Ani-Com Hong Kong promises an unusual take on city life as seen by comic artists
A sideways glance at life is certain when comic artists tell the city's story at the Ani-Com and Games event
Hong Kong is the world's third biggest comic market after Japan and the US. Ahead of the 14th edition of Ani-Com and Games Hong Kong, 48 Hours profiles six artists who are big on the local comic scene. Plus there's a sneak preview of the most anticipated video games, upcoming exhibitions and a guide to shops selling anime and collectibles.
Ani-Com runs from July 25 to 29 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Open 10am-9pm, closed at 8pm on July 29
"I was not a comic fan when I was little," says Lee Chi-hoi, who cites Edvard Munch and Vincent van Gogh as his early influences. "Instead, I kept a sketchbook of pastel drawings."
Lee says he didn't have the money to buy comics as a child because his family was poor. He grew up in the 1980s and '90s, and teachers did not let him read the "pornographic" and "violent" gangster comics.
Lee started drawing comics when he was at university, after seeing Lai Tat Tat Wing's experimental work. Literature and cinema and, later, independent comics from Europe were also sources of inspiration. He was first published locally in 1996.
"I mostly draw in black and white with lines and smudges of pencil," he says. "Pencil is more direct than ink or brush. It conveys emotion and gives depth."