The News Lens
Date: 2018/01/25
By: Julia Chien
Oppressed under martial law and underappreciated in their native land, Taiwan’s comic
From Chen Uen’s (鄭問) Assassin’s Story
artists still managed to leave their mark on the minds of millions across Asia.
“Did you read manhua when you were a kid?”
My dad shovels freshly-steamed rice into a bowl. This was an awkward family conversation — manhua (漫畫), the Mandarin term for comics, is an age-old battleground between parent and child, the black-and-white sheets of paneled ink being a devil that tempted us away from schoolwork.
“Of course,” he grudgingly admits.“What kind? “Like Zhu-ge Si-lang? (諸葛四郎)?” I ask.
Dad smiles as if struck by a fond memory. Zhu-ge Si-lang was the most popular manhua on the island back in the 60’s. Pop singer Lo Da-yu (羅大佑), icon of the baby boomer generation, enshrined the series in the popular consciousness with his song Tong-nian (童年, meaning childhood): “Zhu-ge Si-lang and the Devil Squad, wonder which of them won that magic sword?” (諸葛四郎和魔鬼黨，到底誰搶走了那隻寶劍) go the lyrics. [FULL STORY]
