The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-18 11:58:54
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Sonny Liew
- ISBN：1912098741
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Award-winning graphic novelist Sonny Liew blurs the lines between reality and fiction with this three-time Eisner Award-winning story that traces the parallel lives of the titular Charlie Chan and modern Singapore。
In 1954， a young Charlie Chan Hock Chye witnesses a police attack on a peaceful student demonstration， an encounter that eventually leads him on a quest to become Singapore's Greatest Comic Artist。
The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye traces Chan's journey amidst the tumultuous times of pre-independent Singapore through to the hyper-modern metropolis the island city-state is today。 Bringing together a dazzling array of genres， styles and forms， this multi-award-winning graphic novel is by turns exhilarating， funny and moving， reclaiming and reinventing a lost past and pushing the boundaries of the comic book medium in a brilliant retelling of the Singapore Story。
In 1954， a young Charlie Chan Hock Chye witnesses a police attack on a peaceful student demonstration， an encounter that eventually leads him on a quest to become Singapore's Greatest Comic Artist。
The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye traces Chan's journey amidst the tumultuous times of pre-independent Singapore through to the hyper-modern metropolis the island city-state is today。 Bringing together a dazzling array of genres， styles and forms， this multi-award-winning graphic novel is by turns exhilarating， funny and moving， reclaiming and reinventing a lost past and pushing the boundaries of the comic book medium in a brilliant retelling of the Singapore Story。
Reviews
Katdakoo
，
Incredible。 A tour de force of Singapore’s history， comics history， and the portrait of a （fictional） artist whose art was purpose and vocation。。。 and unescapable。 This graphic novel is part joyous artbook， part epic storytelling and just breathtaking in its historical sweep and narrative verve。 Loved it， its up there with Gerry Alanguilan’s Elmer， just marvelous。Also loved Charlie’s incarnation as snooty crochety old man
Michael Quarton
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The only thing preventing me from calling this my favorite graphic novel of all time is the existence of Watchmen。 Liew’s chameleonic art and inventive storytelling make for a book that is as engrossing and believable as it is flat-out gorgeous。 This is one of the most creative， ingenious， and moving pieces of fiction I’ve ever encountered， and I can’t even think of many others that come anywhere close。 I’m giving this 5 stars and ranking everything else according to that standard。
IDonut
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It’s good and enjoy enough to know in Singapore History by reading like comics。
Malobi
，
A surprise read， i had no idea about this book and just picked it up on a whim - never been happier！ a unique take on Singapore s growth story which is far from what the mainstream would have us believe。 what are the tradeoffs of growth？ does focussing only on economic growth mean that you have to do away with the soul of a country？ how does this impact the citizens？ some of the lofty questions this book brings to light and makes us ponder over what makes a great nation :）
Zahab
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This was my first foray into graphic novels。 Oh， how lucky did I get。 I read this in one sitting and was so disappointed when it was finally over。 It also took me a little too long to realise that Charlie Chan is fictional and so are his comics （lol I know but I had zero idea about what I was getting myself into） - but a testament to how incredibly this is laid out！！！
Ruby Isabel
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Essential reading for Singaporeans
Jamie Loh
，
This publication is no doubt an ambitious feat -truly a pursuit of craft and storytelling excellence。 There are so many decisions to appreciate behind the simple guise of a collated comic imagery。 From the intensity of panelled graphics paying homage to varying stylistic applications to character representations that complement the superb writing （sometimes satirical， serious and of so many diverse tones）。 It peels back the layers of the national narrative to retell reality embraced from a human This publication is no doubt an ambitious feat -truly a pursuit of craft and storytelling excellence。 There are so many decisions to appreciate behind the simple guise of a collated comic imagery。 From the intensity of panelled graphics paying homage to varying stylistic applications to character representations that complement the superb writing （sometimes satirical， serious and of so many diverse tones）。 It peels back the layers of the national narrative to retell reality embraced from a human （or anthropomorphism） perspective that is very much emphatic to the struggles of the time。 Highly complex in its approaches to political sensitivity through the mix of fictional and non-fictional injections （metanarratives）。 It is like walking through a museum in my hand， as strange as it sounds。 I really am quite curious as to what did not make publishing。I love the ending。 It is poignant and strangely nostalgic from what has been evoked from Charlie's history。 It also makes us readers pry our eyes open to the historical and political embeddedness in society today。 Indeed， in the makings of society， "Eh Tan Jiak Bo （can you feed yourself doing that）？"。Favourites: Bukit Chapalang， Roachman。 。。。more
Josh
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A stunning tour de force of Singaporean history， culture and how it all came to be。
Wilson Lim Setiawan
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Read all in one sitting。 Framing the early history of Singapore through the 'fake' biography of a failed comic artist sets up a masterful commentary both on the political stories we learn from social studies class and being an artist in Singapore。 The graphics are of course great， ranging many different eye-catching styles that are reminiscent as the best comics one read as a kid。 Read all in one sitting。 Framing the early history of Singapore through the 'fake' biography of a failed comic artist sets up a masterful commentary both on the political stories we learn from social studies class and being an artist in Singapore。 The graphics are of course great， ranging many different eye-catching styles that are reminiscent as the best comics one read as a kid。 。。。more
Arturo Real
，
Charlie Chan Hock Chye。 Que historia。 Un refrescante paseo visual alrededor del cómic como motor artístico。 De la sociedad de una micronación con un poder económico tremendo y que se formó bajo un control despótico y dictatorial de años。 De la voluntad de un artista por difundir su pasión y su trabajo a través de un mundo y unos elementos en contra de su esfuerzo。 Un paseo por la historia y la sociedad de Singapur alrededor de una figura entrañable y desengañada， cínica y tierna。 Sin duda， de lo Charlie Chan Hock Chye。 Que historia。 Un refrescante paseo visual alrededor del cómic como motor artístico。 De la sociedad de una micronación con un poder económico tremendo y que se formó bajo un control despótico y dictatorial de años。 De la voluntad de un artista por difundir su pasión y su trabajo a través de un mundo y unos elementos en contra de su esfuerzo。 Un paseo por la historia y la sociedad de Singapur alrededor de una figura entrañable y desengañada， cínica y tierna。 Sin duda， de lo mejor que he descubierto en lo que va de 2021。 Un tesoro del cómic a la altura de un primer ejemplar de "El Robot Gigante de Ah Huat"。 。。。more
John Rummo
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Excellent graphic novel told in a wonderfully unique way。 I learned a lot about Singapore and it's history！ Excellent graphic novel told in a wonderfully unique way。 I learned a lot about Singapore and it's history！ 。。。more
Charis
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To call this just a comic is a gross understatement。 This is the most prolific work of art I’ve seen depicting Singapore’s history （while of course understanding that it’s subjective）。 Sonny Liew did a masterpiece through the eyes of a fictional comic artist， Chan Hock Chye， who grew up through colonial singapore and his perspectives on the fledging nature of our politics。 He is critical of the PAP regime without being contrarian for the sake of it。 Every Singaporean should read this— it’s reall To call this just a comic is a gross understatement。 This is the most prolific work of art I’ve seen depicting Singapore’s history （while of course understanding that it’s subjective）。 Sonny Liew did a masterpiece through the eyes of a fictional comic artist， Chan Hock Chye， who grew up through colonial singapore and his perspectives on the fledging nature of our politics。 He is critical of the PAP regime without being contrarian for the sake of it。 Every Singaporean should read this— it’s really special。 。。。more
Periplo78
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Surprising to find an unofficial account of the history of Singapore。 Fantastically illustrated and told。
Ian Tymms
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A compelling， poignant， nostalgic history of both the artist and Singapore。 Critical and respectful in equal measure as it unpacks the legacy of LKY in the many shades and colours needed to draw an authentic account of how Singapore came to be。
Diz
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This is an account of a fictional Singaporean comic book artist。 There is a lot of commentary on the politics of Singapore from the 1950s up until today。 This is an interesting read for those who are interested in the history and politics of Singapore。
Chelsea Hill
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I'm not really sure how to rate this since I read it for class and know that this book has so much to offer！I think that this was a very important， fresh， and unique graphic novel。 I loved the art style（s） and everything flowed together quite nicely。 This is the first time I have encountered Singapore's history so that was very valuable to me as a reader！ I think if I reread this a couple of times and did some more research about the colonial history of Singapore （and other Asian countries）， I w I'm not really sure how to rate this since I read it for class and know that this book has so much to offer！I think that this was a very important， fresh， and unique graphic novel。 I loved the art style（s） and everything flowed together quite nicely。 This is the first time I have encountered Singapore's history so that was very valuable to me as a reader！ I think if I reread this a couple of times and did some more research about the colonial history of Singapore （and other Asian countries）， I would gain a lot more from this！ So， for now， it's a 3 star， but I hope to come back to this and learn some more in the future！ 。。。more
Corbin
，
Engaging， lighthearted pages of scenes with fascinating commentary for context。 Sometimes it can feel like Singapore has been here forever， when there's a rich history that has brought this unique country into the 21st century。 Engaging， lighthearted pages of scenes with fascinating commentary for context。 Sometimes it can feel like Singapore has been here forever， when there's a rich history that has brought this unique country into the 21st century。 。。。more
K
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Wow！
Rebecca
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Interesting follow-up read and counterpoint view to the Singapore Story by Lee Kuan Yew。
Tori。T
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Well thought out and crafted that transports you back to Singapore when it was going through its independence， and everything sticky in-between。 Sonny captures true Singapore with the different dialects， cultures， innocence and shares a window of Singapore that is typically hidden。 From encouraging women who aren't in university to get sterilised， to the racial riots and imprisonment。 I felt incredible sadness for Charlie Chan and his pursuit of his artistic dream， especially in a place like Sin Well thought out and crafted that transports you back to Singapore when it was going through its independence， and everything sticky in-between。 Sonny captures true Singapore with the different dialects， cultures， innocence and shares a window of Singapore that is typically hidden。 From encouraging women who aren't in university to get sterilised， to the racial riots and imprisonment。 I felt incredible sadness for Charlie Chan and his pursuit of his artistic dream， especially in a place like Singapore， and especially at that time， and felt his frustration but enjoyed the moments and stories。 I met Sonny a few years ago， and can't wait for the new animated feature to be out soon！After reading this， I got this book for my expat friend who lives in Singapore。 。。。more
Rane
，
I've been looking for this book for ages。 Finally it's on Amazon Kindle！ Yay！！As much as I want to spoil behind the scene of this graphic novel， all I can say: "SONNY LIEW， YOU'RE A GENIUS！！！！" I've been looking for this book for ages。 Finally it's on Amazon Kindle！ Yay！！As much as I want to spoil behind the scene of this graphic novel， all I can say: "SONNY LIEW， YOU'RE A GENIUS！！！！" 。。。more
Graham Barrett
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A definite read for any comic book fans and anyone interested in Singapore， this was an excellent and unique look at the history of 20th Century Singapore using the medium of comic books。 It's political themes makes it feel comparable Marjane Satrapi's "Persepolis"， the differences of course being this is a fictional story and has ever-shifting art styles。 I appreciated the constant shifts though as I thought Sonny Liew's interpretation of comics from around the world （i。e。 the "Roachman" origin A definite read for any comic book fans and anyone interested in Singapore， this was an excellent and unique look at the history of 20th Century Singapore using the medium of comic books。 It's political themes makes it feel comparable Marjane Satrapi's "Persepolis"， the differences of course being this is a fictional story and has ever-shifting art styles。 I appreciated the constant shifts though as I thought Sonny Liew's interpretation of comics from around the world （i。e。 the "Roachman" origin story being an extended homage to Spider-Man's） shows how influential and interconnected the world of comics is。 I look forward to reading more of Liew's work and other Singaporean comics in the future :） 。。。more
Danielle Kim
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Lol so I didn't realize this was completely fictional until I got to the very， very last page with all the copyright info and everything， along with the "This is a work of fiction。。。" disclaimer。 The book is written as if it's a biography of a Singaporean comic book artist， and includes all sorts of "artifacts" from his life - reprints of old comics， painted portraiture， parodies of propaganda posters， even the picture of a gift he received from a friend。 I'd describe this as historical fiction。 Lol so I didn't realize this was completely fictional until I got to the very， very last page with all the copyright info and everything， along with the "This is a work of fiction。。。" disclaimer。 The book is written as if it's a biography of a Singaporean comic book artist， and includes all sorts of "artifacts" from his life - reprints of old comics， painted portraiture， parodies of propaganda posters， even the picture of a gift he received from a friend。 I'd describe this as historical fiction。 Quite funny at times。 Ambitious in scope: 20th century Singaporean history; the power and production of comic books; the struggles of being a principled artist。。。 Read it in a single sitting。 Thanks to Seamus for the reco。 。。。more
Mauro
，
Singapore's history and its politics presented in a very entertaining way， with a great plot and beautiful illustrations by Sonny Liew。 Singapore's history and its politics presented in a very entertaining way， with a great plot and beautiful illustrations by Sonny Liew。 。。。more
Hannah
，
Incredible。 Sonny Liew covers the murky waters of Singapore's history （and who gets to write that history） while also covering the personal sphere of his fictional and non-fictional characters with adept storytelling。 He takes an unflinching look at Singapore's history and asks: what has our success come at the expense of？ Have we been robbed of our artistic freedom， a life driven by purpose instead of profit and our right to dream？ Or worse yet， is this a conscious sacrifice we made and continu Incredible。 Sonny Liew covers the murky waters of Singapore's history （and who gets to write that history） while also covering the personal sphere of his fictional and non-fictional characters with adept storytelling。 He takes an unflinching look at Singapore's history and asks: what has our success come at the expense of？ Have we been robbed of our artistic freedom， a life driven by purpose instead of profit and our right to dream？ Or worse yet， is this a conscious sacrifice we made and continue to make？ 。。。more
Kam Yung Soh
，
An interesting graphic novel about the life and art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye as told by Sonny Liew。 The book is both the story of Charlie Chan and the art and comics he produces over the years。 The comics featured in the book are also the story of Singapore as seen by Charlie Chan， covering the period of pre-independence to just before the present day。The comics featured in the book， as produced by Charlie Chan are a statement on how Charlie sees the society， culture and politics of Singapore a An interesting graphic novel about the life and art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye as told by Sonny Liew。 The book is both the story of Charlie Chan and the art and comics he produces over the years。 The comics featured in the book are also the story of Singapore as seen by Charlie Chan， covering the period of pre-independence to just before the present day。The comics featured in the book， as produced by Charlie Chan are a statement on how Charlie sees the society， culture and politics of Singapore at the time。 The comics cannot help but feature the prominent political figures of the times like Lee Kuan Yew and Lim Chin Siong from Singapore and Tunku Abdul Rahman from Malaya / Malaysia during the period of time when Singapore merged and then separated from Malaysia。 Other comics tell the story of other events that affected Singapore， from the Japanese invasion， the period of Emergency （from Communist insurgents）， to the development and modernisation of Singapore。The last part of the book is a sudden change in tone， when Sonny suddenly pulls out an 'alternative history' version of Singapore （similar in style to Philip K。 Dick's "The Man in the High Castle"）， where it is Lim Chin Siong instead of Lee Kuan Yew who goes on to become leader of Singapore， and Charlie Chan becomes a prominent cartoonist instead of a mostly forgotten person in the main story。 Whether this version of Singapore is better than the capitalist version that is current day Singapore is left as an exercise to the reader。 。。。more
Nini
，
I think this is really brilliant！！ It's always very visible everytime you go to Kinokuniya here in Singapore and I never really knew what this book was really about。 And I'm so glad that I randomly picked this up。 Apparently， this is partly made up memoir about Charlie but also surprisingly honest and cynical on telling Singapore history and politics。 Fun and witty story tellling and superb graphics。 One of the best graphic novels I read and a must read for people live in or interested on Singap I think this is really brilliant！！ It's always very visible everytime you go to Kinokuniya here in Singapore and I never really knew what this book was really about。 And I'm so glad that I randomly picked this up。 Apparently， this is partly made up memoir about Charlie but also surprisingly honest and cynical on telling Singapore history and politics。 Fun and witty story tellling and superb graphics。 One of the best graphic novels I read and a must read for people live in or interested on Singapore。 。。。more
Giacomo Dusina
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Stupenda graphic novel sulla storia recente di Singapore， raccontata attraverso la vita del grande fumettista Charlie Chan Hock Chye。 Se non fosse che questa é una figura inventata dall'autore， Sonny Liew。 Uno stratagemma geniale che， senza conoscerlo prima， sembrerebbe quasi realtà。 L'uso di diversi stili， l'inserimento di fotografie o vecchie tavole fittizie， porta tranquillamente pensare ad una vera retrospettiva su un autore noto。 Eventi sicuramente poco noti in Italia ma che acquistano inte Stupenda graphic novel sulla storia recente di Singapore， raccontata attraverso la vita del grande fumettista Charlie Chan Hock Chye。 Se non fosse che questa é una figura inventata dall'autore， Sonny Liew。 Uno stratagemma geniale che， senza conoscerlo prima， sembrerebbe quasi realtà。 L'uso di diversi stili， l'inserimento di fotografie o vecchie tavole fittizie， porta tranquillamente pensare ad una vera retrospettiva su un autore noto。 Eventi sicuramente poco noti in Italia ma che acquistano interesse grazie alla bravura dell'autore。 Una graphic novel da non perdere。 。。。more
Kevin
，
Read this some time ago while having a surge of interest in Singapore and the contradictions within and since then it is a book that has remained with me。The book tells the （fictional） life of a comic book artist from South East Asia that resembles a bit of Tezuka， it has many different types of art （such as family portraits， comic book strips resembling newspaper cutouts， etc） and behind all that it tells a bit of the history of Singapore and the direct influence of Lee Kuan Yew。It reminds me a Read this some time ago while having a surge of interest in Singapore and the contradictions within and since then it is a book that has remained with me。The book tells the （fictional） life of a comic book artist from South East Asia that resembles a bit of Tezuka， it has many different types of art （such as family portraits， comic book strips resembling newspaper cutouts， etc） and behind all that it tells a bit of the history of Singapore and the direct influence of Lee Kuan Yew。It reminds me a bit of If on a winter's night a traveler in the way the book is told through fictional books。 It's a monumental feat that has been deservedly well received since it's release。 。。。more
Suphap Duangsan
，