This is an outline I made for the Microcosm Publishing submission process, for the full comic that can be found here. I made this page so I could share the “introductory paragraphs” (ie, introductory comix pages) for each chapter.

1. Preface: The Fellowship describes the substance of my fellowship from The Watson Foundation (in my partner’s words, “Fulbright for indie kids”) and my lifelong love of nonfiction comics and the cartoonist community.

2. The Plan consists of a series of helpful maps for the reader, and a summary of my travels in and beyond Indonesia.

3. In Terra Bajraghosa: Kampung Collectivism, artist and lecturer Terra Bajraghosa introduces Indonesian cultures’ traditions of mutual aid and how they affect comics production.

4. In Hikmat Darmawan: The Youth Make History, writer and pop culture critic Hikmat Darmawan discusses the historical context of Indonesia’s Reformation period and some of the most well known art collectives to emerge from it. Into this story I interject, for the reader, information about the Suharto dictatorship that preceded the reformasi, including the west’s complicity in Suharto’s crimes.

5. In Sukma Smita: The Archivist, arts archivist Sukma Smita discusses the project, ethics, and challenges of creating Indonesian art histories.

6. Mulyakarya: Teaching the New Generation follows Danang Catur and Yudha Sandy, comics teachers, curators, distributors, and festival organizers, in their mission to uplift the next generation of cartoonists. 

7. Past, Present, and Future -and- Afterward consists of a series of visual metaphors and dreamlike choreography in which I wrap up my understanding of post-reformation Indonesian comics history. I conclude by underscoring the consistency and resiliency of Indonesian art in the face of great challenges.