Time flies. Can't even remember when Singapore Hip Hop Horror Book 12 came out. A check on Ye Zhen's IG says it was in 2021. So that's during the pandemic. Maybe I met him during those dark days but I miss those shit times too - to get the book from him.
Book 12 was Some Singaporean Drifter Wolf In London, based on his trip to London many years ago. Recently he and the fam went to Spain, maybe that will be in a future book. But for now, it's Book 13: Singapore Masters of Deceit. Is it inspired by the classic Masters of the Seas TV show? - Ye Zhen, do an adaptation of that. We will hold a samosa party to launch it at Pink Ponk Comics.
But getting back to the issue at hand. Ye Zhen has been on a trajectory since Book 10: Singapore Pok Kai Zai (2017) when he stabilized the characters and storylines. Skateboard P is still the shit and his sidekick is Snoop Eastwood. The main villain was introduced in that book, Nonpander Yingjing. The fighting is bombastic, over the top, intense as fuck.
Book 13 brings things to another level. Skateboard P has gone to another dimension, Tophet, for further training. It is a 武神 type world of monsters and demons. The king of Tophet, Ecoli, looks like 司徒无量 and his wife, Keres Preta, looks like a jialat ladyboy. (maybe Ye Zhen went to the wrong part of Pattaya recently)
All fight and no declarations make Skateboard P a dull boy. As Ye Zhen declares at the start of the book:
Dad passed away. Covid happened. I moved house. Got married. Iran started their drone and missile attack on Israel. The world is as dramatic as usual. Life is great. (but why he didn't talk about the Hamas' attack on Israel and Israel's massive retaliation? or Russia invading Ukraine? who knows?)
Ye Zhen wears his heart on his sleeves in this book. In the story, Skateboard P also lost his father recently and he cries bitterly.
And my real father is dead.
And they say blood is thicker than water.
But no blood is thick enough to engulf the soul.
Just like some ties are stronger than blood.
What ties are stronger than blood? Skateboard P does not say. His soul parents and siblings in Tophet? His brotherhood with Snoop Eastwood? There are some dialogue about secret societies and Hongmen in the book.
Skateboard P and his soul sister / trainer, Melisma Preta (seriously, where does he get all these names from??) visited Parklane where Comics World is and Ye Zhen sells his books there. Unfortunately, Ye Zhen only heard about Ah Boy and TNT Studios recently which has since closed.
Melisma asked:
I'm curious, P. Why are bookshops dying left and right in your country?
Knowledge is king. Is it not?
P:
Yes, but unfortunately, our country favors more academic books. Which explains why places like Popular are still around. Plus with the e-books boom. Less people buy books anymore. But a small minority still do.
Some small indie bookshops still pop up every now and then. But it hasn't been easy as compared to like 10, 20 years ago.
Melisma:
Life is tough no matter what, huh?
Some of the shops that used to sell Ye Zhen's books have closed down. Those still around are under new management and take less of his books. Life is tough indeed. There are no avenues for comics reviews. Is knowledge still king?
This book was done 3 years ago. Or rather Ye Zhen penciled two books 3 years ago. He drew 500-600 pages and cut them into half for two books. Let's hope Book 14 will not take another 3 years to come out as it's already penciled. Ye Zhen used to put out one book a year. Why like this now?
Ye Zhen rejected my idea of getting P and Melisma to have hardcore incest sex ala hentai for the next book. Oh well.
I miss the covid and pre-covid years.
2017 - I organized Ye Zhen's launch of Book 10 at The Arts House during the Singapore Writers Festival. I got Laek1yo to perform.
2019 - I curated 10 Years of Ye Zhen exhibition at Artblovk.
2019 - I put together and moderated a panel on outsider comics with Ye Zhen, Weng Pixin and Dave Cooper from Canada. Those days of free wheelin' comics panels at SWF are over.
2021 - Archifest, I put together a panel on comics and architecture that had Ye Zhen in it. It wasn't appreciated and things just went downhill from there.
I sound like I am Ye Zhen's pimp. It's all I, I, I, me, me, me. I am sorry.
More likely I am someone's bitch. I am a pump. I am plum.
2024 - now what? Who do you love? Where do you go to get those butt cheeks to spread?
Who are the masters of deceit? Who is deceiving us? Those who told us to buy crypto? Are we deceiving ourselves? Do we deserve it??
NB: if there is one criticism I can offer, it is to leave out the details of characters in the list of characters pages. They are spoilers.
