SONNY LIEW TALKS MALINKY ROBOT

[MattBrady]

by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean

DC/Vertigo exercised total faith in newcomer illustrator Sonny Liew when the imprint engaged Liew to draw My Faith in Frankie, a four-issue limited series written by Lucifer’s Mike Carey in January. This month, however, Liew’s Malinky Robot hits the US. We spoke with the creator for more on his creator-owned title.

Malinky Robot is a labor of love and it’s financed through a $2,500 grant from the Xeric Foundation, a foundation set up by Teenage Mutants Ninja Turtles co-creator Peter Laird. “I don't think I would have been able to afford self-publishing it otherwise,” Liew said. “Technically, although most of Malinky Robot existed before I got the Marvel/DC gigs, that is the Iron Man piece in Marvel Universe 2001 Millennial Visions and My Faith in Frankie, I only received the grant at about the same time I started on Faith, so the publication of Malinky Robot really took place during my work with Vertigo.”

Liew graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2001, where he even took some lessons with David Mazzuchelli. Prior to that, he studied philosophy at the Cambridge University, UK.

All of Liew’s education and influences came together for Malinky. ”It basically deals with the lives of the denizens of San'ya, a near-future city based on the real city of the same name,” Liew explained. “In ‘Stinky Fish Blues’ the characters catch a fish thought to be extinct and must decide what to do with it.

”I came across a book on San'ya by Edward Fowler in a bargain bin at a book store in Rhode Island; it’s the name of a laboring district, or 'yoseba', in Tokyo, where the down and out really do gather to live and work. Throw in a bit of science fiction dystopia and you get Malinky Robot I guess. In terms of narrative structure I guess it’s inspired by more alternative works of various media, where the story telling is usually a little more elliptical and clear resolutions less common.

Liew began work on Malinky while he was at RISD, as a project for Mazzuchelli’s class. The creator cites his instructor’s encouragement as a large factor in the book’s development and becoming a reality.

Basically, Malinky Robot tells the tale of two street urchins, Atari and Oliver, along with a circle of friends and acquaintances ranging from philosopher-construction worker Mr. Bon Bon to Misha, a middle class kid who hangs out with Atari and Oliver.

Why street urchins, you might ask? “I think a lot of the choices were intuitive - not too easily broken down into discernible reasons,” Liew explained. “If there was one overarching rationale it was that all the elements seemed to create the potential for interesting stories. A semi-fictional city frees you from constraints like historical truth but also gives you a lot of ready-made material to work with, for example. It's odd in that way - with certain scenarios and characters it feels more like discovery than creation; one thing leads to another and you can more easily see storylines and situations developing than with, well. other scenarios. I have no idea why this is of course.”

Describing the dystopian city of San’ya, Liew said that it is “a day laborer district just like the real San'ya - people who for one reason or another no longer can or want to live in mainstream society end up there. Some of the characters and situations are based on the events recounted in Fowler's book and other accounts on San'ya. But a lot of stuff is also made up, and the fictional San'ya also draws on all sorts of other influences - movies, sideshows, novels etc. Future stories will, I think, also bear a heavier sci-fi imprint; robots, lasers, all that.”

As mentioned, Malinky Robot is clearly a labor of love for the Malaysian-born Liew. There are challenges when it comes of self-publishing, Liew admitted. However, he is not one to be give up hope, though. There is a silver lining in every cloud, after all.

“I did attend one convention - the San Diego Con in 2001 - and showed a rough version of the comic to anyone who would spare the time. Major publishers and pretty much everyone else offered mostly the same thought; that it was well done but for one reason or another, not their thing.

”I guess a lot of people liked the art and story telling but didn't think it fit into their, say, superhero or horror catalogue. One publisher did seem really keen but then mysteriously refused to answer any of my calls or emails. Never figured out why.

“Once the book is published, soliciting distributors and promoting the book on a limited budget and no experience can be a small nightmare. Getting the book noticed I guess is the hardest thing when you lack marketing muscle. Watching how the latest Hollywood blockbuster seeps into every nook and cranny of the mainstream media always leaves me a little stupefied.I guess the experience will allow any future self-publications to proceed a little more smoothly. Understanding the process from print to sales might also mean that I'll have a better idea of what publishers are up against.”

Despite all these, there are plans for more Malinky Robot tales, according to Liew. “I'm working on the second book right now. The second book is titled ‘Bicycle’ and involves Atari and Oliver stealing a couple of bicycles to visit their friend Misha in the suburbs. They then tell their own versions of the biography of Mr Bon Bon; each in a different comic book style to reflect in part their different sensibilities. A preview of the book can be seen at: http://sonnyliew.com/bicycle2.html

“I'm not sure whether it'll be self published yet. Having a publisher take care of printing etc would of course be ideal, but we'll see how things go.”

As for more projects with Vertigo or other publishers, Liew said he’ll take it a step at a time. “I'm keeping my options open. Right now I'm doing some concept art for Lord of the Rings online (Vivendi/Turbine) and not worrying too much about the future.”

In the meantime, Liew hopes that comics fans would at least check out Malinky Robot. “It’s an off beat tale with rich pencil work and interestng characters, or something along those lines.”

Malinky Robot, a $3.00 comic with color cover and black-and-white interiors, comes out later this month.

[DCON]

wow!..... looks interresting.

[Cartoon Jay]

Wait...Dave Mazzuchelli teaches at RISD? I knew I should have gone there!

This looks great. Quirky, beautiful art and an interesting personal vision. Done deal. Consider me there.

[Jamie S. Rich]

I met Sonny at that San Diego, and everyone was blown away by the book. It's good to see it finally coming.

(And before anyone asks, I can't honestly say why Oni didn't jump on it. All I remember was talking to Sonny, and then we lost contact with one another.)

Has anyone else picked up on the fact that the title "Malinky Robot" is a reference to the final chapter of Burgess' "A Clockwork Orange," in which Alex realizes that being the folly of youth is akin to being "a malinky [small] robot who keeps running into the wall?" (Apologies for the butchered paraphrase, I last read this book several years ago.)

At any rate, if this is the kind of popcorn literacy we can expect from this work, I'll pass.

[MattBrady]

Originally posted by MrAlarm
At any rate, if this is the kind of popcorn literacy we can expect from this work, I'll pass.

wow. you assume that the comic has something to do with the phrase referenced in the title, and then, based only on that assumption, without reading the work, or even looking for more about it, decide that it's inferior?

wow. just wow.

MattB

[Jamie S. Rich]

Originally posted by MattBrady
wow. you assume that the comic has something to do with the phrase referenced in the title, and then, based only on that assumption, without reading the work, or even looking for more about it, decide that it's inferior?

wow. just wow.

MattB

Well, and even if the reference is correct, so what? It's not like it's a culturall insignicant piece of art. The book and the movie had a major impact on pop culture, both for its terrifying vision, the style of Kubrick's design, and Burgess' approach to language. Personally, I think the reference makes it even more interesting.

[FnordChan]

The thing that interests me most about this project - aside from the absolutely terrific art - is the source material Liew is using. I stumbled across a used copy of Fowler's San'ya Blues a while back myself, and found it to be a fascinating read, detailing a part of Tokyo that rarely (if ever) appears in Western media or pop culture. (I imagine it's quietly ignored in Japan as well, but couldn't say one way or the other.)

In short, I'm sublimely unconcered about the origin of the phrase "Malinky Robot" and terribly psyched for Liew's release later this month, so much so that I registered on these forums so I could gibber about my enthusiasm. Gibber, gibber, gibber.

FnordChan

[tstroup]

Just one correction on this article about this excellent book.

The writer said:
>>>DC/Vertigo exercised total faith in newcomer illustrator Sonny Liew when the imprint engaged Liew to draw My Faith in Frankie, a four-issue limited series written by Lucifer’s Mike Carey in January. This month, however, Liew’s Malinky Robot hits the US. <<

The book has actually been in the US since September as Cold Cut supplied retailers with it then. If you have one of the better retailers in your area that is.

Look for big things from Sonny.

- Tim Stroup
Cold Cut Distribution

[FIG]

This is looking awesome, the sketches anyways. I'm not to hot on the coloring but the sketching is awesome

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Originally posted by MattBrady
wow. you assume that the comic has something to do with the phrase referenced in the title, and then, based only on that assumption, without reading the work, or even looking for more about it, decide that it's inferior?

wow. just wow.

MattB
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First, an apology, then an explination. Upon further review, I've come to the conclusion that my original assumption that the title is a reference to "A Clockwork Orange" might be in error. The proper nadsat word for "small" is "malenky," not "malinky," and as I further scour my memory (I cannot find my copy of the actual book) I believe Alex was speaking of an unspecified wind-up toy rather than a "robot."

If my initial appraisal was indeed incorrect, than I deeply apologize for my presumptuous attack. I had just woken up, I was bleary-eyed, addle-pated and (obviously) grumpy. However, if it actually is a reference to Burgess' novel, then it is a misspelled, inappropriate, and poorly mounted one, and we have an even bigger problem, thus leading into our explanation:

The intent behind my original post was not to suggest that "A Clockwork Orange" is a poor book (it isn't) that "Malinky Robot" must be bad if it has anything to do with the situation expressed by that line in "A Clockwork Orange" (that criticism barley makes sense) or that a parallel between the two books is inappropriate (I have no way of knowing that.) My intent was to criticize thenotion of such a parallel. To further explain:

Unfortunately, comic book readers and creators don't seem to be the best-read people in the library. Certainly there are notable exceptions... but when vast fanfare is trumpeted over the announcement of a z-grade hack like Kevin J. Anderson stooping from his "bestselling" novels to write a couple comic books -- when this development is seen as a stab at cross-genre legitimacy, or "another great writer" entering the fold... well, you get the impression that these frenzied fans aren't reading "The Princeton Review."

And this is all well and good. Nobody said that you have to pass a lit test to be a comic fan or have opinions on what you like. But it pains me when someone (like I had assumed Mr. Liew had done) attempts to actually make a high-minded literary allusion, and then selects an obvious choice like "A Clockwork Orange."

Not that "A Clockwork Orange" isn't a good book (like I said above, it is) but, well, it's a bit tired and obvious, isn't it? Like "On The Road" or "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance," it's the kind of book that people (in particular fans of comic book narrative) gravitate too in High School, and the kind of book that ends up blowing their minds perhaps a bit too much (mostly, I'd guess, due to the movie) and then seems to become the zenith of their experience in prose -- evidenced by how often references from it are dusted-off and offered as proof of literary legitimacy.

Comic book writers -- even some of the better ones -- fall prey to this little sin of intellectual vanity a bit too often. Be it Jim Starlin constantly cribbing the most sound-byte friendly bits of Nietzsche or Marc Waid (whom I love, please don't get pissed Mr. Waid!) naming a comatose superhero "Endymion." These "allusions" are almost always marred by the clunky awkwardness inherent in people who are much more comfortable with pop-cultural references attempting to appropriate literary pedigrees their work is too small to fit. Just like when Thanos attempted to weild the power of the Infinity Gauntlet (in a fucking awesome story that our friend Mr. Starlin is much more adept at telling straight than speckling with wrongheaded Uberman references) it's just too much power for those without enough imagination to use it, especially those who are often motivated (and hindered) by ego and vanity.

So when I read the title of this work, I thought I detected that distinct whiff of desperate pomposity. It is just my wish that creators who decide to start playing to the expensive seats first consider the size of the venue. They're aim all-to-often falls embarrassingly short.

[sonny123]

it's not a reference to the Clockwork Orange...

and even if it had been, it'd still be alright

sonny
http://sonnyliew.com

[David Bird]

Has this been delayed? I'm looking for it, but I am not finding it anywhere.

Does it has a new release date?

[Benjamin Ong]

Originally posted by David Bird
Has this been delayed? I'm looking for it, but I am not finding it anywhere.

Does it has a new release date?

The first Malinky Robot: Stinky Blue Fish came out in 2004.

The second book, Robot was released a few weeks ago.