Comic as Poetic Mirror: A Study of Malay Imagery in the Comic Mat Gila and the Verse of Usman Awang

Abstract

Rejabhad, famously known as the Penghulu Kartun Malaysia (Chief of Malaysian Cartoons), is well known for his distinctive cartoon style that portrays everyday life and dramas reflecting Malay-Nusantara cultural imagery. This study aims to explore and identify the representation of Malay culture as depicted in the classic comic Periwira Mat Gila Vol. 2 by the late Rejabhad, referencing the famous poem Melayu written by National Laureate, the late Usman Awang. The study adopts a qualitative methodology based on the Four-Level Framing Theory introduced by Dimitrova & Rodriguez (2011), encompassing description, analysis, interpretation, and evaluation as a guide in examining the work. The findings reveal that the imagery conveyed in Periwira Mat Gila serves as a symbolic representation of Malayness, resonating with both the explicit and implicit expressions found in Usman Awang’s poem.