Foreign products dominate local comic industry

Foreign products dominate local comic industry

By Yusuf Susilo

JAKARTA (JP): Dozens of cartoonists under the flag of the
Indonesian Comics Society (MKI), an association of some 700
cartoonists from across the country, held a rally in front of
Pasar Festival in Jakarta recently.

Led by MKI chairman, Wahyu Sugianto, the rally continued
peacefully until dusk fell. Nonpolitical in nature, the rally
escaped the notice of the police and media.

Dozens of posters in Indonesian and English were placed along
the outer fence of Pasar Festival, which is located in Kuningan.
Other posters were simply scattered on the ground.

These posters "shouted" different messages, but in essence
they all called on Indonesians to love their own comic books and
to stop engrossing themselves in foreign (Japanese, American and
European) comics at the expense of local comics.

Some of the messages read: "Support your local comic
movement", "Foreign comics are not necessarily good", "Do not
sell only foreign comics" and "Go to hell imported comics".

Ridiculously, when Wahyu attempted shout out a message, he
could not be heard because, unlike at normal rallies, there was
no megaphone, an indication that the participants were not true
protesters.

Nevertheless, the rally was interesting to watch. Cartoonists
and visitors could draw on pieces of paper scattered on the
ground. Those who did not have the knack for drawing could simply
watch how comics were made, or walk around and read the posters.

"Right you are, brother," said Sisca, a high school student,
commenting on a poster reading: "This is the era of Indonesian
comics". Next to it was another poster reading: "Go To Hell $
Imported Comics".

A day earlier, a similar rally was held in front of the Kompas
building on Jl. Palmerah Selatan. The participants conveyed the
same message and asked the mass media to support local comics.
"We need help from the community, particularly the mass media and
publishers, to be able to revive the local comic industry," said
Wahyu.

The two rallies were held in connection with the Third
National Comics and Animated Cartoons Week 2001 (PKAN III), held
at the H. Usmar Ismail Film Center (PPHUI) from Feb. 9 to Feb.
16.

The event, organized by the Directorate General of Culture and
the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, with the support of MKI, the
Indonesian Animated Cartoons Association and the School of Film
and Television at the Jakarta Arts Institute, had as its theme In
Search of the Characters in Indonesian Cartoons.

Director General of Culture IGN Anom said the theme was
deliberately chosen because the characters in local comics and
animated cartoons very much resemble characters in Japanese and
American cartoons.

The event had a number of different programs, including an
exhibition, a bazaar, a workshop on animated cartoons, a workshop
on comics, a chance for children and teenagers to meet
cartoonists, rallies and a meeting between aspiring cartoonists
and cartoonists taking part in the workshops and the ASEAN
cartoon exhibition, as well as the screening of animated
cartoons.

In a report, the chairman of the organizing committee, Sri
Hastanto, said this year's event could attract 8,972 visitors
from Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang, Bekasi and other regions.

Islamic comics

Wahyu made an appeal to the community, particularly publishers
and the mass media, because the productivity of MKI members had
dropped recently.

The work of most MKI cartoonists are yet to be appreciated by
comic buffs because only a handful of publishers are willing to
publish local comics. And overseas, the mass media has not
provided space for Indonesian comics.

There are only a handful of publishers concerned by how local
comics fare. They include Mizan in Bandung and Balai Pustaka and
Gramedia in Jakarta.

These three publishers each offer something unique. Mizan,
while also publishing general comics like the highly popular Ohir
series by Bandung-based Bajing Loncat Studio, also publishes
Islamic comics.

Andi Yudha of Bajing Loncat Studio and Mizan have enjoyed
success with Ohir, a comic intended for small children and
teenagers.

A young and stylish mother from Pondok Indah looking for
books for her children at the Mizan stand during PKAN III said
that in her experience, children were attracted to Islamic
teachings presented through comics because they could better
understand the subject matter.

"Perhaps because of the drawings. My children like these
comics because they are easily understood," she said.

Some of Mizan's best-selling comics are Series of Islamic
Comics: Stories of Muhammad, which comes in 12 volumes at Rp
9,900 per volume. Between 1997, when the series first appeared,
and 1999, the series was reprinted five times.

There is also Olin's Diary: the Last Choice, a novel
interspersed with comics for youngsters. It tells the story of
how Olin, a tomboy, finally decides to wear a Muslim head scarf.
For young children, Mizan publishes Stories for Children Under
Five: Mio Series.

State publisher Balai Pustaka publishes original Indonesian
comics made by winners of the National Comic Contest and the
National Illustrated Story Contest held by the Directorate
General of Culture and the ministries of education and culture.
Some of the titles are Si Muka Kacang (the winner of the 1996
illustrated story contest), sold for Rp 5,100, and Ayam Majapahit
(Majapahit Chicken) (the winner of the 1996 comic contest),
available at Rp 5,000.

The third publisher, Gramedia, mostly publishes Disney comics
(in translation) and Japanese comics that are popular with
Indonesian children. Some of the titles include Pocahontas,
Beauty and the Beast, Batman, Hercules and Hatori.

These comic books in translation cost about Rp 6,500 a copy,
far less expensive than local comics published by Mizan, for
example.

It is public knowledge that in the past decade these comics
in translation have dominated the Indonesian market. Their
position is also strengthened thanks to merchandising, with legal
and pirated objects like CDs, VCDs, T-shirts, bags, stickers and
dolls available, as well as big-screen films and television
shows.

Capitalist Network

That Mizan-published comics sell well demonstrates a market
for domestic comics still exists and has good potential. But the
question remains: why do people always refer to imported comics?
Why do bookstores prefer to display imported comics, rather than
local ones, in their shop windows?

Why has the Japanese comic Crayon Sinchan, for example, been
freely introduced to children here, while in Japan it is
specifically intended for teenagers and parents. Why don't
Indonesia's comic publishers imitate Malaysia and adapt Crayon
Sinchan comics to the local culture?

Why does RCTI air Crayon Sinchan cartoons in the morning as a
show intended for children, while in Japan it is shown only at
night?

A comic observer and activist from the University of
Indonesia, Rahayu S. Hidayat, the curator of PKAN III, has an
answer that is short and to the point: "I have the hunch there is
an international capitalist conspiracy behind all this."

What she regrets is that at home relevant parties have not yet
realized the significance of promoting local comics and animated
cartoons.

One key tactic to resist this "international capitalist
conspiracy" is not to resort to a campaign against foreign
comics, but, as suggested by cartoonist Dwi Koen Br, the "father"
of famous Indonesian cartoon character Panji Koming, to adopt a
total marketing concept.

This means that everyone involved in all aspects of comics and
animated cartoons in Indonesia should improve their communication
with one another and sit down at the same table to formulate a
grand strategy. In this case, the government would only
facilitate the meeting. Without such a step, it will be
impossible for Indonesian comics to be the host in their own
country.

The head of the National Gallery, Watie Moerani, gave her word
that the gallery would make one room available for comics. In
this way, all the worries felt by cartoonists, including the
eagerness to find genuinely Indonesian cartoon characters, may be
accommodated and creatively channeled. Will the goal also be a
loud shout of "Go to hell imported comics"?