Interview:
James Leong
1. Tell us a little about yourself, what you do and like doing?
I am a freelancer for advertising and a commercial Illustrator. I have completed a series of 24-hour Comics Day Challenges from 2013 to 2019 with 24 pages of comics. in 2015, I self-published a 48-page comic book and also collaborated with a few writers on some comics. There are a few comics stories in mind awaiting to be done while I juggle with day-to-day work.
2. What makes you want to draw and submit your comics for the anthology?
The idea of promoting local comics has been on my mind for the longest time and this project comes along at the right timing. The idea of my anthology comics is to express what I truly feel at the moment.
3. Share with us your art style, what has influenced you that makes you want to draw in the style you are advocating?
I had been exposed to Hong Kong comics style in the 70s but gradually leaned to Japanese and Taiwanese comics style in the 90s. Technically, I have a mixture of styles from these 3 regions, so I cannot define my style yet but I am action-genre inclined.
4. What do you think about when it comes to comics-making or publishing in Singapore?
It has been difficult in the early days of the 80s as it cost a bomb to self-publish and local publishers weren’t very helpful either. Now, most love to read online comics which are either original (subscribed) or pirated which is saddening. Nevertheless, it is much easier to make comics with faster and better software but the profiteering is weak.
5. If money is not an issue, what would you like to pursue in comics?
I would love to finish my comics stories and publish them before my hands go dead. And also to help in promoting the local comics scene as well.
