Kosasih, R. A.

Raden Ahmad Kosasih or better known as RA Kosasih, was a writer and famous comic draftsman of Indonesia. Generation of comics today considered as the father of Indonesian Comics.

He liked to watch wayang golek, the wooden puppet shows, when he was young. It inspired him to introduce wayang in his comics.

His works are mainly associated with Hindu literature (Ramayana and Mahabharata) and traditional Indonesian literature, especially of Javanese and Sundanese literature. Besides, he also drew some comics that have the effect of Chinese martial arts, but not too much.

His first series, ‘Sri Asih’, was sold out soon. Kosasih continued with series such as ‘Siti Gahara’, ‘Sri Dewi’, ‘Mahabharata’ and ‘Ramayana’. There was a decline in interest in wayang comics after the 1980s, along with the invasion of imported foreign comics, especially Japanese. Kosasih stopped making comics in 1993. Kosasih began his career at the publisher “melodi” in Bandung. But his works are well-known published by Maranatha.

Lately in the decade of the 1990s his works republished by Elex Media Komputindo and publisher Paramita in Surabaya. Kosasih died at the age of 93 years.