SINGAPORE — On February 15th 1942, the week-long battle for Singapore culminated with the successful invasion of Japanese forces. Marking not only the largest surrender of British-led forces in history, it has also come to be one of the most significant moments in Singapore history.
Today, 80 years since the beginning of the Japanese occupation, Singaporeans still remember this date, and have since commemorated Total Defence Day for 38 years–a reminder of the importance of our key defence strategies, as well as a celebration of our progress over the decades.
Inspired by the incidents of 1942, as well as movies such as Pearl Harbour and Titanic, Leroy Lam detailed his very own Singapore-set historical romance short story with Hero, written in 2013. Following Yaacob, a soldier in Lieutenant Adnan’s forces in the hours leading up to the national hero’s eventual demise, the tale focuses on Yaacob’s driving motivation to survive the war: his wife, and the home he has dreamt of building with her.
Says Leroy, “Singapore’s history and Total Defence ideology are recurrent matters that hold a prominent significance in our everyday lives. Similarly, comics have maintained a strong purpose in telling visual stories in dynamic and engaging ways. Simultaneously employing the imagination of readers similar to books, while providing imagery much like film or television comics allow for the best of both story-telling platforms to come together.”
Adapted for comics by Ryan Mennen of CS Comics, penciller James Pereria, inker Azri Djokoloro, and colourist Ada Chan, with lettering by Mennen, Hero boasts a wholly Singaporean creative from source to adaptation.
“Beyond this initial publication run, I plan to use this as a teaching tool to not only reiterate the importance of remembering our history, but to also cultivate an understanding of its role in rich story-telling.”
Launched on Kickstarter with a goal of S$888 to fund publication, Hero has since raised over S$2000 (>$240) with more than 40 backers across Singapore, the United States, Australia, and more. The novella can be purchased at three different pledge tiers: $8 for a digital copy (included with all physical copies), $18 for a physical copy, and $188 for a copy of each of the nine cover editions with a custom cover sketch.
Consisting 24 pages of fully-coloured illustrations, the first physical print of the original short story, and a Comic Art & Story-Telling (CAST) “making-of” gallery, Leroy’s debut graphic novella is an expansive collection of engaging characters and educational content.
In addition to the dynamic illustrations within the book, Hero boasts eight covers, illustrated by the primary art team, as well as artists born in every decade of Singapore’s history following World War 2: Collin Yap, Haider Amir, Kang Jing & Alan Bay, Tasha Leah Santiago, Zehe Abdul Rahman, and Leroy’s own son Brennan Lam, with more artists to be announced.
Hero’s Kickstarter 31-day campaign concludes on 3rd February, with distribution expected to commence before the 15th of February and can be accessed here: http://kck.st/32Kbjqv.
About the Author
Leroy Lam has been teaching for almost 20 years in schools like Rosyth, Taonan (Gifted Education Program), Konghwa, and Macpherson Primary. He was also a lead trainer and curriculum designer for LiteracyPlus and Monsters Under the Bed. He specialises in English Composition/Continuous Writing, having spent most of his teaching career with upper primary students taking the PSLE.
Leroy has exhibited his best practises at the MOE Excel Fest and has also won the Ministry of Education’s Innergy Award while he was in Macpherson Primary, for Gamifying education.
Leroy is also a writer. He has published a short story compilation entitled Saga, which can be purchased in local bookstores. He was also first place in a short story competition organised in Singapore by online publishing firm Notion Press.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leroythechalkboardacademy
About the Publisher
CS Comics is a Singaporean comic book publisher dedicated to producing original locally-created comic books for a global audience. Working with non-profit organisation The Fandom Menace, CS Comics emphasises on content creation by independent talents seeking to develop and produce original content.
Their all-Singaporean superhero flagship series, Crimson Star debuted with an ashcan in May 2018 and successfully funded a full origin graphic novel in 2021.
Website: https://www.crimsonstar.sg/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crimsonstarcomics/
About The Fandom Menace
The Fandom Menace seeks to empower creators to realise their ideas through a collaborative process allowing interaction and feedback with and from our impassioned and experienced team.
With an intrinsic focus on arts, music, and all things geeky, writing for television and comics are some of what The Fandom Menace specialises in.
Website: https://thefandommenace.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefandommenacesg/
