Garlands of Moonlight [Paperback]

 

 

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Garlands of Moonlight, a graphic novel written by Jai Sen. Illustrated by
Rizky Wasisto Edi.
'Garlands of Moonlight'; Shoto Press; writer Jai Sen; artist Rizky Wasisto
Edi---all represent the debut of a new phenomenon in the graphic novel
world---a blossoming of talent, independently publishing their unique,
unconventional and brilliant work and duly winning a well-deserved 2002
Xeric Foundation grant for quality from a small press.
Jai Sen and Rizky Wasisto Edi, of Japanese and Indonesian background
respectively, who met while they were students in Indonesia, have teamed up
to create innovative sequential art and storytelling projects using their
Asian heritage for source material and inspiration. Their first effort,
'Garlands of Moonlight', impresses immediately just by its physical
appearance and format. The story comes in a compact 5" x 7" trade
paperback, perfect bound to be read horizontally and printed on smooth,
shiny, sturdy paper. That not being sufficiently distinctive, the
publication process also involves Mr. Edi's exquisite artwork getting
further enhanced by a technique I've never seen before, but which works
perfectly to suit the style and the mood of the piece---his detailed, black
and white and shaded pencil drawings and inks are deftly replicated and
liberally highlighted with metallic, silver accents in every panel, making
the whole gestalt glisten and shimmer in a dazzling way!
The book's appearance may be very special and appealing and the artwork
gorgeously renders the characters and their environs, but what about the
yarn itself? Yes, the written contents fully live up to the fine packaging,
for 'Garlands of Moonlight' also features a fascinating background and dark
fantasy plot set on a small island village in 19th century Dutch colonial
Indonesia. The story focuses on Marsiti, a "jamu lady", a traditional
healer and elderly wise woman who has recently come to the settlement,
committed to tending to the inhabitants physical and spiritual health. Her
friendly rival is a young named Hidayat who wishes to eschew traditions in
favor of Western ways of science and medicine.
It doesn't take long for Marsiti to begin experiencing a growing sense of
alarming disquiet accompanied by strange occurrences, (babies vanish,
mothers are found murdered night after night), indicating that the village
women have become the prey of a supernatural entity that leaves bizarre
calling cards after each visit---oddly warped, shaped and thorny plants that
sprout suddenly outside the windows of the victims' homes. Adding to the
residents' woes, a greedy and exploitative Dutch colonial officer arrives,
forcing Marsiti and those she cares about to deal with the dual,
simultaneous threats of the foreigner's rage and destructive potential
having been met with resistance, (encouraged by Hidayat), and the fearfully
tragic turmoil caused by an otherworldly, vampiric force from the legends
and beliefs of the islanders' mythical past.
The combined talents of 'Garlands of Moonlight's' creators have produced an
eerily stunning dark fantasy that skillfully blends vivid characters (the
bold and challenging Hidayat questioning the traditional wisdom of the
grandmotherly Marsiti); historically important events (colonial powers
oppressing indigenous people); provocative ideas (how belief systems
influence the perception of reality); and spine-tingling suspense when a
supernatural creature from the legendary past sinisterly manifests in the
midst of upheavals brought about by the clash of civilizations. That the
weird being in question happens to be female in essence also raises
important questions about the age-old fear of women's power in a patriarchal
society and the emotional and intellectual costs when nearly all of the
feminine half of the population (with exceptions like Marsiti), gets
dominated by the males. The one-dimensional villainy of the Dutch officer
remains the sole underdeveloped aspect of this otherwise superlative example
of the creativity happening in independently published graphic novels.

That 'Garlands of Moonlight' delivers so much cultural complexity,
storytelling skill (thanks to Jai Sen), and artistic richness (kudos to
Rizky Wasisto Edi) packed into 85 pages in such an elegant, compact volume,
and a first time effort at that, is nothing short of astonishing---and all
for such a reasonable price! Don't miss this one! 'Garlands of Moonlight', with its ingenious
and enthralling blend of the fantastic with harsh historical realities will
hopefully be only the first flower in a blossoming garden of flourishing
graphic novel delights.

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