DELAY: A Comics Anthology

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Edited by Paolo Chikiamco and Charis Loke Format: PaperbackPages: 288 - Looming milestones and missed connections. Resisting mainstream expectations and doing life at your own pace . What does DELAY mean to you? Writers and illustrators from Southeast Asia take on this theme in a comics anthology curated by guest editors Charis Loke and Paolo Chikiamco. From explorations of identity and inner worlds to the twists and turns of modern life, these stories offer restoration, room for reflection, and invite us to reclaim time in our own ways.. A Day in The Life: A young boy encounters an extraterrestrial being who is delayed on earth due to spacecraft repairs. The duo enjoy the small pleasures of life – listening to music, skipping stones, chasing dragonflies, tasting fruit — until the visitor has to leave. . Ad Astra: Meng Yuet is due to "cross the river" but first has to lay down her baggage. She confronts her guilt about whether she held back her partner's professional aspirations. Eventually, the lovers are reunited in death. . Astray: A disenfranchised young person counting down to when they will end their life has their plans foiled by a chance encounter with a kitten that needs rescuing. . Time For That Later: Meera reflects on her experiences as a caregiver for her late father — what she had to give up, the challenges they faced, and how her life has been shaped by this journey. . DELAYED: Grandma turns 81 today, and her family has gathered in celebration. An old photograph of her as a Singapore Airlines stewardess sends her down memory lane. . Fish Curry Tastes Better The Next Day: The process of cooking fish curry parallels the evolving relationship Meena and her mother have over the years. . Ma, Pa, Delayed Ako: Cheska is meant to be graduating university soon but in reality is struggling to keep up with her studies. Stress and guilt threaten to consume her entirely as she tries to keep the truth from her family. . Syncopation: Two childhood friends with a shared passion for dance fall out of touch as life offers one of them opportunities while the other is challenged by her undocumented status. . The Adventures of Sunday Domingo (feat. Yaya Precy): Sunday Domingo, a teenager who makes komiks, is cared for and supported by her loving Yaya Precy, while her parents are distant and busy. As Sunday matures, she becomes aware of the sacrifices Yaya Precy has made while working for Sunday's family. . The Other World: A dreamy narrator with a rich inner life ruminates on feeling caught between the ease they feel in the world of their imagination, versus their desire to be more present and engaged with the real world. Editors Paolo Chikiamco (Writer, he/him)Paolo Chikiamco, from the Philippines, is a lawyer and writer of prose, comics, and interactive fiction. His prose has been published in anthologies such as The Sea is Ours and The Best of Philippine Speculative Fiction, and his interactive wrestling novel Slammed! was released by Choice of Games. As an editor, he put together Alternative Alamat, an anthology of stories that reimagine Philippine myth and folklore. As a comics writer, he has collaborated with some of the country’s most talented artists on work such as Mythspace, Muros, and A Sparrow’s Roar. Charis Loke (Writer, she/her)Charis Loke has been found drawing book covers, fantasy maps, board games, street protests, in the jungle, on a boat, and by a glacier. As an editor and curator, she’s worked with close to a hundred Southeast Asian comic creators and artists, including co-editing SOUND: A Comics Anthology, published by Difference Engine. She’s illustrated for Netflix, Orbit, Macmillan, Subterranean Press, and Mekong Review, among others, and has an MA in Visual Sociology with an interest in mapping as arts research. - A Day in the Life Cesar Miguel Escaño (Writer, he/him)Cesar Miguel Escaño lives in Tacloban City, Leyte. He was a fellow for fiction at the 56th Silliman University National Writers Workshop in 2017. His stories have been published in The Philippines Graphic magazine, Philippine Genre Stories, Story Philippines magazine, and Katitikan.com, the literary journal of the Philippine South.Ferdee Bambico (Illustrator, he/him)Ferdee Bambico has been a comics illustrator since the 1980s. Ferdee illustrated for Atlas Publishing and Graphic Arts Service, Inc., two top komiks publishers. He has been a layout and background artist for Philippine animation studios such as Philippine Animation Studio Inc. and international studios such as The European Background team. Ad Astra Nicolette “Wanlingnic” Lee (she/her)Nicolette “Wanlingnic” Lee is a Singaporean comic book artist and illustrator. She has worked on projects by Difference Engine, and Wildstar Press, and illustrated the How to be Human book series, by Marshall Cavendish. She can be found on most social media, under the handle @wanlingnic, or at her website: wanlingnic.carrd.co Astray Farid Nad (he/him)At a sleepy coastal town somewhere in Johor, you might catch the 29-year old kampung kid Farid doing sick wheelies trying to outwheel capitalism. With a love of miracles in the mundane, Farid’s stories magnify experiences hidden in plain sight. Time for That Later Abigail Goh Tian-I (co-creator, they/them)Abigail Goh Tian-I or Abs for short is a Malaysian internet cryptid, artist, and writer. Rumor has it that they’ve worked for Stan Lee, wrote for television, worked on Gears of War 5, and less importantly, created and produced a few major film ads for international brands. They’re most commonly found at local emo nites or gigs fighting for their life in a mosh pit. Nadia Daeng (co-creator, she/her)Nadia Daeng works at Caregivers Alliance Limited, where she uses her two decades of experience in communications and corporate development to advocate for caregivers and mental health literacy. She spoke about being her mother’s primary caregiver in the collection, Our Own Voices.Wayne Rée (co-creator, he/they)Wayne Rée is a Singaporean writer. Together with Benjamin Chee, he co-created Work-Life Balance, the prose/comics hybrid that won Book of the Year at the 2023 Singapore Book Awards. He also co-created the comic, Worlds Apart: A Conversation About Mental Health, with Nurjannah Suhaimi. Find him online at waynereewrites.com DELAYED Angela Wu (Illustrator, she/her)Angela Wu is a Singaporean Artist who specialises in Comic Book Covers. You might have seen her work on renowned titles such as Life Is Strange, Rebel Moon and Star Trek. She enjoys homaging a wide array of genres in her cover illustrations but is the most fond of illustrating horror and pin up.Peter Lin (Writer, he/they)Peter still doesn’t know what to do with their life. After dropping out of Catholic seminary, they reinvented themselves writing for personal finance websites. You can also find them behind the audio/visual booth at Grapplemax pro wrestling events. DELAYED is their first published work. Fish Curry Tastes Better The Next Day Paati (she/her)Priya VJ aka Paati/பாட்டி is an Artist & Educator from sunny Singapore and enjoys long romantic walks to the fridge. Paati/பாட்டி means grandma in Tamil. She strives to find new ways to narrate complex and regional topics through Food & Art. Food-Art. F(Art). She plans to FArt quite a lot. Limerence Station A pretty schoolmate bumps into Evan and accidentally drops her keychain. Before they know it, the semester is almost at an end, and Evan still hasn't figured out how to approach her! Eliot Lime (they/them)Eliot Lime is a Singaporean artist that loves crafting characters and the intricate bonds between them. Playing with composition and symbolism to represent the varied states of mind a character can have. They enjoy utilising their experience as an animator to translate movement conveyed across multiple images into an illustration. Ma, Pa, Delayed Ako Hansel Dimapilis (she/her)Hansel Dimapilis is a whimsical visual storyteller based in Quezon City. In addition to her creative writing background, she always had a passion for the visual arts, particularly comics. She strongly advocates for more komiks in Filipino mainstream media, particularly children’s literature. Aside from comics, she likes libraries, sweets, and pedestrian lanes. Syncopation Aime Marisa (co-creator, she/her)Aime Marisa is a law graduate with a strong background in policy development, regulatory compliance, and stakeholder engagement. She is passionate about driving impactful advocacy campaigns, influencing legislative discussions, and enhancing legal protections for marginalized communities in Malaysia.Bonnibel (co-creator, they/she)Bonnibel is a writer and artist passionate about finding new possibilities for solidarity and liberation. They are the co-founder of Rainbow Panda, a community for the welfare of queer and trans children in Asia. Most of the time you’ll find them writing, drawing, dancing, or eating a gorgeous cake at a gorgeous cafe with a gorgeous book in their hands. The Adventures of Sunday Domingo (feat. Yaya Precy) Julius Villanueva (he/him)Julius Villanueva has been a cartoonist for two decades. Starting as a contributor for the Manila Bulletin. He has been self-publishing indie comics since 2010. Currently he is working on several comic series, most notably, Ella Arcangel. The Other World Cathlyn Vania (she/her)Cathlyn is an Indonesian artist who has worked in animation and games for the past decade. Beginning as a writer and taking up drawing to support her stories, she started sharing little comics on her socials. When not writing or drawing, she lives her other lives in faraway realms, fighting evil spirits or practicing her druidcraft in tabletop roleplaying games. You can find her at @cathsplat on Instagram. Show more