Garudayana comic adaptation of the Mahabharata story series in the millennial era

Abstract

Mahabharata comics, once popular in the 1950s–1970s, receded and sank in popularity because of the development of Japanese comics in the globalization era. During the sinking of Indonesian comics, the comic Garudayana emerged as a popular Mahabharata series among millennials. The success of these comics was due to the author’s creative process in dealing with changes and challenges of the times. Reinterpretation and reduction of the Mahabharata story can be accepted and represent the tastes of readers of his era. Changes that were made, such as storyline, new characters, drawing style, and the right promotional strategies as keys to the success of the comic. This research used a qualitative method with data collection techniques through observation and literature study, as well as visual analysis to position the comic that can show the Mahabhatara story values and Indonesian identity.