Comic books find market in Indonesia

By Achmad Nurhoeri

JAKARTA (JP): Comics have become an increasingly profitable industry in Indonesia with investments getting bigger and bigger whenever a new series hits the market.

Unfortunately, most of the comic books in circulation are foreign comics that have been translated into Bahasa Indonesia. This is hurting the traditional Indonesian comic-business.

A comic book can be a child's best friend. It lets the reader travel to places never dreamed of. While reading comics children can use their imaginations and become superheros with gigantic powers. After reading a comic a child will be able to tell you things as interesting as Superman's original planet, or Garfield's favorite dish.

Indonesian children are just like any other children in the world, becoming totally engrossed in the comic book they are reading. Doraemon, Candy Candy, Batman, Superman and Asterix are just a few of the characters that fill their collections. They are all foreign comics that have been translated by Indonesian publishers.

Publishers such as Gramedia, Aya Media, Misurind, Sinar Harapan and Rajawali Grafiti are clever enough to see the opportunities the comic book industry can bring them. After going through the process of getting licenses to be allowed to translate, they enter the market with the foreign comic book characters that have astute illustrations combined with slick storytelling that surpass Indonesian comic book characters.

Slowly but surely Indonesian comics are losing their devoted readers due to the domination of foreign competitors. The comic book illustrators find that they can no longer depend on their jobs.

"The publishers are digging a grave for the Indonesian comic books whenever they issue a translated version of foreign comics," said Wargiono, a lecturer of the Jakarta Institute of Arts, in a seminar held at the University of Indonesia recently.

The one-day seminar entitled Comics from Various Perspectives, featured a number of noted figures as speakers, including Dwi Koendoro, the creator of the famous Indonesian comic character Panji Koming of the daily Kompas and Father Drost SJ from the Jakarta-based Gonzaga seminary.

The discussion pointed out the arrogance on the part of publishers that treat comics as nothing more than a gold mine. The Indonesian comic artists complained that publishers never take the essence of comics seriously.

"They only see the business side of it and rarely acknowledge the creators of comic book characters as artists," said Bambang from Qomik Nusantara, a group of art students trying to create comic book characters with modern technology to challenge the Japanese and American comic book invasion.

Indonesian quality

Former chief of the state-run television station TVRI, Ishadi Sk, said after comparing it to the conditions of television today, "Actually Indonesian comics are not that hopeless, if they just try and reach the art and storytelling quality possessed by their rivals."

"After taking a beating from imported television shows in the early days of private television, local series are increasingly gaining control of the ratings. Seventeen out of the top 20 shows on Indonesia television channels are now locally made series. This is a good example which can be followed by the makers of Indonesian comic book characters," Ishadi said.

Another problem that haunts the Indonesian comic book market is the unwillingness of some local artists to adjust their style to the market. "We should start making comics that relate to the readers and get away from the habit of making comics that relate to ourselves," Dwi Koendoro said.

Finding scape-goats will not solve the matter. It will just complicate the situation and children will get more attached to their foreign comic book characters. "Comics are not trash. They are motivators for children to get interested in certain subjects," Father Drost said.

So if local publishers and artists do not cooperate, don't be surprised when Indonesian children wear their underwear over their trousers like Superman, or they ask for Dorayaki, Doraemon's favorite cookie, for lunch.