At the BooksActually stall at this year’s The Singapore Toy, Game and Comic Convention (STGCC), you’ll find new works from Singapore-based comic book artists. Here we speak to one of them, agency creative Gene Whitlock, about geek culture and his own book The Unsavoury Alphabet.

Tell us a bit about the comic you’ve created?
The Unsavoury Alphabet isn’t so much as comic as a picture book for hardboiled noir enthusiasts. It started as a drawing exercise: I kept drawing the same dumb marsupials over and over and I knew I had to break that cycle, so I started drawing sets of 26 animals—a  different creature for each letter of the Roman alphabet. So I drew and drew and drew, and slowly the animals got more brutal, more self-absorbed, and the story took form.

What’s the comic book scene like here in Singapore?
Comics in Singapore are surprisingly vibrant. Talented individuals are creating all sorts of wonderful stories in all sorts of styles. Last year’s 24 Hour Comic Book Day had over 150 participants, and I heard some very big numbers for last year’s STGCC.

What kind of response do you get to being a comic book writer in Singapore?
I get a very positive response. I work professionally as a corporate storyteller for a creative agency here in Singapore, and people are always keen to discuss concepts, and flesh out ideas using comics as a medium. Part of this is because comic strips can communicate a lot of information very quickly, making decision points and featured highlights very easy to understand, and at a very basic level, comics are fun. This means readers are more likely to read the content.

How are comics changing and developing over the years?
There’s no definite form or model, and everyone’s production process is slightly different. This means comics have developed in a variety of surprising ways, exploring new ways to tell stories, investigating the use of time and language and imagery, but the way comics have most changed is the use of technology. We’ve seen the move to digital comics available to read online or on a mobile device. More crucially we’re seeing comics and geek culture shift into the mainstream. This is a wonderful thing! You can now have a conversation about Captain America in an office situation where once you might have saved that to discuss with your friends at the comic shop.