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SCMP Reporter

Take a trip down memory lane to the golden age of Hong Kong comics with Comix Territory, an exhibition that aims to  change the idea that comics are a worthless form of entertainment.

The exhibition, which will run from Saturday to July 30 at The Pao Gallery  in the Hong Kong Arts Centre, is a follow-up to the exhibition Comix Magneto earlier this year.

While Magneto displayed the works of 28 independent comics artists, Comix Territory features works of comics artists who have contributed to the  industry over the past 30 years.

'We hope to show that there are many creative talents in Hong Kong,' said Connie Lam Suk-yee, programme director of the Arts Centre.

'But there is a vast gap separating arts and pop culture in Hong Kong. The key is to find a mutual area so they can complement each other.'

The manuscripts and character designs of  well-known comics artists, including Wong Yuk-long, Ma Wing-shing, Dick, Jeffrey Lau, Kam Siu-man, Khoo Fuk-lung, Sheung Gun Siu-po, Sheung Gun Siu-keung, Andy Seto and Chan Mou, will be on display.

Their comics - which are mostly martial arts stories or teen romances - are often seen by teachers and parents as a bad influence. But they have  inspired many independent artists.

One such artist is Lai Tat-wing - also known as Lai Tat Tat-wing - an avid reader of mainstream comics.

His book Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, published last year, is a tribute to Wong Yuk-long's Oriental Heroes series, also known as Lung Fu Mun.

'To me, these comics are very good nutrients,' said Lai. 'They are very important because they reflect the mainstream culture of their times.'

To highlight the relationship between Hong Kong comics and culture, the exhibition features

a timeline that  follows the development of the comics industry from its birth - the publication of Wong's Little Rogues, which later evolved into the popular Oriental Heroes - in 1970.

'Wong's contribution as a comics artist was very important. His Little Rogues uses the backdrop of local public housing estates and reflects the living environment then,' said Lam.

Little Rogues, which revolves around two brothers - Wong Siu-fu and Siu-lung - who help their neighbours fight off thugs, and another comics series featuring  kung fu star Bruce Lee, helped  establish the comics industry.

The industry peaked in the 1980s and early 90s.

That was a golden age during which many artists - who perfected their skills by contributing to  comics newspapers that flourished in the 1970s - emerged, presenting a variety of styles and genres, including kung fu, romance, sci-fi and supernatural.

But the industry is now under pressure due to a lack of creativity and new blood.

Lam said while the industry is trying to make use of a variety of mediums such as the internet and animation to pull in new readers, the key to revival is writing a good plot.

' Technically, our comics artists have always been very good. It is story-writing that's our weak link,' she said.

She added that the exhibition could act as a launch pad for a comics and animation museum in Hong Kong.

Comics, much like  detective stories in 19th century literature, may be dismissed by critics  as part of trashy pop culture, but some day they could become valuable  research tools for historians.

As Lam says:  'Today's subculture  may be tomorrow's treasure.'

For more information, visit www.comixhomebase.com.hk



Golden age of comics