Hong Kong Island Comic Master

Chapter 155 Establishment of the Association
"Crackling..."

The once deserted one-story old-style building at 13A Caine Road at the foot of Victoria Peak is now very lively.

Caine Road is a road in the mid-levels of Hong Kong Island. It is located at the foot of Victoria Peak. It connects Albert Road, Arbuthnot Road and the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens to the east, and connects Bonham Road, Hospital Road and Seymour Road to the west. Hong Kong Island Church is named after William Caine, the first magistrate of Hong Kong Island.

Amidst the noisy sound of firecrackers, under the gaze of a group of reporters and cameras, and amid the applause of the crowd, seven cartoonists, including Li Wannian, completed the cutting.

The reason why it is so lively is because today is the day when the Hong Kong Comics Association was established.

From the time Li Wannian proposed the association idea to the official implementation of the comics association, it only took less than a month, which is very fast.

This is mainly because when Li Wannian joined forces with Huang Yulang and Shangguan Xiaobao, the three of them have controlled 80% of the comics industry in Hong Kong Island. It can almost be said that other comics forces in Hong Kong Island cannot compare with them.

Standing on the stage to complete the cutting at this time were the seven members of the Hong Kong Comics Association, including Li Wannian, Huang Yulang and Shangguan Xiaobao, as well as Wang Ze, Li Huizhen and Guan Shanmei.

However, none of these comics, which require works and fame, are standing in the C position. Standing there is an old man who is over seventy years old and has white hair.

Although the old man looks full of vicissitudes of life, he exudes a spirit that has experienced thousands of sails.

This person's name is Li Fanfu, a famous Chinese cartoonist. His original names were Li He and Li Dezun, and his pen names were Gu Jiyan and Chen Fuxing. He had a studio called "Changchun Studio" and also called himself "Changchun Jushi".

Li Fanfu was originally from Lingnan. In 1940, due to the outbreak of war and the tense situation, he moved to Hong Kong Island to seek refuge. At that time, he and a large number of leading domestic cartoonists established the famous "Hong Kong Island Branch of the National Cartoon Writers Association" on Hong Kong Island. ”.

The branch once hosted the "Modern Chinese Comic Exhibition", the first comic exhibition in the history of Hong Kong Island.

The theme of the exhibition was the Anti-Japanese War. There were more than 30 participating painters, all of whom were top-notch cartoonists in China. The exhibition lasted for less than four days and attracted more than 3 visitors.

It can be said that it ignited the people's love for comics in Hong Kong for the first time.

The location of their branch is the small building behind them.

Nowadays, times have changed. If it weren't for Li Fanfu, others would really not know about this place, let alone the glorious deeds that happened here.

In 1959, after many cartoonists returned to the mainland, Li Fanfu did not leave. Instead, he jointly published the bimonthly "Comics World" with many cartoonists, which once again set off a boom in the comics industry in Hong Kong Island.

It can be said that Li Fanfu represents the first generation of cartoonists in Hong Kong Island comics and is the founder of Hong Kong Island comics.

Therefore, it is most appropriate for him to serve as the president of the Hong Kong Comics Association!

Li Wanshui spent a lot of effort to invite the old man out of the mountain.

"Mr. Li, why do you want to come back as the president of the Hong Kong Comics Association this time?"

Needless to say, the person who asked the question was of course a reporter from Phoenix TV.

"When Mr. Li came to me, I refused. However, when he told me about the development of Hong Kong Island Comics, I felt that if Hong Kong Island Comics needs me, I can still stand up and stand up for this final success. One shift at a time!”

During the interview, Li Fanfu smiled and looked very pleased. Apparently he was very satisfied with the establishment of the Hong Kong Comics Association and was willing to take the initiative to stand up.

In addition to the interview with Li Fanfu, several other committee members were also interviewed.

"Mr. Huang, may I ask why you joined this association this time?"

"I am also a member of Hong Kong Island Comics. It is my duty to do things that are conducive to the development of Hong Kong Island Comics!" "Mr. Shangguan, what are your expectations for the Comics Association?"

"Although there are many comics practitioners in Hong Kong Island today, there are very few truly high-level practitioners. I hope to help young cartoonists grow up as soon as possible and become the mainstay of Hong Kong Island comics."

Several committee members were more or less surrounded by reporters, but the one who really attracted the most attention was Li Wannian.

In terms of current achievements and popularity, he stands out among everyone. It is a pity that he is too young and is not even a minor now. Otherwise, Li Wannian would definitely be enough to serve as the president.

"May I ask, Mr. Long Live, what is the purpose of establishing this comic association?"

"Of course it will help the development of Hong Kong Island's comics industry. Although Hong Kong Island's comics industry seems to be prosperous, there are various problems, such as unhealthy competition, piracy and infringement, lack of formal training, etc. I hope the association can regulate it It will help the healthy and rapid development of Hong Kong comics!"

"Mr. Banzai, I heard that your "Dragon Ball" comic has been well received in Neon recently. Can you tell us about it?"

"Sorry, today is the day when the Comics Association was established. We won't talk about anything else."

The reporters were obviously more concerned about the sensation caused by "Dragon Ball" in Neon, but seeing that Li Wannian was avoiding talking about his own affairs and unable to force him, they had no choice but to continue asking about the association's affairs.

"Then what is the first thing to do after the association is established?"

"It will naturally help the cultivation of young cartoonists. The association is ready to cooperate with five universities, including the University of Hong Kong, and more than ten primary and secondary schools, including Gezhi Academy, to cultivate young painting enthusiasts..."

In general, despite the fact that on the day when the Comics Association was established, there was a lot of excitement and a lot of fighting here, but it did not cause much waves among ordinary people in Hong Kong Island.

For ordinary people, they only pay attention to the content in comics. Who would notice the author behind the comics?
As for the comics association composed of comics authors, no one cares.

However, the news of the establishment of the association was like a bombshell for the inner circle of Hong Kong comics.

It's simple, because on the day the association was established, more than fifty cartoonists applied to join the association.

Including the three magazines of Two-dimensional, "Jade Dynasty" and many other comic magazines and daily serial authors in Hong Kong Island are among them.

The momentum was so great that some wandering cartoonists were shocked by it.

It seems that anyone who is not a cartoonist of this association will not be eligible to be serialized on Hong Kong Island in the future.

On the same day, the Hong Kong Comics Association also announced the membership criteria.

In addition to paying the 50 mosquito membership fee, you need to meet the following three requirements:
First, adults of Chinese origin who are over 18 years old;
Second, people with no criminal record or social background;
Third, the author must be an author whose works have been serialized for at least one month in three magazines of Two-dimensional Magazine, "Jade Dynasty" and other [-] comic magazines, newspapers and other publications.

When this condition came out, it was not targeted at the cartoonist, but at the publication production organization that serialized cartoons.

In other words, cartoonists are only eligible to become members of the association if they serialize their works in publications recognized by the association.

In this way, over time, new cartoonists will definitely take these publications as their primary targets when submitting articles. The ending of publications that are not on the list can be imagined, and they will only become more and more in decline until they are eliminated by society.

If things go on like this, the Hong Kong Comics Association will inevitably cover the sky with one hand on Hong Kong Island. A behemoth has grown up rapidly and exposed its fangs to the entire feeling.

(End of this chapter)