The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye

The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye (TACCHC) is one of the best biographies I have read about a comics artist, which is doubly impressive given that the subject of the biography is fictional. It is truly amazing how much was fabricated for this book. It is full of dazzling details, including in-progress sketches, manga excerpts, paintings, museum pieces, and other artifacts that make this book seem as chock-full and well-researched as an actual artistic biography.

The premise of this book is that Charlie Chan Hock Chye is supposed to be "Singapore's greatest comics artist," but in our world the political realities of the time period prevent his coming about. Really, this book is more about the various conflicts with colonialism, communism, and self-government that define modern-day Singapore than it is about a single person, though all of these movements, conflicts, and events are filtered through the medium of comics. The artist is an imaginary symbol of what was lost in the various decisions over time. His potential greatness is represented via various pastiches in the style of several comics virtuosos, including Osamu Tezuka,

Walt Kelly,

Mort Drucker, Frank Miller (a la Dark Knight Returns) and Winsor McCay. And perhaps the fact that all of these styles are borrowed are supposed to speak to the collage that constitutes Singapore's culture. Whatever the intention, the amount of thought and craft in this book is astounding. It is truly a work to read, ponder, and contend with.

Sonny Liew is the artist/creator of this book. He has been nominated for an Eisner Award and is best known for his collaboration with Gene Yang, The Shadow Hero, as well as his artwork on the current Dr. Fate series. His past works also include  Malinky Robot, Vertigo’s My Faith in Frankie, and Marvel’s adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. He speaks extensively about his work on TACCHC in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read of this book either praise it or remark on just how substantial and complex a work it is. Douglas Wolk called it "a mercurial delight." Etelka Lehoczky wrote that it seemed that Singapore itself,  "the pressure-cooker country — tiny and polyglot, globally competitive and politically repressive — seems to have been poured into this dense book." Dan Kois called it "funny and rich and satisfying, and one of the best comics of the year."

The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye was published by Pantheon and they have more info about it here.

Burma Chronicles

This is the third travelogue from Guy Delisle, an illustrator and animator who travels the globe for work and also to accompany his wife who is involved in Doctors without Borders. Thus, he gets around to some very interesting places. He is a Canadian and his primary language, as you can tell from his blog, is French.

This is his most best, most insightful book to me, as it delves into the political milieu in Myanmar as it relates to Doctors without Borders much more than the others. There is much discussion about whether the organization can operate in this country independently in ways that treat those in need or if it is being turned into an instrument of the state that openly discriminates against those the dictatorial regime deems enemies. Added to this political dilemma is the fact that Delisle is for the first time in a country along with his infant son, placing him in everyday contexts and allowing him to see the social conditions as both a citizen and a parent.

Reviews I have read about the book have been very positive. The Guardian's Rory MacLean praised the book, calling it "the most enlightening and insightful book on Burma in years," and adding, "The key to its success are Delisle's whimsical, black-and-white drawings, as well as his endearingly naïve and humorous self-portrait. Together his honesty and minimal line disarm the reader, drawing him or her into Delisle's life, learning as he learns the truth about the struggle for survival under the generals." J. Caleb Mozzocco called Delisle's work "highly evocative minimalism," going on glowingly, "He’s spent a decade in animation, and it certainly shows in his command of the page, and the time and space the panels suggest upon it." Kirkus Reviews called the book an "insightful, illuminating memoir."

This book was published by Drawn and Quarterly. Some preview images and reference material for the book have been provided here by the author.

Cartoon History of the Universe III: From the Rise of Arabia to the Renaissance

Cartoon History of the Universe Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here.

A lot of ground gets covered in this volume. It details the life of Muhammad and the rise and spread of Islam. It also touches on Asian and African history, follows the exploits of the Turks and other nomadic peoples, and covers medieval life in China, India, and Japan. Some other high points include "the Dark Ages," Muslim Spain, and the European Middle Ages from the Crusades to the Black Death. The book goes on to cover the Italian Renaissance and various naval expeditions to explore the world, concluding with Christopher Columbus's historic departure in 1492.

Larry Gonick wrote and drew this series of books, which has been coming out sporadically since 1978. This volume of the series won the 2003 Harvey Award for Best Graphic Album of Original Work, and has received many accolades. Reviewer Jerry Stratton raves that all the Cartoon History of the Universe books "should be on every bookshelf of the English-speaking world."

Some sample pages from the book are available here. Another preview is available from publisher W.W. Norton.

The Cartoon History of the Universe II, Volumes 8-13: From the Springtime of China to the Fall of Rome

This book is the second of five in a series from creator Larry Gonick. It follows immediately after the last volume, which ended with Alexander the Great's quest to conquer the world stalling in India. In this volume, we learn more about what went on in the eastern hemisphere, with great attention to the history of ancient India, the growth of the Chinese empire in Asia, and the rise of major world religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, and Confucianism (which is more a way of life than a religion, but still...).

The second half of the book returns to the western hemisphere, documenting the rise of the Roman republic into an empire, but also telling tales about the northern peoples, including the Huns, Goths, and Germans, who rose up to eventually topple it. Paralleling these accounts is the rise of Christianity as a major world religion.

Even when tackling major issues and events, Gonick inserts wit, humor, and personality into the proceedings. As see by the range of reviews on Goodreads, this book is generally well-liked, with people stating they enjoy learning from the comic format. In a New York Times book review Jonathan Spence wrote that it was "a curious hybrid, at once flippant and scholarly, witty and politically correct, zany and traditionalist." He also adds that the book falls victim to one of the plagues of textbooks in general, that it covers topics in a quick manner without much elaboration or analysis.

Gonick offers a sample page on his website, and a lengthier preview is available from Amazon.com.