National Comic Book Day: Some titles by Malaysian talents

National Comic Book Day is on 25 September in the United States, but over here in Malaysia, we'd like to get in on the fun too. So, in the run-up to the actual date, MPH Bookstores is having a promotion where selected comics and graphic novels will be available at a 15% discount for MRewards members from 18 to 30 September at all our outlets.

Besides this promotion, we'd like to recommend some titles by local talents, seeing as how it's also the Merdeka/Malaysia Day season. Perhaps you may have seen or heard of these.

Now, let's see...

Many of us would be familiar with the fable of Tanggang, who was turned to stone by his mother's curse because he was unfilial. This series imagines what happens next. After many decades of being submerged in the ocean, Tanggang, now a humanoid stone creature, rises from the deep and embarks on a quest to regain his humanity, with the mouse deer Sang Kancil and trickster character Si Luncai tagging along. In their adventures they meet other reimagined figures from Malay folklore with surprisingly relatable problems. A refreshing take on an old cautionary tale shows that with empathy, friendship and sacrifice, redemption is possible.

Since the debut of the first volume, this breakout series of (mostly) childhood stories with simple illustrations has gained many fans. The author and illustrator pulls no punches in his accounts, winning readers with his honesty and sense of humour as he looks back at his formative years with the wry eye of an adult. Though some of his stories happen in Singapore, where he went to school, Boey's is an unmistakably Malaysian childhood, so much so that one is likely to go "this happened to me too!" every few pages or so. In the end, we can all agree that, yes, those WERE the days.

As her best friend and her classmates ease into adolescence and start obsessing about parties and boys, 12-year-old Lora, who's still about witches, ghosts, and childhood nostalgia, drifts apart from them. When she throws a séance tea party in the attic one day, she discovers a ghost named Alexa. The two become fast friends; as Alexa urges Lora to be more sociable, the ghostly girl uncovers more about her past. But as the two friends find their goals slowly diverging, what will become of their friendship?

The author and artist chronicles her return to Malaysia after spending some time abroad and her subsequent odyssey to reacquaint herself with her heritage and the land of her birth. In between chapters of her journey of self-discovery are thoughts on travel, learning, navigating different cultures, and loving and embracing one's true self. Life can be tough and at times harrowing, but the author's message throughout resonates: You're not alone. You can get through this. And you'll come out of it wiser and stronger.

Go on a seven-day journey with the artist's family around her kampung in Kuala Terengganu. This small, short read brilliantly showcases a tiny slice of life on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Spend time with the family, see the sights, visit vignettes from her past, and enjoy the food (pictures only, sorry – DON'T read when hungry). Unfortunately, no turtle sightings. Part travelogue, part visual dictionary, this may be one of the best graphical portrayals of Kuala Terengganu.

Lat channels his years of storytelling expertise into this graphic novel about a struggling reporter and aspiring writer in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. Barely making ends meet, Mat Som is incredulous at his father's wish that he marry a childhood friend, despite not having seen her for ages. He's also hard-pressed to satisfy his boss at the newsroom, while fighting to keep his dreams of writing alive amid the hubbub of a bustling city. Readers of Mat Som's age around the time this book was first published will look back fondly at scenes of KL and marvel at how much (or how little) has changed since then.

So what do you think of this selection? Read any of these? We'd love to hear your thoughts!