I’ve just found an interview from The Star Online in my files.  It’s from 6th October,2004,and the interview is with Wong Yuk Long,aka,Tony Wong known as “The King of Hong Kong Comics” and “The Hong Kong Stan Lee”.  Some of you comic geeksters might recall DCs “Batman Hong Kong”?

As we get so little info I thought we might as well turn this into an Asian Sunday!!

http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2004/10/6/features/8926946&sec=features

Here you go:

The king of

Hong Kong comics

By MICHAEL CHEANG Tony Wong Yuk Long’s world is packed with heroes. These dashing men of brawn sport wind-swept hair, wield magical weapons, execute high-flying kungfu moves in mid-air, and battle evil-doers in the name of justice and honour. Granted, they also have a tendency to pick a lot of fights and subsequently kick the brains out of a lot of people, but that is beside the point. This is, after all, the world of a

Hong Kong comic book, and Wong is its undisputed “King”.

Hong Kong’s King of Comics, Tony Wong: ‘The fighting merely enhances the dynamism of the comics. These days, readers tend to choose storyline over violence.’

One would expect

Hong Kong’s “King of Comics” to be an intimidating character, but the real Tony Wong is quite the opposite. With his untucked striped shirt and trademark bushy moustache, the man himself is laidback and amiable, just like (dare I say?) a comic character. Wong, 54, was in town recently to attend a forum on comics art, and during the press interview at the Prince Hotel and Residence Kuala Lumpur, he was in a jovial mood, answering questions with a smile, and gamely obliging the photographer’s request for various poses. Wong’s passion for comics is all too obvious. “I’ve loved comics ever since I read my first comic when I was six,” said Wong. “After that, I kept drawing and drawing, and eventually set up my own comics company.” He made his debut when he was a mere 13-year-old, publishing his work in Epoch Comic Weekly magazine. “Every comic that I read in the past had helped developed my style. Even now, I still read comics, especially those from my competitors.” Not all was smooth sailing though. In 1968, Wong was out of a job for a year when

Hong Kong’s economy took a downturn. He described it as his most difficult period. When Wong eventually got back into business, he came out with his first major hit, Siu Lau-man (Little Vagabond), in 1973. It was later renamed Long Fu Mun (Dragon and Tiger Heroes). The series, which focuses on a group of kungfu fighting teenagers who battle evil, is still in production today, making it one of the longest running comic series ever. Wong later founded Jademan Comics in the 1980s, and the company made such an impact that it was listed in the stock market in 1986.

Batman Hong Kong, by Tony Wong

“It was one of my proudest moments because before that, no one believed that a comics company would make it to the stock market. The stock even turned out to be one of the top four at the time.” Unfortunately, the following year things took a turn for the worse as

Hong Kong was hit hard by the worldwide economic recession, and Wong’s company was forced to fold. Wong went through a very difficult stretch, but he was undaunted. “No matter how bad things got, I was not afraid as long as I had a pen in my hand,” he said. He wasted no time in regaining lost ground. In 1993, Wong established yet another company, Jade Dynasty, and it has been going strong ever since. Established titles like Legend of the King, Yik Yong Mun and Invincible Armour enjoy a big fan following.

Da Shen Wang, by Tony Wong, which is based on the legend of the Monkey God.

Such is Wong’s reputation today that recently he was approached by American comics giant DC Comics, to draw a

Hong Kong version of Batman, titled Batman Hong Kong. “This is a new challenge for me because the Western and Eastern style of drawing comics is very different. They control their script and storyline very tightly, and the layout is already fixed no matter what the story is about, whereas in

Hong Kong, we allow the artist himself to develop the story as he sees fit,” said Wong. After 41 years in the business, Wong has seen the comics industry go through many changes. “In the past, there was only one person doing all the work, and we came up with short strips that stretched to four to eight issues,” he recalled. “Today, a comic strip can run for more than a hundred issues, and there could be at least 25 people working on a single comic.”

A cover of the new version of Long Fu Mun featuring Wong’s favourite character, Sek Hak Long.

These days, Wong has set his sights on developing the animation industry in

Hong Kong. “I think animation is the next frontier; it is like a big ocean, and has a huge potential for development,” said Wong. “Now that there is a lot of interest in Chinese martial arts – as seen in movies like Hero – we are trying to develop this area and break into the international market.” Despite the fact that most

Hong Kong comics involve a lot of fighting and killing, Wong believes that this is merely a means to an end. “I don’t think the comics are violent; the fighting merely enhances the dynamism of the comics. These days, readers tend to choose storyline over violence. After all, if a fight goes on for too long, the reader might get tired of it,” he explained. “My first priority is to entertain readers. I also hope that they will pick up good values and realise that in life, one must have morals, honour, courage, and be willing to help others.” Well said, indeed. Though Wong’s life revolves around the fantasy world of comics, his feet is firmly planted on the ground.