Includes bibliographical references (pages 276-282) and index.
Contents:
Preface / Sonny Liew -- Introduction / Nicholas Verstappen -- Opening lines: 1900-1930. From friezes to frames ; Fake news and crocodile tears ; Rhyming strips / Chan Suvarnapunya -- Comic heroes: 1930-1950. The 1932 (Long-form comics) revolution / Sawas Jutharop ; Popeye and Mickey Mouse become one / Wittamin and Jamnong Rodari ; The unsung master of Thai illustration / Hem Vejakorn ; The king of Thai cartoons / Prayoon Chanyawongse ; Play (and) lottery / Sa-Ngob Jampat -- Daredevil kids: 1950-1960. Comics from the West ; Over the din of the city / Chao Krung magazine & Tudtuu ; From pen name to landmark / Tookkata ; Evil Mickey / Rong Ratchabhumi ; The Franco-Belgium connection / Wiratham magazine ; Of mice and men / Adirek Ariyamonthri ; A comic book dynasty / Banluesarn Publishing / The dynamic duo: Noo Ja & Baby Magazines / JumJim & Wattana -- Capes and cloaks: 1960-1970. The Elvis Presley era ; Is it a bird? Is it a plane? / Langchak ; Mystic westerns / Por Bangpli ; The rise and fall of 'graphic novels' / Mongkol Wong-Udom ; The prince of Thai comics goes MAD! / Juk Biewsakul ; Carving stones with brushes / Raj Lersroung -- Silent screams: 1970-1980. Secret chronicles and open wounds -- The cold beauty of propaganda comics / Payut Ngaokrachang ; The Thai Bram Stoker / Tawee Witsanukorn ; The good, the bad & the cursed / Katun Lem La Baht - One-Baht Comics -- To the third dimension and beyond / Sanae Thanarat Sarit -- The creative comics: 1970-1990. "One small village..." / Rong Prapasanobon / The know-how / Om Ratchawej & the Benjarong Group ; Comics for life / Triam Chachumporn ; Graphic novella swan song / Niyai Phap & Niyai Phap '82 ; The serious business of humour / Vithit Utsahajit ; Royal comics ; Village politics / Chai Rachawat -- To manga and back: 1990-2000. Two manga waves ; The manga generation ; Thailand goes indie / Boyd Kosiyabong ; The birth of Thai alternative comics / Suttichart Sarapaiwanich ; The cute brut style / Wisut Ponnimit ; Do it yourself! / Fanzine Fairs and Fusion Books -- Self-made: 2000-2020. From the second to third indie generation / Songsin Tiewsomboon & LET'S Comic -- Showcase. The Duang ; Puck ; Sa-ard ; Munin ; Art Jeeno ; Jung Senarak ; Tuna Dunn -- Unlimited forms -- The toner returns -- Conclusion -- Afterword / Om Ratchawej.
Summary:
Comics flourished following the publication of the first Thai comics strip in 1907. Artists borrowed elements from European and American publications, such as Punch magazine, and created uniquely Thai mash-ups. In the 1930s, one artist combined E. C. Segar's Popeye with the codes of local 'likay' theatre, while another used the neoclassical realism introduced by Italian painters appointed at the Siamese court to give eerie form to the folklore pantheon of Thai ghosts. During the Cold War era, horror tales, anti-communist propaganda and socially engaged graphic novels bore witness to the country's darker years. Then, in the 1990s, Thai comics struggled to compete with the sudden influx of unlicensed manga from Japan that led to a disregard for local efforts and its current 'forgotten' status. After a hiatus, Thai comics made a comeback in the late '90s with a quirky, alternative scene that deserves wider international recognition. Beautifully designed and bursting with stories - from 20th-century interpretations of age-old Buddhist legends to tales of modern-day millennial angst - 'The Art of Thai Comics' opens an enlightening and visually spectacular window onto the country's history, culture and creativity. In doing so, it reinstates Thai comics into the wider story of global comics art.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.