COMICS HAVE HAD a bad rep. Since first appearing in Hong Kong in the 1950s, they have largely been seen as a bad influence on impressionable young readers. In the early years, children caught flipping through such serials as Wong Yuk-long's Little Rascals usually got a telling off. 'People were prejudiced against comics back then,' says the Hong Kong Comics & Animation Federation director, Thomas Tang Wing-hung, who was similarly chastised as a child.
Although attitudes have softened, comics are still seen by many as shallow entertainment. Comix Home Base, an ambitious 20-month programme organised under the Hong Kong Arts Centre, may help alter that perception.
A series of exhibitions, animation screenings, seminars and workshops have been organised to highlight the work of local artists and to promote the medium as an art form. Some will feature collaborative projects with overseas creators and local institutions such as the Hong Kong Film Archive. 'Comics are a creative medium and a part of our lives,' says Arts Centre programme director Connie Lam Suk-yee, who initiated the venture with comics creator Craig Au-Yeung Ying-chai. 'But some see it as a commercial product and forget there's a lot of meaning behind it.'
The medium also offers a snapshot of the social climate of the time. Popular series such as Little Rascals, for example, reflected the grass-roots culture of the 70s. Set in a public housing estate, it depicts the exploits of two brothers, Wong Siu-fu and Siu-lung, who help their neighbours fight off local thugs. The two characters became heroes to many young people.
Local comics evolved over different eras, says collector Yeung Wai-pong. In the decade after the civil war on the mainland, the patriotic hero Uncle Choi (1958) created by Hui Guan-man, was most popular. In the 60s, the emergence of public housing estates and Bruce Lee inspired the Little Rascals series and another featuring the kung fu star. The popularity of martial arts movies and TV dramas in the 70s and 80s further boosted the market for martial arts comics - Ma Wing-shing's Chinese Hero could typically sell 200,000 copies. Since then, comics have become even more popular, with the Hong Kong Comics Festival attracting 421,000 visitors last year. Responding to the trend, the Arts Centre has highlighted overseas and local works over the past decade, from a 1992 exhibition featuring Japanese creator Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy and Black Jack), to more recent projects with local artists such as Li Chi-tat and Lai Tat-wing. Over time, organisers of comic events have realised there was room for a comprehensive programme. 'After doing things on-and-off for years, we realised we had to make more noise,' says Lam.
The programme kicks off on Friday with Comix Magneto, an exhibition showcasing 28 local artists, including independents such as Alice Mak Ka-bik, Chao Yat, Lily Lau, Siuhak, Ted Yeung Hok-tak and Lee Chi-hoi as well as political satirists Zunzi and Malone. Assembled under the theme 'Desire of Comic Artist', it features new and old works from creators. The topics range from romance to tales of urban alienation to political controversies. It aims to highlight how rising comic creators are breaking the stereotypical framework of martial arts and violence, Lam says.
