Local superhero Gundala makes a nostalgic comeback<\/p>\n
Evi Mariani
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
It's always a tremendous moment for people when they see their
\nlong gone loved ones come back in better shape than ever to live
\nup the good old times.<\/p>\n
Responding to the nostalgia of the heyday of Indonesian comics
\nin the 1970s and 1980s, a Jakarta publishing company has breathed
\nnew life into the popular local superhero Gundala Putra Petir,
\nreprinting the original books for staunch fans.<\/p>\n
The publisher, BumiLangit, has reprinted the first and second
\ntitles of the original Gundala Putra Petir (Gundala the
\nLightning's Son), publishing 7,500 copies for each title.<\/p>\n
The reprinted editions of Asal Usul Gundala (Gundala
\nBeginnings) and Perhitungan di Planet Covox (Revenge on Planet
\nCovox) have shiny covers with new drawings by Gundala's creator,
\nYogyakartan Hasmi, whose real name is Harya Suraminata.<\/p>\n
The Gundala reprint is heavily supported by the community of
\nIndonesian comic fans, who are in the main active in the mailing
\nlist group komik_indonesia@yahoogroups.com and who run the
\nwebsite www.komikindonesia.com.<\/p>\n
Polls on the website indeed reveal that among other local
\nsuperheroes like Godam and Laba-laba Merah, Gundala is the most
\npopular. Another poll about favorite comic creator also votes
\nHasmi as number one before Ganes TH and Jan Mintaraga, who were
\nboth martial arts comic creators.<\/p>\n
\"What distinguishes Gundala from other local superheroes is
\nthe humor,\" a fan of Indonesian comics, Hartono Soenarto, 43,
\nsaid at the gathering.<\/p>\n
Another diehard fan, Andy Wijaya, owner of Toko Komik
\nIndonesia in ITC Kuningan and a moderator of komik_indonesia e-
\ngroup, said that the jokes were often local in nature.<\/p>\n
\"I remember one episode where the characters had a meeting
\nthat resulted in disaster. Later one of the characters said: I
\ntold you not to have meeting on Kamis Wage night,\" Andy, who has
\nan extensive knowledge and memory about Indonesian comics, said,
\nlaughing.<\/p>\n
Kamis Wage, or Thursday Wage, is the day before Jumat Kliwon
\n(Friday Kliwon), which is a day like Friday the 13th in the West,
\na bad luck day for some Javanese as they believe it is the time
\nwhen supernatural creatures wander into the human world.<\/p>\n
The balloon texts inside the comic books or the dialogues
\nbetween the characters are all edited and have been adjusted to
\ncurrent Bahasa Indonesia usage. In the old version, the superhero
\nand other characters still used a Dutch-influenced style of
\nlanguage.<\/p>\n
\"Our next project, after the reprinting of the original, is a
\n'Gundala reborn project'. With Pak Hasmi we will discuss the new
\nGundala concept, to adapt his character to the tastes of the
\nyounger generation,\" BumiLangit managing director Faustinus
\nGandia Kurniandri, said at the press gathering on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n
Hasmi himself said that he would first gather input from his
\nfans before creating a new Gundala.<\/p>\n
Gundala, name derived from a Javanese word for lightning,
\nfirst appeared in Indonesia in 1969 and survived until 1982 with
\n23 titles. Many assume Gundala is a local imitation of the
\nAmerican Flash Gordon, an opinion Hasmi himself never completely
\ndenies.<\/p>\n
\"Gundala is inspired by Flash, indeed. But I don't think I
\ncompletely copied Flash because Gundala has different features
\nand characteristics,\" said Hasmi, 58, who came to know American
\nsuperheroes through movies and comics since 1950s.<\/p>\n
\"Gundala wears a black costume, while Flash wears red. Flash
\nmoves as fast as lightning while Gundala is only as fast as a
\ntyphoon, but he can fire lightning while Flash cannot,\" Hasmi
\nadded.<\/p>\n
During 1960s through to the late 1970s, Indonesian comics
\nexperienced their heyday with many comic creators coming up with
\na wide array of characters, including superheroes, martial arts
\nheroes, romantic characters, to Mahabharata and Ramayana epics.<\/p>\n
The vigorous marketing of more attractive comic books from
\nFrance, Belgium, the U.S. and most recently Japan and South Korea
\ncaused a decline in the popularity of local characters like
\nGundala and many others.<\/p>\n
As a consequence, the nation's comic book lovers have also
\nseen a decline in the number of local artists producing comic
\nbooks. It is hoped that what has been done by the Gundala
\npublisher and the fans of Gundala might encourage comic makers
\nand publishers to again turn their heads to locally-made
\nsuperheroes.<\/p>\n
More information:<\/p>\n
www.komikindonesia.com
\nwww.bumilangit.net<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/local-superhero-gundala-makes-a-nostalgic-comeback-1447899208",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}