Indonesian Webtoon “Virgo and the Sparklings” Available in 5 Languages

9 February 2018

Having been serialized on LINE Webtoon since August 2017, Indonesian webtoon Virgo and the Sparklings has also been translated by fans into five foreign languages, which are English, Spanish, Thai, Turkish and Mandarin. The translations are available on LINE Webtoon website. Progress of each translations may vary.

Virgo is a female superhero created by Jan Mintaraga. She first appeared in the superhero comic Kapten Halilintar (Captain Thunderbolt) ini a series titled Ghorgon in 1973. Virgo, whose secret identity is Rini Drajat, was inspired to be a superhero by Kapten Halilintar. She can turn invisible and emit fire from her fingers using her father’s inventions.

Virgo and the Sparklings is a new series inspired by the classic superheroine as part of the BumiLangit [R]evolusi project. This series is written Annisa Nisfihani (Me Vs Big Slacker Baby, My Pre-Wedding, Pasutri Gaje) and illustrated by Ellie Goh. Ini this series, the protagonist is Riani, a girl who has the ability to see the colours of sound and can emit energy sparks. When she entered college, she met two girls named Monika and Ussy, who were impressed by her singing voice and took her to form a band named “Virgo and the Sparklings.”

BumiLangit [R]evolusi is a project to ‘revive’ the legacy of old Indonesian comics. The project was teased in the early 2017 and was launched in the third week of May 2017 with Si Buta dari Gua Hantu (The Blind Warrior of the Haunted Cave) and Maza: Prince of Dream being published in the same week on BumiLangit official Facebook page. Each comic is handled by different teams of young and creative comic artists.

BumiLangit [R]evolusi features eight heroes who represents eight elements. Si Buta dari Gua Hantu (originally created by Ganes TH) represents earth, Maza (originally created by Hasmi) represents wood, Aquanus (originally created by Wid NS) represents water, Mandala (originally created by Mansyur Daman) represents wind, Sri Asih (originally created by RA Kosasih) represents sky, Gundala (originally created by Hasmi) represents lightning, Virgo (originally created by Jan Mintaraga) represents fire, and lastly, Godam (originally created by Wid NS) represents metal. Each of the series are drawn in different art styles, such as realistic art for Si Buta dari Gua Hantu, while comic-like styles are used for Aquanus and Maza.

BumiLangit itself is an intellectual property-based company that manages the rights to classic Indonesian comic book characters. The company itself was actually started in 2003, but traces its origins to 1954, the year one of the pioneering Indonesian comic by the late maestro RA Kosasih, Sri Asih, was published for the first time. The General Manager is young comic artist Is Yuniarto (Wind Rider, Garudayana), who also work directly in the projects.

The name BumiLangit itself has its own philosophy. Bumi, which means earth, represents the warriors who are “normal humans” who have the ability to fight. While langit, which means sky, represents the superheroes who have fantastic powers which can be “inherited from the heavens or sky”.