Foreign countries love this flavor, and Japan's applause is also a big hit? Can award-winning comics also sell well? ft. Cartoonist Ke Youxi, Vice President Lu Junwei of the Academy of Culture and Policy

Author｜ Cali (literary worker)

In the past year or two, maybe when you swipe your phone, maybe when you watch a news station, or when you scroll through a computer website page, will you often see a similar report with a headline that reads: "Taiwan Comics Advances Internationally" , "Taiwan Man Rise", etc., have aroused your curiosity, and even made you contribute a "like" or "share"?

➤Taiwan cartoonist surprises you

In recent years, the achievements of Taiwan cartoonists in international awards have indeed been frequently and uninterruptedly good news.

For example, in 2020, cartoonist Wei Beiruoming's "Funeral Concerto" and Ruan Guangmin's "Magician on the Overpass" won the Grand Gold Award and Silver Award respectively at the International Cartoon Awards sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs; in 2021, cartoonist Wu Shihong won the rookie award at the Brussels Comic-Con in Belgium for "Mountain Wind, Sea Rain".

➤Applause is not a positive relationship with awards

For creators, if the work can win awards and make the outside world applaud, it is naturally the best. However, when the applause is over, can those enthusiasm become the basis for the audience?

This year's cartoonist Ko Yuxi, who won the silver award at the Japan International Comic Awards for "Doctor Clown: Say Goodbye for the Last Time", believes that it depends on the nature of the award.

In 2012, Ke Youxi wrote "Make a Wish!" "Da Xi" won the Silver Award at the Japan International Manga Award, which is the first time a Taiwanese cartoonist has won the Japan International Manga Award. "Make a wish! Daxi has also won many other comic competitions, such as the Golden Comic Award for Best Girls Comics, the Golden Comic Awards of the Year, and the China Golden Dragon Award for Best Girls Comics.

Ke Youxi said that maybe it was the creation of "Make a Wish!" Daxi has accumulated a certain number of readers through other works before, perhaps this work has won awards in many places, or it may be that people have a strong habit of buying books at that time, "Make a Wish!" After winning the award, Da Xi has indeed increased its sales and opened up its popularity. "For example, some people will come to talk about cross-industry cooperation, writing novels, and licensing of film and television."

At present, the benefits of "Doctor Clown: Saying Goodbye for the Last Time" after winning the award are still under observation. Ke Youxi said that, taking the Taiwan Golden Man Award as an example, although the Golden Man Award self-expects as three golds, its popularity among the public is not very high, "Then the external benefits of winning the Golden Man Award may not be high. So high. But getting international awards is not necessarily rich, and the bonuses of the Golden Comic Awards will be another more direct help to creators.”

➤ After the awards, where will Taiman go?

Lu Junwei, vice president of the Cultural Content Strategy Institute, believes that the lineup of comic awards will often affect the follow-up development of the awards. General awards can be roughly divided into popular vote, creative professional, and investment awards.

Works that are voted for by readers' popular votes are often able to quickly enter the market because of their grasp of popular tastes. Lu Junwei pointed out that creative professional awards, such as the Golden Man Awards, are selected by professional industry insiders, and they may not be able to be quickly marketed. "But this does not mean that the winning works cannot be accepted by the market. audience, so marketing is needed.”

Xie Yilin, head of the Content Promotion Division of the Academy of Culture and Policy, said that works that have won international awards often get a lot of consultation opportunities in terms of IP licensing. .

It is an ideal goal to realize the popularity of the award-winning works. If the benefit of the award cannot be seen for the time being, Ke Youxi believes that the award is actually a kind of medal. When it comes to new works, it will be smoother.” After all, it is not easy for Taiwan cartoonists to take on another case and create a full-time and stable creation at this stage. If the cartoonists cannot fully devote themselves to the creation, “the quality is really good enough for us to continue. Did you win an award?"

Xie Yilin said that there are still many areas that need to be strengthened in the basic comic industry environment in Taiwan, and the Academy of Cultural Affairs also hopes to improve the conditions for content production for creators by cultivating comic assistants and providing creative venues. It will feel as if Taiwan dramas are booming.”

"The quality of Taiwanese creators has never been worse." Xie Yilin said that the same is true for the comics industry. In the future, it is also expected that the production of comics in Taiwan will increase steadily. Regardless of whether they win the award or not, I hope that more works can be licensed overseas, so that more people can see Taiwan The soft power of comic creators. ●( The original text was first published on the OPENBOOK official website on 2022-08-08)