Nicolas Verstappen
Note: In this interview, you'll read the term katun. Just as manga defines comics produced in Japan, so katun defines those produced in Thailand.
Where did your love of comics come from and what was it that drew you into the world of Thai comics and its history specifically?
Growing up in Belgium where comics are called the Ninth Art, I’ve been raised reading the adventures of Tintin, Spirou, The Smurfs, Lucky Luke or Astérix and Obélix. Around 9, I discovered the comic book “Yakari: Little Thunder's Secret” by the Swiss tandem Job and Derib. It is a pretty dark coming-of-age story for a comic book aimed at young children, with the depiction of physical injuries and emotional distress. It appealed to me because -unlike tv series or movies- I could process these darker elements at my own reading pace and somehow make sense of them by going back and forth between text and pictures. Comics felt like a safer space without jump scares, imposed duration, etc. And so grew my fascination for the medium, discovering manga and superhero comics as a teenager. I remained attracted to graphic narratives tackling psychological (or traumatic), societal and political themes such as Moore and Lloyd’s “V for Vendetta”, Spiegelman’s “Maus”, Jason’s “Hey Wait…”, gekiga (manga) and then more specifically autobiographic comics.
After studying Art History and Film History at university, I worked in a comic bookstore for 14 years before moving to Thailand in 2014. I re-entered the academia to teach about comics and communication at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok. As part of my academic assignments and upon the recommendation of Dr. Jirayudh Sinthuphan, I proposed a research project on the development of the Thai alternative comics scene from 1995 to 2015. The board agreed but asked me to first research into what came before the alternative scene, to provide context to its emergence. There wasn’t much available literature on the Thai comics production from the twentieth century, and almost no comic books I could access. I thought it would be an easy task, but I couldn't be more wrong. From the 1920s to the 1990s, the local comics production was vibrant and diverse, playing an important role in both cultural and political landscapes. It sadly got forgotten, being slowly depreciated and lost to the elements such as floods, tropical humidity and bookworms.
Nine years after the start of that first research project, I’m still discovering forgotten Thai cartoonists and masterpieces on a regular basis. Writing the book “The Art of Thai Comics: A Century of Strips and Stripes” (River Books, 2021) and establishing the Thai Comics Archives were ways for me to put these artists and their works back into the spotlight and show the socio-cultural significance of the Thai comics production. Hopefully, this revalorization of the medium might also benefit the new generation of Thai cartoonists which is struggling to find recognition.
Could you outline some of the elements that define Thai comics?
That’s a tough question. Unlike neighbouring countries, Thailand (when known as the Kingdom of Siam) didn’t fall under the overt colonial rule of a Western nation. To some extent, this situation impacted the content of comics and political cartoons. Eager to maintain Siam’s status within major geopolitical shifts, the local elite modernized the country by borrowing and adapting Western administrative systems and cultural markers into the local setting. European artists were invited by the Siamese court to reshape the local arts while respecting traditional subject matters. The local essence was maintained but the form was updated to the perceived aesthetic standards of the then-dominant Western countries. I feel that the same dynamic applies to Thai comics. In the 1930s, Siamese cartoonists adapted their old folktales into serialized comics, using Thai poetry in the captions, but with an art style directly influenced by American comics such as E.C. Segar’s “Popeye” comic strips. When the American superheroes became popular, the Thai artists would then dress their folktale princes into superhero costumes and turn their original magical powers into superpowers. The same happened during the rise of manga and other global comics trends. What is fascinating is the ability of Thai cartoonists to spot right away these new trends and borrow from them very specific graphic elements that could fit their own traditional narratives. In a way, they constantly update the external form of their artworks while maintaining their culture’s essence, establishing its endurance through changes and therefore its ever-lasting relevance.
Another important trait of Thai comics is their close relationship to local performing arts. For centuries, court and folk theatres have played a seminal role in the lives of Thai people. Many Thai comics borrow mise-en-scène elements from theatre (codified gestures, dance movements, presentational address, etc.). It gave birth to a comics genre unique to Thailand. The “katun likay” (or likay comics) -a comics genre developed in 1939 by the “king of Thai cartoons” Prayoon Chanyawongse- introduces performances of a highly popular folk theatre within a comics format and plays creatively with both artforms by constantly breaking the fourth wall.
You rather beautifully describe Thai comics as "an in-between transnational space in which Thailand's intricate scaffolding is revealed," the narratives "celebrating the nation's richness and diversity" with the Thai population (and by extension their comics) "co-mixing in a way that is fascinatingly bold and free". Could you unpack this a little?
Those who are familiar with Thai cuisine might have noticed the “lai rot” (or “many flavours”) cooking principle which seeks for the balance between flavours that are sweet, salty, sour and bitter, along with a spicy edge, over the course of a meal. It might be a good analogy for Thailand itself which is composed of diverse ethnic groups united under the same flag through successive nation-building strategies. But there might be more bitterness in this case, as all ethnic groups or provinces didn’t enjoy the same privileges or development opportunities. My current doctoral research at KU Leuven (Belgium) revolves around that topic. I’m studying the remarkable comics by Triam Chachumporn, a cartoonist who was born in the impoverished northeastern province of Isan. In the 1970s and 1980s, he produced numerous short comics revealing the social injustices faced by the Isan people in their region but also as migrant workers in Bangkok. Another goal of Triam was to celebrate the culture and the natural environment of his province in a series of short graphic novels. As many other Thai cartoonists, he had an extensive knowledge of the local comics production and of foreign comics trends. In his comics, he’s mixing references to Thai master cartoonists but also elements borrowed from Malaysian cartoonist Lat, Filipino cartoonist Nestor Redondo, American cartoonist Alex Toth or even from the manga “City Hunter” by Tsukasa Hojo. It is quite fascinating to see how he managed to blend harmoniously these diverse influences and put them at the service of his own narratives simultaneously denouncing social inequalities and celebrating the cultural diversity of Thailand.
Comics are a reflection of the transformations that occur in a society. So if 100 years of Thai comics tells of 100 years of Thai history, what are the Thai comics saying in 2024?
Sadly, the Thai comics market collapsed during the local Covid-19 two-year lockdown. The mainstream publishers aren’t producing local comics much anymore. However, smaller independent structures like Kai3, 10mm. or Two in Row are still publishing remarkable comics. The first and last months of 2024 saw the publication of two major books. In January 2024, there’s been the release of “2475 Graphic Novel” by Sa-ard and Podcharakrit To-im. This 4-years-in-the-making and 460-page historical fiction relates the advent of the 1932 Siamese Revolution (putting an end to absolute monarchy) as seen through the eyes of female journalist Nipa. The 1932 event still reverberates today in Thailand's political unrest, and it’s therefore a very challenging (and brave) commentary on restrictions on individual and social liberties. Published in December 2024 by Two in Row (but originally released online in 2022), the rizo-printed graphic novella “a creature with no spine” by Namsai K. is a stunning autobiographic comics of mother-daughter relationship, generation gaps, Thai political turmoil and state violence. Both “2475 Graphic Novel” and “a creature with no spine” are carried by strong and unique graphic voices.
Along with dōjinshi (fan-made comics/manga) conventions and the BKK Comics Art Festival, there’s also been a remarkable development of art markets and illustration fairs in the past 3 years. These fast-growing events offer outlets and visibility for young cartoonists to sell their comics zines. These young artists are predominantly women and often tackle very personal topics with original art styles. There is a slow but notable increase of ‘confessional comics’ -revealing intimate or tabooed experiences- in a society where self-expression is very limited when not simply avoided. So the Thai comics of 2024 seem to say that a new generation [of artists] is finding ways to express itself on sensitive topics in the alternative [art/comics] communities they’re building.
When you published the book three years ago, you wrote that Thai comic art is currently struggling "to regain its breath." Given the challenges this decade is presenting us with, what do you think the world of katun might look like in five years time?
I think that the trends I mentioned in my previous answer will keep on growing. I hope so anyway. I hope that these art communities will strengthen the market and reach a larger readership in Thailand and abroad. Over the past couple of years, a few bridges have been established between the local scene and other alternatives comics scenes in Southeast Asia. It's an important milestone.
I doubt that dominant public institutions will ever support a comics production that challenges the status quo. There’s been recent attempts to promote the local mainstream comics production as a soft power asset, so there might be some outlets emerging from these initiatives if investments are made properly and in the long run.
What does Thailand today mean to you?
Fascination and frustration. I love being here and witness the growth of my [former] students and of a new generation of amazingly talented artists and graphic storytellers. And I’m constantly frustrated by the lack of support and recognition they are being offered despite their best efforts to produce outstanding and meaningful graphic narratives. I’m fascinated by Thai culture as a whole and by the local comics culture in particular. I just wish they were given steady platforms to be appreciated and to thrive.
Thank you Nicolas!
For more, you can visit his blog on Thai comic art, FROM DUSK TILL DAWN.