THE ART OF CHARLIE CHAN HOCK CHYE (PREVIEW)

Priced at £19.99, ‘The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye’ is a 324-page softback graphic novel which tells the tale of a young Asian artist who embarks on a creative journey during a turbulent time in Singapore’s history. Well, for those of you not in the know, once upon a time, the island nation of Singapore was attacked by the Portuguese, ruled by the Japanese, and governed by the English. That is until they eventually managed to obtain their independence and become the hyper-modern city we all know and love today. Want to know more? Then stand back, take a deep breath, and get ready to check out the following preview, written, illustrated, and colored by Sonny Liew and published by Epigram Books. Please enjoy.


The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye (Paperback)

About the Author:
Sonny Liew was born in Malaysia and currently lives in Singapore, although he's generally best known for being a multi-award winning artist, painter, and illustrator. Over the years he has worked on a number of very memorable projects, which include: ‘The Shadow Hero’, written by Gene Luen Yang and published by First Second Books; ‘Wonderland’, written by Tommy Kovac and published by Disney Press; and ‘Sense & Sensibility’, written by Jane Austen and published by Marvel. He's also worked on the 'Doctor Fate' ongoing series with Paul Levitz for DC Comics; and spearheaded ‘Liquid City’ for Image Comics, the latter of which is a multi-volume anthology featuring creators from Southeast Asia. To see what else he's worked on, please feel free to click on Sonny's website, sonnyliew.com, or alternatively, the one dedicated to this book, The Art of Charlie Chan.

Awards:
Since entering the industry, Sonny has received Eisner nominations for his artwork on ‘Wonderland’ and ‘The Shadow Hero’, and in 2009, he won the Best Science Fiction Comic Album Award at the Utopiales SF Festival, for his work on his creator-owned series, ‘Malinky Robot’. What's more, in 2016 and 2017, he was also given a number of other awards for his work on 'Charlie Chan', including the Singapore Literature Prize, a New York Times bestseller, the Economist Book of the Year, and three Eisner Awards for Best Writer/Artist, Publication Design, and U.S. Edition of International Material, among others.

In Summary:
Overall, I thought that this was a really fascinating graphic novel because the art was clean, crisp, charming, and varied in both tone and style, while the story in itself was very educational and fun to follow. In many ways, it kind of reminded me of a historical travelogue, mixed-in with an artist's quest for truth, justice, and the oriental way. So if like me, you enjoy learning about Asian culture, artistic journeys, and historical events, then I suggest you pick up a copy today, either from Epigram Books or your local retailer.