On March 31st, 2013, I published the first ever page of my webcomic, officially debuting The World in Deeper Inspection.

I was 18 then: fresh out of SPM, and at the start of my gap half-year. While my friends and schoolmates almost immediately transitioned into Pre-U Lyfe (A-Levels, IB, STPM, ADP - wow those names sound so irrelevant now) I was adamant about getting a few months off - not to travel since I didn't have the money then lol, but to work on my passion project: an artsy, ambitious magnum-opus webcomic about a Jersey Devil detective and his friends.

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A cornucopia of random thoughts on things I plan to do - related to approaching future comics as poetry. (more…)

A month ago I opened up suggestions for topics to discuss on my blog. Thanks to friends and fans, I've quite a treasure-trove of ideas for future posts. (I'm still taking in more ideas btw)

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Graphic novels, especially ones for children, are a thing now. This is great news – it means more books, more diverse voices, and more public appreciation for the medium. Some of the people most excited for GNs are editors; many of whom are fans of comics and will be taking on comics projects for the first time. This post is for them...

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I'm excited to announce my month-long stint at Rimbun Dahan Southeast Asian Arts Residency in late 2020! I'll be their first resident comics creator (artist and writer), and I'll mostly be working on my comics during that time – I'll either be wrapping up my middle-grade graphic novel, or preparing for my Alexander the Great comic. I would love for more Southeast Asian comics creators to apply to Rimbun Dahan, so this post is going to show you my application. Please feel free to use it as a template! (more…)

I recently published a mini-comic for Malaysia's Independence Day (or Merdeka, as we natives call it), which can be read here. Besides the standard raw emotionality that has become a trademark of mine, it was my first attempt at code-switching and bilingualism in comics – a bilingualism that is key to the understanding of the story and emotionality of Bahasa, rather than a mere translation of one language into another. (more…)

Some of you may know I write historical fiction. Some of you may also know I've been chipping away on an Alexander the Great graphic novel. (Which this concept art is for) My role as a historical graphic novelist has been stewing in the back of my mind for a while now. Actually, the stewing began when I first thought of The Carpet Merchant of Konstantiniyya, but I already know my insights from that project. Be actively thoughtful. Be self aware of how your own biases and societal context influence your storytelling. Recognise the people before and around you. Use your power to bring up voices. Understand that the work of being a responsible author lasts beyond the final page of your story. (more…)

Writing a graphic novel is hard. There are a lot of things to juggle; afterall, you're making the equivalent of both a film AND a novel! Fortunately, now there are a lot of resources, suited for different genres and needs. Back then, in the olde Wild West days, when I was a newbie, I didn't have any tips that explained how to make the kind of graphic novels I wanted to make. So I made my own, deliciously called the Onion Method. (more…)

How does a comics creator do their research for a graphic novel? Well, nobody quite knows tbh – unlike thumbnails or scriptwriting, the research process (collecting and turning information into a story) is rarely talked about in comics. Unless you hang around academic circles, or work in a genre like science or historical, you wouldn't think about research as a concern. While not necessary, learning how to do research well is a powerful and important skill to have. I believe that when creators obtain better research skills, their storytelling benefits. It's not just about knowing where to find sources... it's about critical thinking, increased awareness of self and society (and how both impact the stories we value), transparency, and thoughtfulness of intent. (more…)