Chris Lie: Drawn to Greatness

Behind every great comic book are three or four artists sitting at their drawing tables, sketching out a sequence or just sharpening their pencils. ALiA – the latest attempt by a group of local artists to create a superhero series – has 18 such people behind it, including a Surakarta native who heads the creative team as editor and variant cover artist. Maggie Tiojakin meets Chris Lie.

Last July, Chris Lie joined the founder of Concept Magazine, Djoko Hartanto, and several other members of “ALiA” to launch the much-anticipated superhero comic series of the same name in Senayan City, South Jakarta. Published by Concept Media, ALiA chronicles the adventures of Rara, Uia, Ipong, Inde and several other characters (to be introduced in the next volumes) who must pave the way for the arrival of Ratu Adil (the Queen of Justice).

Each character is endowed with a superpower, such as creating hallucinations, moving at the speed of light or regenerating life.

Not yet a veteran in the comics industry – though he can hardly be called a novice, either – Chris was chosen as editor of ALiA’s creative team because of his varied experience, which includes doing time as an art director (MAX Advertising), associate head designer (Rich Art), artist (Devil’s Due Publishing), concept designer/illustrator/comics artist and, most recently, director of Caravan Studio.

His resume gives away little about who he is, but says plenty about where he is headed. Chris, an architecture graduate from the Bandung Institute of Technology, says that, as far as he can remember, he was always attracted to the idea of publishing his own comic books.

“I love to draw,” says Chris, who shows up for our interview in jeans, T-shirt and a blood-red sports jacket. “It’s hard to explain why I love to draw, because I never really focused on the ‘why’. Instead, I focus on how I was able to utilize it.”

In high school, he did three installments of a comic series, loosely inspired by the TV animated series Centurion, which he distributed among his classmates. In college, he and a few friends published several volumes of another comic book series that unofficially established them as comics artists with a cult following.

“I think we did six or seven volumes,” says Chris. “Of course, we didn’t understand what it took to publish a comic book, so even though they sold well, we weren’t making any money. At the time, what mattered more to us was that people actually bought and liked what we did.”

Why comic books?

“It’s cheaper than making a movie,” he says. “But you pretty much get the same effects and advantages, if not more, than a (motion picture).”

Eventually, the members of the group went their separate ways. While the comic book market was steadily growing, it was – and still is – a challenge for local comics artists to make a living doing what they loved most. Many have tried, but a large number end up falling by the wayside when it comes time to pay the bills.

Chris understands the frustration: he even submitted to it for a time. Fresh out of college, he journeyed to Bali where he took up a job as an architect for the monumental Garuda Wisnu Kencana, collaborating with renowned sculptor Nyoman Nuarta.

“That was probably the first time I had ever worked on a huge project that took two years to complete,” he reminisces with a smile. “It was extremely rewarding work, but I also realized that wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life.”

It provided the turning point he needed. Instead of following the money, he decided to let passion be his guide. Between 2000 and 2003, he did four volumes of Nabi Nuh (Noah’s Ark) and three volumes of Ophir: Sic Transit Gloria Mundi, both published by Mizan Publishing in Jakarta.

He also submitted entries to several regional and international drawing/design contests where he received first prize, most notably at JakArt 2001, AXN-Asia Anime Action Strip Contest 2001 and the Singapore Comics and Illustration Competition 2002. In 2003, his patience and passion paid off when he was accepted as a U.S. Fulbright scholar at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Georgia.

“The biggest contribution in my professional life as a comics artist came from the Fulbright Foundation,” says Chris, who spent three years in the States, earning his MFA in Sequential Art and graduating with the title of excelsus laureate. “It was an opportunity as much as a life-changing experience, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say without (that experience) I wouldn’t be where I am now.”

During his study at SCAD, Chris was offered an internship at Chicago-based Devil’s Due Publishing – one of the top 10 comic-book publishers in the United States – as an artist. His projects included Return to the Labyrinth (graphic novel), GI Joe: Arashikage Showdown (graphic novel), Josie and the Pussycats (comics series) and Voltron (covers). It was there that he met Mark Powers, former editor of X-Men. The two decided to launch a collaborative project titled Drafted – an ongoing series about human encounters with alien beings who draft everyone as soldiers in an effort to restore intergalactic peace.

“(Drafted) has been quite a success in the U.S.,” says Chris, who shares the series’ copyright with Powers and is waiting to hear back from New Line Cinema, which is rumored to be releasing the live-action version of the comic book in 2010. “(The film studio) has bought the option rights until 2010, which means they can go either way – but I’m hopeful.”

As director of Caravan Studio, the design company based in West Jakarta that he founded and now runs, Chris maintains a strong relationship with clients from all over the world, including Hasbro, Marvel Studios, THQ, Ubisoft, MTV Asia, Tezuka Productions, Nickelodeon and Archie Comics Publications.

Learning from his own experience, Chris expects the same from his staff that he does from himself: passion.

“When I take a certain project, I want to make sure that [my employees] like it,” he says. “I think it’s important to like what you do, because it makes a difference in how you do it and what the end results look like.”

Chris returned to Indonesia last year to prepare for his wedding and be closer to his parents, who still live in Surakarta. Now 34, he looks back on his life with few if any regrets and believes that the future is full of surprises. Project ALiA is one example.

“This is a dream come true,” Chris said at its launch. “I want to show the world that Indonesia can create quality comic books. We have the resources, the talent and the market for it.”

ALiA’s limited covers for the first two volumes, drawn by Chris, feature two background colors that – when put side by side – represent the nation’s red-and-white flag. It is meant to celebrate a revival of sorts in the nation’s comics industry. Whether or not ALiA can achieve its dream of reviving the industry’s waning spirit, Chris is certain it’s a good start.

“There’s not nearly enough local comics (in Indonesia). It is my opinion that productivity equals quality. The more we try, the better we are at it.”

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