Hong Kong's comic industry desperately needs more talented young artists to inject vigour and creativity into the profession, says comic artist Kong Khong-chang (aka Kongkee). Lack of new blood in the industry is a problem, he said. At 28, Kong was one of the youngest artists who took part in Comix Magneto, a large comic exhibition held at the Hong Kong Arts Centre recently. 'Surely there are many more young people who like drawing comics, or do they all just want to play video games?' he said. 'I really wish the media, particularly newspapers, would give more opportunities to young people to submit their work.' Kong is a fine arts graduate from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2000. He started his career when he was a teenager drawing for the now-defunct magazine Comic Teens. He got his break in 2003 when Chan Sheung Kee Book Company published his debut comic Imperfect Shoes. Its follow-up Imperfect Shoes II - Donut & Hidden Track was published last year. Unlike most mainstream comics which confine their themes to martial arts, slapstick humour and teen romance, Kong's stories are offbeat fairytales driven by ingenuous black humour. 'All artists should have their own ideas and ways of looking at things,' said Kong. 'When you draw a common object - say a chair or a mobile phone - from an unconventional point of view, the meaning of the object changes . . . just as the meaning of a word is enriched when used in a poem.' Kong now works as a freelance comic artist and illustrator for several newspapers and magazines. He said he was amazed recently when a Primary Six schoolboy asked him how people could earn a living by drawing comics. 'Shouldn't young people have the most energy and be keen to change the system? If many people share a belief, the situation could be very different. This is a problem of vision and attitude,' said Kong. And vision, according to Kong, is a quality that local mainstream comics lack. Few local comic publishers are willing to invest in alternative comics to tap into new markets, he said. Kong encourages young people to start drawing and publishing their own work because the creative process is a 'thrilling reward'. 'Don't expect to be working in a favourable environment and earn a good living,' said Kong. 'Even in such an ideal environment, the competition will be fierce. You should focus on carving out a new creative space for yourself.' Visit www.shiningsummer.com to read Kongkee's online comics the Rice-gas series or simply turn to p11
