Today marks the 43rd anniversary of the founding of Irony and Humor.
43 years ago, our ancestors began to cultivate this small garden with the original intention of "life can not be without irony, nor can there be no humor".
In 43 years, we have experienced greatness and challenges. But what remains unchanged is the insistence on using the two sharp tools of irony and humor, and doing a good job of microscopy and scalpel for social problems.
Today, Mr. Liu Manhua, a famous cartoonist who has accompanied the "Satire" newspaper for 42 years, uses words and paintings to tell his "marriage" with the "satire" newspaper, and also recalls the past of the "satire" newspaper.
In the future, "Irony and Humor" will carry forward the tradition, have the courage to innovate, and continue to write new glory in the new era.
- Editor
Poster /Liu Peng
The charm of "Irony and Humor"
Text | Liu Manhua
I first met with The Irony newspaper
The inauguration of Irony and Humor on January 20, 1979 marked the thawing of Chinese comics frozen by the Cultural Revolution. As a result, this special issue of comics under the People's Daily led to the spurt development of Chinese comics in the following ten years.
My first comic was published in Satire and Humor on June 5, 1980, and since then I have embarked on a long journey to create comics. I've loved scribbles since I was a kid, but I don't know what it's for, and I don't know what a comic is; after the launch of "Satire and Humor", I saw that the paintings on it were very interesting, and I wanted to try it. At that time, I often went to Beijing Station with a few little buddies who liked to draw to draw sketches, but often when I was painting, the people around me disappeared - they all ran to my side to watch. So, I did a "artistic" processing of this small piece of life, replaced the onlookers with children who played football, drew a four-panel comic "Untitled", and had the courage to send it to "Irony and Humor", and published it unexpectedly (Picture 1).
Figure 1 | Untitled The first work published in the newspaper Satire
When I received the sample newspaper sent by the newsroom and saw that the three words "Liu Manhua" were printed on the newspaper, the beauty in my heart and the satisfaction in my spirit are still fresh in my memory. You must know that in the 1980s, people were full of respect for the lead characters in newspapers, and the works of so-and-so were in newspapers, which was a particularly glorious thing! What I didn't expect was that one day soon after, I heard someone shouting downstairs: "Liu Manhua, take the stamp!" Inexplicably, I looked out the window at a postman on a bicycle, and I asked, "Are you calling me?" "Are you Liu Manhua?" Come down and get the money transfer, take the stamp. "But I'm a high school student who hasn't graduated yet, what kind of stamp is there?" In the end, after signing and fingerprinting a set, I got a remittance slip - an 8 yuan manuscript fee from "Irony and Humor".
It was definitely a "huge sum" for me at the time. At that time, the apprentices who worked in the factory were only paid 18.5 yuan a month. If you draw a picture, you will get a small half a month's salary, which is really a huge surprise! I thought to myself at that time: Not only will you let your little paintings be reported, but you will also be paid money, you will be famous and profitable, and you will be satisfied with both spiritual and material things, and there will be such a good thing in the world! In this way, under the "temptation" of "fame and fortune" in "Irony and Humor", I firmly embarked on the broad road of "fame and fortune" in comic creation.
Young people often think and do things with impulsivity, and this avenue soon made me experience the consequences of impulsiveness — in the months after the first comic was published, I always submitted the same amount of submissions as I did. While receiving rejections, I deeply appreciate that comics that make you laugh when you read them make you cry in pain when you draw them! The avenue is not prosperous, fame and fortune are difficult to obtain, and I began to wonder if I was the material for drawing comics. Fortunately, I didn't give up. I often read the works of the older generation of cartoonists in the newspaper, pondering their methods of conception and expression, and gradually, there were fewer rejections and more newspapers, and I seemed to be a little bit started.
The "Irony" newspaper led to the development of Chinese comics
In the 1980s, driven by "Irony and Humor", Chinese comics entered a period of great prosperity. It's common for people to line up at newsstands to buy "Satire and Humor." Many newspapers across the country have also opened comic columns, and the demand for comics is very large, and the number of comic book authors is also increasing. "Satire and Humor" not only led to the development of national comics, but also the editorial board was keenly aware that comics experienced more than ten years of blockade, and the overall level of creation was not high. As a result, the "Irony" newspaper began to give the author specific guidance on the creation of comics.
On September 20 and October 20, 1979, the "Irony" newspaper published the article "Various Forms of Comics", which introduced the excellent comic works of foreign and Chinese cartoonists of the older generation. The article reads: "Now that we introduce these comics, we are not asking us to imitate them, but comics are not only like the way we draw them now... They all have their own formal styles that can be used as references. It is hoped that the majority of authors will have more new creations in the form and style of comics through creative practice. "This not only opened the eyes of comic book authors, but also increased the level of appreciation."
Subsequently, Hua Junwu's creative experience was serialized to talk about "Comic Miscellaneous", which is specially for beginners to learn cartoonists. Subsequently, many guiding articles by old cartoonists were published, such as Li Binsheng's "Use the Language in Good Comics", Yingtao's "Figurative Accuracy", He Wei's "Seeing Kung Fu in Ordinary Times", etc., all of which brought great help to us young comic book authors at that time. "Irony and Humor" of this period, both in front of readers and in the eyes of comic book authors, shows her seductive charm. "Irony and Humor" has become a symbol of Chinese comics under the creation of Yingtao, Jiang Fan, Miao Di, Xu Pengfei, Xia Qingquan and other comic predecessors.
convey
peep
Seek common ground
Happy birthday to "Irony"
Time flies, and I don't know if my childish work was not published in Satire and Humor 42 years ago, and if I will still be on the road to comics. But I knew that my path was inseparable from the publication of Untitled. The so-called "fame and fortune" is by no means the reason why I have been insisting on comic book creation. It turns out that drawing traditional comics is hard to come by. If you really want to investigate the reason, I am afraid that only the phrase "love can withstand the long years." When you delve into the comics, you will find that her charm is endless. Her way of thinking, her satirical humor, her philosophical profundity, her form of expression, are something that she will pursue with her whole life.
Today, "Irony and Humor" is 43 years old. She has grown from the original black-and-white 4 editions to the current 16-edition in color, becoming the oldest comic book publication in China.
Today, I expose myself as an author who was accidentally led to the path of comics, documenting her historical role in the Chinese comic book industry.
In this article, I would like to express my deep respect for "Irony and Humor" and wish her a new charm in the new era. (The author is the deputy director of the Comic Arts Committee of the China Artists Association)
Same bed
bridge
People keep their heads down and unconsciously move over time. If you ask where the time goes, the people of the whole country look at the mobile phone.
● Fishing is not for hunger, but only for urgent needs. He meets the old cat every day, and the fish is on his own.