Karachi and are responsible for one of the latest chapters in Pakistan's cultural scene - the emergence of an indigenous comic book.

Kachee Goliyan is Pakistan's first mass-produced comic. Launched in 2011 it has given young people in the country a new voice and means of expression.

Kachee Goliyan follows the stories of JC and Sufi, two street smart teenagers tackling the issues of everyday life.

Printing thousands of copies and with over 122,000 likes on Facebook, the work has captured the imagination of the country's comic fans.

Ramish and Nofal came up with the idea for the comic during their long commutes to university. Now a team of graphic artists and designers work on the product with them.

Heavy things lightly

Mark Beaumont, comic book style

Like all good art, the comic allows the creatives to express an opinion on the world around them.

Asked if he uses Kachee Goliyan to say things he couldn't say in person in Pakistan, Nofal responds: "Normally, people would come and do bad things to us if we stood up and started saying things, but in comics there is this way of saying very heavy things in a lighter manner."

With the Pakistan leg of the Queen's Baton journey coming to an end, Nofal said he may be inspired to include some sporting stories in future editions of Kachee Goliyan as we look forward to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next year.

In the meantime, they have done a good job creating an image of Mark Beaumont and the baton. It is definitely one for his scrapbook, as he continues his journey around the Commonwealth for the BBC.