The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye

Starred review from January 4, 2016
An early candidate for the various best-of lists for 2016, this superlative achievement from Liew (The Shadow Hero) tells the story not only of Singaporean artist and comics creator Charlie Chan Hock Chye, but of Singapore itself. It hardly matters, of course, that the titular character is an invention of Liew’s, because his story is so real that some early reviewers assumed Liew’s protagonist had to be a real person. Chye’s story, from his youthful beginnings and early career as an artist to his later reminiscences, is fascinating in itself, but Liew’s inclusion of fabricated newspaper clippings, old sketches, and mixed media works—and even an occasional photo collage purporting to show us first-hand evidence of Charlie’s life—is riveting. As Chye’s life is revealed, so is the history of Singapore, a tumultuous sweep that is mirrored in the history of cartooning. Make no mistake: this multilayered book is a masterpiece.

January 1, 2016
In this graphic novel, Liew (Shadow Hero, 2014, etc.) presents the life and work of an obscure comic-book creator in tandem with the turbulent modern history of Singapore, the land both call home. This celebration of the real if largely unknown artist Charlie Chan Hock Chye opens with his two-page comic juxtaposing a pair of prominent Singaporean leaders--Lee Kuan Yew, the long-standing prime minister who shrewdly if brutally oversaw the country's rise as an economic power; and Lim Chin Siong, a charismatic, populist orator who was outmaneuvered by political rivals, jailed as a dissident, and exiled, ultimately dying in obscurity. The opening is telling for its political focus, juxtaposition of pragmatism versus idealism, and status of having been drawn in 1998 but unpublished until its inclusion here. Born the year Superman and British children's comic Beano debuted, Chan--a lifelong if self-taught student of the craft--became a sampler of comic styles, beginning with the manga-inspired tales of a boy and his giant robot, moving on to Dan Dare-style alien-invasion science fiction, comics strips in the vein of Walt Kelly's Pogo, gritty street-level superheroics, and homages to MAD magazine and Windsor McCay. Sociopolitical issues abounded, with the giant robot responding only to commands given in Chinese (underscoring a Singapore divided by its English and Chinese schools) or colonialism playing out with alien overlords standing in for British rule and real-life figures and events in prominent if thinly veiled roles. Chan also created autobiographical comics detailing the struggles of a career frustrated by the repressive regime under which he lived (exacerbated by Chan's compulsion for political commentary). But, acting almost like a politically minded Henry Darger, the undeniably talented Chan never stopped digesting his world into art, even if much of that work never saw publication. Liew provides sharp commentary throughout, illustrating interviews as well as accompanying strips that decode Chan's layers of allegory. A fascinating look at a clever, uncompromising artist married to the times in which he lived.

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Starred review from May 15, 2016
Singapore's Charlie Chan Hock Chye is the greatest comics artist who never lived. His fictional career, as recounted by Liew in this impressive tour de force, began in his teens with manga-influenced comics in which giant robots fought Singapore's British occupiers. After the nation achieved self-governance in the 1950s, Chan's comics continued to reflect his political views, obliquely criticizing his country's governance as Singapore ended its brief 1960s federation with Malaysia and found economic prosperity under the repressive People's Action Party. Along the way, Chan worked in a variety of genres, from superheroes to funny animals, and emulated his western artistic influences, including the British science fiction strip Dan Dare, Pogo, and MADall brilliantly mimicked by Liew, who convincingly replicates yellowing comic books, sketchbook fragments, newspaper clippings, and other media. As related in a framing device in which Chan looks back on his life, his uncompromising artistic integrity and the defiantly political nature of his work derailed his career, and most of his later efforts went unpublished. Although it's disappointing to realize that an accomplished and committed cartoonist as Chan never actually existed, it's exhilarating to discover a talent as brilliant as Liew shows himself to be with this virtuosic triumph.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)