Just as comics are finally gaining acceptance in the West as an art form that is no longer ‘just for kids,’ here in Thailand the comics – which has long enjoyed a large readership of all ages similar to Japan – is also enjoying a sort of renaissance thanks to exceptional mature work by young cartoonists such as Wisut Ponnimit (วิศุทธิ์ พรนิมิตร) whose excellent “hesheit” cartoon series was recently translated into Japanese and released in Japan, both in book format and DVD format, making him the first Thai cartoonist in history to receive such accolades.
Today I would like to introduce you, my English-speaking audience, to another superb Thai cartoonist who deserves international acclaim, but is unlikely to get it anytime soon since his works remain in Thai. His name is Ongart Chaicharncheep (องอาจ ชัยชาญชีพ), and his comics series is called “Hua Taeng Mo” – “Watermelon Head” in English. This series stars a watermelon-head guy who is a witty observer of the human condition, a sympathetic confidant of those in need, and a myriad other things when he switches occupations. We do not yet know why his head is a watermelon – that is a mystery that the cartoonist hinted will be explained in future episodes.
There is no way to prove how good cartoons are except by showing them, so I have translated one of my favorite episodes, “Miracle No. 2,” into English and posted all the panels as GIF files below. Just click on each thumbnail to read the full two-page spread. Enjoy! 🙂
Just as comics are finally gaining acceptance in the West as an art form that is no longer ‘just for kids,’ here in Thailand the comics – which has long enjoyed a large readership of all ages similar to Japan – is also enjoying a sort of renaissance thanks to exceptional mature work by young cartoonists such as Wisut Ponnimit (วิศุทธิ์ พรนิมิตร) whose excellent “hesheit” cartoon series was recently translated into Japanese and released in Japan, both in book format and DVD format, making him the first Thai cartoonist in history to receive such accolades.
Today I would like to introduce you, my English-speaking audience, to another superb Thai cartoonist who deserves international acclaim, but is unlikely to get it anytime soon since his works remain in Thai. His name is Ongart Chaicharncheep (องอาจ ชัยชาญชีพ), and his comics series is called “Hua Taeng Mo” – “Watermelon Head” in English. This series stars a watermelon-head guy who is a witty observer of the human condition, a sympathetic confidant of those in need, and a myriad other things when he switches occupations. We do not yet know why his head is a watermelon – that is a mystery that the cartoonist hinted will be explained in future episodes.
There is no way to prove how good cartoons are except by showing them, so I have translated one of my favorite episodes, “Miracle No. 2,” into English and posted all the panels as GIF files below. Just click on each thumbnail to read the full two-page spread. Enjoy! 🙂
