First comic strips bring Lunar New Year to Indonesians

First comic strips bring Lunar New Year to Indonesians

By Amir & Myra Sidharta

JAKARTA (JP): The most effective comic strips are definitely
those which present social commentary on current issues with much
wit, and many contemporary Indonesian comic strips have reached
quite a level of sophistication. Dwi Koendoro's Panji Koming
which appeared in Kompas' Sunday edition, used the Majapahit era
as a parody of modern politics.

Recently, Libra's Timun appearing in the same paper has
shown immense improvement to become one of the funniest comic
strips in Indonesia today. This Sunday's strip shows the boy
Terong preferring to be punished (dihukum) by his mother rather
than by his father. The mother advises him that the law (hukum),
anywhere, at anytime, involving anyone, is equal. Clearly, this
strip wittily refers to the current debate of whether the alleged
Indonesian murderer who is filling the headlines these days
should be tried here in Indonesia or in the United States.

Indonesia has enjoyed funnies for quite a long time, as comic
strips appeared quite early. In 1930 a character called The Born
Loser, who always became a victim of mockery and practical jokes,
appeared in the Sin Po daily. In the beginning, this figure had
not quite found its form, but a year later he became an
established character, especially since he was baptized Put On,
Hokkianese for Pu An, "Dangerous". Having done extensive research
on Indonesian comic strips, writer Arswendo Atmowiloto claims
that Put On is the first comic strip that was created by an
Indonesian.

Put On was created by Kho Wan Gie. Kho, born in Indramayu,
West Java, in 1908, studied drawing by correspondence from a
school in Washington D.C. In 1927 his first work appeared in
Panorama magazine as a cartoonist and book illustrator. Amongst
his works in Panorama is the cover of Kwee Tek Hoay's book Bunga
Roos dari Cikembang.

Put On

Working for the Sin Po daily, in 1930 he started producing the
character of Put On in The Born Loser. Kho admitted that he was
inspired by Jiggs from Bringing up Father. However, following Ang
Jan Goan and later Kwee Kek Beng's advise, he dare to further
develop his comic character. The two men also contributed many
ideas for him to draw. According to Kho, even the founding father
of Kompas, P.K. Ojong, helped him in developing Put On.
Put On appeared in the Saturday editions of the Sin Po daily, and
also in its special editions, such as the Chinese New Year and
Jubilee numbers. Its appearance was halted in 1942, when Sin Po
was banned by the Japanese. In 1948 it reappeared in Sin Po, and
continued even after the daily changed its name into Warta
Bhakti. Put On also appeared in the Pantjawarna magazine and
perhaps some other magazines. The comic strip stopped appearing
at the end of September 1965.

However, Kho Wan Gie continued to work and created many
other comics, such as Sopoiku in Ria magazine and a number of
other titles as mini series in booklet format: Nona Agogo, Jali
Tok Cer and Si Lemot. Put On also appeared in booklet form. Kho
died in Jakarta on 4 May 1983, but his creations live on. Some of
his comic strips are still in circulation and are still being
reprinted.

Historical

Put On anecdotes were presented through simple and attractive
drawings. The humor often appears to be slapstick, and might not
suit the taste of our current sense of humor. Nonetheless, at the
time of his creation, the character was much enjoyed.

Often Put On can be seen as a personal reflection of his own
creator. Unlike Jiggs of Bringing Up Father, Put On never
married. He fell for many women, who always mocked him. This
seemed to reflect the early life of Kho, who remained single
until the age of 35. Although Kho married, had children and
grandchildren, he kept Put On single, a decision which he often
regretted. To Arswendo, he once said "Put On should have married,
so that I could have elaborated on other ideas. I have many ideas
about married life that can be funny. But I am worried that other
people might not like them, I am afraid of hurting their
feelings." Kho was indeed a sensitive man.

He was also quite active in politics. After World War II, he
joined Pao An Tui. In the 1960s, he supported the confrontation
against Malaysia and Tengku Abdulrachman. Kho was an avid
supporter of Sukarno's politics, extending the great leader's
call for Turba (open communication) and Gotong Royong (mutual
cooperation).

However, not much politics entered his comic images. In the
few works of his which could be considered political, he includes
his political views in a way that is quite subtle. As a staff
member of Sin Po he was obliged to voice the political view of
the daily and pledge allegiance to China. This he hints through
Put On, proposing a toast and saluting Chung Hwa Min Kuo Wan Shui
on Chinese New Year.

Whatever his political inclinations may have been, Put On was
portrayed as just a common Indonesian like millions of others. He
hopelessly faced rising prices and reprehensible devaluation. He
is able to repair the leaks in his roof, but unable to prevent
his house from flooding.

Put On comic strips serve as an excellent alternative medium
for historical research, because they often include depictions of
objects from everyday life, such as furniture and household
utensils. They provide a complementary resource to the limited
visual material that is available for historical study in
Indonesia.

Fashion of the times are also depicted. From these strips, we
can see that up to the early 1950s, young women of Chinese
descent wore the Shanghai dress, while Put On's mother, who was
also Chinese, wore kebaya and sarong panjang.

Most of his comics portray past ways of life. Put On's
anecdotes evolve around his life at home with his mother and two
brothers who are much younger than him, his attempts in pursuing
romantic relationships with female friends, and his adventures
with his friends, especially A Lioek, his best friend. When going
out with his friends, the comics are often set around cinema
lines and restaurants.

The language in the comic strips can also become an object of
historical study. In the beginning Put On spoke in a Betawi
dialect, but later, in the 1950s and 60s used bahasa Indonesia.

Sense of humor

The comics may also contribute to knowledge beyond everyday
life. Sometimes, the comic strips also refer to specific
historical events. A 1954 strip shows Put On's friends playing a
practical joke on him. While he slept, they applied paints on his
face and pinned a note on his back indicating that he was a
Merapi victim. Sent off to deliver a piggy bank to his friend,
Put On later goes out only to be jeered by onlookers who claim
they also want to help him by giving him a donation. At that time
Merapi hadn't erupted for 40 years.

In the early days of Indonesian comics, the strips might not
have been as witty and sophisticated. Even if the quality of
their humor might not suit the tastes of today, as elements of
popular culture Put On comics provide a wealth of historical
information.

While they might not offer a direct reflection of prevalent
ways of thinking and values at the time, the comic strips
certainly reveal past tastes in humor. This strip on the year of
the pig might not be terribly funny now, but it is most likely
that it was considered to be funny when it was published in Sin
Po in 1935, five year-of-the-pigs ago.