Jack Chick!

Today's papers reported of 2 Singaporean Chinese Christians (husband and wife) arrested and charged for distributing anti-Islamic comic books. The titles were 'The Little Bride' and 'Who is Allah?' The titles sounded very Jack Chick and when I did a google search, that's what they were.

http://nickdove.wordpress.com/2008/03/17/the-work-of-jack-chick-a-critical-overview-the-little-bride/

The original ST report:

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_310849.html?vgnmr=1

Jack Chick on youtube.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3KcxJPi7Mo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awkvVdPfAGg
(Catholics vs. Jack Chick)

Books about Jack Chick:

The World of Chick? by Robert B. Fowler (Paperback - Jun 9, 2001)

The Imp #2 by Dan Raeburn

Bestselling comics at Kino for Nov 08

1. WAR AND PIECES (FABLES VOLUME 11)
by BILL WILLINGHAM, ET. AL.

2. LIQUID CITY
by SONNY LIEW, ET. AL.

3. WATCHMEN
by ALAN MOORE, DAVE GIBBONS

4. WARCRAFT: LEGENDS VOLUME 2
by RICHARD KNAAK

5. THE JOKER
by BRIAN AZZARELLO, LEE BERMEJO

6. FABLES COVERS: THE ART OF JAMES JEAN
by JAMES JEAN

7. COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS VOLUME 4
by PAUL DINI, ET. AL.

8. JLA/AVENGERS
by KURT BUSIEK, GEORGE PEREZ

9. HELLBLAZER: FAMILY MAN
by JAMIE DELANO, ET. AL

10. BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE
by ALAN MOORE, BRIAN BOLLAND

Final Crisis

Grant Morrison is right after all. With the present financial turmoil, the (new) gods are dead. Evil won.

Upcoming comics-related events

Here's some info I received from Jerry Hinds of the Association of Comic Artists (Singapore) (ACAS).

----


SINGAPORE PHILATELIC MUSEUM

Friday 14th November (- April 30th 2009), Singapore Philatelic Museum, 23-B Coleman Street, Singapore 179807 (Stage 1)
Corridor opening of the '7 Days in Comics Creation' exhibition
This features a script & accompanying page of artwork. (No official launch ceremony.)

Monday 1st December (- April 30th 2009) (Stage 2)
Full opening of the ACAS Comics Exhibition
Our works will be featured throughout the museum in celebration of the launch of an International Comics Stamp Collection. Thanks to our writers, some of our works are to be displayed with certain levels of inter-activity, so viewers are further inspired to view the visuals.

Saturday 6th December, 10am-12pm (Stage 3)
A crash course in creating comics - digitally!
Find out how to digitally create and complete a comic page from scratch. You will learn illustration techniques such as layout sketching, penciling, inking, colouring enhancement methods, lettering and graphic dynamics. In addition, try your hand at the revolutionary digital creative aids, courtesy of Grandtech Systems Pte Ltd. This workshop is conducted by Jerry Hinds, president of the Association, and JDC Amane, senior instructor.

For children from 9 years to adults. Charge $20
To register, contact Jonna at Tel: 6513-7348 / 6337-3888 or Email: Jonna_Chan@nhb.gov.sg


ANIME FESTIVAL ASIA 2008

Saturday 22nd - 23rd November, Suntec Halls 403-404
In partnership with Grandtech Systems Pte Ltd, ACAS will be demoing cutting edge digital comic creation aids.

In its 4th year, ACAS will judge and present prizes to the winners of the ever popular Mangaka art contest 2008.

Also in the main, ACAS will be busy promoting its membership scheme and what it could mean to a comic enthusiast. The promotion of its traditional all ages art classes will be taking in enrolments also. Ongoing throughout will be crowd favourite sessions of caricaturing, which the Association now offers teaching courses.

Bestselling Comics for October (Kinokuniya_

1. OTOMEN VOLUME 3
by AYA KANO

2. EX MACHINA (EX CATHEDRA VOLUME 7)
by BRIAN VAUGHAN

3. TSUBASA (RESERVIOUR CHRONICLE VOLUME 19)
by CLAMP

4. COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS VOLUME 3
by PAUL DINI, ET. AL.

5. 100 BULLETS VOLUME 12
by BRIAN AZZARELLO, ET. AL.

6. WARCRAFT (LEGENDS VOLUME 1)
by TIM BEEDLE, TROY LEWTER

7. THE PUNISHER (MAX VOLUME 10)
by GARTH ENNIS, GORAN PAYLOV

8. STAR WARS: THE FORCE UNLEASHED
by HADEN BLACKMAN, ET. AL.

9. WATCHMEN
by ALAN MOORE, DAVE GIBBONS

10. VAMPIRE KNIGHT VOLUME 7
by MATSURI HINO

Liquid City Giveaway Draw-A-Robot Contest

The “Liquid City” Comics Anthology launches on November 5th, 2008 and we’re giving away 3 free copies of the book. One winner will also receive a piece of original art!

The Contest: Send us an illustration of a Robot of your own design (no fan art) via Deviantart.com

To join and for more information, please goto:

http://sonny123.deviantart.com/journal/20889602/

About that comics portal

Several months ago, some of us were talking about building a Singapore comics community portal.

I finally got round to building a prototype a couple of weeks ago, just to test out an open-source wiki engine and figure out some ideas. I've decided not to go with this particular wiki engine -- it's very buggy and I can't do many things I want to do with the portal. For one thing, I can't do a listing of artists' thumbnails suggested by Sonny some time ago. So I'm just going to code the whole thing myself in PHP. An idea I have is to make the portal very social, and allow artists and writers to hook up and collaborate on projects and stuff.

You guys can have a look-see. It's not functional, but all the sections are there -- all those I can think of, anyway. Don't bother clicking on anything -- there's no content whatsoever.
http://singaporecomics.storykitchen.com/

I'd love to hear some ideas for what else might be good to have on the portal. It's meant to be community-driven.

JF

goodbye...

and on that note, goodbye jbj.

saying goodbye is so damn difficult

Four works I encountered recently provided the opportunity to reflect on the need to confront our past and also the futility of it. I was invited for a preview of Gemuk Girls, a new play by The Necessary Stage about political detention in Singapore. It dealt with the fallout for a Malay family when the father was detained. Years later, when the daughter and granddaughter learned of his death, both tried to confront this forgotten piece of family history with mixed emotions and results. Gemuk Girls is a solid piece of work. But we are still a long way off from exorcising the ghosts of our political past.

Exorcism of a personal sort came in the form of Eng Yee Peng’s Diminishing Memories I and II, now showing at The Arts House. A final year project for her undergrad studies, Diminishing Memories I is Yee Peng’s way of saying goodbye to her childhood at Lim Chu Kang. She failed to do so and embarked on Diminishing Memories II to finally put her ghosts to rest. But I sympathize with her. Saying goodbye is never easy. And can we really say goodbye at all?

I reflected on that myself when I visited the Singapore Biennale 2008 at City Hall. One of the most enjoyable pieces was Wit Pimkanchanapong’s interactive Google Earth Singapore, which allowed visitors to tag the significant places of their lives on a map of Singapore that covered the whole floor of the Chambers room. I started out doing ‘public service’ by identifying the overland MRT stations to help others pinpoint their desired locations. But I soon veered to places I’ve lived in the past, places with good and bad memories that occupied the space between heartbreak and heartache. Things you want to put behind you but can’t because they have shaped who you are today. It was a bittersweet exercise.

Finally, that wonderful thing called Youtube allowed me to rediscover what a great band Japan was and how devastating their song, Ghost continues to be. David Sylvian breaks down our collective selves and defenses when he sings:

Just when I think I'm winning
When I've broken every door
The ghosts of my life
Blow wilder than before

It’s damn difficult to say goodbye to our ghosts. We may be through with the past, but the past ain't through with us.

Tampenis

This was how the British spelt it in 1959 in one of their official reports. No kidding.

"Students of the Nanyang University have on two occasions held picnics at the Teo Guan Choon Villa in Tampenis..."

Let's start a campaign to bring that spelling back for the MRT stn.

Creating Graphic Novels

www.bookcouncil.sg/clap.htm

Bestselling Comics at Kino for Aug 08

Kinokuniya Bookstores (S) P/L
(for the week of 01/08/2008 to 31/08/2008)

TOP 10 COMIC BESTSELLERS

1. WATCHMAN
by ALAN MOORE, DAVE GIBBONS

2. VAMPIRE KNIGHT VOLUME 7
by MATSURI HINO

3. BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE
by ALAN MOORE, BRIAN BOLLAND

4. THE GOOD PRINCE (FABLES VOLUME 10)
by BILL WILLINGHAM, ET. AL.

5. OURAN HIGH HOST CLUB VOLUME 12
by BISCO HATORI

6. WARCRAFT (LEGENDS VOLUME 1)
by TIM BEEDLE, TROY LEWTER

7. WORLD OF WARCRAFT VOLUME 1
by WALTER SIMONSON

8. THE HIDDEN WAR (DMZ VOLUME 5)
by BRIAN WOOD, ET. AL.

9. THE LEGACY (FORGOTTEN REALMS VOLUME 7)
by R.A. SALVATORE, ROBERT ATKINS

10. TSUBASA (RESERVIOUR CHRONICLE VOLUME 18)
by CLAMP

NB: The Killing Joke is still on the list. People are prepping for the Watchmen movie. Alan Moore still sells, which is kind of amazing. I tried going for the Watchmen preview at SDCC. It was at the mega Hall H (5000+ seater), but I still couldn't get in.

Dispatches

A few months ago, as I was having lunch at my trusty neighbourhood coffeeshop on a lazy Sunday afternoon, I was pleasantly surprised by the screening of Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury (1972) on the Chinese TV channel. Heck, I was entralled. Of course, I've seen the movie many times. But the opening is a such a grabber. Lee coming back to Shanghai to learn that his sifu has passed away. He rushed to the cemetery, it was raining (it was an obvious standard HK movie set), he wanted to jump into the grave as it was lowered into the ground, pure drama.

I was thinking to myself, this is going to change some kid's life if they're watching it for the first time on TV. I know it changed mine. Imagine you're in your teens and wondering wtf is wrong with your life, you're lazing around the house, no girlfriend, no sex, hope, love or dreams. You turn on the TV expecting some crap and they show a classic Bruce Lee movie. It's going to change everything.

[I remember watching a re-run of The Way of the Dragon at Dali cinema in the 1980s, which is damn rare even in those days. In the afternoon, after school, goofing off. No more than 5 of us in the cinema hall. But it was pure magic. Bruce Lee beating the shit out of Chuck Norris. Nothing is the same after that.]

Ideas of self, identity, the body, Chinese-ness, nationalism, what it means to be a man, it's all there.

Someone asked me before why I'm so into rock music, movies, comics, pop culture. I said it's because they made a difference in my life, shaped my world view and still helping me to make sense of the world around me. That person didn't get it.

Oh well.

Here's to you, Bruce. This year is the 35th anniversary of Bruce Lee's death. He passed away on 20 July 1973. Hai-ya!

Morgan Chua interview

This is the interview I did with Morgan Chua on the night of 6 August 2008. We had makan, drinks and a good chit-chat. Miel was with us too.

Interviewing Morgan again reminds me of something the late Kuo Pao Kun said 10 years ago after the ARX5/Zunzi episode at SAM. We can make fun of other world leaders in our political cartoonists. But we can't laugh at ourselves.

Q: How did the new edition of My Singapore come about?
A: Blame it all on Kenny Chan (Merchandising Director of Kinokuniya). He arranged for me to meet the Marshall Cavendish people last year and things took off from there. [Kenny was one of the main people in Singapore National Printers behind the original edition of My Singapore back in 2000.]

Q: How was it revisiting My Singapore after eight years?
A: Well, considering that I ‘lost’ to Lee Kuan Yew eight years ago (My Singapore came out as the same time as the MM’s second memoirs), it’s good that I got another go at it.

Q: You drew new cartoons for this new edition. LHL, MSK, TT Durai, Anwar, etc. How did you feel when you completed these new cartoons?
A: Relieved. I did a lot of research at the National Library, the archives and also NUS library. You can’t find all the info on the internet, you still need to go back to the libraries and archive. You need know your history in Singapore. But that’s the problem. There is no sense of history in Singapore.

Drawing cartoons about Pedro Blanca, the MSk escape and the Ren Ci scandal, I was excited but it was hard work.

Q: Tell me, how important is the political/editorial cartoonist for a newspaper?
A: If the editors are the flesh of the papers, the production people the backbones, the artists are the spirit of the publication. They should be recognized and be paid as much as the editor. One picture tells the whole story. An editor needs 10,000 words to tell his story, so our cartoons are worth 10,000 words. The cartoonist should be paid on par with the editor. We can’t make mistakes. But in a 10,000 word article, no one can tell if a mistake was made.

Q: You have stayed at Tanjong Pinang for the last 10 years since you came back from Hong Kong. What’s the attraction?
A: I like the kampong life, nature and the natural self. A cartoonist should be close to nature, then the strength and feelings of their art would intensify. Just like Lat in Malaysia.

Over there, you got time. You read books, magazines and get the current news. It’s stress free.

Q: What are your feelings of Singapore today?
A: Sad. All the HDB flats remind me of a private automated prison. There’s no movement of one self. Not like in Tanjong Pinang where at night you can see thousands of stars. It just makes you feel humble. You get to know yourself. But not in Singapore. We’re becoming the Monaco of Asia. Singapore will only be for the rich and famous.

Q: Are you disappointed in Singapore then?
A: In a way, yes because of the lifestyle of the people where people are not getting married and our women are not giving birth. But also no, because I’m happy with the progress that we’ve made. Our international standards in areas like aviation. Life is tough in Singapore. Nevertheless, when the going gets tough, the tough gets going.

You don’t have much choices in Singapore, it is no bed of roses. Our old folks, they got to work in coffee shops and McDonald’s. It’s very sad. That’s why I paid tribute to the Samsui Women in the new edition of My Singapore. They built the foundation of Singapore. But we have lost our culture in Singapore.

I’m still a Singaporean. But I can’t stay here anymore. It’s not real, it’s a make-believe world. My spirit is still in Singapore. I still love my country. But it has changed.

Q: So why can’t we draw caricatures of local politicians in Singapore?
A: In Asia, we honour the father. Very Confucian. Unlike in the West. There was once when former US President, Ronald Reagan was asked how he felt about the cartoons making fun of him in the papers. He said that he would wake up every morning, read the funnies about himself, have a good laugh, knowing that the cartoons were telling the truth. And then he would fire all his advisors.

But if you were to ask me, I would say we have human rights in Singapore. Morgan can draw Lee Kuan Yew. But I stick to the facts, the events.

Q: Name one person who inspired you.
A: Peng, the legendary Straits Times cartoonist of the 1950s and 1960s. He opened the doors for me as a political cartoonist. Someone needs to compile his cartoons from those heady days of exciting politics.

More dispatches

Met Mike Grell again after 20 years in SDCC. He remembered his visit to Singapore in 1987 when he was an invited guest of the 2nd Singapore Comics Convention (nothing to do with the recent STCC organized by Play Imaginative). The other guest was Todd McFarlene, pre-Image and Spawn and then just known for his Batman: Year Two, Hulk and some issues of X-Men. Grell was the hotter artist then, having just finished The Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters deluxe mini-series (that's what they called it then, ie. for matured audiences only). I interviewed the both of them for BigO magazine.

Of course, fortunes changed and McFarlene is the multi-millionarie (still) and Grell, well, I heard he does some really beautiful commissions through his website.

Coda: I interviewed McFarlene again some 10 years ago over the phone for a story I wrote for 8 Days about the release of the Spawn movie. He remembered he was a young punk then when he visited Singapore in 1987.

As for Grell, after his visit to Singapore, he wrote a Blackhawk story that was set in the Lion City.

http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/niven/142/opinion/opi30.html

Here's someone else's recollections of those days:

chekyang.com/musings/tag/mike-grell/

There was also a Wolverine story set in Singapore in the late 1980s, but for the life of me, I can't remember which series was it or who wrote/drew it.

I'm a passenger...

The Resident Tourist is the discovery of 2008.

Check out Derek's interview with Troy Chin:

http://textfiend.net/zerohero/?p=636

www.drearyweary.com

Dispatches

2008 is a year of anniversaries.

1. Superman was born 70 years ago, Action Comics #1. Cover dated June 1938, that marked the first appearance of the Man of Steel.

Some would argue that Batman is cooler, but despite wearing his red underwear on the outside for seven decades, getting killed, resurrected and hitched (a fate worse than death?), Supes is still my man. Perhaps more than truth, justice and the American way, Superman represents the possibilities that we can achieve, to reach for the stars with that Boy Scout outlook intact.

Incidentally, when I was chatting with the legendary comics retailer/historian, Robert Beerbohm at SDCC, he told me he has a copy of Superman #1 in his collection. Eh, the Southeast Asian edition licensed from DC Comics back in 1958. It was printed in Singapore and was meant for the regional market. So Supes made his ‘official’ appearance in Singapore/Southeast Asia 50 years ago, just a year before we gain self-government from the British.

So did the possibilities offer by Superman inspired the PAP Old Guard? Did LKY read comic books?

I wonder.

2. 60 years ago, the Malayan Emergency broke out and changed the political landscape of Singapore. It is interesting how art and pop culture inform our sense of the past. Just as Superman’s 70th birthday probably meant more to me than this year’s national day celebrations, the outbreak of the Malayan Emergency 60 years ago is more significant for the brief period of Malayan Spring that preceded it.

When the British returned to Malaya and Singapore after WWII, they allowed the various political and cultural groups to flourish. The Malayan Communist Party was a legitimate party and cultural publications and activities were reaching out to the masses at a scale hardly seen today.

Sure, some of the works (including comics!) done were socialist and prevalent of the mood of the times. But it was a period of creativity that saw literary works talking about the plight of the common man, plays that depicted social injustice and songs that inspired the workers.

Go check out this new book on that brief period of Malayan Spring:

Paths Not Taken: Political Pluralism in Postwar Singapore, edited by
by Michael Barr and Carl A. Trocki. (Singapore University Press)

3. 40 years ago saw the landmark student radicalism of Mai 68 (May 68) manifesting itself in the streets of Paris. It is an event that is unlikely to be celebrated here. I was in Paris in early June and Mai 68 remained important in the historical consciousness of Parisians. A moment of youthful rebellion against conservatism and the old order, Mai 68 continues to inspire artists and culture in Europe just as the event itself was informed by the counterculture of the 60s (rock music, movies, Guy Debord and the Situationists).

[I stand corrected on the limited impact of Mai 68 on Singapore. Artists like Tang Da Wu were heavily inspired by the spirit of Mai 68. I hooked up with Da Wu in London before heading on to Paris and he was the one who insisted I must attend an exhibition of Mai 68 posters and brought me and the wife there.]

As I walked around Paris attending the Mai 68 related exhibitions, the bookshops and visiting the Latin Quarter (the heart of the action), I got a sense of the pop culture happenings that continue to inspire the young. I turned a corner and there’s a comic shop. Someone was busking along the sidewalk. It’s good to be in Paris in June.

Morgan Chua Signing on 16 Aug at Kino

Do drop by if you're in the area. I interviewed Morgan two weeks ago but the local papers weren't interested. TNP did have a write-up on Morgan in today's edition.

My review of the original My Singapore back in 2000.

www.singapore-window.org/sw00/000730st.htm


HOT OFF THE PRESS!


My Singapore
Sketches by Morgan Chua

Marshall Cavendish Editions ● Available at major bookstores from August 2008 (Book launch at Kinokuniya on 16 August 2008, 4.30pm) Retail Price S$23 (before GST) ● ISBN 978 981 261 614 2


No topic is taboo and Chua sharpens his pencil as he draws popular icons like P Ramlee as well as local and international politicians. Readers will be thoroughly entertained and enlightened as they laugh their way through the book through it's feature of entertaining vignettes and key events in Singapore's history. The fun and quirky cartoons poke fun at one and all!

About the Author
Singaporean born cartoonist Morgan Chua first found fame as a cartoonist in Hong Kong when he joined the Far Eastern Economic Review. His keen wit and observation was translated into well-received single panels of political cartoons. In his career, he has done caricatures of all the newsmakers around the world including Singapore.

This world-classed cartoonist who has returned to live in the Lion City now turns his hand on a revised edition of his earlier published work My Singapore, which tells the history of the nation in his own unique way—with barbed perceptiveness, concisely but impactful imagery and a visual eloquence that is unmatched in the region.

Jerry Robinson

Some thoughts on attending SDCC. Was at Preview Night with Ian Gordon and chanced upon Jerry Robinson signing b&w Joker prints at the DC booth. It was a short queue. So here's the creator of the Joker who is currently played by the late Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, but no one really knows that or care.

I first met Jerry in 2000 in his NYC office. One of the surviving greats still with us today.

Bestselling Comics at Kino for July 08

Kinokuniya Bookstores (S) P/L
(for the week of 01/07/2008 to 31/07/2008)

TOP 10 COMIC BESTSELLERS

1. THE GOOD PRINCE (FABLES VOLUME 10)
by BILL WILLINGHAM, ET. AL.

2. WANTED
by MARK MILLAR, ET. AL.

3. BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE
by ALAN MOORE, BRIAN BOLLAND

4. Y: THE LAST MAN: VOLUME 10: WHYS AND WHEREFORES
by BRIAN K. VAUGHAN, ET. AL.

5. THE BAD PRINCE (JACK OF FABLES VOLUME 3)
by BILL WILLINGHAM, ET. AL.

6. OURAN HIGH HOST CLUB VOLUME 12
by BISCO HATORI

7. BATMAN: DARK KNIGHT RETURNS
by FRANK MILLER, ET. AL.

8. WATCHMAN
by ALAN MOORE, DAVE GIBBONS

9. VENOM BOMB (MIGHTY AVENGERS VOLUME 2)
by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS, MARK BAGLEY

10. KILLED IN ACTION (AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE VOLUME 2)
by DAN SLOTT, ET. AL.


NB: This makes The Killing Joke the perennial bestseller in this list for the last few months. Of course, this could be the The Dark Knight movie effect as Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns is here as well. Movies dominate as seen in Watchmen and Wanted. What's interesting is the two Fables collections (caught up with old friend Steve Leiahola at SDCC) and the Avengers. Y made an appearance as that's the finale.

Best Selling Comics for Kinokuniya (June 08)

(for the week of 01/06/2008 to 30/06/2008)

TOP 10 COMIC BESTSELLERS

1. THE GOOD PRINCE (FABLES VOLUME 10)
by BILL WILLINGHAM, ET. AL.

2. Y: THE LAST MAN: VOLUME 10: WHYS AND WHEREFORES
by BRIAN K. VAUGHAN, ET. AL.

3. HULK: WORLD WAR HULK
by GREG PAK, ET. AL.

4. WANTED
by MARK MILLAR, ET. AL.

5. BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE
by ALAN MOORE, BRIAN BOLLAND

6. ASTONISHING X-MEN VOLUME 4: UNSTOPPABLE
by JOSS WHEDON, JOHN CASSADAY

7. ALL-STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN, THE BOY WONDER, VOLUME 1
by FRANK MILLER, ET. AL

8. THE BAD PRINCE (JACK OF FABLES VOLUME 3)
by BILL WILLINGHAM, ET. AL.

9. MARVEL ZOMBIES 2
by ROBERT KIRKMAN, ET. AL.

10. COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS VOLUME 1
by PAUL DINI

STCC: The Aftermath

I ain't much of a blogger, but here are some that talk about the event. I was there on preview night and Sunday afternoon. Happening!

http://sonnyliew.livejournal.com/

http://www.collateralds.com/

http://sirfong.blogspot.com/

http://textfiend.net/zerohero/

STCC Next Week!

It's just round the corner, 27-29 June @ Suntec City.

http://www.sgtoyandcomiccon.com/

Singapore HeritageFest 2008 - Heroes Patch

Check this out:

http://www.heritagefest.org.sg/2008/official/

And for an idea of what sells across the causeway...

Top 10 Manga in KL

For week ending May 25, 2008:

1. Naruto Vol.29

2. Kingdom Hearts II Vol.2

3. Kitchen Princess Vol.6

4. Psycho Buster Vol.3

5. S.A Vol.4

6. Haridama: Magic Cram School Vol.1

7. Hell Girl Vol.2

8. White Night Melody Vol.1

9. Shugo Chara Vol.4

10. Yozakura Quartet Vol.2

# List compiled by Kinokuniya Bookstores Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur.

Bestselling Comics at Kino for May 08

Kinokuniya Bookstores (S) P/L
(for the week of 01/05/2008 to 30/05/2008)

TOP 10 COMIC BESTSELLERS

1. X-MEN:MESSIAH COMPLEX
by ED BRUBAKER, ET. AL.

2. HULK: WORLD WAR HULK
by GREG PAK, ET. AL.

3. BATMAN: THE RESURRECTION OF RA’S AL GHUL
by GRANT MORRISON, PAUL DINI

4. THOR: PREMIERE VOLUME 1
by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI, OLIVIER COIPEL

5. VAMPIRE KNIGHT VOLUME 6
by MATSURI HINO

6. BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE
by ALAN MOORE, BRIAN BOLLAND

7. X-TREME PARENTING: A BABY BLUES TREASURY
by RICK KIRKMAN, JERRY SCOTT

8. FULL METAL ALCHEMIST VOLUME 15
bY HIROMU ARAKAWA

9. THE KINDAICHI CASE FILES VOLUME 17, THE UNDYING BUTTERFLIES
bY YOZABURO KANARI, FUMIYA SATO

10.THE FACT IN THE CASE OF THE DEPARTURE OF MISS FINCH
by NEIL GAIMAN, MICHAEL ZULLI

This makes Alan Moore's The Killing Joke the only book to be in the top 10 list for 2 months straight. Not bad for a book that is almost 20 years old.

Comics Gathering on Sat 31 May 2008

Dear comics lovers and creators,

All are invited to attend our 2nd ever monthly comics gathering -- a weekend picnic at Botanic Gardens. This is an informal meet-up for the Singapore comics community to get to know one another and share in our common passion.

Whether you are an amateur or professional artist or writer, or you are just interested in the creative process of doing comics, or you just want to meet like-minded comics lovers, we are hoping to bring everyone together.

Discussion topic:
Don't miss a serious but fun presentation and analysis, "Bondage in comics: a necessary part of the comic book framework?" by Ric Rivas, former film school lecturer at Columbia College Hollywood and long-time avid comic book reader. More details in the next posting on this mailing list:
http://groups.google.com/group/comics-creators-sg

Some pics to go with that:
http://www.storykitchen.com/temp/bondage/

Where:
Botanic Gardens
Saturday, 31 May 2008
5 pm - 7 pm
Followed by dinner at the basement food court

Picnic spot:
Swan Lake -- please find the area "E" on the map:
http://www.storykitchen.com/sbg1.jpg

Please feel free to bring, without feeling obligated:
Ground sheets; light snacks and drinks; umbrella in case of rain.

Wet weather programme:
In case of rain, we will meet at the basement food court at the Botany
Centre near Tanglin Gate.

Public transport:
From Somerset MRT Station (Somerset Road bus stop B01), take any of
these buses -- 7, 77, 106, 123, 174. Alight 7 stops later at Napier
Road bus stop B03, opposite Gleneagles Hospital. Botanic Gardens is
just across the road.

Parking:
Underground parking available at Botany Centre, near the Cluny Road entrance.

Mailing list for future gatherings and comics events:
http://groups.google.com/group/comics-creators-sg

Please also visit Singapore Comix Blog:
http://singaporecomix.blogspot.com/

Comics With Problems!

Not really about local comics, but I found this hilarious. Check it out!

http://www.ep.tc/problems/

A side story: the latest issue is #25: Treat your M-16 rifle like a lady by the legendary Will Eisner. After quitting The Spirit in the 50s, WE drew for army manuals. I found some of his illustrations in some army training guide back in 91 when I was doing my NS. I ripped it out, wrote him a letter and sent it to him. He wrote back.

http://www.ep.tc/problems/25/

p/s: OF - this might serve as an inspiration for yr next project? ;)

The start of a monthly best-selling comics list

I've been thinking about this for some time and I've talked to some of you guys about this. I think what we lack in the comics scene now is a sense of what people are reading. We have no sales figures/lists to fall back on. Is X-Men still the best selling comics (that's data from the 80s)? Are people still reading superheroes only? What are the hot titles? Nobody has a clear sense of that.

Sunday Life features a list of bestselling books in Singapore. We need something like that for comics.

Now, thanks to Kenny of Kinokuniya and his staff, we have a list of the Top 10 Bestselling Graphic Novels/Manga in Kinokuniya.

At least, we can say Singaporeans like superhero/sci-fi/horror comics, etc., which can be useful for aspiring writers and artists.

Anyone with contacts with other comic shops in Singapore or even shops like Comics Connection (for bestselling Chinese titles), do share. The more data we have, a clearer picture of our buying habits will be formed.

Cheers.

Kinokuniya Bookstores (S) P/L
(for the week of 01/04/2008 to 30/04/2008)


TOP 10 COMIC BESTSELLERS


1. VAMPIRE KNIGHT VOLUME 6
by MATSURI HINO

2. TSUBASA VOLUME 17
by CLAMP

3. OURAN HIGH HOST CLUB VOLUME 11
by BISCO HATORI

4. SECRET INVASION: THE INFILTRATION
by STAN LEE, ET AL.

5. WHAT IF?: CIVIL WAR
by ED BRUBAKER, ET. AL.

6. BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE
by ALAN MOORE, BRIAN BOLLAND

7. NOSATSU JUNKIE VOLUME 5
by RYOKO FUKUYAMA

8. DEATH NOTE VOLUME 13
by TSUGUMI OHBA, TAKESHI OBATA

9. THE NEW AVENGERS VOLUME 7: THE TRUST
by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS, LEINIL YU

10. INFINITE CRISIS
by GEOFF JOHNS, ET. AL.

The start of a monthly comics gathering

As an aspiring comic-book writer, I've found that it's a lonely and solitary journey, learning the craft by myself and trying to write my first script. For a long time, I wondered if I'm the only writer in Singapore who is making a serious attempt at a graphic novel.

The thing is, I really believe there are lots of people in Singapore who have an interest in the creation of comics, but we are all isolated in little pockets here and there, unaware of one another's existence. When Gail Simone and Kurt Busiek visited here for the Singapore Writers Festival in December 2007, I was pleasantly surprised to see so many people turning up. Also in 2007, MDA starting giving out a comic book grant, and the comics anthology Mugen was born, showcasing a new generation of unknown but talented artists and writers.

Where did all these cool people come from? They could be living right next door, but we'll never knew who they are until they reveal themselves. (And let me tell you, I've recently found out that I have some interesting neighbours.)

So, I know for sure that there is a comics community out there. There just hasn't been any common platform to bring everybody together. Wouldn't it be wonderful if there were a monthly gathering, where like-minded comics buffs can meet, make friends and talk comics? Writers and artists can share our experiences, learn from one another, spark off ideas and find collaborators to work with.

After getting some encouragement from Cheng Tju and Zero, I decided to give it a shot.

Post-picnic report

A cosy bunch of 7 comics nuts gathered at the Botanic Gardens last Saturday, 20 April 2008. The weather was good, and I had a fun and enjoyable afternoon meeting like-minded people and discovering that I'm not alone. Most of the attendees are aspiring writers, with the exception of one who is a writer-artist. This was surprising to me, since I always thought there are a lot more artists than writers here, at least when it comes to comics.

After a round of introductions, we chatted about all sorts of things related to comics -- favourite superhero powers, damsels in distress, costumes (or the absence thereof), cartoons, movies and TV series, the psychology of villains and their minions, etc.

Ric showed us some rare issues from his private collection, and started a discussion about the appeal of the B-story, which is a sub-plot supporting the main plot or the A-story. B-stories are interesting in that they contain elements that provide character development.

Otto talked about his new comic book targeted at the international market -- the niche he has decided to focus on, what he's doing to raise his own creative quality and how to listen to the target readers to find out what they want.

We ended the day by deciding to brainstorm for ideas about how to generate more buzz and attract more people to the next gathering. I would personally like to get some ideas about we can do to pull in more artists. And ladies. Let's not forget the ladies. I refuse to believe that comics are only for guys.

The next gathering

Let's keep the momentum going by meeting on the last Saturday of every month. For the next one in May, Ric has agreed to do a short presentation on an interesting topic about comics. We might video it and put it up on YouTube for sharing. I will announce the details here in the next few days, so please watch this space and help spread the word!

JF

Comics Picnic at Botanic Gardens

Dear comics lovers and creators,

Please help circulate this message:

All are invited to attend the first of our monthly comics gatherings -- a Sunday picnic at Botanic Gardens. This is an informal meet-up for the Singapore comics community to get to know one another and share in our common passion.

Whether you are an amateur or professional artist or writer, or you are just interested in the creative process of doing comics, or you just want to meet like-minded comics lovers, we are hoping to bring everyone together.

Botanic Gardens
Sunday, 20 April 2008
4 pm - 6 pm

Picnic spot:
Swan Lake -- please find the area "E" on the map:
http://www.storykitchen.com/sbg1.jpg

Please feel free to bring, without feeling obligated:
Ground sheets; light snacks and drinks; umbrella in case of rain.

Wet weather programme:
In case of rain, we will meet at the basement food court at the Botany Centre near Tanglin Gate.

Public transport:
From Somerset MRT Station (Somerset Road bus stop B01), take any of these buses -- 7, 77, 106, 123, 174. Alight 7 stops later at Napier Road bus stop B03, opposite Gleneagles Hospital. Botanic Gardens is just across the road.

Parking:
Underground parking available at Botany Centre, Cluny Road entrance.

Mailing list for future gatherings and comics events:
http://groups.google.com/group/comics-creators-sg

Please also visit Singapore Comix Blog:
http://singaporecomix.blogspot.com/

A monthly gathering for the Comics Community?

Hey folks,

Since January, I have been organizing a monthly gathering for screenwriters and film makers. It has become a wonderful time for like-minded people to get together, have some laughs, make friends and share knowledge. So far, we have met at the Hans Cafe at National Library, had a barbecue at someone's condo, and had a picnic at Botanic Gardens. It has always been well attended, and strangers have become familiar faces. Some even brought their wives and kids.

I'd really like to start something similar for the comics community. It would be great for comics lovers to just share our common passion, and for writers and artists to widen our circles. Who knows -- we might find some potential collaborators.

This is just a suggestion, and if anyone has a better idea, please feel free to propose an alternative date and venue:

Family-friendly picnic at Botanic Gardens, Swan Lake
Sunday, 20 April 2008
4 pm

The location is nice, and in case of bad weather, there are pavilions and a food court nearby where we can seek shelter.

May I have some idea of how many people are interested?

JF

Manga Artist Challenge Contest

77 Star, the Japanese company that’s being bringing otaku-culture education & training to Singapore, has another programme up the sleeves: The First Manga Artist Challenge Contest (マンガアーチスト　チャレンジコンテスト)!

77 Star has tied up with publisher Shueisha (集英社, the people behind Shonen Jump and the rest of the Jump-series manga) to discover new manga talents. The chosen ones will have their manga published in one of their monthly/weekly anthologies. For those in Singapore, wanting to break into the Japan manga scene, this is a great opportunity.

Read more about the contest here.

New Google Group: Comics Creators SG

Dear friends,

Cheng Tju recently suggested to me that we need a mailing list to announce comics-related events. So, I've set one up on Google Groups. To subscribe, please visit:

http://groups.google.com/group/comics-creators-sg

Because Google owns Blogger, the moderators on this blog should be able to log into Google Groups using the same account (at least, that's what I've discovered I can do), which hopefully makes things more convenient for us.

Google Groups is similar to Yahoo Groups, but with an extra feature that I find very interesting -- we can set up public web pages which any member can update and edit. This means we can create something like a directory of artists and writers, and link out to to each creator's personal websites. This might be a good way to collaboratively document the existence of comics talents here in Singapore.

I have set the mailing list to allow posting by any subscribed member. However, I will moderate it to filter out any spam.

I hope the new mailing list can complement this blog and encourage more lively discussions and keep more people informed of upcoming events.

JF

Imaginary #1

Attention Fanboys! Imaginary Friends Studios (IFS) and Radical Comics will be bringing you the comic book “Imaginary #1″, free!

IMAGINARY #1 - FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2008

May 2008. IFS and Radical Publishing’s will be marking “Free Comic Book Day” campaign with the first issue of “Imaginary“. This comic will be distributed free* to patrons of comics retail stores. [Some retailers, especially those outside of North America, may charge a nominal fee to cover freight cost] So, do remember to remind your preferred retailer to place orders for “Imaginary #1” via this month’s Previews (May 2008 solicitation).

Read more here

Singapore's First Comics Conventions

An account of the first two comics conventions organized in Singapore in the 1980s by Robbie Poh. He posted this on sgcollect.com after hearing about the new comics convention that is coming up in Suntec City in June.

http://www.sgcollect.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=58086&st=30&p=1068747&#entry1068747

hello all

Just a bit of history here:


Singapore had already hosted 2 Comics Convention in The Past.

I was the Organiser of the 1st Singapore Comics Convention
held way back in 1986 at the President Merlin hotel on a sunday May 25 in Kitchener Road

We were expacting a crowd of between 500-1000 but in the end around 2500 showed up
due t o unexpected free publicity from Straits Times in their weekend section the day before.

There were people coming from all over asia, Malaysia, thailand and indonesia as well.


I think that convention may have "converted" over a lot of comic fans who are adults now
and also members of this forum.

The 2nd one was held at York Hotel and chaired by one of the committee members of the
1st Comicon, Lee Yen Peen.

He had the disctinction of bringing in both Mike Grell the the then fledgling new Marvel artist
Todd Mcfarlane who made guest appearances there and the various comics specialty shops.


It also attracted a very large crowd back then.

I tried to organise a 10th anniversary in 1996 in YMCA of Singapore but failed to get vendor
support and it was scrapped.

Now after 22 years... this comes about and it is truly nostalgic

I am now a 43 Year-old Lao Jiao.

I still am reading comics but also branched into toys, LDs, DVDs and radio control collectibles.


MY comics collection has since been "separated" from me for some hard cash to many
collectors over the past 2 years due to family committments but I still treasure the
pleasure of reading them.

Now we have many avenues to continue the comics reading passion thru library branches
and all the major bookshops have extensive comics section . Even the govt is encouraging
comics reading as they brought in Mark Waid and Gail Simone last year for the writers festival.

HOORAY for all this....


Long Live Comics and Toys Fans everwhere.

cheers

Chinese Cartoons and Woodcuts about Chinese Education in Singapore, 1955-1961

The original link didn't work for sometime. This should be okay now.

Chinese Cartoons and Woodcuts about Chinese Education in Singapore, 1955-1961

From: Lee Guan Kin, ed., Nantah duxiang: Lishi heliuzhong de shengshi (Imageries of Nanyang University: Reflections on the River of History) (Singapore: Global Publishing/NTU Centre for Chinese Language and Culture, 2007)

I've also corrected the link in the original post.

Heroes in the Comic Universe

Heroes in the Comic Universe
Date/Time : 26 Jan 2008 , 04.00 PM to 05.30 PM
Venue : Bishan Community Library - Programme Zone
Subject : Recreation (English)
Admission :Free Admission

Do you know that the inspiration for the look and feel of every superhero or super-villain action figure is inspired by the storylines created for comics series and graphic novels? You will be amazed at the stories behind the creation of these action toys. Let the die-hard action toy collectors tell you more at this session! There will also be a unique showcase of action figures and comics by the collectors. Feel free to bring along your own collection and we’ll offer you a platform to tell your stories about your Superhero! Brought to you by G & B Comics. Free admission.

Drawn from Shakespeare – A Manga Workshop with Paul Duffield

Drawn from Shakespeare – A Manga Workshop with Paul Duffield

Thursday 31 January, 6 – 9pm

Play Den, The Arts House

Presented by British Council, National Arts Council & The Arts House

Having illustrated the popular manga-Shakespeare, The Tempest, award-winning manga-artist, Paul Duffield, will be conducting a special three-hour manga workshop covering a myriad of topics including graphic novel storytelling techniques and character inspiration and design. This workshop is not to be missed by manga and comic enthusiasts!

Paul’s works include Freakangel, an online comic written by Warren Ellis and illustrated by himself as well as an animated film, Rolighed, which received ‘Overall Winner’ at the 2006 International Manga and Anime Festival.

For more information on Paul, please visit:

http://www.spoonbard.com/index.php

http://www.freakangels.com/

This workshop is free but registration is required to confirm a seat. To register, please contact The Arts House Box Office at 6332 6919 or email enquiries@toph.com.sg

Participants must bring the following for the workshop: pencils, fineliners, rulers, sharpeners, erasers.

The Arts House is located at 1 Old Parliament Lane, Singapore 179429.

Superheroes vs Villians: Highlights of Talk at Central Lending Library @ National Library

Superheroes vs Villians: Highlights of Talk at Central Lending Library @ National Library
19th Jan 08
organised by Funix
conducted by Shawn and assisted by Ocean
Attendance: about 8 pple

The focus is primarily on American Superheroes vs Manga Super Villians

Difference between Manga and Superhero comics
East (Japanese) vs West (American)

- As Buddhism teaches that everyone can become a Buddha, the comics reflect that.
vs
Christianity teaches that Jesus Christ is the Chosen One, and that heavily influenced the comics.

- Characters, often commoners, can have wide range of job scope: sushi chef, race car driver etc.
vs
Characters usually special: an alien, a princess etc

- Good and evil characters are humanized, with shades of grey.
vs
Good and evil characters are clearly plain good or downright evil.

- Hero must train, go through many trials of fire and hardship before attaining status.
vs
Hero often bestowed powers which developed little over time.

- Heroes embrace their powers (which is why Hiro, the only Asian in the hit tv series Heroes, was the only one who immediately decided his powers are for saving the world).
vs
Heroes see their powers as burdens that often hurt those they love (Spiderman and Superman). The Americans in Heroes hated their powers.

- Strategy and cunning important in attaining victories.
vs
Win by brute strength.

- Pursuit of skills often seen a end by itself.
vs
Personal vendetta against criminals and wrong doers.

Western Superheroes

1. ultra muscular and masculine / square jaws
2. duo identity (an unseen God) protects family and friends
3. an equal + opposite super villain
4. funny clothes (tights)
5. childhood trauma
6. confidantes / sidekicks (now defunct)
7. love interests
8. mentor / source of power
9. strong moral base

How to create your own superhero?

1. stereotypes – appearance should immediately clue people in on their origin (American Indian? Ninja?)
2. physical affects the emotional – appearance influenced by nature of super power
3. motivation – origin story affects and shapes hero’s nature and behavior
4. visual communication – gadgets, costumes, poses
5. excessive traits – eg. Magneto as a result of extreme reaction to Holocaust, Poison Ivy as a result of extreme love of nature, Joker is extremely vain, ambitious and an incessant attention seeker

Give your superhero a biography

1. name
2. gender
3. star sign
4. occupation
5. likes
6. dislikes
7. weakness
8. powers/abilities
9. personality
10. background story

Strategy for thinking out of the box

Take a classic villain from Japanese Manga and pit his wits against the Superhero you created.

PS: This is a method reported by a recent cover story of WIRED magazine, about Manga fans self-publish comic books where established characters from different stories are put together to create unexpected and refreshing new plots and scenarios. The Japanese comic establishment allows this, even though there is a clear infringement of copyright laws, and uses this to uncover new comic talents. In America, such a situation cannot occur as DC and Marvel's legal teams would rigorously pursue the offenders.


Contributed by Otto Fong

Pondering on popular culture and comics

By nature, pop culture is part of the ephemeral and is meant to be disposable. But sometimes the most throwaway line from a pop song, snatches of dialogue from a movie or comic book gather momentum, meaning and gravitas over time, pretty much depending on your mood and frame of mind.

In the past, the learned would quote Shakespeare or lines from TS Eliot’s Prufrock as part of some witty repartee. With the rise of a global mass culture aided by the internet and Facebook, most students, whether they are church-goers or not, don't catch the biblical references in English literature. They have no idea when I talked about the road to Damascus being long and difficult.

But whether this is truly the age of high culture in retreat and the decline of Western civilization as expounded by cultural critic, Harold Bloom or film director, Penelope Spheeris, pop culture is here to stay. So what if people don’t quote the poets, Keats or Yeats anymore to express themselves? If the young of today could find comfort and expression in The Killers and they help our youths make sense of their lives, that’s good enough for me. Like The Who sang, the kids are alright.

There lies, I believe, one of the most powerful and appealing aspects of pop culture, whether they are songs on the radio or the latest Hollywood blockbuster. At the mass level, they entertain us, inform us of the world (sometimes) and help us to interact with each other when they serve as a talking point among friends and strangers.

But at some other level, they also speak to us, help us understand our own thoughts and feelings because they become the medium for us to project our intellectual and emotional states. The new year brings new resolutions, challenges and choices. Reading the last issue of World War Hulk (Marvel Comics’ mega event of last year) really helps to put things in perspective for me. As the angry Hulk lashes out at the world for the umpteenth time, he came to the realization: “They can call you whatever they want. Saviour, destroyer, all that matters is what you choose.”

I've been reading comics long enough to accept that if it takes a green raging monster to give me some pov, then I’ll take my words of wisdom from wherever they come from.

So whether it’s Radiohead’s new album (“I don’t want to be your friend, I want to be your lover”) or listening to canto-pop king, William Scorpion belting his heart out at Dragonfly when you are getting yours broken, pop culture is about the here and now. It deals with the immediate experience, and by that very nature, if you listen hard enough to that song on your ipod, it shares its secrets (or is it the other way round? – you are sharing your secrets) and provides relief and revelations.

"I'm all the days that you choose to ignore"

Singapore Toy and Comic Convention

Following World Cyber Games (WCG), Singapore will add another major otaku/geek convention to the calendar of events. The SINGAPORE TOY & COMIC CONVENTION (STCC) will be the first of its kind in Southeast Asia.

The convention, modelled after San Diego Comics Convention and the Tokyo Game Show, is organised by Play Imaginative - the people behind the conceived-in-Singapore urban vinyl series “Trexi“. The three day event, from 27 to 28 June, will be held at Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The first day is reserved for the industry and media, with 28 to 29 June opened to the public. Admission is expected to be free. There’s plans for a cosplay contest, animation screenings, toy (exclusives?) redemption, autograph sessions, art auction and workshops/talks by industry practitioners. Special events include the 45th anniversary of Old Master Q (Lao Fu Zi/老夫子) Showcase. Check out the official event web page for programme and updates.

The organiser intends STCC to be an annual event that will bring new audiences to the world of toys and design. The convention targets to bring in 150 exhibitors. Major industry players from Asia, Europe and North America will be attending the event.

FSc: Big In Japan!

FSc (aka Foo Swee Chin) made history as the first Singaporean comics artist whose works got published in a monthly manga magazine. Her newest work, “Noirstorborg” was published in Vol. 16 of Comic Ryu 「comicリュウ」
But Who’s FSc? Although the preview notice in Vol.15 of the monthly had described FSc as a popular (”シンガポールの人気マンガ家“) Singaporean comic artist, she’s not yet a household name in Singapore. In fact, I doubt many comics fans here know who she is unless they’re fans of Goth comics such as Lenore, Gloom Cookie etc or have been following the local doujin scene (or if you’re a card-carrying member of Latendo).

READ ON to find out more about FSc

Events Jan 08

January Programmes @ the National Library

Superheroes vs Villains
Saturday, 19 January, 2.00 – 4.00 pm
Multipurpose Room, Central Lending Library

Registration is required. Please email your particulars to sharon.KOH@nlb.gov.sg and indicate “Superheroes vs Villains” in the subject field.

While most would appreciate the artwork and tight story plots in comics, fans are often separated into the graphic novel or manga camps. What will happen when the superheroes and villains in both graphic novels and manga meet? Learn how to create a comic character and we will have a showdown between good and evil.

Everyday Heroes (co-presented with The Substation Moving Images)
Saturday, 26 January, 2.00 – 3.00 pm
library@esplanade

When we were younger, we all tend to think that superheroes possess super powers. How cool is it to be able to stop time whenever you want, or have super powers like speed and agility? We would be able to skip school or get good grades and anything we wanted, really.

As we get older however, we realise that sometimes we need more than superpowers to get through the day. We’d need humility, bravery and kindness in our lives. This January, come join us as we celebrate the heroes that we want to be in our everyday lives.