Mahabharata-man ~ Support your local superhero

July 2, 2009 in Codex, Naruto
Tags: Naruto, India, Batman, Spiderman, Superman, Mahabharata-man, Mahabharata, Komik Wayang, Laba-Laba Merah, Kus Bramiyana, Gundala Putra Petir, Si Buta dari Gua Hantu, Godam, Dina, Teguh Santosa, Riwayat Pandawa, R.A. Kosasih, Cultural Resistance, Ramayana

Another breed of action heroes

Forget Batman, Spiderman or Superman. There is another breed of action heroes out there in the brightly hued land of comic books. Their names have a more local take, like Gatotkaca, Arjuna, Abimanyu and the twins Nakula and Sadewa.

Don’t expect Captain America-versus-Superman high jinks or super-criminals threatening the world. This comic offers the real actions of heroes from the epic Mahabharata or Ramayana, which are sometimes portrayed symbolically by puppet masters.

Within the last few years, Indonesian comics have awakened from a long sleep since the invasion of Western comics in the late 1970s and 1980s. Comic-lover communities have been sprouting up here and there, sharing interest in old Indonesian comics, while also promoting the re-publishing of both old and new ones.

IT revolution

It all started when several comic buffs got together through a mailing list and Website, komikindonesia.com, back on June 20, 2004.

The online platform was able to draw together comic lovers nationwide, which later on went to mediate comic copyright holders and publishers to re-publish quality comics. As of today, the number of active members in community has reached more than 2,000 people.

Cultural Resistance is Cultural Existance

The decision by comic lovers to reprint the Mahabharata, Bharatayudha and Pandawa Seda, says Seno, is not just to scratch around for documentation, but a resistance to the business hegemony of the big comic industry, which offers cheap and low-quality comics in bulk.

“It doesn’t matter if our kids don’t understand Naruto *a popular Japanese anime*. But if they don’t understand the Mahabharata, it’s like losing their identity,” Seno said last month during the launch of Riwayat Pandawa.

Mahabharata’s heroes return, The Jakarta Post, Thursday, July 2, 2009

R.A. Kosasih – father of Indonesian comics

For his efforts to preserve traditional values through comics, Kosasih was later named the father of Indonesian comics.

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