chin yew needs your help...

Chin Yew is probably one of the most persistent bugger I know. I first got to know the Malaysian comic artist when he sent in a story for Liquid City Vol 2 (Image Comics, 2010), an anthology of Southeast Asian comics I co-edited with Sonny Liew. Chin Yew is heavily influenced by the Drawn & Quarterly gang like Joe Matt, Seth and Chester Brown. The story he did, The Box, is a little existentialist tale about a man trying to get rid of his porn addiction. (but one never gets rid of one’s porn collection as Joe Matt has proven; you just rebuy all the old Playboy and Penthouse you have thrown away…)

I gave Chin Yew the feedback that porn addiction is too specific and not all would identify with it. I suggested for him to change it to addiction in general. He agreed and you can read the story for yourself in Liquid City Vol 2.

In the year that Liquid City Vol 2 came out, Harvey Pekar passed away. Both Chin Yew and I were big fans and we readily worked on a comic story together to pay tribute to the man.

http://www.ideaship.com/CAA/uncleJAM/harveyPekar.pdf

Apparently, Joyce Brabner, Pekar’s widow, has a copy of the book.

So I am familiar with Chin Yew’s work, having edited his comics and worked with him. He went to Europe to work for a few years and we lost touch. But we got reconnected again when he returned to Malaysia a few years ago. Since then, he started a patreon page where for USD$1 a month, you get his daily diatribes. So get this, for just 0.033 cents a day, you get a read a single page comic filled with quirky insights and loser situations that you are glad Chin Yew is experiencing on your behalf. You get to live vicariously. For just 0.033 cents a day.

I’m doing this sales pitch not because Chin Yew is a friend but he is a very talented artist spilling his guts out on the page – his bad relationship with his father, his lack of a girlfriend problem, etc. It’s uninhibited and bashful.

Recently, Chin Yew had an exhibition and here are some photos from it.

https://www.facebook.com/events/143917136048062/





I’ve also included a sample of Chin Yew’s daily strip here. Hope he doesn’t mind. (too late bro!)



What I like about Chin Yew is his tenacity. As of today, it is Day 449 of his daily struggle.

Anyway, if this is something you like, do support support.

https://www.patreon.com/chinyew