Huang Xiangong
Comics are an important kind of painting in modern and contemporary Chinese art, and their wide social dissemination, great influence, and audience are incomparable to other forms of painting. Comics in the modern sense of our country are the products of foreign culture, which were indiscriminately coveted in the late Qing Dynasty, matured in the Republic of China period, and are closely related to the changes in modern Chinese society, with strong realism characteristics.
The creation and dissemination of comics is inseparable from the distribution of new media newspapers. The publication of comics in China has continued to expand from the sporadic publication of newspapers and periodicals in the early days to the publication of professional comic magazines, and the social influence of comics has been expanding, and it has increasingly become a cultural phenomenon. Especially in the 1930s, comic magazines sprang up, forming a publishing boom. Many newspapers and periodicals during the Republic of China period regularly or irregularly set up columns for comic works, and the advent of comic magazines not only enriched the diversity of Chinese art magazines with its professionalism, but also with its journalistic, critical and humorous characteristics, making it have strong social value in addition to artistry, and is an important media that reflects the face of the times.
Funny Pictorial
Publishing of Chinese comics centered on Shanghai
Officially as the name of the painting genre, comics first appeared in Newspapers and Periodicals in Shanghai, and the most influential was that in 1925, when Zheng Zhenduo presided over the organ journal of the Literary Research Society, "Literature Weekly", Feng Zikai's sketches were published one after another from May onwards, marked as "comics".
The generation of comics in the modern Chinese sense is inseparable from the nourishment of the urban cultural environment. After the opening of ports in modern China, coastal cities quickly became regional economic centers and cultural centers. With the import of Western culture, comics first appeared in the lives of Westerners in China. As a new type of media, newspapers and periodicals are publications that adapt to urban cultural consumption. Since the late Qing Dynasty, in Hong Kong, Macao, Guangzhou, Shanghai and other cities, a number of early Chinese newspapers and periodicals have been born, becoming the main carrier of comic publishing. On the basis of the publication of newspapers and periodicals, the role and influence of comics have become increasingly apparent, so that readers gradually understand the paintings that were called "satirical paintings", "satirical paintings", "allegorical paintings", "laughing paintings", "harmonic paintings", "funny paintings" and "time paintings" at that time. At that time, in addition to the Chinese newspapers and periodicals published a number of cartoons with distinct characteristics of the times, the newspapers and periodicals founded by foreigners in China were also one of the main gardens of comics, and in the process of dissemination, Western-style comics not only broadened the horizons of Chinese readers, but also influenced the creation of Chinese comic authors, from which they learned and learned the techniques of foreign comics, and enriched the creative conception and expression means of Chinese comics.
At the end of the Qing Dynasty, the number of comics published in the minchu newspapers showed an increasing trend, especially after the establishment of pictorial newspapers other than newspapers, the status of comics was strengthened, and comic publications appeared. For example, of the 36 volumes of the Pengshen Annual Pictorial published by Shanghai Shishi Bao, the twentieth volume is "Allegorical Paintings", which contains 80 political satirical cartoons published by The Current Affairs Newspaper in 1908 (PengShen Year). In the process, China's first generation of cartoonists gradually came to the fore. In the artistic atmosphere of the fusion of Chinese and Western cultures, they not only inherited the traditional Chinese painting techniques, but also absorbed the style of foreign comics, pioneered the exploration of early Chinese comic creation, and cultivated Chinese comic readers. Although the number of comic works published in newspapers and periodicals is limited and not large-scale, after many newspapers and periodicals have imitated them, various types of comics have gradually become an indispensable part of newspapers and periodicals, and are one of the points of view for readers. Therefore, with the continuous accumulation of scattered comic works published in newspapers and periodicals, the reading interest of readers has also increased, and the advent of comic special issues is naturally a matter of course.
In the artistic ecological environment of comics, the political and historical background of society is an important factor in promoting its development. Since the Renaissance, in Europe, in the struggle against autocracy, democratic rights and personal freedom, cartoons have played an important role as one of the weapons of struggle. China's anti-imperialist and anti-feudal struggles, which began in the late Qing Dynasty, also used the weapon of criticism as comics. During the Xinhai Revolution and the May Fourth Movement, sharp social contradictions and complex political struggles provided many realistic materials for the creation of cartoons, and revolutionaries and artists not only used words to fight against the Qing government and invaders, but also expressed their views on social issues through cartoons to point to clear critical and critical needles. For example, in 1898, the "Whole Map of the Current Situation" published in the Hong Kong "FuRen Wenshe Editorial Journal" was re-painted and published in many newspapers and periodicals under the name of "Map of the Current Situation" and "Map of the Division of China", which had a wide impact. Therefore, whether in the West or China, the rise and development of comics reflected the social reality at that time and reflected people's critical awareness of the contradictions in reality, which is a common law of Chinese and foreign art history.
Therefore, on the soil of the social revolutionary struggle, the scattered publication of comic works in newspapers and periodicals can no longer carry the emerging creation and the reading needs of readers, so professional comic magazines came into being, and formed a Chinese comic magazine publishing pattern centered on Shanghai.
A comic magazine in the midst of a social change of old and new
Chinese comic magazine publishing has significant spatial and temporal characteristics. From the geographical distribution of spatial publishing, first published in China's coastal ports and semi-colonies, it is greatly affected by external factors, and the main publishing places are Hong Kong, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Tianjin, Chongqing, Guilin and other cities. According to the number of publications and the background of publication, its stage is also very significant. The period of the Xinhai Revolution and the Great Revolution after the May Fourth Movement was the first stage of the publication of Chinese comic magazines. This period was a historical turning point in China's increasingly fierce conflict between the old and the new, the increasingly complex social contradictions, the growing new culture, and the vigorous development of the revolutionary struggle. The social propaganda function of newspapers and periodicals has a strong influence and has become an important tool and position for various forces in society. On the eve of the Xinhai Revolution, The first generation of Chinese cartoonists Zhang Yuguang, Qian Yihe, Ma Xingchi, Ding Hu, Shen Bochen, Wang Qiyun, etc. founded the comic magazine Funny Pictorial in April 1911, which was marked at the beginning of the volume to be published once a month, but only after the first issue was published, it was discontinued. Although attempts to create comic magazines were unsuccessful, these cartoonists continued to publish comics in newspapers and periodicals such as Truth Pictorial, Civil Rights Pictorial, and Republic of China News, accumulating strength and waiting for the right moment. In 1912, the editor of Shanghai Huang bao guan issued the "Shanghai Yellow Pao Pictorial", which contained funny paintings and genre paintings, and published a total of 40 issues. In August 1918, another comic magazine "Shanghai Pictorial" came out, edited by Xu Qiuya, Qian Yihe, Dan Duyu and other editors, published by Shanghai Wenmei Society, unfortunately, this magazine also died after only one issue, and the purpose of the journal expressed in the "Articles of Association for Submissions of this Newspaper" at the beginning of the volume "can depict the social state, contain educational significance, novel ideas, and deep interests of the elderly", and ultimately could not be realized. The above three kinds of comic magazines are short-lived and have limited influence, so that the history of Chinese comics has not listed them as the source of comic magazines, or even ignored their value. This seems to indicate that although comics had become a common work of art in newspapers and periodicals at that time, its early publishing path of independent publication was full of twists and turns, and it was very difficult. This state of affairs became the norm in the history of manga magazine publishing, and many manga magazines were inaugurated and finally published, and only one issue was published. When we look back at the history of comics and the publication history of comic magazines, the documentary value of their isolated issues cannot be ignored.
Launched in September 1918, Shanghai Punctu is recognized as China's first professional comic magazine. Published by Shanghai Shen Brothers Company, edited by Shen Bochen, it is also known as "Bochen Funny Pictorial". Except for a small number of works created by others, almost by Shen Bochen alone, this magazine has published many comics with great influence, and it is well-printed, well-illustrated, and both Chinese and English, which was widely popular as soon as it came out. Due to the recurrence of Shen Bo's pneumoconiosis, he was unable to edit the journal and had to stop publishing after four issues. "Shanghai Punctu" is an important symbol of Chinese comic magazines, and its editor-in-chief is not only the main representative of early Chinese cartoonists, but also one of the pioneers of comic magazine publishing.
After "Shanghai Puke", in addition to Zhang Guangyu's editing and publishing of an issue of "Funny Pictorial" in October 1919, the comic strip magazine "Funny" founded in 1920 by The cartoonists Zhang Yuguang, Qian Yihe, Ding Shu, Shen Bochen, Dan Duyu, Yang Qingping, Xu Yongqing, Zhang Meisun, He Hanguang, Zhang Guangyu, Ma Xingchi, Wang Qiyun, Zhu Minggang and others in Shanghai jointly participated in the creation and publication of the magazine. In addition, there are "The World" edited by Wu Yugong and Sun Xueni in 1921 (issued by the World Book Company), "Funny" edited by Bao Tianxiao in 1923 (issued by Dadong Bookstore), and "Laughing Painting" edited by Xu Zhuodao and Sun Xueni in 1923 (issued by Shengsheng Art Company).
At this stage, the variety of comic magazines published was limited, most of them were short-lived, most of them were only published in one issue or a few issues and then discontinued, and the survival cycle of the publication did not exceed one year. Nevertheless, these magazines formed the basis for the publication of early Chinese comic magazines, and a generation of cartoonists trained and grew up in the process of founding the magazine, making arduous efforts to win the market and cultivate readers. In particular, after the establishment of China's first cartoonist group Comics Association in Shanghai in December 1926, Chinese cartoonists united for the first time through their own organizations and played a leading role in the creation, research and publication of comics.
The second phase, the ten-year civil war period, was the mature period for the publication of Chinese comic magazines, with the publication of the Shanghai Comics Magazine in 1928 as a new beginning. Each issue is full of pictures and texts, each issue is eight pages and eight sides, of which four sides are color printing, the content is edited by Zhang Guangyu, Zhang Zhengyu, Ye Qianyu, Lu Shaofei, Wang Dunqing, etc., and a total of 110 issues have been published, which lasted more than two years. From the form of publication to the works published, "Shanghai Comics" was the leader of the comic magazines at that time, not only Shanghai, but also one of the most influential comic magazines in early China, and many of its excellent works became the classics of Chinese comics and have long been talked about.
Zhang Guangyu funded the publication of "Shanghai Comics" for a year, and then founded "Times Pictorial" in December 1929 with great enthusiasm, and after receiving the support of Shao Xunmei of Golden House Bookstore, this comprehensive pictorial was better than "Shanghai Comics" in terms of exquisite printing and rich content, and was well received by readers. Therefore, the Comics Association decided to merge The Times Pictorial into the Times Pictorial after the publication of Shanghai Comics to the 110th issue, and immediately became one of the famous pictorial newspapers in modern China.
In the 1930s, comic magazines flourished. Especially in Shanghai, as the economic and cultural center of China at that time, under the appearance of prosperity, it was full of sharp social contradictions. With the increasing cultural consumption of the public, it has promoted the increasing popularity of manga creation. At the same time, as a left-wing cultural center, Shanghai has gathered a large number of cultural figures with advanced ideas, and in their struggle against the reactionary forces, cartoons have played an important role. From the early 1930s onwards, a series of Shanghai-centric comic magazines were published, particularly between 1934 and 1937. However, with the longest publication period, except for "Times Comics" (a total of 39 issues), "Comics and Life" (a total of 13 issues), "Chinese Comics" (14 issues in total), "Shanghai Comics" (13 issues in total), and "Funny Pictorial" (a total of 56 issues), most of the other comic magazines were temporarily suspended due to various problems.
For example, there are ten kinds of manga magazines that publish only one issue: New Shanghai Manga, which was launched in January 1934, Poetry Manga, which was launched in January 1934, Spectator, which was launched in November 1934, Selected Manga of the Present Generation, which was launched in January 1935, Popular Comics, which was launched in October 1935, Travel Comics, which was launched in July 1936, Comics, which was launched in September 1936, and Punctual Comics, which was launched in March 1937. PUCK" and the Minotaur Comics, which was launched in May 1937. At the same time, Tianjin Comics, the only comic magazine in Tianjin at that time, was published in May 1934 and ended with only one issue.
There are three types of manga magazines that have published only two issues: Movie Manga, which was launched in June 1934, Phenomenon Comics, which was launched in April 1935, and Manga World, which was launched in September 1936.
There are only three types of manga magazines: Oriental Comics, which was launched in April 1934, Vientiane, which was launched in May 1934, Mass Comics, which was launched in February 1935, and Life Comics, which was launched in April 1936.
There are seven kinds of manga magazines published in four to nine issues: Manga Manga (Issue 4), which was launched in April 1935, Manga and Life (Issue 4), which was launched in November 1935, Friends of Manga (Issue 4), Which was launched in March 1937, Film manga (Issue 6), which was launched in April 1935, Manga Circle (Issue 8), which was launched in April 1936, Independent Comics (Issue 9), which was launched in September 1935, and Oriental Comics (Issue IX), which was launched in December 1936.
As can be seen from the publication of manga magazines listed above, the 1930s seemed to be a blowout period for manga magazine publishing. However, through practical analysis, we find that the really influential comic magazines are limited to a few, and it is not the conclusion that some monographs draw based on the number of titles. For serial publications, the length of publication time is one of the most important indicators of the impact of the literature.
The most influential comic magazine of this period was "Times Comics" edited by Lu Shaofei, published by Shanghai Times Book Company, and published by Zhang Guangyu. The magazine gathered a large number of works created by many famous cartoonists at that time, presenting the artistic diversity and content richness of Chinese comic creation, both single works and long comic strips loved by readers. In addition, the magazine also has a keen ideological nature, not only constantly exploring in the theory of comics, summarizing the practice of Chinese comic art creation, but also paying attention to the social connotation and criticism of comic creation, with distinct artistry and epochality. The magazine is an important representative of modern Chinese comic magazines and has become an important reference object for the publication and research of comic magazines. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in 1937, the publication of Chinese comic magazines entered a new stage.
A comic magazine after the outbreak of the War of Resistance
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the two major paintings of Chinese art received general attention from society, one was comics and the other was printmaking. After "9/18", cartoons opposing imperialist aggression against China have been published in a large number of newspapers and periodicals, among which cartoons exposing the atrocities of the Japanese and Kosovars have increasingly become the theme of cartoonists' creations. The outbreak of the Lugou Bridge Incident further stimulated the patriotic enthusiasm of cartoonists, who used their pens as knives and guns to devote themselves to the creation and propaganda activities of anti-Japanese cartoons. On August 14, 1937, the Shanghai Comics Circle established the Shanghai Comics Circle Salvation Association, and on September 20 of the same year, the "Salvation Comics" was founded. The journal is edited by Wang Dunqing, and the members of the editorial board are composed of a total of forty-four people after being added, which concentrates the most powerful figures in the Shanghai comic industry to create a "camp of shanghai comic fighters", and Wang Dunqing specially wrote the article "Comic War" as the publishing word, in order to call on cartoonists to launch a "comic war". "Salvation Comics" was the first comic publication in China after the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan, and the domestic response was strong. In order to meet the needs of readers, the journal was also published in Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Hankou and other places outside Shanghai, "breaking the record of the sales channel of any kind of comic publication in the past" in terms of circulation (Bi Keguan and Huang Yuanlin: "History of Chinese Comics", Culture and Art Publishing House, 2006, p. 164). In December 1937, Shanghai became an isolated island, and the twelve-issue "Salvation Comics" was discontinued. At this time, another Anti-Japanese Comics publication in Shanghai, The Extraordinary Times Comics, was also terminated due to changes in the situation after its inaugural issue was published in November 1937.
After the establishment of the Shanghai Comic Circle Salvation Association, it also set up an anti-Japanese cartoon propaganda team to organize Shanghai cartoonists to go to various places to publicize the War of Resistance to the people in various forms of cartoons. In January 1938, the Anti-Japanese Comic Propaganda Team founded the Anti-Japanese Comics in Hankou, which was published by the Shanghai Book and Magazine Company in Hankou, published twelve issues before and after, and then published three more issues after the resumption of publication in Chongqing. The inaugural issue of this magazine, "The Second Life of Salvation Comics", clearly states that the journal is a sequel to Salvation Comics. At that time, Wuhan and Chongqing were the political and cultural centers of China's Anti-Japanese War period, gathering many cartoonists from Shanghai and other places, and "Anti-War Comics" was not only the journal of the comic propaganda team, but also the central publication of the national anti-war comics, and at the same time published the contributions of cartoonists from all over the country.
Anti-War Comics
In the flames of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, cartoonists scattered around the country consciously grasped the brush, insisted on comic creation on the one hand, and actively created comic magazines on the other hand. In October 1937, cartoonists from Xi'an were gathered to establish the Xi'an Branch of the National Comic Writers Association and founded the Anti-Japanese War Pictorial. Fourteen issues of the occasional comic magazine were shut down by the authorities. In January 1938, Zhang Tong, who was editing the Anti-Japanese War Pictorial in Xi'an, also edited a comic publication of the Anti-Enemy Pictorial, which was edited and published under the name of the Northwest Branch of the Xi'an National Comic Writers Association, until it ceased publication in May 1939.
From 1937 to 1940, with the continuous expansion of the anti-Japanese battlefield, the Chinese military and civilians rose up to resist the Japanese invasion in an all-round way. Comic magazines of this period also showed a state of centralized launch. For example, in December 1937, the Fujian Provincial Anti-Enemy Support Association founded the "Anti-Enemy Comics" in Fuzhou, and by March 1939, a total of 36 issues had been published. In April 1938, the South China Branch of the Guangzhou National Comic Writers Association published "Comic Front", which was discontinued after two issues. In October 1938, Hong Kong's Mobilization Pictorial published the "National Day Commemorative Special Issue" comic album. In June 1940, the Political Department of the Third Theater launched the Half Moon Comics edited by Zhang Xiguo, which was published in ten issues by October of the same year.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, China's printmaking was also a painting art with extensive social influence. After 1937, in Shanghai, the cradle of modern printmaking in China, a group of printmakers also went to various places like cartoonists to publicize the anti-Japanese resistance with woodcut prints, so a variety of new types of comic magazines appeared in this period. For example, the Anti-Japanese War Pictorial, founded in Hankou in January 1938, mainly published woodcuts and comic works, but ceased publication in April 1941. There is also the Wartime Pictorial magazine edited and published by the Guiyang Wartime Painting Society in July 1938. In April 1939, the Woodcut Research Association of CUHK, which was established in the Art Department of the Central University in Chongqing, edited and published Comics and Woodcuts, which was published in only one issue. In May 1939, Guilin published "Work and Study Comics and Woodcuts", a total of nine issues. As a supplement to Guilin Salvation Daily, in July 1939, Guilin Southern Publishing House published "Manmu Xun Magazine", which published a total of 25 issues by April 1940. On New Year's Day 1940, the Propaganda Department of the Fujian Provincial Anti-Enemy Support Association edited and published the "Anti-Construction Pictorial" of Manmu Magazine, whose predecessor was the aforementioned "Anti-Enemy Comics". In January 1940, cartoonists in Guilin, the cultural center of the anti-Japanese War, cooperated with printmakers to create a unique publication, "Selected Monthly Selection of Comics Woodcuts". Due to the technical conditions that could not print comics, the two sides cooperated to publish two issues by hand engraving and printing. Shanghai also published a comic woodcut series in April 1941, which published only one issue. It can be seen that the fusion between comics and prints that were baptized in the flames of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression is the result of the joint war of resistance in the Chinese art circles, which further reflects the combat style of these two painting arts.
In short, the Anti-Japanese War Comic Magazine was another peak of Chinese comic publishing in the 1930s, and it was distributed geographically. We found a unique pattern in this, namely that the founding of comic magazines is associated with the mobility of cartoonists. In 1937, cartoonists from Shanghai successively went to various places to publicize the anti-Japanese resistance, and comic magazines were born in the places where they lived one after another, such as from Shanghai to Wuhan, Chongqing, Guilin, from Shanghai to Guangdong, from Shanghai to Xi'an. Comic magazines were published in the above-mentioned cities, which became a prominent symbol of the anti-war culture.
The publication of comic magazines during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression went to many places with the development of the war, and most of them were soon discontinued due to the difficulties of personnel mobility and financial support. In addition to the main theme of resisting Japan and saving the country, the Japanese institutions in the occupied areas also tried in vain to use cartoons as propaganda tools, and published "Beijing Comics", "North China Comics", "Chinese Comics", etc., which became negative teaching materials in the history of Chinese comics.
After the end of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and before the founding of the People's Republic of China, modern Chinese comic magazines entered a period of decline after the boom of publishing in the 1930s. With the gradual defeat of the Kuomintang authorities and the increasingly strict control of publications, the conditions for comic magazines that criticize reality have been lost in the Kuomintang area. Comic magazines in this period were like shooting stars in a hurry, and their survival periods were relatively short. For example, the "Manga Weekly" was founded in March 1946 as a pictorial newspaper with a relatively small proportion of comics, and only one issue was published. Founded in May 1947 by the Shanghai Comics Engineering Group, the New Army of Comics was discontinued after only two issues. In 1948, a mimeographed copy of Laughing Painting was issued by a first-class bookstore in Shanghai, which reprinted comics from other newspapers and periodicals, and was a non-original comic magazine. At this time, the center of Chinese comics had moved to Hong Kong. Cartoonists from Shanghai and other places have breathed new life into the publication of comic magazines in Hong Kong. In December 1946, the Weekly Magazine published a supplement to comic strips. The most influential is "This is an Era of Comics", published by the Comics Research Department of the Human Painting Society, a progressive art group in Hong Kong, which was first published in November 1948, and cartoonists were full of indignant feelings and could not suppress the joy of victory, using comics as weapons in the publication to pay tribute to the chiang family dynasty and usher in a new era.
Editor, author and work of comic magazines
The above outlines the publication of modern Chinese comic magazines from a vertical macro background. Here, we summarize the relevant characteristics of manga magazine publishing from the perspective of editors, authors, and works.
(1) Editors and publication of comic magazines
The publication of modern Chinese comic magazines has a distinctly fan-run nature, and a specific group of cartoonists is surrounded by a magazine. Cartoonists, as editors, often have a dual role, both as the editor of the publisher and the author of the contributor. This common phenomenon began with Shen Bochen, the founder of Shanghai Splash. "Shanghai Puncture" has been published in four issues, except for Wang Dugen and Chen Baoyi, who have created a small number of works, mainly by Shen Bochen, which reflects his exuberant creativity and publication management ability, but in the event of a change, it is difficult to continue the single-handed editing and publishing. After the recurrence of Shen Bo's pneumoconiosis, there was no one to maintain the normal operation of "Shanghai Splash", and it could only be discontinued.
As the journal of the Comic Book Club, Shanghai Comics embodies a collective editorial force, and Zhang Guangyu, Zhang Zhengyu, Ye Qianyu, Lang Jingshan, Hu Boxiang, Zhang Zhenhou, Wang Dunqing, Lu Shaofei and other people participated in the editing work before and after. The work in the magazine is mainly from the members of the comic book club, and rarely uses external manuscripts. This state of fandom has changed since the founding of Time Comics, and the number of manuscripts collected by various manga magazines from all sides of society is increasing. The diversity of authors reflects the magazine's influence and popularity on the one hand, and the growth of the number of comic book authors on the other hand.
The fandom of comic magazines is also reflected in the fact that cartoonists cooperate with each other, participate in the creation and creation of a number of comic magazines, and even edit several comic journals at the same time. Its representative figures include Zhang Guangyu, Wang Dunqing, Huang Shiying, Lu Shaofei and so on.
Zhang Guangyu is one of the most famous comic magazine publishers in China, he supported the development of modern Chinese comics with his financial resources and talents, not only founded the "Three Days Pictorial" in 1925, but also funded the establishment of the journal "Shanghai Comics" (China Art Publishing House) as one of the founding members of the Comics Club, and then co-founded times books company, became the publisher of "Times Comics", and personally designed the cover and title of "Times Comics", and at the same time founded and edited "Independent Comics" in 1935. In the following year, he edited Shanghai Comics (Independent Publishing House) and other works. In many manga magazines hosted by Zhang Guangyu, he not only published his own works, but also published the excellent masterpieces of many cartoonists at that time.
Wang Dunqing is known as the brains of the Comic Book Club, and he played an important role in the establishment of the Comic Book Club and the birth of various comic magazines. He is not only the planner of the comic book "Shanghai Comics", but also the editor-in-chief of "Comic Circle", "Friends of Comics", "Saving Lives Comics" and so on.
Huang Shiying has edited "Linglong Comics", "Chinese Current Affairs Comics", "Comic World", "Life Comics", etc., and also participated in the editing of "Comic Life" and so on.
Lu Shaofei is a famous cartoonist and excellent editor in the history of modern comics in China, and is known as the Chinese comic strip. During the editing of "Times Comics", he attached great importance to the quality and connotation of his works, paid attention to the discovery of excellent works and comic book authors from the manuscript, trained a group of young cartoonists, played a positive role in promoting the development of modern Chinese comics, and was respected by many cartoonists. It can be seen that a good editor with an open mind and no portal views has discovered, encouraged and cultivated authors while also improving the quality of the magazines he has edited, which is one of the main factors in the success of Time Comics.
In short, the editorial community of comic magazines is mainly composed of a group of like-minded cartoonists. From the associative publications of the core publications of comics, we can observe the influence of the art community in editorial work. For example, under the artistic community of Time Comics, "Comic Book Circle is only a temporary spokesperson for Time Comics." The authors are all the old brothers of 'Shi Man', and the editing method is also the same as that of 'Shi Man', which is like a sister magazine" (the inaugural issue of "Comic Circle"). Time Comics colleagues later hosted a variety of comic magazines, forming a phalanx of comic magazines, the influence of which is obvious.
Editorial "special number" is an important form of modern Chinese magazine publishing. Comic magazines in the Republic of China period also edited a series of distinctive "special numbers" in this form of publication, especially comic magazines attached more importance to the publication of "special numbers". For example, since June 1936, "Times Comics" has successively launched "Social Issues", "World Comics", "Social Satire Comics", "Folk Suffering Paintings", "Suimeng Fengyun Comics", "National Anonymous Writers", "Modern World Elephant Comics", "Social Dynamics Comics", "Long Comics and Novels", "Life Little Satire", etc. The "special number" edited by "Times Comics" has a distinct theme, closely following the pulse of the times and the artistic characteristics of comics, directly reflecting the stories, phenomena and news that occurred at that time from the perspective of social observers, as well as many aspects of daily life, and intuitively criticizing them with a paintbrush to guide readers to reflect. "Chinese Comics" edited the "Chinese Comic Rhapsody Special Number" in three consecutive issues, expressing expectations and hopes for the future. Among the many special issues of "Comic Circle", the "First Production Number of the National Comic Exhibition" on the seventh issue has a high historical value, and the works of the first National Comic Exhibition published have become valuable documents for studying the history of comic exhibitions.
In addition to professional comic magazines, other newspapers and periodicals have also published comic journals attached to newspapers and periodicals in the form of "special editions" and "supplements", such as the commemorative special edition "Essays and Comics" published by Taibai magazine, which is highly valued by Chinese comic historians. Taibai is a modern literary and art magazine edited by Chen Wangdao, which features essays and sketches in conjunction with the left-wing literary and art movement, as well as comic woodcuts. This special edition contains articles by fifty-eight authors, including fourteen monographs on comics written by Lu Xun, Feng Zikai, Huang Miaozi and others. This influential collection in the history of modern Chinese literary and art theory is also an important collection of early Chinese comic theory research. As a supplement, there are two issues of "Comics and Stories: Ten Thousand Weekly Supplements" published by Hong Kong's "Ten Thousand People Weekly". As a joint publication, there are "Work and Study Comics and Woodcuts" in Guilin. As a composite magazine, there are two main types of manga and movies, manga and woodcut.
In short, comic magazines have a rich diversity in editing and publishing forms, and they are the editorial results of editors reviewing the situation. In addition, the publication words and editor's afterword of China Comics Magazine contain a wealth of editorial ideas, from which we can learn the guiding principles and goals of the journal, and the ideal of the editor shown between the lines is still very admirable. Some of the publications are impressive in the history of newspaper publishing in our country. For example, the publication words of "Comics And Long Talks: Ten Thousand Weekly Supplements" are only 27 short words, which can be described as the shortest modern art magazine. The "Minotaur Comics" is a creative way to publish huang Yao's six cow image cartoons. This Is the Age of Comics takes the form of a cartoonist dialogue. It can be seen that cartoonists are extremely creative as editors.
(ii) Author and comic magazine
The author is the foundation that underpins and guarantees the publication of the magazine. Although modern Chinese comic magazines have the characteristics of integrating editors and authors, a group of accomplished cartoonists have not only created a platform for comic creation and expanded the artistic camp of comics in hosting and participating in the editing and publication of comic magazines, but also attracted many art lovers to devote themselves to comic creation, cultivated young comic art talents, and created a new comic art force. Therefore, the roles of editors and authors are exchanged to ensure the quality of comic magazine works, so that the magazine has a group of more stable and high-level contributors, which is the ballast stone to ensure the publication of the magazine.
From Xinhai and May Fourth to 1949, with the development of modern newspapers and periodicals, generations of cartoonists have grown up. The 1930s were a period of talent and talent for Chinese cartoonists. In addition to Shen Bochen,000, the early group of cartoonists marked by Shanghai Puk (1918) and "Funny" (1926), ma Xingchi, Qian Yihe, Zhang Yuguang, Ding Hu, Dan Duyu, Feng Zikai, Sun Xueni, Chen Baoyi, and Jiang Xiaolu are still engaged in a variety of creations. After the establishment of the Manga Club, Ding Ho, as the elder of the manga industry, became the actual person in charge in the minds of the members of the Manga Club. His residence at No. 31 Hengqingli on Baylor Road (now South Huangpi Road) in Shanghai became the seat of the comic book club and a place for cartoonists to exchange art. Here the "Shanghai Comics" was conceived and born. Therefore, the members of the comic club with the author of "Shanghai Comics" as the core are the main backbone of the creation of comics in the 1930s, and have become the founders or editors of various comic magazines in the 1930s, mainly Including Wang Dunqing, Zhang Guangyu, Cao Hanmei, Zhang Zhengyu, Huang Wennong, Ye Qianyu, Lu Shaofei, Hu Xuguang, Lu Zhiyu, Wan Liming, Hu Yaguang, Zheng Guanghan, Chen Haoxiong, HuTongguang, Xu Jin, Huang Shiying, Shen Yiqian, etc.
With the continuous efforts of the predecessors of comics and the backbone of comic creation, the ever-changing era has nurtured a large number of new comics. According to Huang Ke's research statistics, the number of cartoonists is at least one hundred and sixty, and its members are mainly Zhang Leping, Ding Cong, Hua Junwu, Huang Yao, Wang Zimei, Zhang Tong, Cai Ruohong, Zhang Chen, Mi Gu, Hu Kao, Huang Mao, Chen Jingsheng, Dou Zongluo, Xuan Wenjie, Chen Huiling, Huang Miaozi, Liang Baibo, Te Wei, Jiang Shu, Yan Zhexi, Zhang Wenyuan, Yu Suoya, Dong Tianye, Le Hanying (i.e. Le Xiaoying), Guo Jianying, Zhang Yingchao, Huang Ding, Huang Jiayin, Ai Zhongxin, Jiang Dongliang, Zhu Jinlou (i.e. Zhu Jinlou), Cuba (i.e. Sun Haoran) , Chen Cao, Jin Jianfan, Ji Yehou, Cai Zhenhua, Jiang Zemin, Ye Miao, Shen Tongheng, Liao Bingjie, Tao Mouji, Wang Lotian, Wu Yun, Chen Yanqiao, Qin Zhaoyang, Hong Huang, Fan Fan, Ding Shen, Chen Juanyin, Lu Jincheng, Yinong, Ling Bo, Hu Zhongbiao, Jin Kesha, Xu Yan, Huang Yan, Zhou Hanming, Jin Mo, Xu Chaoran, Zhang Xichang, Xu Ruoming, Qian Yuren, Chen Zhen, Lu Yushu, Mo Pu, Ding Li, Gu Fengchang, Zhu Jizhong, Lu Zhensheng, Shi Yi, Chen Liufeng, Chen Mingxun, Huang Wenwen, Huang Liuping, Weng Chuanqing, Huang Wenqing, Liang Yongxiong, Pan Drunsheng, Lu Wei, Chen Jingru, Li Yu, Shen Fan, Qian Dunde, Zhang Daren, Zhang Bailu, Hu Jia, Hong, Shen Zhenhuang, Mu Yilong, Jiang Yuqi, Huang Renzhi, Tang Xiaodan, Xie Tian (i.e., Xie Tian), Shen Tuzheng, Sun Zhiyan, Chen Yifan, Chen Shenghong, Wu Qianli, etc. (see Huang Ke: Comics of the Sea School of Mandarins, Wenhui Publishing House, 2015, p. 44).
It can be seen that in the 1930s, Shanghai gathered the country's major cartoonists, became the center of comic creation, effectively guaranteed the publication of comic magazines, and also provided a large number of works for other newspapers and periodicals, and a strong author lineup was the foundation of the prosperity of Shanghai comics.
Regarding the cultivation of comic talents, we can see from the recruitment notices for comic correspondence courses in newspapers and periodicals at that time and the publication of comic creation textbooks that learning comic creation has formed a certain group demand in society, so many enthusiasts have grown into new comic authors in creative practice through self-study.
Ding Cong's comics
(3) Creation of comic works
As a manga magazine of the Republic of China period, the manga works published are the main content of its magazines. It became the main vehicle for the publication of comic works alongside newspapers at the same time. Although the exhibition of fine art works became an emerging form of public art exchange after the introduction of the Western art system into China at that time, for comics, the form of exchange of works was mainly published in the press, supplemented by comic exhibitions that responded to the needs of current events. Therefore, the comic works of the Republic of China period were not aimed at market transactions through galleries, but were paid by newspapers and periodicals as a medium, just like writers publishing poems. This is one of the reasons why the original manga is difficult to survive to this day.
Therefore, the comic magazine in the Republic of China period became an objective record reflecting the creation of comics, which is one of the main bases for us to examine the development of modern chinese comics. We can examine the art form and theme content of comics from them, and appreciate the excellent works and iconic images of Chinese comics. In the book "Old Shanghai Comics Atlas" compiled by shanghai library, mr. Huang Ke, an art historian, summarized six comic art forms, and he added a comic art form to the subsequent "Comics and Haipai Comics", which are seven categories, namely comic strips, portrait comics, sketch comics, urban life customs comics, folk love song comics, comic book binding design and advertising comics. These art forms reflect the creative characteristics and artistic style of cartoonists from different aspects, as well as the social objects and forms of artistic practice that cartoonists pay attention to. Comic magazines can publish a considerable number of comic works from a focused perspective, which has a leading role in shaping the form of comics.
When Shanghai Comics was founded in 1928, it continuously published Ye Qianyu's long-form comic "Mr. Wang", the most famous comic strip in China at that time, from the first issue of "Shanghai Comics" to "Times Pictorial" and "Picture Morning Post", for ten years. This work not only collected and published a single book, but also was put on the screen by Tianyi Film Company in 1934, becoming the first film in China to be adapted from a manga. The work has been made eleven films by Tianyi and Xinhua companies, and its social impact is huge. Newspapers of the same period also published a number of comic strip masterpieces, such as Huang Yao's "Cow Nose", Zhang Leping's "Sanmao", Liang Baibo's "Miss Bee" and so on. This is due to the strong timeliness of newspapers and short publication cycles, which is more suitable for continuous reading by readers.
Portrait comics with both gods and shapes and emphasis on exaggerated treatment were quite popular during the Republic of China period, and they were not only a weapon to satirize the enemy, but also an artistic expression of depicting the ideological character of the characters. Many painters have vividly depicted the faces of celebrities from all walks of life, including film actors, sports stars, scholars, writers, politicians, etc., as well as cartoonists and cartoonists. For example, in the twenty-sixth issue of "Times Comics", Wang Zimei's "Literary Landscape" painted lu xun and Zhou Zuoren brothers, and after Lu Xun's death, Wang Zimei also created "Lu Xun Struggle Painting Biography", which was published in the thirty-second issue of the journal.
Urban life is one of the main contents of modern Chinese comics. Cartoonists living in cities describe familiar scenes and lives from multiple angles. In addition to the long comic strips, comic magazines have a large number of group drawings and individual works, which vividly document all aspects of the city. Folk love song comics are a series of works reflecting love pioneered by Zhang Guangyu, which have been serialized in "Time Comics" for eighteen issues. "Zhang Shi created the decorative painting school of Chinese comics and is one of the founders of the modern decorative painting school." (Shanghai Library, ed., "Old Shanghai Comics Atlas", Shanghai Science and Technology Literature Publishing House, 2010, p. 214) This literary art genre that combines comics and love songs has also become a model for some cartoonists to learn. As for the "manga" of book design, not only the comic magazine itself, but also many books and periodicals in the Republic of China period have also adopted the means of "manga" in the binding design, which has a unique artistic effect. Most of the advertisements in comic magazines are in the form of comics, and at that time, advertisements in various media have widely adopted the art language of comics, from images to words with strong visual effects. For example, Ye Qianyu published a series of advertising comics in Shanghai Comics for women's clothing designed by Zhang Youyi's neon clothing company.
The art form and theme classification of manga works are not limited to this, but also form different categories according to their own standards. For example, Wang Dunqing published an article entitled "Categories of Comics" in the twenty-first issue of "Times Comics", which divided comics into ten categories: first, current situation comics; second, continuous comics; third, world comics (which are divided into social life sketches, family comics, fashionable comics, stage and screen comics); fourth, report comics; fifth, Lang Province Comics (or Nonsense comics); 6, sports comics; 7, similar faces; 8, children's comics; 9, youth comics; 10, illustration comics.
"It's a comic book era"
Fine art works are the products of social and cultural development, its material and spiritual characteristics are determined by the historical environment, and for comics born in the period of historical change, it contains the vicissitudes of the times. As one of the main carriers of comic works, the value and significance of comic magazines in the Republic of China period not only lie in the documents themselves, but also in the history of art, journalism, and social history.
Comics is an imported art that was studied and mastered by Chinese artists in the context of the cultural exchange between the West and the middle school in the late Qing Dynasty, and is one of the most widely disseminated popular art forms in China. Therefore, the construction of Chinese comic art theory is of great significance to guide the creation of comics, improve people's understanding of the social value and role of comics, and enrich Chinese art theory, and comic magazines have become the main garden for discussing comic theory, summarizing comic creation experience, reviewing the history of Chinese comics, and introducing the history and current situation of foreign comics. He has published numerous articles in various comic magazines, and its authors include cartoonists, writers, and scholars, and comics have become an object of cross-border attention. Some magazines also set up columns to publish discussion articles for this purpose, such as the "Comic Forum" on "Indie Comics", the "Comic Talk" on "Friends of Comics", and the "Comic Cafe" on "Pop" and so on. The most emblematic study of comic theory is the commemorative special edition of Taibai Magazine, "Essays and Comics", which focuses on the articles of a group of famous cultural figures. For example, Lu Xun's "Long Talk about "Comics"" pointed out: "The first important thing in comics is honesty, to accurately show the posture of events or characters, that is, spirit", "Comics should make people clear at a glance, so the most common method is 'exaggeration', but it is not nonsense", "'Yanshan snowflakes are as big as a seat', it is exaggerated, but there are snowflakes in Yanshan, there is a little honesty in it", "Because of the truth, so there is also power". In the articles of various people, the characteristics, definitions, types, artistic techniques, appreciation and other aspects of comics were discussed, the relationship between comics and current events was also expounded in depth, the theory of Chinese comic art was gradually constructed, and the experience of modern Chinese comic creation practice was constantly summarized. Through comic magazines of the 1930s, we believe that Chinese comic theory has completed the transition from ignorance to basic maturity.
The period of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was an important stage in the continuous development of Chinese comic theory, and the anti-war comic magazines founded during this period all had clear artistic propositions. Looking at the inaugural words of various manga magazines, they are not only passionate essays, but also argumentative essays expounding the social role of manga, which profoundly reflects people's understanding of manga. In Shen Jianzhong's compilation and selection of "The Essence of Anti-Japanese War Comics" (Shanghai Bookstore Publishing House, 2018), there is a special volume of comic research articles in newspapers and periodicals at that time, which concentrates on the comic views of cartoonists and all walks of life.
Manga has a strong current affairs, and most of the manga works published in manga magazines are closely related to reality and also have news features. Zhang Guangyu believes that news is to report on current events, while comics are to judge current events, and that "the power of a picture is greater than the attractiveness of an article of three thousand words" (Zhang Guangyu Wen Collection, Shandong Fine Arts Publishing House, 2011, p. 27). When he designed the cover for the inaugural issue of Times Comics, he used the four treasures of the literary room to form the image of a knight, implying that the comic is a knight of the times, like a brave warrior shouldering a mission to charge the battlefield. This knight motif became the logo of the later Times Comics and is impressive. When Zhang Guangyu designed the cover for "This Is a Comic Age" in Hong Kong in 1948, he also used this knight image to charge at the demon king who occupied the castle, maintaining a consistent spirit of struggle. Therefore, magazines such as "Time Comics" uphold the proposition and responsibility of criticizing reality with comics, participating in public opinion, actively integrating into society, and becoming recorders and commentators of the times. As a warrior, the manga magazine often became a victim in the struggle against society and was banned from distribution by the government. This is the main political reason for the repeated deaths of modern comic magazines.
In the modern Chinese art education system at that time, comics had not yet become a genre of painting, and almost all the cartoonists of that era were self-taught. Benefiting from Shanghai's developed cultural and information resources, they learned Western artistic concepts and expression techniques from foreign newspapers and periodicals, digested, absorbed and created in the comic magazines they sponsored, and built a visual art image of Chinese comics. In "The Life of Zhuan Peng", Ding Cong recalled the works and techniques of foreign artists that he and Zhang Guangyu and others admired at that time. As Yu Feng put it in Comics: The Pioneers of Modern Chinese Art, "There are some young people who eat in Shanghai, learn by doing, and later become well-known cartoonists." Yu Feng gave the following evaluation of Modern Chinese Comics: "Chinese modern art began with the comics in Shanghai in the 1930s and became the pioneer of opening up the situation. (Ministry of Culture, China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, China Artists Association, eds., "Anthology of Essays commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Luo Gongliu, Yu Feng, Yan Han, and Ding Cong", China Federation of Literary and Art Publishing House, 2017, pp. 54 and 60) This was the heartfelt words of those who witnessed it at that time. From this point of view, comic magazines have played an important leading role in promoting the development of modern Chinese art, and their historical role cannot be ignored, and the publication of this book will provide researchers with rich literature.
Modern Chinese Comics Magazine is a unique artistic media space, which is not only artistic, but also rich in ideology and society. In this era of great change, comics are not simply a form of art, it records the joys and sorrows of an era, carries people's expectations, and represents the pursuit of cartoonists. When cartoonists gathered in Shanghai from all over the world to jointly create the prosperity of comics and comic magazines, the beacon of the War of Resistance called them to the battlefield, behind the enemy lines, and used comics as a weapon to resist the enemy. In the harsh social life, Chinese cartoonists are artists who are at the forefront of the times. The voices expressed by cartoonists in the inaugural speech of "This Is a Comic Age" at the end of 1948 can be the end of this comic book era. Shen Tongheng said: "This is an era of comics, cartoonists are desperately using comics to drive away this era, and usher in another era that is willing to be unable to find the subject matter and cannot draw comics! Ding Cong said: "We often work with a bitter and tearful heart; because our task is not to occupy this era for a long time, but to end this ugly and darkest 'comic era' in history early!" ”
(This article is rewritten from the author's preface to the Compilation of Comic Magazines in the Republic of China Period, which was revised and supplemented to authorize the publication of The Paper.) ）
Editor-in-Charge: Shanshan Peng
Proofreader: Yan Zhang