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The Disappearance of Hong Kong in Comics, Advertising and Graphic Design pp 39–65Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Reinventing Hong Kong Manhua: A Case of the Non-appearance

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Part of the book series: East Asian Popular Culture ((EAPC))

Abstract

Around the mid-2010s, the term kong-man (港漫), short for Hong Kong manhua, became popular in reference to kung fu or fighting theme comics—they were “the” identity of the medium. This chapter argues that this term should be redefined and updated to reflect changes in the field of Hong Kong manhua, specifically the new subjectivity of the non-appearance categories in the field. First, it conducts a divergent analysis of the “original” term manhua by tracing a history of non-lianhuantu (連環圖) works between 1949 and 1986. It then reviews the contemporary landscape of Hong Kong manhua with a focus on government-funded projects launched in the last decade to promote comics. These inquiries lead to questions of representation and blurred boundaries in Hong Kong’s comics industry and the commonly accepted definitions of mainstream and alternative.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Design, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Wendy Siuyi Wong

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  1. Wendy Siuyi Wong
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Wong, W.S. (2018). Reinventing Hong Kong Manhua: A Case of the Non-appearance. In: The Disappearance of Hong Kong in Comics, Advertising and Graphic Design. East Asian Popular Culture. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92096-2_3

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