Saleh Ardisoma

Translated From Jual Komik Lama. 

In the world of comics, he is better known as just Ardisoma, even though it is his father's name. His real first name is Saleh, which in his comic works is written as Saleh Ardisoma, S. Ardisoma, S.A. Soma, or S.A.S. This name was inscribed on comic panels which later became a milestone in the history of comic books in the 1950s-1960s, accompanying RA Kosasih's phenomenal wayang adaptations of Ramayana and Mahabharata. There are three prominent titles of Saleh Ardisoma's comics, namely Jakawana, Ulamsari, and Wayang Purwa. Most of his publishing is under Melody. Melody Publishers was known to often innovate themes in comic publishing in the 1950s. Melody pioneered the publication of comic books in the form of graphic novels, as well as pioneering the creation of local superhero figures such as Sri Asih, Putri Bintang and others. Melody also pioneered the publication of comics with “local” themes such as folk tales and wayang.

Tarzan was a fictional character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1912. Tarzan was transferred to the comic strip format in 1929 by Hal Foster. The plunge of a muscular male figure who was raised by apes, but who was good-looking and smart had caused a huge outbreak of comic artists in Indonesia. That outbreak was in the form of inspiration to create new comic figures. Tarzanesque Figures were created by Indonesian artists. RA Kosasih created Tjempaka (Cempaka), a once popular female Tarzanid character. John Lo also created a female Tarzanid named Nina of Kalimantan. Bahzar, a Medan based North Sumatran artist, created Mala, Eng created the Zanga character, the Javan-born Chinese Indonesian (convert to Islam) Kwik Ing Hoo created the Wiro character, and many other figures including Jakawana (Djakawana) by Saleh Ardisoma. The story is very similar to the story of the "creation" of the original Tarzan. A child named Kohar was abandoned in the forest and then raised by a great ape (who’s perhaps a matronly Central Bornean orangutan) so that he becomes Jakawana, a wild man who befriends other animals. Kohar wears a pair of leopardskin trunks connected to the upper body, exactly like Tarzan in early Hal Foster comics. Jakawana as a character began to popularise Saleh Ardisoma to the Indonesian masses. In my childhood, in the 1960s, the name’s old spelling (Djakawana) was mentioned quite often. In my sister's reading garden in the past (1967-1969), there were many who borrowed its two volumes. 

 

The creation of the genre "Tarzanide" or "Jungle Adventure" does require a good mastery in creating images of human anatomy because the characters in it often do not wear much clothes. Comedy artists of this genre will be increasingly trained in drawing human body movements and muscles more closely. In addition, good mastery in creating images of animal anatomy is also needed because usually a jungle adventurer will meet various types of animals. Scenes outside the room - especially the forest - also dominate the picture on the panels. Even though the story is not special, it is the trusty Jakawana story that makes Saleh Ardisoma more proficient in drawing the anatomy and motion of humans, animals, and depicting panoramic scenes of Indonesia's natural scenery, also building storylines. The skills gained from making Jakawana comics were very supportive in innovating the puppet drama genre which he worked on later.

Ulamsari is one of the comic book titles by Saleh Ardisoma which is also quite "sought after" at the time, also "highly collectable" by current comic collectors. Ulamsari is an excerpt from the background of the Mahabharata monkey story. In contrast to RA Kosasih who worked on Mahabharata by trying to be obedient to the Indian standard (although in the end there were still some adjustments), generally the wayang comedy that Saleh Ardisoma worked on took more from the narrative of puppeteer puppet show. Ulamsari tells the story of Raden Abhimanyu who turns into a beautiful fish named Ulamsari. The fish made Duryodhana Prabu’s daughter fall in love.

From the comics produced by S. Ardisoma, in this genre of "wayang", Saleh Ardisoma received a position that was quite appropriate and accepted by the community. Amongst all his works, it can be said that his own take on Purwa, featuring comic book variants of Wayang Puppets adapted from the characters themselves, is the peak. S. Ardisoma's Wayang Purwa, published in 1956, is one of the cornerstones of comic history, especially in the wayang genre.

The term "Purwa" in the performing arts (wayang golek or kulit), by some experts, is interpreted as "the past". Some other scholars say that the word "purwa" comes from "parwa" (parva), namely episodes or chapters in the Mahabharata story. In fact, the Indian version of Mahabharata consists of 18 parwa, which starts from Adi Parva who tells about the origin of the Bharata dynasty, and ends with Swargarohana Parva about the final journey of the Pandavas to ascend to nirvana. Whereas the word Wayang itself actually refers to a form of performance art. So what is often referred to as "wayang stories" actually does not exist. What is there is a "story" that is usually sung in a puppet show and the story is usually a series of stories around the great story of Ramayana and Mahabharata.

The comic version of Wayang Purwa does not tell episodes in the parva from India but rather stories before the Ramayana and Mahabharata periods. RA Kosasih in the late 1970s, under the publisher Maranatha also made a comic with the title Wayang Purwa and with more or less the same content structure. Likewise with Oerip S. So, the term "Wayang Purwa" in cergam finally refers to the meaning of "stories that occurred before the Ramayana and Mahabharata".

 

In the Wayang Purwa poem, there is an episode about Manikmaya, which is a story about how the Sanghyang Tunggal passed on his blessings to the children of the gods. Then there is the story of the original origins of the archipelago such as Semar and his family. After that, there is a story about Dewi Sri and Batara Kala. The Arjuna Sasrabahu episode in India itself was not too prominent, in Wayang Purwa it was enough to get a large portion. The story is combined with the story of Somantri and Sukrasana. After that, there were also episodes about Subali, Sugriwa, Ravana and the birth of Hanuman. Only in the last part of the episode was the abduction of Sprott by Ravana the mighty. The chorus stops at the time of Rama's attack on Alengka and the publisher is welcome to continue it in RA Kosasih's comic, Ramayana. The stories are indeed colossal. In it many scenes of war between gods and giants. The creatures that appear are also fantastic, there are giants, gods, monsters, animal-headed humans, and others. Saleh Ardisoma is able to describe it with beautiful and dramatic perspectives. His depiction of the palace and heaven also feels magnificent. In a long volume range, it can be seen that Saleh Ardisoma's skill in making comics is increasing. The pages in the final episode are much better than the pages in the first volume.

Wayang Purwanya Saleh Ardisoma, Ramayana - Mahabharatanya RA Kosasih (including Bharatayuda and Pandawa Seda) have represented the main outline of the main puppets. When we finish reading the three titles, it will be easier for us to follow and understand other wayang plays in the form of story excerpts such as Ulamsari. Until now, comic is the most up-to-date medium of wayang story that can be said to be successful because based on direct recognition from many people, they recognise the "puppet" stories for the first time from reading comic.

The comic book Wayang Purwa by Saleh Ardisoma apparently also attracted the attention of the French publisher, Trismégiste. In 1982, one episode of Wayang Purwa, Manikmaya, was published in English and French. In 2002, Wayang Purwa was completely reprinted in a smaller format by PT Elex Media Komputindo. In 2010, Saleh Ardisoma's best work was re-published in a large size. It seems that the Plus + publisher really understands the importance of the Wayang Purwa by Saleh Ardisoma so that it is immortalized in a luxurious format and is very worthy of being collected.

The best known Indonesian versions of Mahabharata and Ramayana are indeed "owned" by RA Kosasih, but S. Ardisoma truly and surely was the first designer of the "Wayang Purwa" universe in comic books.

By Iwan Gunawan