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jayisreading's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.75
The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye deeply looks into Singapore’s history while also being a beautiful homage to comics of the twentieth century. I was utterly flared by the attention to details in this metafiction graphic novel. It was clear that Liew spent a lot of time doing intensive research to put together an incredibly effective fictional biography loaded with historical truth. Furthermore, the great care he put into showing the diversity of art styles in comics and manga was truly apparent.
As a result, Liew’s graphic novel practically demands the reader to slow down and pay attention to all sorts of details, giving a significant amount of information for them to unpack. I can see how some readers—especially those who are already familiar with Singaporean history—may find some of the storytelling tedious due to there being a fair amount of info dumping. However, for those like me who know next to nothing about the history, while there was a lot of information to parse through, it provided a lot of context about Singapore’s complex past.
Lastly, I want to address the stunning art. I wouldn’t consider myself a huge fan of US comics, but for those who are, Liew’s graphic novel is going to be an utter delight to read with how he pays homage to various art styles of well-known comics artists of the Golden Age. For those who are like me and adore manga, Liew has you covered here, too, particularly paying homage to Osamu Tezuka (i.e., the Godfather of Manga). It’s not all imitation, though, because Liew’s own art style comes through as well, demonstrating his incredible skills as an artist.
Ultimately, I do think that this is a graphic novel that can be enjoyed by many, but it might resonate more with those who know the culture and history of the country. One thing is for certain, though, which is that this is an incredible work when it comes to how it was executed narratively and artistically. I can absolutely see this graphic novel being assigned as an actual text to learn about Singaporean history.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Police brutality, and Colonisation
Minor: Racial slurs and Suicide
crystalreading's review against another edition
4.0
I really loved the concept of this book. It has actual history told through a biography of a comic creator. The comic creator is also a creation. I found it fascinating though I am sure that I missed some of the political allusions since I know very little history about the area of Singapore. Even without having a lot of background knowledge it was a great read.
thelibraryofminds's review against another edition
4.0
I picked this book up because of the oh comics podcast picking it as their book of the month and I'm so glad they did because I probably wouldn't have picked it up otherwise? It's a fictional memoir of this comics artist, but through it liew is really telling a tale of the history of Singapore-and he does it through multiple styles, showing his mastery of so many different types of art. Through the story of this comics artist who wants to tell his own story, he conveys singapore's history and political upheaval. There's a lot here that I never knew, and it's just brilliantly done- to the point that it seemed so real. So so interesting.
rondrivesucrazy's review against another edition
4.0
A very interesting outtake on the life of Charlie Chan Hock Chye and the re-telling of the Singapore story through alternative views and perspective. This is the kind of book you wished you had used for history lessons!
tmaluck's review against another edition
5.0
Nothing short of a staggering work of genius.
Sonny Liew has graduated in my eyes from "pretty great artist" (based on his work in Flight, The Shadow Hero, and Doctor Fate) to "one of the masters," as per the page from this book about an artist's dream review.
(Disclaimer: while I tagged this book as NonFiction Comics, the historical mingles with fiction throughout. Kind of a "Brief Wonderful Life of Oscar Wao" situation.)
Sonny Liew has graduated in my eyes from "pretty great artist" (based on his work in Flight, The Shadow Hero, and Doctor Fate) to "one of the masters," as per the page from this book about an artist's dream review.
(Disclaimer: while I tagged this book as NonFiction Comics, the historical mingles with fiction throughout. Kind of a "Brief Wonderful Life of Oscar Wao" situation.)
grff's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
elbarto's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Really excellent. Impressive art, multiple styles in display, deep knowledge of the medium as well. Playful, thoughtful, informative. I didn't know what I was picking up, delighted to discover this brilliant comic memoir that tells the history of Singapore and comics.
daphnesayshi's review against another edition
5.0
Comic books have this ability to bring forth deep issues in a simple way. For all its illustrated cheer, The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye is actually really depressing, especially chapter 8. Every Singaporean should read this
davechua's review against another edition
5.0
Well-worth the wait. Sonny uses several different art styles to tell the story of a fictional comic book artist, creating allegories and alternate histories while confronting the actual events behind the recent history of Singapore.
jgrummo42's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent graphic novel told in a wonderfully unique way. I learned a lot about Singapore and it's history!