{"id":13639,"date":"2018-02-20T11:07:36","date_gmt":"2018-02-20T03:07:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/server1.webstudio.com.sg\/~staging\/ypsg\/?p=13639"},"modified":"2018-02-20T15:00:43","modified_gmt":"2018-02-20T07:00:43","slug":"sporean-writer-shares-truth-local-arts-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/server1.webstudio.com.sg\/~staging\/ypsg\/sporean-writer-shares-truth-local-arts-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"This S’porean Writer Aims To Step Up The Quality Of Local Content Through His Comic"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s a familiar scene: a dastardly villain holds a vehicle full of innocents trapped in a precarious position, inches away from their death. Miles away, a seemingly mild-mannered civilian goes about his day when news of this crisis reaches his ears. <\/span><\/p>\n

Ducking into a nondescript alley, he rips his shirt open – baring, for the audience, a bold insignia before he launches himself into the sky in a flash of colour.<\/span><\/p>\n

Seconds later, he is engaged in a deadly battle with his foe, set against an iconic landscape, and after an intense sequence of action, he emerges victorious\u2014innocents safe from harm and antagonist restrained.<\/span><\/p>\n

But what if, in this familiar scene, is an even more familiar landscape: Singapore. <\/span><\/p>\n

And this hero in question is as Singaporean as you and I, as is the creative team behind this adventure… unlikely? Enter Crimson Star.<\/span><\/p>\n

Crimson Star holds Singapore’s Flag. Art by: James Leong<\/p><\/div>\n

An ongoing, unreleased superhero comic featuring a Singaporean superhero and produced entirely by local talents, you’d think that Crimson Star would be a sure-fire success. However, not everything is as rosy in the arts scene as\u00a0 you’d believe.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Arts Here And Now<\/b><\/h2>\n

The Singaporean arts scene has always been subject to contention and pity. With a general increase in funds and specification from government bodies like the National Arts Council, it\u2019s now point blank that general support for locally branded arts has taken a dive in Singapore. <\/span><\/p>\n

Government funding has become the only breadwinning tactic available to many pioneering Singaporean artists, especially after donations in cash to the arts scene plummeted from $136.1 million in 2015 to a measly $64.7 million in 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n

You may disagree if you\u2019re a fan of local musicians – perhaps rightfully so, with a sudden surge in event market visibility, and most social media posts with the hashtag #supportlocal being dedicated to Singaporean bands.<\/span><\/p>\n

Local band Gilded Edge and a fan headbang, face-to-face. Source.<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

The fact of the matter is that many of these posts come from the mosh pits of free gigs, and musicians aren\u2019t pushing a Singaporean brand nearly half as much as other, niche, non-performance arts need to – primarily because they\u2019ve got less in-your-face opportunities to work with.<\/p>\n

Crimson Star Rising<\/h2>\n

Crimson Star isn\u2019t Ryan\u2019s (creator) first foray into the comic book industry. He\u2019s been in the game since 2005, releasing two other comics independently, also working as a script doctor on some pretty big international names -names that take me an insurmountable amount of self-control to stay confidential about.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ryan Mennen, creator and writer of Crimson Star. Source.<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Crimson Star is his next attempt at comic-book writing in Singapore, hoping to challenge a \u201cvery cynical and jaded view that anything cool that happens in Singapore is a joke\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Singaporean writer hopes to use the series Crimson Star to help veer the local literary arts scene onto a different, more productive path. For the series, he sports an all Singaporean team of talents, to truly draw \u201cdistinctions between local content, and explorative local content\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

The man\u2019s got some pretty solid plans, but as with all arts, whether this is a vessel that\u2019s empty or full is entirely subjective. <\/span><\/p>\n

Concept Art for Crimson Star. Source.<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Can You Take This Seriously?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Ryan tells me about how in Asia it\u2019s just Singapore that\u2019s been plagued by a lack of fictional, superhero-esque context. This is somewhat ironic, given the heightened development and towering successes that Singapore has seen as compared to its neighbours.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most other countries in the region have their own heroes and dedicated comic-book art studios. The Philippines hosts one of Asia\u2019s biggest annual geek conventions, the AsiaPOP Comic Con; which sees guest actors from television and blockbuster hits like Stranger Things, Avengers, Justice League and Game of Thrones. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLocal mainstream media hasn\u2019t put out anything to make Singaporeans believe that we are capable of such output.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He laments about a superhero TV Series that premiered in Singapore in 1998 called \u2018VR Man\u2019. \u201cI\u2019ve gotta admit, I loved it as a child\u201d but as he mentions, I can\u2019t see how a villain called \u2018Click Click Man\u2019 (based on the clicking sound a computer\u2019s mouse makes) would\u2019ve caught on as anything but parodic.<\/span><\/p>\n

Parodic is fine, but only if that\u2019s what you\u2019re attempting.<\/span><\/p>\n

VR Man, played by James Lai. Source.<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThe writing took itself way too seriously\u2026 a very strong sense of not knowing your audience or not knowing your climate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This Is Really Good, For Local Content<\/h2>\n

If you haven\u2019t thought that to yourself at least once, it\u2019s possible you\u2019ve been underexposed to content that\u2019s truly branded local. Before you think i\u2019m making sweeping statements, let\u2019s take a look at some of what makes locally branded content. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s not much content that talks about Singapore in a very sincere kind of way,\u201d Ryan says, as he vocalizes how literary bestsellers like Mr. Kiasu were meant to be satires of Singaporeans in the \u201890s. He cites Mr. Kiasu is a product that\u2019s \u201ctruly, good\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Singaporean title Mr. Kiasu, with the tagline “Everything Also Sure Win”. Source.<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

His perception reminds me of a video that I came across sometime last year.<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/tropicmonsters\/videos\/1626446424052385\/<\/a><\/p>\n

This video, like other locally branded content, could come across almost like a formulaic move by a viral content artist. One that stems from the perception that the only way to pander to a Singaporean audience is with boorish, exaggerated representations of Singlish. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re part of an audience that enjoys this style of content formulation, it\u2019s also probable that you\u2019re aware of these being mindless content tactics. Where internationally, video producers rely on other simplistic tactics for mindless social media content – this is what we rely on.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gone are the good ol\u2019 days when Phua Chu Kang properly utilized Singaporean colloquialism with thoughtful writing and plotlines (at least for the first couple of seasons).<\/span><\/p>\n

Are the producers or script writers of Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders truly the only ones who should take the fall for that corny, inaccurate misrepresentation of Singapore in their episode?<\/p>\n

Unless they\u2019ve actually got Singaporeans on their team, research of Singaporean representation leaves them an image that\u2019s the furthest thing from accurate.<\/p>\n

Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. An officer speaks about Singapore. Source.<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s a valid discussion that Singaporean values are often not discussed in fictional contexts. Drawing from this, Ryan quotes the examples of the local superhero recommendations that he received when forming Crimson Star. One of them was \u2018Anti-Ponder,\u2019 meant to tackle the issue of Singapore\u2019s recent flooding issues. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a very juvenile mentality when considering these, like we\u2019re trying too hard to be funny, or like how anything we can imagine has to be related to current situation – like our biggest problem is that trains keep breaking down.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As with comics, Ryan says that the biggest problem is that many locally-branded comics are not produced by locals, often leading to the portrayal of Singaporeans as caricatures of society. \u201cWe often tend to look like urbanized versions of Hong Kong.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s almost cyclical.<\/span><\/p>\n

Shaking A Status Quo<\/b><\/h2>\n

\u201cI want more people to comprehend that not everything in Singapore needs to be poked fun of,\u201d Ryan explains, selling the idea of Crimson Star as an icon that creates room for some actual discussions in Singapore. <\/span><\/p>\n

Still, there\u2019s no forgetting that superheroes are still somewhat of a niche. Using Singaporean branding as a sole tactic would only bite Ryan\u2019s views in the ass. Thankfully, he has some other tropes up his sleeve. <\/span><\/p>\n

He speaks about Singapore\u2019s resounding apathetic culture, and a realistic portrayal of how a superhero popping up would be perceived in Singapore today.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe character himself is a reluctant hero…he doesn\u2019t really want his powers simply because he thinks superheroes pull unwanted attention\u201d, a challenge especially in a universe where superheroes are prevalent in other countries. <\/span><\/p>\n

Superheroes also mean supervillains, broadening the discussion to the question of what Singapore would be like if our peace was disrupted. <\/span><\/p>\n

Two pages from Issue 1 of Crimson Star. Art by Loo Fang Kai.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s especially relevant now\u2026global warming\u2019s made our weather drastically change, we\u2019ve had mini-cyclones…but in many ways, we\u2019re still very sheltered\u201d, Ryan says, quoting the example of how he\u2019s lived in Singapore for all of his 30 years but has yet to be caught in a flood. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one thing when you see police officers running after a thief with T-batons, but it\u2019s another thing when a fight between two superpowered beings means destroying a building with at least three to five casualties.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s jolting reality that our only experiences of natural disasters are watching casualty counts of stricken neighboring countries. <\/span><\/p>\n

Flying One Step Higher With $2 Comics<\/b><\/h2>\n

Speaking of a niche industry within the arts in Singapore, survivability is truly uncertain. The comic-book industry in Singapore is one that\u2019s practically non-existent, reliant heavily on external factors such as government funding, and crowdfunding.<\/span><\/p>\n

I ask about Sonny Liew, local comic book writer and artist who\u2019s one of the only few Singaporeans internationally recognized in the industry. \u201cPeople like Sonny are lucky, because he\u2019s one of the very few artists who can actually write.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sonny Liew with his three Eisner Awards. Source.<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

This begins to explain Ryan\u2019s adamance not to work with publishers. \u201cNone of them are solving the problem\u2026 the people who work on comics earn shit.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

According to Ryan, retailers purchase comics from publishers at a rough 50% of their cover prices, of which a fraction would go to the publisher, the remainder being divided amongst creative team of the comic – typically consisting of a writer, penciller, inker and colourist. Government funding only goes so far in defraying early costs.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Crimson Star’s page rates for artists, all of which Ryan has had to bear from his own pockets. Source.<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Crowdfunding For A Cause<\/b><\/h2>\n

As part of his efforts to avoid working with publishers and to ensure affordability, Ryan has put his comic up on Kickstarter<\/a>, to help him meet a minimal funding goal that will serve as a stepping stone to seeing his product on the accessible shelves of convenience stores and in the hands of the one people of Singapore.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Crimson Star mascot with Saitama cosplayer, who often makes local citizen news for his appearances in public transport. Source.<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

He seeks to ease the burden of purchase on buyers, who typically have to spend about $5.80 on a single issue. Part of his heartwarming cause involves allowing every person, including children, to be able to purchase his comics<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t ever want to have a situation where a person has to think between having lunch, or buying this. I\u2019d like for you to be able to buy a copy, and read it at a coffee shop as you have lunch.\u201d <\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s clear that the medium has had a significant presence in his childhood. <\/span><\/p>\n

He says this very bluntly – the best way for Singaporeans to support causes that they have confidence in is to \u201cput your money where your mouth\u2019s at.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

With the number of industry-player names he\u2019s quoted through the course of this interview, it\u2019s obvious that Ryan\u2019s dabbling in an industry he\u2019s well aware of. And with how genuinely community-driven it is, Crimson Star\u2019s a project that needs Singaporeans\u2019 backs only as much as it has their backs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Crimson Star’s Kickstarter tiers start at $2.\u00a0<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Ryan plans on changing his all-Singaporean art team every 3 issues, to ensure maximum visibility and opportunity for freelance artists in Singapore. It\u2019s especially important because most artists face the requirement of being \u201cpublished\u201d if they want to go professional with their passion.<\/span><\/p>\n

If anything, Crimson Star\u2019s a true test of whether the hashtag, #supportlocal is merely a personal branding choice or a cause. If you\u2019ve been looking for something to put your faith back in locally branded products, this is a solid start. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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