Singapore, Free Speech, and The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye: An Interview with Sonny Liew

The art in this book is amazing! Can you share a little bit about which artists inspired you for this book? For the young ones reading this who want to become artists, any tips on how to become the next Sonny Liew?

Thank you! The book is partly a celebration of the comics medium, so there quite a few creators referenced — Tezuka, Wally Wood, Walt Kelly, Harvey Kurtzman, Frank Miller and more. A career in comics is much like any other — talent is part of it, but hard work is needed too, and as always luck plays a role. There’s no magic formula or one particular way though — there are many paths to (and away from) the waterfall.

You mentioned in another interview that Wayne Wang’s film “Chan is Missing,” partly inspired the name Charlie Chan Hock Chye. How did you come across this movie and what made it so important to you?

I must have rented it at a VHS rental store when I was in at RISD (Rhode Island School of Design). It was a really clever movie — low budget but buzzing with ideas — most importantly perhaps in the way it explored the notion of who the missing Chan was. It looked at him from the multiple viewpoints of people who knew him, each offering a different, sometimes contradictory view. This somewhat slippery notion of facts was something I think The Art of CCHC explores as well.

It felt to me that Charlie’s parents play an important role in this book. While they do not object to him pursuing his art, I, as a reader, could sense Charlie’s growing guilt as the book progressed. What role did you want parents and family to play in this book? Personally, how has family responded to your career in art?

Family responsibilities is something all artists face I think — everyone’s struggles are unique, but there are also common elements that binds us. I suppose I wanted his family story to reflect that combination of particularity and universality. My own family have been really supportive throughout, though of course they worry about comics as a career, since its quite far off the beaten path, especially in Singapore.

Something you touch on a few times in the book is how the People’s Action Party (PAP) policies created a society where many of the youth today in Singapore are apathetic. At the same time, I almost feel as if your book is a rally cry, sharing the types of activism that have happened in Singapore’s past. How real is this apathy in Singapore today, and what needs to change?

It’s a tricky question — everyone has their own concerns, and it can feel overbearing to try to impose your own on others. In general though, a little less concern with materialism and a little more concern for the welfare of others is always good- and that’s something that sometimes gets lost in the modern capitalist system. But really — it’s a complicated issue.

I’ve heard that censorship in Singapore is still a very serious thing. In fact I heard the National Arts Council in Singapore retracted grant money to you because of it! In the face of potential government censorship of your work though, you gave an great response of why you still want to share the country’s rich history (that I just loved):

Maybe telling the story through comics allows the questions to be approached differently. Hopefully, it can reach a wider audience, and engage them in a new way. The medium may not always be the message, but it does affect the way a reader reacts to the subject or content.

What is it like being an artist living under such censorship? What is it like to now be a comic activist?

Well… there is censorship, but its not quite at the same level as North Korea or even China. The book wasn’t banned for example, it just had its grant withdrawn. That raises questions about the role of state support for the arts, but no one’s ended up in a gulag.

My version of free speech is that you should be able to say anything you want, as long as its true or at least spoken in good faith.

Freedom of speech is another complex area — my own take is that we should practice responsible speech; for the book, this meant trying to make sure the research and fact checking were rigorous. My version of free speech is that you should be able to say anything you want, as long as its true or at least spoken in good faith. But still — there are a lot of slippery slopes you can fall off no matter the definition.

As I was checking out my local comic book store in Los Angeles, I was so happy to see that you are currently working on Doctor Fate with Paul Levitz. Can you share about what your experience is like being Asian in the western world of comics? How do we start having more Asian/Pacific Islander comic book characters that aren’t just overused stereotypes?

I don’t think publishers really mind where creators come from — they’re always looking for new talent. The question is more about the stories told, perhaps, which tend to be more traditional. But diversity often brings media attention, so I think there are definitely forces pushing companies like DC and Marvel to be more inclusive. The roots of the the superhero genre were set in the 1950’s though, so to some extent that’s always going to be the reference point.