MALAYSIANS are in for a treat. Cartoonist Datuk Mohammad Nor Mohammad Khalid, or Lat, is bringing back famed character ‘Mat Som’ through a second book, after a three-decade hiatus.
“I am in the process of drawing the 150-page book. It will be in Bahasa Melayu,” he told the Malay Mail.
Lat, 70, hoped to publish the comic in July, to tie in with the opening of Rumah Lat dan Galeri in Batu Gajah.
‘Mat Som’ was first published in 1989. It was then adapted into a film titled ‘Mat Som’, starring Imuda, in 1990.
Lat said while he had been telling people the book was almost finished, “looking back at when I first started drawing it, I am ashamed of myself”.
He was speaking to reporters after launching Galeri Cikgu Ramli at Hala Klebang Restu recently.
He said the idea of drawing would crop up whenever he was at home.
“But when I am at home, the lazybones will act up and I will forget about drawing,” he laughed.
'Mat Som', said Lat, revolves around the younger generation who have just finished studying and were trying to find their purpose in life.
Apart from assimilation in the city, the book will also be a record of Lat's life. – The Vibes, April 17, 2021