| BANUARLI AMBARDI

Banuarli Ambardi was born Banuarli Ibnudiman in Yogyakarta. Ambardi, his father, allowed young Banu to “vandalize” their house wall with his drawings, mostly wayang characters. When Banu was in grade 4, he made comic strips from used papers. His first comics titled The Birth of Gatotkaca were read by his avid fans, his classmates.

In the 60’s, Banu frequently met his uncle, Jan Mintaraga (another Bumilangit Original Artist), a college student at ASRI Jogja. Banu’s interests in comics and its drawings was further growing. Throwing away his original goal to become a doctor, Banu enrolled in Sekolah Seni Rupa Indonesia (SSRI) to develop his talents in comic drawing. When his other uncle, Hasmi, created Gundala in 1969, Banu was inspired to create his own superhero called Herbintang. Banu was still 15 years old at that time. Herbintang was published by a small company in Jogja and he used Banuarli Ambardi name in his first comic. Another superhero, Untara was created by Banu in 1974, which possessed mystical powers. In 1994 Banu also created Agni, a kid superhero.

Banu currently writes literature and draws for a literature magazine.