*Advisory: Torture and extreme violence are depicted in this comic.
Steeped in Indonesian folklore, Bandits of Batavia follows the troubled life of Pitung, a young man whose traumatic past defines his future. As a child, his village was attacked and burned to the ground, killing friends and family. Now, as the secret vigilante Blackbull, he possesses magic which allows him to heal quickly. He uses it and his martial art skills to hunt down and kill those who prey upon the less fortunate. His life is further complicated by those in his martial arts school who either envy him or believe he does nothing to stop the corruption. But violence begets violence, and Pitung will face hard choices.
It seems almost every culture has a Robin Hood story, and Indonesia is no exception. Like the Western version of the story, Pitung fights against injustice and for the downtrodden, but with a twist—he’s got a bit of magic. My favorite part was the talking severed heads. They were clever and added a touch of humor to otherwise violent scenes. The story is heavily male dominated, but the one female character is capable, intelligent, and has her own agency. Pitung’s character is complex, and though he’s supposed to be our hero, he’s flawed enough to make him more human than superhero which I liked.
The art and coloring are terrific, which is not a surprise. I love the shading on the characters. You could feel them sweat. The lettering stands out, as well, but I’m biased as Troy letters my comics, as well. The bonus material, though a cool addition, was a bit odd, as the writing felt stilted and was missing words. That could have been the intent, but it was unclear; however, it doesn’t detract from the overall enjoyment of the story.
I pulled this out of my Kickstarter pile, and I’m glad I did. I’m looking forward to issue two in this six-issue mini-series.
Creative Team: Bryan Valenza and Henry Barajas (writers), Ario Murti (artist), Bryan Valenza (colorist), Troy Peteri (letterer)
Publisher: Beyondtopia
Click here to purchase.
