(back to Latitudes page)

[Literature]
Wid N.S.: Comic Crusader
by Ade Tanesia

His real name is Wida Nara Soma, but most everybody knows him as Wid N.S. Now 64 years old,
his eyes sometimes tire, but his enthusiasm for comics has yet to falter.

Wid N.S. first fell in love with comics as a child. Growing up in the 1950s, the decade when the
American comic distributor King Feature Syndicate dominated the Indonesian market, Wid
became a fan of Alex Raymond's 'Rip Kirby,' Wilson McCoy's 'Phantom,' and the 'Tarzan' serial,
which he read in Star Weekly magazine and the Keng Po newspaper.

Not all Wid's influences were American, however. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Indonesians
began to create comic works that reflected the social and political issues of the day. Wid enjoyed
the series of Imperial China-themed comics that Star Weekly ran to compete with the American
strips, as well as 'Sri Asih,' a local version of 'Wonder Woman,' and the comic 'Kapten Koet' by
Kong Ong, which bore a striking resemblance to 'Flash Gordon.' Comics featuring characters from
the wayang shadow play repertoire were also emerging as a response to foreign domination of the
Indonesian comics scene. Some of the era's comics even took on an overtly political tone, such as
'Kadir dan Konfrontasi' ('Kadir and Confrontation') and 'Hantjurlah Kubu Nekolim' ('Destroy the
Fortress of Neo-Colonialism'), published in the early 1960s during President Sukarno's
confrontation with Malaysia. The annexation of West Irian to Indonesia inspired the comic 'Puteri
Tjenderawasih' ('Daughter of Cenderawasih,' the bird which became an icon of the new province).
The rise of the Indonesian Communist Party saw the appearance of a comic called 'Peristiwa
Indramaju' ('The Indramayu Incident'), which narrated the people's struggle against the bourgeoisie
to gain control of lands that they could then divide among the poor. The destruction of Indonesian
communism in 1965 saw a comic emerge entitled 'Bandjir Darah di Kabut Pagi' ('A Flood of Blood
on a Foggy Morning').

Not satisfied with just admiring the works of others, Wid N.S. began to draw himself, entering the
Drawing School of the Indonesian Art Academy in Jogjakarta. He left school after a year and a
half, taking a job at the government Informational Service as an illustrator. In 1967, he heard that
the comic book publisher Cahaya Gumala was accepting submissions, and he sent in some of his
work. To his surprise, his comics were not only published, they received enthusiastic public
response.

Wid N.S.'s career began to flourish in the 1970s. Under President Suharto, political comics were
banned, but comics featuring superheroes, martial arts stars, teenage romance and jokes became
wildly popular. Wid N.S. made his mark on Indonesian comic history as the creator of 'Godam,' an
Indonesian-style superhero.

Wid N.S. admits that 'Godam' was inspired by the legendary 'Superman' series. 'Back then a
publisher offered me the chance to make a superhero comic, not just one of the martial arts or teen
romance comics that were so popular back then. I was told to make a comic like 'Superman,' and
so I made 'Godam,' around twenty books each with ten to twenty panels. The 'Godam' comic was
so successful that I was able to move to Jakarta for three years,' says Wid N.S. from his home in
Jogjakarta.

By the 1980s, however, the popularity of Indonesian comics was beginning to fade. Indonesian
youth were being drawn to new media like television, and the comic market was being saturated by
Japanese and American products. Many of Wid N.S.'s peers changed professions, and Indonesia's
art critics began talking about 'the death of Indonesian comics.' But Wid N.S. himself has been able
to survive, publishing his work in local newspapers and magazines and inspiring a younger
generation of artists intent upon putting Indonesia on the world comic map once again.

For Latitudes, Wid N.S. created a unique comic strip. This comic draws upon his interest in
Indonesian history, telling a Javanese folk tale set in the early days of the Mataram Empire. The
character Pembayun is a woman who despite her desire for peace becomes a political victim.
Pembayun is just one character from the longer series of Mangir tales that describe the conflicts
within the Mataram Empire in the first half of the 16th century under the rule of Prince Senapati.
The story of Pembayun describes not just a woman experiencing the bitter taste of oppression, but
the degenerate doings within the kingdom, where betrayal, cruelty and bloodshed are common.
This is not just a historical tale but a warning, as Indonesians try to free themselves from a history
of violence and corruption.

Pembayun 01 (288 kb)
Pembayun 02 (302 kb)
Pembayun 03 (297 kb)
Pembayun 04 (285 kb)
Pembayun 05 (83 kb)