BRYAN VALENZA Steals our Attention with BANDITS OF BATAVIA

Interviews Editor, Andrew Irvin, is joined by Bryan Valenza to chat about Bandits of Batavia, a thrilling ride based on Indonesian folklore, on Kickstarter through May 30th!

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COMIC BOOK YETI: Welcome to the Yeti Cave, Bryan! How are things going in Jakarta? 

BRYAN VALENZA: Great! And busy with the Bandits of Batavia issue #2 campaign on Kickstarter. We're trying to make it bigger and better than the first issue. 

CBY: You’ve pulled together a really solid creative team for this title, Bryan. You’ve got a crew that includes; Henry Barajas as co-writer (whom I recently chatted with over Death to Pachuco), interior and cover art by Ario Murti, lettering by Troy Peteri, a beautiful map design by Osadha Siapa, graphic design from Fab Brain Studio, and variant covers from Tyler Kirkham, Philip Tan & Daniel Henriques, and Tyasseta. There were a lot of contributors to this project; how’d you pull each of them into this project and keep them working together, in line with a common vision? 

BV : I am grateful that all of the people you mentioned were very kind to help and make Bandits of Batavia a reality. Most of them have collaborated before on other comic projects, so we know each other. Henry and I worked on Helm Greycastle; from him I learned a lot about how to create a good story and he still guides me to make Bandits of Batavia even better. All of the artists you mentioned have stunning artwork and I, as a colorist, am happy to have them in my own comic. 

CBY: I’d be keen to hear about your Editor, Ray Chou, and his contributions to this organizational process of getting Bandits of Batavia out to the public, but I’m especially curious - you have credited Muafa Iskandar as the researcher on the project. How do you find having research behind your fiction adds to the power of the narrative? When working out the project budget, how did you justify this added layer of due diligence to the story? 

BV: Ray helped on editing and overview Bandits of Batavia comic to make sure it can reached more readers (especially for the US Market). 

Even though this comic is fictional, most of the comic elements are set in Batavia (what is now Jakarta). These historical moments are important to make the story deeper and feel real. The buildings, clothes, and people in this comic are based on Batavia at that time, inclusive of many ethnicities, since the city was a “melting pot” for many cultures. We wanted to recreate that rich tapestry in Bandits of Batavia. 

Speaking of the project budget, we were lucky because some of the people behind it just wanted to help and make sure Bandits of Batavia could happen, so we collaborated on this project.

CBY: I should note, you have not shied away from depicting the grittier elements of history in Bandits of Batavia. This is certainly not a sanitized rendition of the past, and regardless of research applied, the graphic treatment you’ve given the subject matter wouldn’t exactly fit well in a history class for children. Who are you looking to connect with mostly deeply across the comics fandom, and went into determining the audience you are aiming to reach with Bandits of Batavia? 

BV: Bandits of Batavia has an adult target audience, our main goal is to introduce more Indonesian culture and history in comic form to the world. On the other hand, for children, we have Beyondtopia Kids to introduce folklore in other formats. We hope that Bandits of Batavia can pave the way for the next generation of Indonesia to be proud of their own culture, believing that Indonesian folklore is cool or equal to stories from other parts of the world. 

CBY: For sure, diversity of narrative is one of the most important ways to communicate new ideas, so it's refreshing to see the way you've framed the plot. Placing this story in 1875 provides you with an opportunity to explore the influences of Dutch colonialism on Indonesia, and the infighting and strife caused by the financialization of commerce and disruption of traditional cultural practice. Other bandit tales such as Robin Hood come to mind, but the opportunity to explore multiple layers of injustice beyond merely wealth inequality come to the forefront. How did you decide upon starting the comic in 1875, as opposed to later in the notorious career of Si Pitung? 

BV: Starting from the folklore of Si Pitung which is the basis of the story's setting. Si Pitung was famous in the 1880s until his death in 1893, his story was passed down to the next generation with a mixture of real history and myths surrounding him. We further developed the story of Si Pitung, a hero to the Batavians but a bandit to the Dutch, into something bigger and longer in the chronology of his life. The cultural aspect is important to the story, we try to show it in our comic how different the situation was at that time through the journey of Si Pitung or 'Blackbull' in Bandits of Batavia. 

CBY: Bandits of Batavia is being released through Beyondtopia, with a Kickstarter campaign running through May 30th for issues #1-2. Can you tell us a bit about the partnership you’ve formed with Janarko and Garnida in building this company? What can you share about the ethos of Beyondtopia and where you’d like to take things in the future? 

BV: Both are Co-Founders like me, but their main job is to make sure I focus on the main project, Bandits of Batavia. As a creative person, sometimes you have other big ideas that you want to do right away, but they are the ones that make me delay and provide a reality 

check for my spontaneous ideas. They also help with the financial planning and promotion of Beyondtopia, especially at the moment while we're sharing Bandits of Batavia.

CBY: I am always impressed by the breadth and depth of the Indonesian comic, illustration, and animation market. What are your biggest influences both from the international and local comic landscape? How do you set yourself apart from others in the industry? 

BV: Well, the Indonesian comic market is mostly dominated by Manga or Japanese comics. I read Dragon Ball when I was a kid. US comics are something different because not many people have access to them, so Indonesians know superheroes mostly from movies. That difference also motivated us to bring Bandits of Batavia abroad first, because it is something new, something different from superhero comics in general. Mystical elements are key in our comics, combined with Silat fights and Indonesian landscapes to be something fresh for the market. 

CBY: The fight choreography and action you embody on the page is incredibly deftly delivered, so the Silat fights and setting are certainly a refreshing change from spandex-clad heroes beating each other between skyscrapers. Are you also offering Bandits of Batavia in an Indonesian language edition in either digital or print format? It’s my understanding Si Pitung came from the Betawi community, and I know Indonesia is incredibly culturally and linguistically diverse, so what approach does Beyondtopia take towards offering its comics to the local market? 

BV: For now, we will focus on the international market first because we want to show that Indonesian stories have a lot of potential. We want Indonesian people to believe that Indonesian comics have the same quality and standards as other comics that are known globally. So, these comics will still be printed in English for readers around the world, but maybe later after the story finishes. 

CBY: I hope you explore the opportunity to show that potential to local readers as well, especially given the resonance of Si Pitung in popular culture. You've mentioned Beyondtopia is primarily focused on international market development - which other creatives across the industry around the world would you like to work with in the future? Who would you next like to collaborate with, if given the opportunity? 

BV : In this second issue of Bandits of Batavia we collaborated with more artists for the Variant covers. The famous Kael Ngu took part in drawing Blackbull. We also have collaborated on a cover with Trese. Also, there is a demon variant cover with a new upcoming artist from Indonesia, Nadeen Muskita. Hopefully we can have more artists for the next variant covers for Bandits of Batavia. 

CBY: It sounds very promising, given what you've shared thus far. I look forward to seeing how this story evolves and concludes! We always provide an opportunity for creators to share some unrelated work they’ve been enjoying. What other comics, films, music, literature, or other works of art have you been inspired by lately?

BV: For me, there are three series that inspired me in making Bandits of Batavia; the first is Avatar : The Legend of Aang, the second is the Daredevil series, and the third is Game of Thrones. 

CBY: It's great to get a sense of where your aesthetic intent is positioned relative to the rest of the market, so hopefully that helps our readers get a sense of what they're in for when they pick up this title. Bryan, it’s a pleasure having you share your work with us today. If you have any publication, portfolio, or social media links you’d like to share that we didn’t include above, please feel free to let us know now! 

BV: Everything about Bandits of Batavia will be updated on Instagram @banditsobatavia @beyondtopia and my personal account @bryan_valenza. Also you can join Discord to have special update content and more info in Beyontopia Fandom. For a copy of Bandits of Batavia you can order it on Kickstarter.

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