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Indonesia’s comic book illustrators have long been an active part of the country’s artistic landscape. Unfortunately, general disinterest from the mainstream publishers meant that, for far too long, underground comic book artists had to content themselves with self-publishing Xeroxed copies of their creations and distributing them by hand.

Today, with blogs becoming easier and easier to start and maintain, comic artists have discovered a much more effective outlet to showcase their creations.

“Komik Pinter” (“Smart Comic”) is an Indonesian comic blog that has garnered a substantial audience in just a short amount of time. A minimalist site created using Tumblr, it features crudely drawn two-panel comic strips dripping with absurd, in-your-face humor.

The jokes rely on readers possessing a cynical, very Jakarta-esque sense of humor, one that is as biting as it is caustic.

The blog’s creator, Abi Rama, is a member of Jakarta’s much-admired Ruangrupa art collective, formed by alumni of the Jakarta Institute of Art (IKJ).

According to Abi, there was no particular impetus behind the creation of “Komik Pinter” other than his natural affinity for offbeat humor.

In addition to his Tumblr blog, Abi still produces photocopied booklets of his comics to self-distribute.

For Abi, the comic acts more as a humorous personal journal than a series of artistic or political statements.

“The ideas behind the strip’s story lines come from my everyday life and surroundings. My friends and I love to joke and mess around. Sometimes, when we come up with a particularly crazy joke, I’ll jot it down in a notebook and then draw it when I have the time,” he explained.

“Komik Pinter” utilizes a scribbly drawing style that harkens back to minimalist Japanese manga comic books. In fact, Abi said his main influence is one of Japan’s best-known comic artists.

“My favorite author and illustrator ever is Masashi Ueda, the legendary writer whose creations include the familial — and globally successful — comedy ‘Kariage Kun’ and ‘Kobo-Chan.’ ”

The influence of those sharp-witted, cynical mangas can clearly be seen in Komik Pinter, though the comic’s touch of absurdity is clearly Abi’s own.

One example is Abi’s depiction of two people talking to each other — one of whom has no face.

“Why don’t you have a face? That’s so weird,” the first person asks.

In the next panel, the faceless person retorts, “Better than you not having a body.”

The second panel shows that he is indeed talking to a floating head.

It’s that kind of non-sequitur humor that has made Komik Pinter such a hit.

“I love his humor because it’s so messed up,” said Benny, a fan of “Komik Pinter.” “It’s really the kind of humor you would throw around when you’re just hanging out and drinking with friends.”

“Or getting high and needing another reason to laugh,” his friend Ian added.

While Abi himself is a big fan of manga, he said he is concerned about Indonesian comic artists being overshadowed due to the country’s obsession with Japanese and American comics. But he remains positive about the future of local comics, especially considering their increasing prominence online.

“Local comic writers have huge potential,” he said. “Seeing the increasing prevalence of comic blogs and the comic community, I think there are a lot of good reasons to be optimistic.”

komikpinter.tumblr.com