Syaf started his career in 2007 with
Dabel Brothers Publishing, illustrating
The Dresden Files for 11 issues.
Take a Chance, written by novelist
C. E. Murphy was published after that, although it had been written and drawn first. Syaf later signed to the Spanish agency, Utopia Studio. At one point Syaf met an Irish screenwriter named Catie through Dabel Brothers, through which began to get work with
Marvel Comics, In 2009, he signed a two-year exclusivity contract with DC. That contract ended in September 2011, though he indicated that it would be renewed, and that he would be drawing the
Batgirl series as part of the company's 2011 reboot of its books,
The New 52, working with writer
Gail Simone. During his run on that series, Simone set one storyline in an
Indonesian neighborhood of
Gotham City in order to exploit Syaf's experience. Syaf drew eight of that series' first nine issues, receiving generally positive reviews from critics. His artwork for the premiere issue in particular drew praise by Iann Robinson of
CraveOnline for the manner in which Syaf adapted his style during different parts of the story, effecting a "light and airy" during the daytime scenes with Barbara Gordon, a darker, shadowy look for in-costume scenes, and a grainy, old-fashioned cinematic appearance for the flashbacks. When asked in a 2011 interview what projects he would like to work on, Syaf responded that he would like to draw
Wolverine, as that is a character that he adores. He also stated that he would like to do a
Tomb Raider story set in Indonesia, which would involve the superstitious beliefs of his home country. In April 2017, Syaf was at the center of controversy for including multiple Easter eggs in
X-Men Gold #1 (June 2017) that referenced the
November 2016 Jakarta protests against
Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, the governor of Jakarta, which were viewed by readers as
anti-Semitic and
anti-Christian. Being both
ethnically Chinese and Christian in the Muslim-dominated Indonesia, where Christians and Chinese are targets of racism and discrimination, and only the second Chinese Christian governor of Jakarta since 1965, Basuki had been the target of racism by
Islamist hardliners. In a 27 September 2016 speech Basuki stated that some citizens were being discouraged from voting for him by politicians citing Verse 51 of the
fifth chapter of the
Quran out of context for political reasons. The verse,
Quran Surah 5:51, or QS 5:51, is commonly translated in Indonesian as "Muslims should not appoint the Jews and Christians as their leader." The quran.com translation reads, "O you who have believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies. They are [in fact] allies of one another. And whoever is an ally to them among you—then indeed, he is [one] of them. Indeed, Allah guides not the wrongdoing people." Citizens and pundits reacted to Basuki's statement as
an insult to the Quran, Although Basuki publicly apologized for offending anyone with the remark, the resulting outcry over it led to calls for him to be arrested and prosecuted under laws prohibiting insult to religion. It also sparked protests, led by the hardline group
Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), including one on 2 December 2016, which was attended by Syaf, who called it "memorable". Basuki's blasphemy trial began on 13 December. . Note the word "Jewelry", and the numbers "212" and "51" in the detail from Pages 10 and 11 (left), and the "QS:5:51" on
Colossus' shirt in Panel 2 from Page 12 (right). On the double-page spread of Pages 10 and 11 of
X-Men Gold #1, in which the Jewish X-Man
Kitty Pryde appeals to a crowd of people for tolerance, Syaf's art places Kitty's head next to the word "Jewelry" on a storefront awning in the background, such that the last letters of the word are partially obstructed. The number "212", a reference to the 2 December protest, is prominently placed on another store's awning. The number "51" is seen on the baseball cap of one of the people in the crowd, and on the shirt of another, a reference to the Quranic verse 5:51 at the center of the Indonesia protests. The third panel on that spread features a male bystander with a shirt reading "AL M", which may be a reference to Al-Maidah 51, another way to designate the controversial verse. In the second panel of Page 12, the X-Man
Colossus wears a shirt prominently displaying the text "QS 5:51". This led to an outcry on social media on Saturday, April 8, three days after the book's publication, by readers who viewed the verse as support of intolerance towards other religions. Regarding the meaning of these details in his artwork, Syaf cautioned against believing what is read on social media, but encouraged readers to buy the issue, as it would become a rare
collectible. He eventually acknowledged the political nature of the hidden messages, Marvel Comics released the following statement in response to the controversy: That decision was noted for both the swiftness with which Marvel issued it—on a Saturday, hours after the
X-Men Gold art became a point of discussion on social media—and the definitive condemnation of the implied statements in the issue. The writer of the series,
Marc Guggenheim, who is himself Jewish, responded to the situation on Saturday by referring readers to Marvel's statement, and
tweeting, "The support has been amazing. From fans and pros alike." The following day, in an interview with the Indonesian newspaper
Jawa Pos, Syaf explained why he thought Marvel did not accept his explanation for including the Easter egg references, saying, "But Marvel is owned by Disney. When Jews are offended, there is no mercy". After making this remark, he reiterated that he was not anti-Semitic or anti-Christian stating that if he was, he would not have worked for a foreign publisher. On his Facebook page, he posted a photo of himself posing with
Rizieq Shihab, the founder and leader of the hardline
Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), a former urban
vigilante organization turned
pressure group that has been criticized for religious and racial propaganda, hate crimes,
discrimination against minority groups and
religious intolerance, and which led the anti-Basuki protests. Syaf then deleted the photo, == Published work ==