Mail Moment

Sent mail off to Korea today, hope to do a long distance jam strip with the Bucheon Cartoon Festival.

An enthusiastic late night call from Ms. Pirom – she’s finished her autobiographical page! This may be the first story she’s done about herself. Autobiographical comics are a relatively new genre in Cambodia, though not unknown.

Ung Bunhean published cartoons in his book with Martin Stuart-Fox, ‘The Murderous Revolution’.

Uth Roeun

Above: 1966 comic.

A meeting with Uth Roeun today, at the Association of Cambodian Artist Friends. Hopefully we can exhibit some of his masterful art. He has two major unpublished works that he would like to print.

Most people know his art but not his name from his adapted cassics Tum Teav and Torn Chey, which are still copied today – illegally.

Em Satya

Met with famed comics artist Em Satya yesterday, who has some amazing comics hidden away. Why is he not publishing them? The state of the market is not the best. Publishers print his old stories over and over again, he is in competition with himself. And commercial art pays better. The art below is part of a three part story that may someday see the light.

Spent some time recently with retired artist Sin Yun Phyrum. She did about 80 comics during the 1980s and 1990s. She hasn’t retired voluntarily, market conditions led her to work at a food stall instead to support her growing family.

What is impressive is that once she received approval from the Ministry of Culture, she would have her comics printed and distribute them personally, cutting out the middleman. Years later, comics are still on the newsstand – reprinted by the same middlemen.

Publishing sometimes ain’t a pretty picture here. Stay tooned for more news.

Comics Cambodge

Working on a Comics Exhibition for Phnom Penh, this October.

(Of course, I will offload much of the real work to my hardworking assistant Piseth.)

Digging up some amazing art and information. Most comics artists are paid very little, and rarely get back their original art. Copyright is virtually nonexistent.

The comic below is from the late 80’s, when the Vietnamese still occupied Cambodia.

I was amazed to get a copy, no one is archiving or saving these! The artist (Ao Yuthea) was kind enough to lend me a copy to scan.

More at http://jinja.apsara.org/cambocomix