Final chapter of Storm Riders to be shown in Hong Kong exhibition
Author of 25-year-old series says industry losing battle against piracy
What was meant to be a glorious finale for Hong Kong comic classic could be a depressing curtain call for industry in the city.
Ma Wing-shing, author of , was inspired to unveil the final chapter of the 25-year-old series in an exhibition of the original drawings instead of publishing in print, as rampant online piracy continues to hurt the industry to an almost irreparable extent.
"One reason to do this exhibition is fans must come to see it instead of reading [pirated copies] online for free," Ma said yesterday, prior to the opening at Comix Home Base in Wan Chai.
Only fans who bought the previous issue of the comic will get an invitation to the exhibition.
"The industry is not developing properly," Ma said. "The new media has broken all the rules. In the past, good work brought good sales but now, [that is] not necessarily [so].
"Popularity online does not equate to generating income but artists, particularly budding artists, have to survive and publishers need return for their investment. It's almost impossible to keep new artists in the industry."
But the grim realities facing the industry aside, Ma said the true reason for staging the exhibition was for fans to treasure their memories in their hearts rather than just a hard copy.
