Cambodian comics are a bigger subject than I thought. Despite not many titles making headlines, the makers show a big devotion to the art form. Sadly not many officials or common folk feel the same way. Even before the internet was a thing, fans were stealing pages and passing them off as their own. During a time of socialism no less. So the most influential creators or the biggest fans make institutions to fix that. Yet it’s still not enough! It’s extremely hard to find even a single title in reverence, let alone viral enough to go overseas!
Cambodian Comics: The Golden Age
I’m not sure if there was a platinum age full of comic strips. Since that’s what they tend to do. But Cambodia’s Comic Golden Age came in the 1960s. The creator with the biggest influence is Uth Roeun who got into the medium after his art teacher showed him Bande Dessinee. His first works were definitely novelties inspired by Tintin. But hey a lot of artists get embarrassed of their first drawings. At least it got published in ‘64 and was successful enough for Roeun to do more. Including one about tolerance towards Muslims that got the police to interrogate him.
That didn’t stop other artists from following Roeun’s lead. Which ones and how many? I’m not sure. The Khmer Republic and Khmer Rouge made every artist into a fighter or whatever communists think are best for artists.
Piracy At Its Worst
The 80s is where interest in comics started to come back in. Perfect time with the insurgency going on between Cambodia and Vietnam. Along with surviving Golden Age artists, new ones took to the scene. Some of them were the golden boys’ students. Most of the stories of the time were escape fantasies. From turning against oppression to wish fulfilling Khmer romances. Also folk horror…Hey they weren’t centralized so just about anything goes. But anything specific is (mostly) behind a language barrier. Besides distribution was so bad, pirating was the normal way for comics to get around.
Despite what I say in some places, unless your markets have got great infrastructure this can be a very bad thing. For a long time, some creators wouldn’t get the credit they deserved because swipers would pass off as them.
Then the 90s came with TV, video games, and private printing. By that point some people had to wise up and get copyright under control. Otherwise the only viable places for comics were picky newspapers.
Cambodian Comics Creators Wanted
Thankfully the turn of the century came with new opportunities. Roeun got together with some people to found The Association of Cambodian Artist Friends. This place is meant to preserve and republish the lost Cambodian Comics under their proper labels. Even if they’re not the easiest to sell. But there’s enough for foreign fans of Khmer comics like John Weeks. Who makes his own organization to preserve and archive these comics called Our Books. The big problem these places have is finding the creators among the swipers.
At the very least these institutions try to make people more aware of the artists. Because comics still aren’t the most lucrative job. New artists definitely learn from these old pieces, like the body language artists like Séra use. It’s more than enough to get commission work in demand. Plus knowing how to get copyright together is a huge improvement.
Where’s Cambodia’s LINE?
It’s getting a comic business together that’s the toughest part. Even manga artists in Cambodia like Masahiro Isobe have more than one job to support their work. Although Bunny In The Ring looks more like a business party favor than a focus product. His Facebook profile suggests that anyway unlike his other page.
Most are lucky to get a job illustrating educational stuff like HIV prevention or a pitch that couldn’t make it as a biopic. Even luckier to get an international release. These days social networking is the only viable way for comics to get around. There are very few stores and cafes can only reach so many. Despite the new workshops for new talents, subsidies just can’t sustain them.
Wherever Cambodia goes from here, it can hopefully make big and disruptive changes.
Thanks for coming to the end and as always, remember to look between the panels.