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Evolving identity of Indonesian 'wayang' comic books
The modern comic books in Indonesia show that they have gone beyond the borders and become more creative in terms of story-lines.
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The 'Mahabharata' series by R.A. Kosasih published by Melodie. (JP/Narabeto Korohama)
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here was a time when comic books were considered important commodities and sources of entertainment in Indonesia since the first local comic Put On by Kho Wan Gie was published in Sin Po newspaper in 1930.
Despite their popularity, comic books were largely shunned by the public as they were perceived as uninformative, unpatriotic and weakening the people's will to read, according to a Kompas newspaper article written in 1979 by the late literary figure Arswendo Atmowiloto.
To make sure they stayed in business, comic book publishers saw wayang (puppet) comics as a solution to the problem. Wayang comics are a genre planted on wayang tales, mainly the Indonesian version of Ramayana and Mahabharata, although certain creators decided to adopt the original version from India.
Wayang comic books in Indonesia are either based on wayang orang (human puppets) or wayang kulit (shadow puppets). The late Raden Ahmad Kosasih, a prominent creator of wayang comics from West Java, opted for the wayang orang style, or realism, for his work, including in the Ramayana and Mahabharata series.
Both of Kosasih’s series became bestsellers between 1955 and 1956. “The public didn't need to understand Javanese language to read Ramayana and Mahabharata,” said author and rector of Jakarta Arts Institute Seno Gumira Ajidarma during a presentation of his paper entitled "Politics of Identity in the Indonesian Wayang Comics" on Oct. 15 in Kemang, South Jakarta. The presentation was part of a public lecture held during the Komik itu Baik (Comics are Good) festival to commemorate Arswendo Atmowiloto.
