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.