Some Thought is an article post by Hafidz in IASCW group…for me it is brilliant and beautifully written, and i love to share it here on PeKOMIK.com

There are some other gems in the book “The Right Words
at the Right Time”. For example, Jack Nicholson
mentions that one of the “ageless” pieces of advice he
received was: “Remember, in life it’s the things that
you don’t do that you regret, not the things you do.”

That’s for Alan Quah, who is taking a risk by leaving
the advertising business to enter the comics business.
(Incidentally, comics artist/writer Darwyn Cooke did
the same — going from advertising to his childhood
love, comics, knowing that the latter will never make
him rich.) I reckon if anyone can change the whole
local comics industry for the better at this time,
improving the artists’ lot, it’ll be Alan.

So many attempts that could’ve started a “revolution”
have fizzled out — Pekartun, Apazine, Umbra Comix,
MAAO, Jom, and (hate to say it) Melting Pot. At this
time, I’m worried about Stone’s zine Avant-Garde and
Xanseviera’s Crest, two of the last bastions of
independent, self-financed comics. Oh, don’t forget
Ian Fung’s “New Age Outlaws”.

Comic Fiesta seems to be going strong, but at the rate
it’s going, it might as well be called Anime Fiesta or
Cosplay Fiesta. More and more, comics seem to play
just a supporting role. (Maybe I’m wrong, but
certainly our newspapers are focusing more on the
“glamourous” cosplay aspect than on the talented bunch
of young comic artists hawking their products.)

Hmm, it seems I’ve gone off tangent (as usual lah)!
But while I’m on this off-tangent topic, let me say I
think it may not be a bad idea for MDeC’s digital
comics competition to have a “superhero” theme.

At the end of this competition, perhaps a publisher
can gather all the winners and start publishing their
comics under one umbrella, creating something like
Image Comics. Hey, it’ll be Malaysia’s first
multi-creator superhero universe!!!

Forgot to mention “Urban Comics” as one of the local
attempts at a “revolution” , but the magazine did come
to mind a few seconds after I sent off the last email.

The mag was discontinued, but “Urban Comics” did help
launch some of its comics creators into the
international scene and its publisher into an industry
icon. So there’s something positive coming out from
that.

Yes, I believe in Alan, too. He may be reaching for
the stars, but he seems to have his feet on the ground
as well.

Too many creative people forget that they have to be
practical and plan well when it comes to finance,
marketing, target audience, quality of work, unique
selling proposition, etc. It’s as much a business as
it is a creative endeavour, and you can’t have your
head in the clouds all the time.

Btw, doesn’t anyone find it strange that the comics
industry’s movers and shakers now are actually the
“older” folk, like Alan, Cedric, Azhar, etc? Hey, some
even seem to have emerged out of nowhere! (Yeah, yeah,
I know that applies to me as well. Who the heck is
this guy called Hafidz? From what rock did he crawl
out???)

It’s perhaps good that the older folk are taking an
interest in the development of the industry. Perhaps
with age comes a bit of wisdom and the ability to be
practical.

When Lat and other “older” comics creators from
overseas spoke about the dangers posed by the Japanese
invasion (manga, anime) at the inaugural Asian comic
art symposium cum workshop (IACAScW) not too long ago,
I think many people missed their main point.

Some participants saw the argument as manga versus
traditional comics. Or worse, the new versus old
generation. (These pit Malaysian comics artists
against each other, and it does the industry no good.)

The more important point, I believe, is whether the
local comics industry — and it matters not whether
you draw in manga style, Western style, HK style,
local style or any other style — can survive against
the onslaught of foreign comics.

You can’t stop ‘em from coming in (it’s a free world),
but it does NOT mean that the local industry should
just sit back and not do anything to take back some of
its lost market share, and ensure it will survive in
the future. To ensure local comics creators even have
a future.

In short, the real issue has zero to do with what
style you draw in and whether you like manga or
Western comics. The issue is the industry’s survival
and it’s also, to a certain extent, a matter of pride,
as Malaysians.

Pekomik has a long road ahead to unite the industry.
And it’s great to see that there are some people from
the older generation in Pekomik to help it…

Hafidz

IACAScW@yahoogroups.com