Sonny Liew (born 26 September 1974) is a Malaysian-born Singaporean comic artist/illustrator. He is best known for The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye (2015), the first graphic novel to win the Singapore Literature Prize for fiction.
Early life and education
Born in
Seremban, Malaysia, Liew soon moved to Singapore and attended school at
Victoria School and Victoria Junior College.
He went on to read philosophy at Clare College, Cambridge, in the UK and studied illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design in 2001.
Career
His first foray into comic illustration was with Singaporean tabloid paper
The New Paper in 1995, contributing a comic strip titled
Frankie and Poo. A compilation of the strips was published by Times Publishing in 1996. Shortly after his graduation from Rhode Island Liew got his first break into the American comics industry when
Shelly Bond signed him on for
Vertigo Comics'
My Faith in Frankie together with Mike Carey and
Marc Hempel.
His work has appeared in the Flight Anthologies edited by Kazu Kibuishi, and he has served as editor of the Eisner Award-nominated Southeast Asian comics anthology Liquid City
He is also the creator of Malinky Robot, a Xeric Award recipient in 2004 and winner of the “Prix de la Meilleure BD” (Comic Album of the Year) at the Utopiales International SF Festival in Nantes in 2009.
The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye
The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye was first published and released by
Epigram Books in 2015. It charts the life and career of a fictional comic book artist, the eponymous Charlie Chan Hock Chye, and by weaving together fact and fiction, and different genres, tells the story of the formative years of Singapore's modern history and the history of comics.
Shortly before the book's release in Singapore, the National Arts Council withdrew its grant of $8,000 for the title, citing "sensitive content" and its potential to "undermine the authority and legitimacy" of the government.
List of selected works
Godshaper #1 (2017, Boom! Studios)
Shadow Hero Comics #1 (2017,
Panda Express)
-
Artist. With Gene Luen Yang (Writer).
Revolutionaries #1 (2017,
IDW Publishing)
GI Joe Vol.8 #1 (2016,
IDW Publishing)
Transformers Lost Light #1 (2016,
IDW Publishing)
Optimus Prime #1 (2016,
IDW Publishing)
M.A.S.K. Mobile Armored Strike Kommand #1 (2016,
IDW Publishing)
Doctor Fate Vol 4 #1-12, #15-16 (2015-2016,
DC Comics)
The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye (2015,
Epigram Books; 2016
Pantheon Books)
Jim Henson's Storyteller: Witches (2015, Archaia Entertainment)
Americatown #1 (2015, Boom! Studios)
Hacktivist #1 (2015, Boom! Studios)
Abigail and the Snowman #1 (2014, Boom! Studios)
Warm Nights Deathless Days: The Life of Georgette Chen (2014, National Gallery Singapore)
The Shadow Hero (2014, First Second Books)
-
Artist. With Gene Luen Yang (Writer).
Malinky Robot: Collected Stories & Other Bits (2011,
Image Comics)
Vertigo Resurrected: My Faith in Frankie (2011, DC Vertigo)
-
Artist, Co-Creator. With Mike Carey (Writer), Marc Hempel (Inker).
Sense and Sensibility (2010,
Marvel Comics)
-
Artist. With Nancy Butler (Writer).
Au Pays des Merveilles (2010, Bao)
-
Artist, Co-Creator. With Tommy Kovac (Writer).
Le Tour du monde en bande dessinée vol 2 (2009, Delcourt)
Pride and Prejudice (2009,
Marvel Comics)
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #50 (2009,
Marvel Comics)
-
Artist. With Roger Landridge (Writer).
Wonderland (2009,
Disney Press)
Malinky Robot (French Edition) (2009, Bao)
Liquid City (Vol. 1, 2, 3) (2008-2014,
Image Comics)
Wonderland (2006-7, Slave Labor Graphics/
Disney Press)
-
Artist, Co-Creator . With Tommy Kovac (Writer).
Re-Gifters (2007, DC Minx)
-
Artist, Co-Creator. With Mike Carey (Writer), Marc Hempel (Inker).
Flight (Vol. 2, 5, 8) (2005–11,
Image Comics/Villard)
Malinky Robot: Bicycle (2005, Slave Labor Graphics)
My Faith in Frankie (2004, DC Vertigo)
-
Artist, Co-Creator. With Mike Carey (Writer), Marc Hempel (Inker).
Malinky Robot: Stinky Fish Blues (2002, Self-Published under Red Robot Productions)
Marvel Universe Millennial Visions (2002,
Marvel Comics)
Frankie & Poo: What is love (Incomplete and abridged) (1996, Times Books International)
External links
