I grew up reading the Amar Chitra Katha comics of the Mahabharata. Two years ago, Grant Morrison wrote 18 Days, his version of the Mahabharata.
In Indonesia, the late RA Kosaisih had made the Mahabharata his life defining work. A recent chat with Chris Lie of Caravan Studio at STGCC shows that Mahabharata comics is alive and well in Indonesia. The studio’s new series, Baratayuda, referring to the great war of the Mahabharata, is up to issue eight and selling well. The coolest character in the series is Gatotkaca.
Gatotkaca is also the lead character in another series by Is Yuniarto’s Wind Rider Studio – Garudayana. Garuda, the mythical bird and the national symbol of Indonesia, also appears in the Mahabharata. The Garuda is so popular that there is a kids’ version of the Garuda story, Garudaboi by Galang Tirtakusuma.
2 comments:
Naw, man, Garudaboi's name is chosen not because garudas are popular. It's like...Galang's main inspiration are tokusatsu and superhero series and he wanted to make an Indonesian-based hero/tokusatsu mash up with Garudaboi. Garudaboi has nothing to do whatsoever with garudas.The story of Garudaboi is about Saepul, who is blackmailed into being a superhero and his heroic and not-so heroic adventures in Bandung.
Wish I found the comic when I was in jkt...
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