Interviews

Interview with Nicholas Liaw

By LJ Douresseau
November 30, 2003 - 11:26

TOKYOPOP, the premiere publisher of manga in the United States, recently revealed the winners of its second RISING STARS OF MANGA contest. To enter the contest, entrants must submit an original manga story to the company, and TOKYOPOP aims the contest at aspiring manga artists in the U.S. The company picks ten winning entries. The grand prizewinner receives $2,500 and a chance to pitch an original manga series to the editors at TOKYOPOP. The first place winner receives $1,000, and eight runners-up receive $500. All ten winners, however, see their entries published in the Rising Stars of Manga compilation. The 2003 compilation appears in books stores in December 2003.

For this column, Mr. Charlie let me send some questions to the winners asking them about their entries and about their love of manga. First up is $1,000 First Prize Winner Nicholas Liaw. Mr. Liaw's UNMASKED is the tale of a "bored-to-death school girl living in an extraordinary world."

What was your first experience with comics? What kind of comics were they, and what were the titles?

The first comics I ever read were the daily newspaper comics (GARFIELD, PEANUTS, CALVIN & HOBBES). I never really followed American comic book comics (e.g. Marvel).

At what point were you first exposed to manga and anime, and what were your initial reactions and feelings to it?

My first exposure to manga/anime was probably in the form of English dubbed anime (i.e. SAILOR MOON, DRAGONBALL Z, MEGAMAN). There were no extreme reactions or emotions from what I can remember…only that the shows were entertaining, and that I liked watching them.

What was it about the form that attracted you to manga, and what were the particular titles and creators who appealed to you?

I like manga as a whole partially because of the style of art, and partially because of emphasis on development and interaction of characters. More broadly, I would say that I like the comic medium because of its combination of images and text…the combination allows for greater flexibility than with simply images or text. Concerning particular manga titles, the manga I like to read are varied. Art wise, I've always been partial to Ken Akamatsu's art (LOVE HINA), the way the characters act out their emotions. I like Hiroaki Samura's works (BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL), for its interesting pencil shaded style. For story and concept, I enjoyed Masamune Shirow's GHOST IN THE SHELL, as well as Katsuhiro Otomo's AKIRA.

When did you first become aware that there were U.S. based publishers of manga (like Eclipse, Dark Horse, TOKYOPOP, etc.) and what titles did you like?

I became aware of U.S. based publishers several years back…the first of which I think as the RANMA 1/2 series. My preference for translated works doesn't really depend on the publisher…for the most part, the translations from different publishers have been good.

Were there elements of manga and titles that you didn't like or found off putting? What about them didn't you like?

There are times when the art doesn't appeal to me, or when the story doesn't interest me. CLAMP's X/1999, for example, was too serious in tone for my tastes…also, the art also felt gaudily detailed. I also dislike it when a work follows cliché format too closely, like in TOKYO UNDERGROUND.

When did you become aware of TOKYOPOP and the Rising Stars of Manga contest?

I became aware of the contest about a year ago, during the first RSoM, when an online friend informed me of the contest.

Was the second contest your first entry in RSoM?

No. I entered in the first RSoM, and did not place.

Was your entry something you'd been working on for a long time, or was it something new for RSOM? Did you have to rework the concept to make it fit the preconceived notions of what manga is?

"Unmasked" was completely new, done specifically for RSoM. I tried not to consciously make my work fit with any preconceived notions (although the nature of the work specifically lent itself to many manga-like qualities).

How does your work fit in with the "manga style," and I'm asking this knowing that manga encompasses an incredibly broad base of genres and storytelling techniques?

I prefer not to think about whether or not my work fits into "manga style," simply that my art reflects what I feel is pleasing to my eye. However, in reading a lot of manga, perhaps many aspects of manga have left its mark on my works. Hence, my work "fits" in the sense that I draw inspiration from manga.

Is it your goal or dream to be a cartoonist, and how are you working towards that goal in terms of educating yourself about the history, form, and content of comics?

Currently, it is not my goal to become a cartoonist. However, I would still like to develop my skills as an artist. I read comics and watch cartoons/anime when I get the chance, noting what aspects of the art and writing that I like, so that I can incorporate those aspects into my own work.

Describe the feelings you had upon being notified that you were a RSOM winner.

I think the major feeling was surprise. I certainly did not expect to win the competition.

Did winning change your long range plans in terms of your work and/or budding career as a cartoonist?

Winning the competition certainly gave me impetus to reevaluate the viability of my art, but largely it has not changed my long term plans. At this point in time I do not plan on being a full time professional artist.

What is your artistic background as far as training and learning, even it you are self-taught?

As far as formal instruction goes, aside from art classes in elementary and junior high school, I have taken some studio art private lessons during my high school years, which involved composition (still life, landscape/cityscape, etc) and various media (pencil, charcoal, oils, watercolors, etc.) Everything else that I have learned over the years has been largely self-taught. This includes my current penciling, inking and CG styles as well as more basic skills, such as perspective and human anatomy.

THAT'S A WRAP! I want to thank Mr. Liaw for his time. I want to give a huge shout out to Ms. Mina M. Sung, Public Relations/Marketing Coordinator for TOKYOPOP, for her help and patience. I couldn't have done this without her. You can visit the TOKYOPOP RSoM page at http://www.tokyopop.com/news/mangatalent/index.php where you can learn about the winners and how to cop that second RSoM compilation. As a bonus, I'm also including a news release from TOKYOPOP about upcoming additions to its excellent line of manga from that hot, artists collective, CLAMP.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12