Sunday, August 23, 2009

Printed in Malaysia!

Was reading You Shall Die By Your Own Evil Creation!, the second volume of stories by Fletcher Hanks and came across the above. It was in the early 1990s when I was buying The Complete Crumb Comics from Comic Art Gallery "under the counter" that I noticed the "Printed in Singapore". That made me feel more proud of being a Singaporean than anything else back then. The Complete Crumb Comics printed in Singapore! (by Palace Press) But then again, so were Playboy books I was told. How sad we couldn't buy these above the counter. I wanted to make friends with Palace Press so that I can get free books from them. Damaged or dented also never mind. Misprints still can read. Especially the centrefolds.

Years later, it was TWP, Tien Wah Press that were on the lips of Chris Ware, Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly when I met them in NYC in 2006. Their books were printed in Singapore and TWP is the choice printer.

[The Resident Tourist Vol 3 is also printed by TWP recently.]

So now it seems Fantagraphics Books have gone across the Causeway. Another sign of us losing our competitive edge? Another Tanjong Pelapas?

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