Life & Music: A Visual Narrative of Music, Identity and Cultural Sustainability in Comic Art

Abstract

Life & Music is a comic series that explores a personal journey through music, from childhood to adulthood. Starting with traditional Malay songs like Tepuk Amai-Amai and moving through global nursery rhymes, disco, rock, metal, techno, indie, and hip hop, the story captures how musical tastes evolve over time. It concludes with a spiritual shift, where the artist reflects on life and turns towards faith and inner peace. The comic aligns with the theme SUSTAINAISSANCE: Emotion, Expression, Identity by illustrating how music connects to emotional experience, helps us express who we are, and shapes our personal and cultural identity. Comics, as noted by McCloud (1993), are a powerful medium for layering time, emotion, and narrative in a visual format. Each musical phase represents a different emotional state and life stage, illustrating how cultural soundtracks remain emotionally embedded within us (Firth, 1996). Moreover, Life & Music reflects an engagement with cultural sustainability, echoing Muliyadi Mahamood’s work on Malaysian comics as tools of cultural preservation (Mahamood & Mustaqim, 2022). By illustrating personal and shared experiences, the work helps sustain memory and identity in an engaging and meaningful way.