Silat Malacca Sultanate era. Outside Asia, silat was referenced in Tom Clancy's Net Force by Steve Perry, although the books give a fictionalized portrayal of the art. The earliest instance of silat in graphic novels are found in Indonesian comics of the 1960s which typically featured heroes that were expert martial artists. The titles "Si Buta Dari Gua Hantu", "Jaka Sembung", "Panji Tengkorak" and "Walet Merah" all gave rise to popular films in the 1970s and 80s. Indonesian action star Barry Prima made a name for himself portraying the character of Jaka Sembung onscreen. Silat is featured in Malaysian comics as
Pencak Silat In cases where the opponent is of greater strength, evasion ("elakan") or deflections ("pesongan") would be used, and are actually preferred in certain styles. The major international competition is Pencak Silat World Championship, organised by PERSILAT. This competition takes place every 2 or 3 years period. More than 30 national teams competed in recent tournaments in Jakarta (2010), Chiang Rai (2012) and Phuket (2015). The championships have been referred to under different names:World Pencak Silat Championships or World Silat Championships or Pencak Silat World Championships. <div align="left"> <div align="left"> The seven-day event attracted 450 fighters from 40 nations and territories,