TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Rhoald Marcellius: Local hero with international creds
GobelinsWhile the majority of Indonesians may not yet be aware of illustrator Rhoald Marcellius' name, within the local comic industry, the 35-year-old is a celebrity of sorts
Change Size
Gobelins
While the majority of Indonesians may not yet be aware of illustrator Rhoald Marcellius' name, within the local comic industry, the 35-year-old is a celebrity of sorts.
Illustrator Rhoald Marcellius' work has graced international comic titles, including a number for Avatar Press in America, while locally he has drawn for high-caliber comics including Alfi Zackhyelle's Dwa Warna series.
The popularity of his own Carpediem, Canberra and Pumpkin Bear series has also added to his reputation as one of the country's most adored comic artists.
'I've made comics since I was a kid, basically,' says Rhoald, 'I was already making independent comics and selling them at college to fellow students and friends. All of my influences were jumbled together within my drawing style.'
Those influences include big names such as manga Japanese comic artists Togashi Yoshihiro, Kyoko Hikawa, Adachi Mitsuru and Eiichiro Oda, as well as American illustrators Joe Mad, Chris Bachallo and Humberto Ramos.
Certainly, Rhoald's style ' a mix of hand-drawn and digital ' sees the blending of the action-driven colorfulness of superhero comics and the wide-ranging moods of Japanese manga.
They are visually easy to appreciate, with a populist willing-to-please style that is less artiste and more visually instantaneous.
The lines and color palettes are clear, giving an edgy cuteness even to Rhoald's trademark anthropomorphic creatures.
The Trisakti School of Fine Arts and Design graduate said his goal was to sustain a specific identifiable style while also branching out into various genres.
He calls Carpediem 'action comedy', Rokki Slice of Life 'for teens' and Canberra a 'Gothic romance'.
'That's what I love most about making comics 'exploring new worlds. The certain kinds of art that I arrive at for a specific comic are often used for just that one title,' Rhoald explains.
His chosen creative process, he explained, was to set a certain mood when creating.
'You can watch something, read something, or just doodle, if you are designing a character or a specific world. What can be challenging about writing comics is trying to immerse yourself in that world before actually visualizing it,' he says.
The process of trying to expand the universe is 'freeing' and one where the artist is 'able to go as wild as possible', he adds.
Rhoald also plays music in his head or through earphones to help flesh out his comic universe.
'So you can imagine [punk band] the Ramones' 'Blitzkrieg Bop' when working on an action scene, or for a funeral scene, you might be playing the Beatles' 'Blackbird'.'
For Rhoald, the end result must be satisfactory not only for him, but also for his readers.
'It's amazing when the readers get engrossed in it; shedding a tear during sad scenes, or laughing hysterically during funny scenes ' those are very important aspects for me,' he says.
'It doesn't really matter how many readers you have; I'd rather just have a few readers that truly get it. I want my work to touch the right people.'
' Photos Courtesy of Rhoald Marcellius
