me reading southeast asia in comics

Sometimes I’d find a gem of a comic in our neighbourhood library. This time it’s the graphic novel “Papaya Salad” by Elisa Macellari, a Thai-Italian illustrator. The art style isn’t what I’d gravitate towards so I was pleasantly surprise that I really really liked it!

The Blurb

“Papaya Salad” tells the interesting life of the artist’s Thai grand-uncle, his childhood and youth in 1920s-1930s Thailand, and his experiences when he “found himself in Europe on military scholarship on the eve of World War II”.

It’s one of those books that gives me a fuzzy feeling in the tummy. Like finding something familiar and nostalgic in a foreign world that I’ve long gotten used to.

The truth is, most comics, graphic novels, mangas and manhwas I’ve read are about distant places. They are distant to me that is, because I am Singaporean and most of these stories are based in North America and East Asia. Reading about a story set in Thailand in the world of comics is like finding pho in Toronto. Although Vietnamese pho isn’t the same kind of beef noodle soup I’d like to have at the hawker center in Singapore, it’s kinda close. Close enough to have a whiff of home.

And so I started thinking about what made this book special to me. Unlike how I usually identify with the people in comic books, in this one I felt a kinship to the place; ie buffalos, houses on stilts, jungles, leeches, buddha statues, sarong-like clothing, architecture, the WWII story in this part of the world. They remind me of what we’ve studied in geography and history classes, stories of the old days told by my grandparents, stories of hiking trips friends share with each other, and my own vacations to neighbouring countries. Although I don’t live in Thailand, they have always been in the periphery of my senses, as is the Southeast Asia region. I think of our connections in a way that is felt through the land- the heat, the humidity, the rain, smells, food (like spices, herbs and fruits), plants, insects, animals and people. As I read and see representations of them in the book, I feel a shiver down my spine.

I recently bought the “Sacred Guardians” comic book at the Singapore Literature book bazaar and I think of it now because it is another book with Southeast Asian vibes.

“Sacred Guardian” by Aydeel Djoeharie (author) and Alan Bay (illustrator) is of a genre that I don’t usually read and I wasn’t wow-ed by the story either, but I noticed that I couldn’t stop turning the pages. I had wanted to get to the parts that explain where these ancient sounding place and kingdom names are in modern day Southeast Asia, and read the super short histories attached to them. I also got a kick out of the *Sang Nila Utama-ish outfit that the main character wears and then couldn’t stop wondering if the outfits of the other characters have any semblance to clothes that were worn historically. And then there are other details in the illustration that creep up on me as I read- the different shades of skin tones, hairstyles and fashion that represent a multi-kingdom era and the natives, traders and migrants of the time, and the villians’ masks and headdresses that so remind me of *wayang kulit designs. I may not be a fan of *tokusatsu-like superheroes but I totally dig the cultural and historical bits.

Having read these two books, I can’t help but think, “I love the rich cultural tapestry that these stories are built on.” And then went on to think a lot more about how I can replicate the same experiences I had here for others. Maybe I am the only one experiencing them this way because I am who I am. lol! Someone else might just breeze through the books and not feel a thing. But I do realise that having a story set in a familiar place, allow the reader to own the story and interact with it so much more. In “Papaya Salad”, while the words don’t describe much, the details in the illustrations trigger my memories and senses. There are the clothes, the buildings, the animals, the gestures, practices and designs. Even more so are the images that portray a way of life that aren’t explicitly described in words. They are like mini stories happening in the background. So wow.

Really enjoyed “Papaya Salad” and totally recommend it. It’s great that our local library has more graphic novels in their collection. If you are looking to borrow comics and graphic novels that are not mainstream Marvel and DC ones, look into the Orchard library branch’s collection. They have a good variety. Happy reading!

*Sang Nila Utama - A 13th century Srivijayan prince from Palembang who, we were taught in school, founded Singapore way back then.

*Wayang Kulit - Indonesian shadow puppet theatre

*Tokusatsu - “Japanese term for live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of special effects.” (Wikipedia) They are a subgenre that include shows like “Godzilla”, “Ultraman” and “Power Rangers”. Aydeel Djoeharie wrote in the preface that “Sacred Guardians” originated from the idea of creating local superheroes in the tokusatsu genre.