More than three decades later, the artist – real name Syahru Maizam Jamin – is happy to be known as the owner of a small eatery in Malim Nawar in Perak near here.
Speaking with Bernama, the 51-year-old from Muar, Johor said starting a small business was how he chose to sustain himself after “Ujang” magazine ceased publication in 2015.
“As a child, I often accompanied my father to his small businesses. I’ve done various small-scale businesses to support my family as I have no expertise in other fields,” he shared.
Starting with a roadside stall selling traditional snacks in 2017, Warung Bijan now offers a variety of dishes, including nasi ayam panggang, laksa and mee jawa, and also accepts catering orders for events.
‘Death of the industry’
Bijan said he began drawing in school before joining friends including Sukun, Jering, Ubi, Duku, Halia and Sireh in the publication of “Ujang” comics, the first issue of which was launched on Jan 1, 1994.
Known for his comic strip “Bas Mini 222”, Bijan left “Ujang” in 1998 to join “Lanun” comic, only to return to “Ujang” in 2000.
“In 2008, I moved to Malim Nawar, my wife’s hometown, and began sending my work by post before transitioning to email,” he recalled. “I stayed with ‘Ujang’ until the publisher, MOY Publications, ceased publication on Aug 6, 2015.
“The closure of the magazine was a huge blow to us cartoonists, even though the production team tried to publish our work online. For fans, it was never the same. The death of the magazine meant the death of the industry,” he added.
The last time he was involved in comics was in 2016 when he worked on “Jenama X” alongside 10 other cartoonists.
Reflecting on the heyday of “Ujang”, Bijan said its founder, Ibrahim Anon aka Ujang, assembled a strong team of cartoonists, including Gayour, Nik and Aie, which allowed the magazine to achieve sales of over 200,000 copies per issue.
“Back then, Ujang asked us to choose pen names that were easy to remember, so that’s how we got them,” he recalled.
“Each cartoonist had his own role and responsibility to create characters or storylines, and we each had our own columns to complete. Every month, we had two issues to produce.”
Although he is no longer involved in the field, Bijan said many cartoonists still pursue it full-time.
“They have the potential to go far if they look hard enough for opportunities. Most importantly, they need to equip themselves with knowledge and keep abreast on social issues, culture, economics, politics and current developments.
“This is because cartoonists are also writers; the only difference is in how we convey the message – we do it through humour,” he said.
Bijan also said he does not regret his decision to leave the cartooning world, which he describes as “perfect timing”.
“We have obligations and responsibilities that we need to fulfil. Being a part-time cartoonist is not the same as being a full-timer with a monthly salary.
“Although I am no longer involved in the publishing world, I still draw whenever I have free time because cartooning has become second nature to me.”