The Golden Age of Hong Kong Comics

by Kai-Ming Cha, PW Comics Week -- Publishers Weekly, 5/22/2007

A former apprentice to legendary Hong Kong comics creator Tony Wong, Alan Wan is also deputy chairman of the Hong Kong comics and animation company Jade Dynasty Group, an organization representing Jade Dynasty Publications Ltd., Yuk Long Animation Ltd., Jade Dynasty Multi-Media Ltd. and King Comics Ltd. He is also secretary of the Hong Kong Comics & Animation Federation. At the recent China International Comics and Animation Festival in Hangzhou, China, Wan gave PWCW a crash course in the recent history of the Hong Kong comics and entertainment market.

PW Comics Week: How long have you been in the comics industry?

Alan Wan: Thirty years. I liked drawing comics when I was a kid. Tony Wong was a master in Hong Kong and very famous in the comics and cartoon industry. I followed his work and, later, started working with him as a kind of student. For the first 15 years [after I started] that's what I was doing. I was also doing shorts for Tony Wong's company Jade Man—a publisher in Hong Kong, but it's not his company any more.

Comics in Hong Kong is a 40-year-old industry. In the 1970s, comics in Hong Kong were just taking off, with most coming out on a weekly basis. Picking up a comic book in 1976 was my first experience. I was crazy about it—I almost gave up my studies for it but my parents wouldn't let me. Most parents get angry if their child is addicted to comics.

Success is always related to the economy and the environment. In Hong Kong at the time, the economy was taking off. There was a need for more entertainment. That's why it was a good period for Hong Kong movies. Bruce Lee was very popular. It's the same situation with comics. Hong Kong comics are action oriented and have a kung-fu style, and kids can enjoy them even if they can only spend a small amount of money on entertainment. Comics had its golden age in the 1980s. That was its prime time.

PWCW: Were many comics taken from the movies?

AW: They would take some ideas from movies; Bruce Lee, for example. They would use that name in a comic book. There were no intellectual property rights at that time. Sometimes [publishers] would copy some of the movie's story into their comics. You'd make a lot of money that way. It was a huge market. For the last 20 years, starting in the 1990s, the copyright concept was well established in Hong Kong. Japanese comics became more popular and Japanese anime and merchandise even more so than local comics. So there was this transition to [Japanese] manga.

At that time, I stopped drawing comics and started marketing and developing comics. I started licensing work from Japanese publishers—DragonBall, SlamDunk!, Doraemon—works that changed the market. It expanded [the market]. It didn't mean that Japanese comics were taking away readers from Hong Kong comics. Instead, it enlarged the market. With manga, more people were reading comics. Moneywise, from 1994 to 1996 was the top [time period] of the [Hong Kong] comics industry. It was the best period for business; no matter if you were importing Japanese manga or publishing local comics, you could make money easily.

Now, for the last 10 years, from 1996 or so, games like PlayStation and other video games have changed entertainment for young people. It was another transition—from reading as the primary source of entertainment to an interactive trend. Also, the government and the economy was not so good. So there was a financial crisis in Asia. Kids could only [afford to] pick up two comics at a time, or rent them [from rental shops].

PWCW: This was around 1997, close to the political handover of Hong Kong to mainland Chinese authority. Did that have something to do with the economic turn?

AW: Not really. Everybody [in Asia] was having a tough time. The trend [in entertainment] was also changing to online, to the Internet. There were more choices for entertainment—mobile phone, karaoke—but limited spending money. But the trend is always changing, so we have to find new ways to grow. That's why we're here [at CICAF]. China is bigger than Hong Kong [180 times bigger in population]. And we are shifting to focus on the China market. Our focus now is on animation because it's easier to get into the new market: 95% of families here[in China] have a TV, even in the rural provinces. We're starting to produce with CCTV [China Central Television—China's national broadcasting network]. Hopefully our first series will launch in China soon.

PWCW: Are you going to be making comics based on the animation you produce?

AW: Of course. It's not easy to make money from television. Publishing is a major [source of] income. Maybe the video market, DVDs and VCDs.And also merchandise. But the business model isn't so clear. It's in its beginning stages. We've been coming to CICAF for the past three years to show our stuff, get in touch with the market, see what other companies are doing. It's a good platform for us to learn about the market.

PWCW: Are comics still going strong in Hong Kong?

AW: Hong Kong comics are still popular, but the Golden Era is over. I think the next Golden Era is going to be in China. In Hong Kong, we still have a stable market, a stable income—that's important for us. We need to have that support. The China market is young.

PWCW: What many titles does Jade Dynasty publish?

AW: We publish nine [local]titles per week and 30 issues of manga. It's large scale in Hong Kong. Our market share is more than 50%. We also have online comics. Some are free, some you have to pay for—a few Hong Kong dollars.

PWCW: Hong Kong comics are published in pamphlet format?

AW: Yes, 30-40 pages per issue. The Japanese manga is published [in book format] as they do it in Japan.

PWCW: Is China ready for Hong Kong animation?

AW: I think so. In Hong Kong, we have the experience in creating it. Not that China doesn't have creative people, but we have the business experience. The Chinese use animation for teaching children, and that needs to change [to entertainment]. It's good for the Chinese government to keep the economy growing.

PWCW: But the Chinese government is cracking down on foreign animation material, restricting the amount that's allowed into the country and allotting it to designated showtimes.

AW: They still keep this policy, but I'm optimistic. Hong Kong is part of China. We are a special administrative area, but we have a close relationship. We are one of the major supporters of this festival. They are keen to push local comics and creations into the market, but I think the main concern is overseas stuff. They want to reserve space for local creators. I agree with this policy. For Jade Dynasty, it's a good time for partnering with China. With our management experience, we can help local creations move into stable and strong companies.

PWCW: Any worries about piracy?

AW: Sure, but it's [to be expected] in a developing country. Look at Thailand, or even Taiwan; they are also going through this stage. I can tell that the Chinese government is keen on becoming parallel [in protecting copyright] with other countries. They have a time line and goals. But China is a big country and you can't control everything.

In the coastal areas [of China] like Shanghai and Guangzhou, they already have this kind of concept [of Intellectual Property]. They look for quality and will pay money for the [genuine article]. That will change the piracy market. I'm very confident. After a few years, the Chinese government will be able to control this. And [the way coastal areas protect Intellectual Property is] a good sign for market development. The coastal areas are big enough for us. We don't have to think [about marketing to] 1.3 billion people. We can think 300 million. Already that's more than Japan; that's the size of the U.S.

Of course, we'd be happy to see 1.3 billion people buying our product. But we have to work hard for that.

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