老夫子漫畫 Blog

  As founder of OMQ Zmedia Ltd.--the company responsible for OMQ's intellectual-property rights, publications, images, cartoons and films--58-year-old Wong said Dec. 13, 2007 that he feels a strong sense of responsibility to carry on his father's ideas by bringing OMQ to a wider international audience. "Although my siblings joked I should follow in father's footsteps and become a cartoonist, I never considered working in the field of comics," he said. "I dare not draw cartoons because I can't do it better than my father."

  For Wong--a Hong Kong-born architect who spent over 10 years studying and working in United States--such a self-effacing admission is understandable given the immense popularity of his father's creation with Chinese readers in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia and North America.

First published in Hong Kong's Sing Tao Daily in 1962, OMQ became an instant hit with readers who regaled in the awkward social situations the characters were placed in. One time, Master Q--who usually wore traditional Chinese attire--caused a rambunctious scene by refusing to change his clothes for a black-tie event. On another occasion, he put himself and the food-loving Big Potato in a ridiculous jam by taking a world map on a climbing trip in the suburbs. The unorthodox nature of Master Q's handling of such problems and the reactions he provoked from others kept the laughs rolling.

   The overwhelming response to OMQ in Hong Kong saw the publication of a bound edition in 1964. The initial run of 6,000 copies sold out in just two days and subsequent issues could always be found on the local best-seller list. Although Taiwan had to wait until 1965 for its taste of OMQ, the comic experienced similar success on these shores and is still popular today.

For many Taiwanese, OMQ's four to six frames of malarkey were a welcome diversion from the pressures of day-to-day living. In a report by Taiwan Panorama, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Jao Yung-ching said he discovered OMQ while preparing for university exams and it helped him through many a dark day. He explained that reading OMQ really gave him a lift and even today, he carries the comic book in his briefcase.

   According to Wong, there are two main passions in his life: OMQ and architecture. On one hand, he runs OMQ Zmedia as a way to extend the life of his father's work, and on the other, he stays in touch with his professional passion by teaching architecture at Shih Chien University. "Architecture is about more than just building houses," he said. "It can be expressed in different forms, such as concept, culture and art." This explains why Wong is drawn to artistic creations, like sculpture and painting.

  For the multi-talented architect, art is little more than an expression of the creator's mentality and life experiences. Therefore, Wong claims that cartoons--with their long history--are a valid form of artistic expression and deserve to be taken seriously by the art world. "Around 10,000 years ago, the Upper Cave Man drew animals on the wall to praise nature and the wonder of creation," he said, referring to the Paleolithic man of China. "If you look back throughout history, the drawings on a window frame or on the ceiling of a temple were all cartoons."

In comparing cartoons to telling a story, Wong said: "Just like keeping a diary, some people use words to capture their feelings, while cartoonists employ simple pictures." Thus he is always on the lookout for innovative ways to record and express his life experiences.

   Walt Disney once said: "I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing--that it was all started by a mouse" when asked about the secret of his organization's success. For Wong, this message could not be truer as he sets about fashioning OMQ's international business with an eye firmly on the model used by Walt and Roy Disney to create a phenomenal global animation, publication and amusement-park empire.

   Wong said that Disney's corporate success has great appeal for him and is in keeping with his personal philosophy on life and work. "I feel like it's my job to make people happy and help them fulfill their dreams," he said. "The spirit of OMQ is about giving urbanites the opportunity to laugh at the antics of Master Q while reflecting on many aspects of their own lives."

   Despite the immense joy that OMQ brings to the lives of its readers, producing the strip was by no means a walk in the park. Wong's father was completely dedicated, usually toiling over his creation for at least 10 hours a day. Wong said that after OMQ first became popular, the publisher upped demand for production, in a marked contrast to the less famous cartoonists who could barely eek out a living from their comics. "In a few East Asian countries like Japan, cartoonists are respected in society," he said. "But they are still excluded from the ranks of professionals." Wong explained that because of unstable income, being a cartoonist was not considered an ideal or promising career, so most parents discouraged their children from entering the field.

   While Wong's father never taught him how to draw cartoons, it was not because he wanted to block his son from getting into the industry--it was because of the demands on his time. "He was far too busy to talk about his creation," Wong said.

   Busy or not, time waits for no man and Wong's hard-working father soon began experiencing failing eyesight and shaking hands--sure signs that the end of his career as a cartoonist was looming. Determined to help his father and extend the life of OMQ, Wong first set about organizing the comic's massive back catalogue by securing trademark and intellectual-property rights in several different countries. In the process, he stumbled across numerous pirate publications--especially in Taiwan and China. But instead of accusing the publishers of misconduct, he adopted a positive attitude and said, "All this means is that many people like to read OMQ."

   Aware of parents' concerns regarding the presence of violence and pornography in comics, Wong ensures that OMQ includes topics relating to local culture and lifestyle. For instance, Master Q takes a walk in the hip entertainment and shopping district of Simending in Taipei and goes suit shopping. And in only three to four strips, the origins of the long traditional Chinese "cheongsam" dresses and Western mini skirts were contrasted. Additionally, idioms or slang were illustrated in simple, easy-to-understand pictures without too many words, overturning the reputation comic books have been lumped with being educational black holes.

   Wong said that social responsibility weighs heavily on his mind when thinking of ways to expand OMQ's scope and sustain the core of his father's work. He defends parents' rights to ban their children from reading comic books without any reason, but believes presenting serious literature in a relaxing comic-book format could be the key to bringing comics into the mainstream. "Instead of suppression, we need to have an open mind when reviewing the content of different comics."

Write to Sandra Shih at sandrashih@mail.gio.gov.tw