Edwin Te on Elang Hitam, Intellectual Property, and the Local Comics Ecosystem
“One time, in 2012, I was scolded by an older woman when I was in Korea. She was confused because my face looked East Asian, but I could not speak Korean, Japanese, or Chinese. Then she asked, ‘what are you?’ That question pushed my thinking further. Not who I am, but what am I. I carried that question with me when I was developing the Elang Hitam prototype,” said Edwin Fernando Tranggono, also known as Edwin Te, a designer and comic artist whose IP was recently selected to represent Indonesia at the Asian Content and Film Market 2026 in Busan through Jaff Content Market 2025.
Elang Hitam began in 2013 when Edwin was preparing his undergraduate thesis. He entered Visual Communication Design because he wanted to become a comic artist. Although his career later moved more toward graphic design, comics were never something he truly left behind. His final project started from a simple question viewed through a design lens, “What comic format is most suitable for Indonesian comics?” He eventually arrived at the idea of combining Japanese comic storytelling with the visual format of American comics. “It is difficult for Indonesian comics to produce books as thick and long as Japanese manga. Their strength lies in being engaging and comfortable to read, but our ecosystem and industry do not yet support that model. American comics may be thinner than Japanese comics, but their size is much larger, making them collectible like vinyl records. The American comic format is more realistic for local comic artists because the story can be completed in a single chapter. So I combined the American comic book format with Japanese one shot storytelling techniques.” From there, the Elang Hitam prototype was created in 2014.
The question “what are you?” stayed with him. During the 2020 pandemic, that question brought him back to comics. After Elang Hitam, he released several independent comic titles. One was Sibiru, inspired by a childhood television show titled Jin dan Jun. He also released Naraka, which was later published in an English version at Singapore Comic Con. Rereading Naraka made him reflect again on his relationship with his parents. Through that process, he relearned what it meant to be human. Why make comics at all? For him, making comics is an effort to answer questions about his own identity.
From 2021 to 2025, he was busy working on other comic projects, until in 2025 he returned to Elang Hitam. Initially, Elang Hitam was released weekly on Facebook, three pages at a time. The collected works were later printed into a single book for his final project. Years later, he realized that the work was about his search for identity as Edwin, an Indonesian citizen of Chinese descent. He expressed his sense of alienation through a main character who has no memory.
While conducting design research for an F&B project, Edwin found an analogy that also answered his questions about his position as a Chinese Indonesian. In the research process, he learned that sweet soy sauce emerged in the early nineteenth century as a form of acculturation between two cultures, salty soy sauce and palm sugar. What interested him was that the presence of sweet soy sauce did not eliminate salty soy sauce. Instead, both enrich each other on a single plate of fried rice. That plate of fried rice represents Edwin and his Indonesian identity.
For him, Elang Hitam is a representation of the philosophy of sweet soy sauce that he described earlier. It represents anyone searching for their own identity. Along the journey, we meet new people, face conflicts, struggles, and stories that slowly form a larger picture and enrich us in the process. In the end, everyone will face their own fate, and we must choose what we will do with it.
In 2013, while developing Elang Hitam, Edwin drew inspiration for the costume from the legendary painter Raden Saleh. Saleh boldly challenged Dutch colonial narratives, particularly through his reimagining of Diponegoro as a proud and dignified hero rather than a subdued prisoner. That spirit of defiance and dignity became the foundation of Elang Hitam’s visual identity and ethos. Edwin then added visual markers associated with youth through a tied ponytail adapted directly from Petruk’s distinctive silhouette, a symbol of humor, honesty, and the voice of common people. The belt was adapted from the Warok, guardians known for their spiritual prowess and supernatural strength, representing Elang Hitam’s role as a protector.
Broadly speaking, Elang Hitam tells the story of a city in the northern region of Java ruled by martial arts factions. Two martial legions, Elang Hitam and Macan Loreng, once protected a powerful kingdom alongside other fighting factions. When an unexpected event shattered that balance, Macan Loreng rose to dominance, seized large parts of the kingdom’s territory, and annihilated Elang Hitam. Thirty years later, a young man with no memory suddenly appears and saves a helpless old man being extorted by members of Macan Loreng. As if by fate, he is forced to take on the forbidden title of Elang Hitam, banned by those in power, becoming a seed of hope for justice among the oppressed.
Edwin also shared how he and his peers went through the process at Jaff Content Market 2025, held in late November. Of the ten selected IPs, three have already received Letters of Interest for adaptation into other media. Two IPs were selected to advance to ACFM 2026, Elang Hitam and World Without Sleep by Ferdian Feisal.
According to Edwin, several factors make Elang Hitam compelling. First is its narrative of identity searching, which allows it to connect with many people. The basic question “what are you?”, he believes, is universal. Another reason lies in Elang Hitam’s strong cultural context, which runs parallel to Indonesian history. This closeness to identity and culture becomes a key factor in adapting the IP into film. While awaiting ACFM next year, Edwin is refining the world building, character designs, and possibly a short film to illustrate the IP’s future potential. For him, Elang Hitam is an ongoing effort to view Indonesian culture through a contemporary lens.
He believes the organization of Jaff Content Market has opened the eyes of local comic artists to the potential for strengthening the comic IP ecosystem in Indonesia. Various platforms and festivals had already emerged through initiatives by local comic communities. These include Baca Komik Lokal, a community that collects and shares access to local comics, Pesta Komik Bandung, which provides a space for practitioners and communities to network, and Comipara in Yogyakarta, which combines the local comic scene with Japanese pop culture festivals. For Edwin, beyond giving comic artists a space to sell their work, these platforms also function as support groups that gradually strengthen the local comic ecosystem. “In terms of quality and quantity, local comics are currently experiencing solid growth,” he said.
Reflecting on the history of Indonesian comics, Edwin pointed out why the local industry struggled to survive. During the golden era of Indonesian comics from the 1950s to the 1970s, local superhero comics such as Sri Asih by R.A. Kosasih, Gundala Putra Petir by Hasmi, Si Buta dari Gua Hantu by Ganes TH, Jaka Sembung by Djair Warni, and Panji Tengkorak by Hans Jaladara achieved strong commercial success. However, weak management made local publishers vulnerable when Japanese comics entered the market in the early 1990s.
Looking at the American comic industry and Japanese manga, building a sustainable ecosystem is key to their success. In Indonesia at the time, the main indicator was how much profit could be generated through comic sales. Japanese manga can last for decades due to the crucial role of editors in maintaining quality and economic potential. Publishers also provide reader surveys as benchmarks for commercial success, ensuring the livelihoods of mangaka. In the United States, publishers are able to capitalize on IP at scale by maintaining consistent production quantities and adapting comics into other products such as radio dramas, toys, films, animation, and television series. In Indonesia during that period, comics were produced sporadically, without structure, often under buy out systems.
Aesthetically, American comics and Japanese manga are also highly adaptive. American comics operate with a relatively segmented production system, where one IP can be handled by multiple creators with different styles and storylines. The Japanese manga industry, on the other hand, focuses on systems that preserve each mangaka’s unique style and narrative, allowing diversity to continue growing. This system affects quality, thickness, and more consistent publication rhythms. “As a result, Indonesian comic publishers tend to prefer translated comics for economic reasons, such as lower labor costs and higher sales potential,” he explained.
In the 1990s, Indonesian comics experienced renewed momentum with the release of Caroq, an Indonesian superhero comic by Ahmad Thoriq, published around 1992 to 1996 by Dian Rakyat. In the following years, these movements continued to surface. By the 2010s, Koloni Komik, a special imprint of m&c!, part of the Gramedia Group, which focused on publishing local comic artists, began to grow. Names such as Faza Meonk with Si Juki, Is Yuniarto with Garudayana, and Sweta Kartika with Journal of Terror helped revive optimism around the Indonesian comic ecosystem.
Reading the current condition and culture of comics in Indonesia, Edwin places high hopes on the growth and sustainability of the local comic ecosystem. He emphasized, “We have many great comics, but the scene is too niche. We need curators for short comics that can be compiled, produced affordably, and distributed widely. This could be an opportunity for book publishers instead of taking over the IP. If done consistently, momentum will form. Reader trust will increase along with consistency in publication and completion. The culture, the numbers, and investor interest will follow,” he stressed.
“If local comic artists understand IP, their position will be much stronger.” He also emphasized the need for comic artists to be more aware and careful in managing their IP. “They must be able to distinguish and define what can be sold, licensed, and adapted into different media,” he concluded.
