For another account of the rising webcomic and Asian American webcomic genre, I spoke with aspiring Asian American webcomic author Alissa Yamazaki.
What do you think of the webcomic genre, why is it so special, and what are your opinions concerning Asian American webcomic artists and the issues they bring up?
AY: Webcomics are cool because they are more accessible you can read pretty much anyone’s, and they don’t have to be all professionals cos some of the best ones can be from non-professional artists as well. The web is also a good domain for comics because you can find any comic that fits any sort of audience, so it’s not restricted like having to find something at B&N or seeing the same ones in the newspaper every day. It’s also good because webcomics are sort of interactive between the audience and the artist (forums, email), and you can see ideas progress as the artist updates the comics daily (or however often they do), so I feel like it seems more alive than books or newspaper comics.
Do you think they still face problems of finding an audience similar to say other forms of media because they’re a niche market (the webcomics that may focus on Asian American issues)? Which Asian American webcomics do you know about?
AY: I only know like Tatsuya Ishida, S.A.M., maybe Jennifer Babcock but she’s HAPA and she’s more into girly things, and only rarely mentions her acquaintance with the Japanese culture. They’re a lot of times outlets that express political and cultural views but do so in a good humorous manner. They provide an insight into a (though not all) Asian American opinions.
Do you think it can serve as part of a new medium of expression for discussing/promoting discussion of Asian American issues? Do you think these webcomics, and webcomics in general are here to stay?
AY: It’s definitely a good progressive way to promote awareness of Asian American issues (in most cases that’s S.A.M.), though the people have to be involved in forums and actively talk in order to do so. they can’t be forum-lurkers. Unless that happens the message won’t be at its strongest but then again, I think some of the best ways to reach someone’s mind can be through humor. So as long as these (ok, maybe it’s just S.A.M. and Sinfest) artists keep on doing work that touch people’s minds, webcomics are an excellent form of expressing the Asian American opinion. As long as they don’t suck too much artistically, and as long as they don’t go racist or extremely politically taboo, webcomics will stay. but the crappy ones won’t.
Do you think you can compare the genre of webcomics to something similar? Like a similar medium?
AY: Books, comedy, art. I feel like it relates a lot to comedy. I mean, they’re like short mini-sketches on paper. Also, you can read them any time anywhere as long as there’s internet connection, unlike books or art. Or stand-up. I’m looking at Margaret Cho and I feel like a lot of these things she talks about have much in common with the points brought up in Asian American webcomics.
