As soon as I'm done with it, I can start updating comics again and stuff.
Although I have bit of good news to shed a light on this weak update.
Remember that JATAYU comic I updated for a contest submission? Surprisingly, it made into the finalists. They won't announce who won just yet until the prize giving ceremony at 23rd December. So really, I am feeling very excited and anxious to see how far I've come.
And to be honest, I didn't expect it to be even selected. I thought it would be too fierce a competition to even enter since it was held for that international comic-con event so being selected is really lucky enough for me.. Or I'm just both excited and anxious since it's my first time attempting to seriously put my work in the real world.
Which was also the overall concept of the comic - The JATAYU comic wasn't merely a comic to 'test my skills and abilities in a competition'. It was more of an experiment of an idea that has been formed throughout my studies during degree studies in University; how do you implement traditional art in modern day context? how do you revive traditional art and give it a present-day meaning so that people, viewers and readers can accept it?
The reason I made JATAYU was how do I create a Malay superhero in modern-day context? what IS the essence or values of a Malay hero? What kind of superheroes can I create out of it? What sort of heroes existed before it? To answer that question, I tried my best to refer literature and epics portraying such heroes such as Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa, Hikayat Hang Tuah and other forms of literature such as poems of Jentayu and so on.
Then, I studied and compared superheroes from both east and west and choose which appealed me the most. Everything from DC to Marvel, from Super Sentai to Jetman. I also studied local examples from the past from local comic artists who tried the same. From Azhar Abdullah to Zint to Pedang Setiawan to Boboiboy.
I first chose Kamen Rider Black because I was so impressed when my friends first showed it to me. Note that I've never watched much of Kamen Rider shows because I was never interested in them until they showed me the remake of Classic Kamen Rider the movie(lol, sorry forgot the actual title) and Kamen Rider Black. I thought I was the only one but a lot preferred the classic Kamen Riders because of what I can tell as the exceeding macho levels as well as implementing martial arts in their choreographed Henshin and fight scenes. Also, simplicity in their costumes is just pretty great on its own(especially when you have to put the helmet on your own).
So from that point, it became my primary source for reference but I didn't stop. It came to inquiry on what makes Kamen Rider so special? Why even a grasshopper? What makes Kamen Rider a good hero? From that on, I studied its backgrounds, the definition of Tokusatsu, its history, and the philosophy behind Kamen Rider itself. That itself would be too long to write down but basically I understood its relation and how I could implement it in my works.
I chose Jentayu because as reference to Kamen Rider's choice for grasshoppers and beetles, I chose a mythical and majestic bird that is much closer related to Malays in terms of history in literature and motifs in art as well as its strong fighting spirit yet kind at heart. Thus, forms JATAYU.
Many would and have opposed this idea as the idea itself might seem cheesy or cliche`. I admit it actually is but that was also my experiment in how do you represent something that is considered cliche or immature into a well thought out work that could well be appreciated? I attempted to parody itself because I know that regardless of my efforts in making it special based on Kamen Rider, I could never beat or making it better than any kind of Kamen Rider since it has already been well established and well known, no matter what weapon, clothes or superpower I could have JATAYU to wield. I could only create a different method of presentation while giving it a local context to reflect the essence, values, society and look of a Malay hero in modern day Malaysia. I still enjoyed the journey in creating this hero because I've managed to grasp what makes a hero tick. Even so, I still have a lot to learn in this particular field but nevertheless I enjoyed it.
Lastly, sorry for no comic updates today again! I hope you don't mind the long post but it may help in giving insights of how JATAYU was born and all.
PS: That reminds me. I made a video showing super speed inking process on how this comic was drawn so maybe I'll put that up later for show.
I'm on my last week of final assessments and exams so stay tuned! There will be JUSTICE!
The reason I made JATAYU was how do I create a Malay superhero in modern-day context? what IS the essence or values of a Malay hero? What kind of superheroes can I create out of it? What sort of heroes existed before it? To answer that question, I tried my best to refer literature and epics portraying such heroes such as Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa, Hikayat Hang Tuah and other forms of literature such as poems of Jentayu and so on.
Then, I studied and compared superheroes from both east and west and choose which appealed me the most. Everything from DC to Marvel, from Super Sentai to Jetman. I also studied local examples from the past from local comic artists who tried the same. From Azhar Abdullah to Zint to Pedang Setiawan to Boboiboy.
I first chose Kamen Rider Black because I was so impressed when my friends first showed it to me. Note that I've never watched much of Kamen Rider shows because I was never interested in them until they showed me the remake of Classic Kamen Rider the movie(lol, sorry forgot the actual title) and Kamen Rider Black. I thought I was the only one but a lot preferred the classic Kamen Riders because of what I can tell as the exceeding macho levels as well as implementing martial arts in their choreographed Henshin and fight scenes. Also, simplicity in their costumes is just pretty great on its own(especially when you have to put the helmet on your own).
So from that point, it became my primary source for reference but I didn't stop. It came to inquiry on what makes Kamen Rider so special? Why even a grasshopper? What makes Kamen Rider a good hero? From that on, I studied its backgrounds, the definition of Tokusatsu, its history, and the philosophy behind Kamen Rider itself. That itself would be too long to write down but basically I understood its relation and how I could implement it in my works.
I chose Jentayu because as reference to Kamen Rider's choice for grasshoppers and beetles, I chose a mythical and majestic bird that is much closer related to Malays in terms of history in literature and motifs in art as well as its strong fighting spirit yet kind at heart. Thus, forms JATAYU.
Many would and have opposed this idea as the idea itself might seem cheesy or cliche`. I admit it actually is but that was also my experiment in how do you represent something that is considered cliche or immature into a well thought out work that could well be appreciated? I attempted to parody itself because I know that regardless of my efforts in making it special based on Kamen Rider, I could never beat or making it better than any kind of Kamen Rider since it has already been well established and well known, no matter what weapon, clothes or superpower I could have JATAYU to wield. I could only create a different method of presentation while giving it a local context to reflect the essence, values, society and look of a Malay hero in modern day Malaysia. I still enjoyed the journey in creating this hero because I've managed to grasp what makes a hero tick. Even so, I still have a lot to learn in this particular field but nevertheless I enjoyed it.
Lastly, sorry for no comic updates today again! I hope you don't mind the long post but it may help in giving insights of how JATAYU was born and all.
PS: That reminds me. I made a video showing super speed inking process on how this comic was drawn so maybe I'll put that up later for show.
I'm on my last week of final assessments and exams so stay tuned! There will be JUSTICE!
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