First comic strips bring Lunar New Year to Indonesians<\/p>\n
By Amir & Myra Sidharta<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The most effective comic strips are definitely
\nthose which present social commentary on current issues with much
\nwit, and many contemporary Indonesian comic strips have reached
\nquite a level of sophistication. Dwi Koendoro's Panji Koming
\nwhich appeared in Kompas' Sunday edition, used the Majapahit era
\nas a parody of modern politics.<\/p>\n
Recently, Libra's Timun appearing in the same paper has
\nshown immense improvement to become one of the funniest comic
\nstrips in Indonesia today. This Sunday's strip shows the boy
\nTerong preferring to be punished (dihukum) by his mother rather
\nthan by his father. The mother advises him that the law (hukum),
\nanywhere, at anytime, involving anyone, is equal. Clearly, this
\nstrip wittily refers to the current debate of whether the alleged
\nIndonesian murderer who is filling the headlines these days
\nshould be tried here in Indonesia or in the United States.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has enjoyed funnies for quite a long time, as comic
\nstrips appeared quite early. In 1930 a character called The Born
\nLoser, who always became a victim of mockery and practical jokes,
\nappeared in the Sin Po daily. In the beginning, this figure had
\nnot quite found its form, but a year later he became an
\nestablished character, especially since he was baptized Put On,
\nHokkianese for Pu An, "Dangerous". Having done extensive research
\non Indonesian comic strips, writer Arswendo Atmowiloto claims
\nthat Put On is the first comic strip that was created by an
\nIndonesian.<\/p>\n
Put On was created by Kho Wan Gie. Kho, born in Indramayu,
\nWest Java, in 1908, studied drawing by correspondence from a
\nschool in Washington D.C. In 1927 his first work appeared in
\nPanorama magazine as a cartoonist and book illustrator. Amongst
\nhis works in Panorama is the cover of Kwee Tek Hoay's book Bunga
\nRoos dari Cikembang.<\/p>\n
Put On<\/p>\n
Working for the Sin Po daily, in 1930 he started producing the
\ncharacter of Put On in The Born Loser. Kho admitted that he was
\ninspired by Jiggs from Bringing up Father. However, following Ang
\nJan Goan and later Kwee Kek Beng's advise, he dare to further
\ndevelop his comic character. The two men also contributed many
\nideas for him to draw. According to Kho, even the founding father
\nof Kompas, P.K. Ojong, helped him in developing Put On.
\nPut On appeared in the Saturday editions of the Sin Po daily, and
\nalso in its special editions, such as the Chinese New Year and
\nJubilee numbers. Its appearance was halted in 1942, when Sin Po
\nwas banned by the Japanese. In 1948 it reappeared in Sin Po, and
\ncontinued even after the daily changed its name into Warta
\nBhakti. Put On also appeared in the Pantjawarna magazine and
\nperhaps some other magazines. The comic strip stopped appearing
\nat the end of September 1965.<\/p>\n
However, Kho Wan Gie continued to work and created many
\nother comics, such as Sopoiku in Ria magazine and a number of
\nother titles as mini series in booklet format: Nona Agogo, Jali
\nTok Cer and Si Lemot. Put On also appeared in booklet form. Kho
\ndied in Jakarta on 4 May 1983, but his creations live on. Some of
\nhis comic strips are still in circulation and are still being
\nreprinted.<\/p>\n
Historical<\/p>\n
Put On anecdotes were presented through simple and attractive
\ndrawings. The humor often appears to be slapstick, and might not
\nsuit the taste of our current sense of humor. Nonetheless, at the
\ntime of his creation, the character was much enjoyed.<\/p>\n
Often Put On can be seen as a personal reflection of his own
\ncreator. Unlike Jiggs of Bringing Up Father, Put On never
\nmarried. He fell for many women, who always mocked him. This
\nseemed to reflect the early life of Kho, who remained single
\nuntil the age of 35. Although Kho married, had children and
\ngrandchildren, he kept Put On single, a decision which he often
\nregretted. To Arswendo, he once said "Put On should have married,
\nso that I could have elaborated on other ideas. I have many ideas
\nabout married life that can be funny. But I am worried that other
\npeople might not like them, I am afraid of hurting their
\nfeelings." Kho was indeed a sensitive man.<\/p>\n
He was also quite active in politics. After World War II, he
\njoined Pao An Tui. In the 1960s, he supported the confrontation
\nagainst Malaysia and Tengku Abdulrachman. Kho was an avid
\nsupporter of Sukarno's politics, extending the great leader's
\ncall for Turba (open communication) and Gotong Royong (mutual
\ncooperation).<\/p>\n
However, not much politics entered his comic images. In the
\nfew works of his which could be considered political, he includes
\nhis political views in a way that is quite subtle. As a staff
\nmember of Sin Po he was obliged to voice the political view of
\nthe daily and pledge allegiance to China. This he hints through
\nPut On, proposing a toast and saluting Chung Hwa Min Kuo Wan Shui
\non Chinese New Year.<\/p>\n
Whatever his political inclinations may have been, Put On was
\nportrayed as just a common Indonesian like millions of others. He
\nhopelessly faced rising prices and reprehensible devaluation. He
\nis able to repair the leaks in his roof, but unable to prevent
\nhis house from flooding.<\/p>\n
Put On comic strips serve as an excellent alternative medium
\nfor historical research, because they often include depictions of
\nobjects from everyday life, such as furniture and household
\nutensils. They provide a complementary resource to the limited
\nvisual material that is available for historical study in
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
Fashion of the times are also depicted. From these strips, we
\ncan see that up to the early 1950s, young women of Chinese
\ndescent wore the Shanghai dress, while Put On's mother, who was
\nalso Chinese, wore kebaya and sarong panjang.<\/p>\n
Most of his comics portray past ways of life. Put On's
\nanecdotes evolve around his life at home with his mother and two
\nbrothers who are much younger than him, his attempts in pursuing
\nromantic relationships with female friends, and his adventures
\nwith his friends, especially A Lioek, his best friend. When going
\nout with his friends, the comics are often set around cinema
\nlines and restaurants.<\/p>\n
The language in the comic strips can also become an object of
\nhistorical study. In the beginning Put On spoke in a Betawi
\ndialect, but later, in the 1950s and 60s used bahasa Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Sense of humor<\/p>\n
The comics may also contribute to knowledge beyond everyday
\nlife. Sometimes, the comic strips also refer to specific
\nhistorical events. A 1954 strip shows Put On's friends playing a
\npractical joke on him. While he slept, they applied paints on his
\nface and pinned a note on his back indicating that he was a
\nMerapi victim. Sent off to deliver a piggy bank to his friend,
\nPut On later goes out only to be jeered by onlookers who claim
\nthey also want to help him by giving him a donation. At that time
\nMerapi hadn't erupted for 40 years.<\/p>\n
In the early days of Indonesian comics, the strips might not
\nhave been as witty and sophisticated. Even if the quality of
\ntheir humor might not suit the tastes of today, as elements of
\npopular culture Put On comics provide a wealth of historical
\ninformation.<\/p>\n
While they might not offer a direct reflection of prevalent
\nways of thinking and values at the time, the comic strips
\ncertainly reveal past tastes in humor. This strip on the year of
\nthe pig might not be terribly funny now, but it is most likely
\nthat it was considered to be funny when it was published in Sin
\nPo in 1935, five year-of-the-pigs ago.<\/p>",
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