T'kidum

How many people in Brunei have seen this? When I first saw it on the magazine shelf at Pustaka Remaja two Sundays ago, I thought, wow! A Brunei own comic book. That's a first. It was reasonably priced at about $4.90 but I thought compared to other comics from Malaysia and especially from UK or USA, $4.90 is nothing, besides talent has to be paid for and when it's Brunei own talent, we have to make our sacrifices. So I settled down as soon as I got home to read it. It has its own ISBN number 999 17-32-12-8 and it was issue no.1. It was published by Brunei Press. Then the date of the publication struck me. This comic book was printed in June 2003. Three years ago!

Where was I three years ago not to have noticed this? But to make amends I read the comic from cover to cover. The front cover has got the five cartoon characters but the back cover has the cartoon caricature of all the cartoonists. I am reproducing both the front and back covers of the comic so that you can all go out and grab whatever copies that are left on the magazine shelf at Pustaka Remaja.

The five cartoonists are Rahim or Rhyme (cuboiart.blogspot.com) better known for his Cuboiart and Si Cuboi books; Noh (Malai Yunus Malai Yusuf) for his Malaiku books published in 1992, 1994 and 1996; Suhaili Omar who used the pseudonym Alai; Kahamarul (ROL) and Denny Azriman@Jeman or Jenah. All these five are our local cartoonists.

According to the blurbs in the inside of the front and backcovers, Rahim as you know has Borneo Bulletin readers tickled pink with his accurate but humourous depiction of the local scenes. He graduated as a Chemical Engineer and began his cartooning with his Si Cuboi series in Media Permata. The series were compiled into two books Koleksi Si Cuboi and Si Cuboi 2. Noh taught hismself art and has represented Brunei in Japan and Malaysia in Cartoonists Conferences. While Alai started off as a serious artist and did not have any intention to draw cartoons. He was attracted to draw cartoons when he saw them in Borneo Bulletin and had his first cartoon published in 1991. Rol on the other hand is an illustration artist and his creations can be seen in the Media Permata, Weekend and Sunday Bulletin and some of his drawings have been exhibited in Asia and Europe. Jeman had been drawing as soon as he knew how to hold a pencil and part of his earlier drawings appeared in the well known Malaysian comic. His first drawing appeared in BB in 2000 and ever since he had became a serious cartoonist.

I want to know whether anybody had ever seen the next issues after this issue no.1? It would be a pity if T'kidum did not continue as I thought the cartoons are among the best local cartoons I had ever seen related to our country, Brunei Darussalam.