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Book Launch and Discussion “Connecting Through Comics in Southeast Asia”
May 24 @ 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Event background
SEA Junction presents the first time launch in Thailand of the Southeast Asia comic anthology South East Asian Kommunity 2024 which was produced by Komiket and Philippine International Comics Festival. The book launch “Connecting through Comics in Southeast Asia” will take place Saturday 24 May 2025 at SEA Junction at 4.00 -5.30 PM (Bangkok Time), this event will also be livestreamed on the SEA Junction Facebook page.
Southeast Asian comics creators have long been underrepresented and often generalized as a single identity. Yet, the region is diverse—rich with unique cultures, languages, and stories. This comic anthology brought together creators from across Southeast Asia to co-create a one-shot comic that reflects their individuality and shared identity. More than just a collaboration, it’s a movement to break stereotypes, build connections, and amplify overlooked voices through storytelling.
This event will discussion with the editors Paul Herras from the Philippines and Lim Cheng Tju from Singapore as well as Ping Sasinan, an artist who has contributed to the anthology from Thailand. Join us for a session of insights on the challenges and opportunities that comic artists face in the region. Strategies to uplift creators, provide platforms, and promote Southeast Asian talent in the region and globally will also be discussed with the aim to create a future where Southeast Asian stories are not only visible, but appreciated and celebrated.
Speaker Bios
Paolo Herras is the Co-Founder of Komiket, a non-profit organization that advocates for Filipino comics, and the Festival Director of the Philippine International Comics Festival (PICOF). Paolo is the Co-Editor of the Southeast Asia Kommunity anthology, and his graphic novel, “Strange Natives,” is currently translated in German, French, and Italian. He directed the film adaptation of his graphic novel, “Buhay Habangbuhay” (“Life Afterlife”), for the 2nd CineFilipino Film Festival (see further https://www.instagram.com/paolo.herras/)
Lim Cheng Tju is an educator and historian who researches cartoons and woodcuts in Singapore. His articles on comic art and political prints have appeared in Southeast Asian Journal of Social Science, Journal of Popular Culture, Teaching and Learning and Print Quarterly. He is the country editor (Singapore) for the International Journal of Comic Art and also the co-editor of Liquid City 2, an anthology of Southeast Asian comics published by Image Comics. He is the Co-Editor of the Southeast Asian Kommunity anthology, and the author of Drawing Satire, and co-author of The University Socialist Club and the Contest for Malaya: Tangled Strands of Modernity (Amsterdam University Press/NUS Press) (See further https://independent.academia.edu/ChengTjuLim).
Ping Sasinan is an illustrator and comic artist based in Bangkok. The artist likes to explore large ideas through surrealism and elaborate stories that are both personal and meaningful. The works often meld mythologies and folk lores of both the eastern and western’s, in order to recreate, reshape and reinterpret themselves into something new. (see further https://www.instagram.com/sasinan.png/?hl=en)
Moderator
Vanabud Chaiprakorb is an instructor in the Creative Communication Design program at Bangkok University. She holds a bachelor’s degree of Fine and Applied Arts in Communication Design (Chulalongkorn University), and a master’s degree of Visual Arts with a specialization in Graphic Storytelling (LUCA School of Arts, Belgium). She is also a comic artist, illustrator, and graphic designer under her pen name Lychee Chai. Her self-published graphic narratives focus on unveiling intangible feelings and translating them into visuals.
For more information, please email: info@seajunction.org or phone/wa: +66970024140
NB: The event is free, donations are welcome to support SEA Junction activities.
Organizers
SEA Junction, established under the Thai non-profit organization Foundation for Southeast Asia Studies (ForSEA), aims to foster understanding and appreciation of Southeast Asia in all its socio-cultural dimensions, from arts and lifestyles to economy and development. Conveniently located at Room 407-8 of the Bangkok Arts and Culture Center or BACC (across MBK, BTS National Stadium), SEA Junction facilitates public access to knowledge resources and exchanges among students, practitioners and Southeast Asia lovers. More information at http://seajunction.org/.
Komiket is a non-profit championing Filipino comics since 2015. KOMIKET is the Philippines’ largest comics and affordable art market. It supports creators through nationwide art markets, workshops, publishing, and the Komiket Awards. With initiatives like Kommunity and PICOF, it promotes local talent and connects Filipino creators globally. Its SECRET HQ serves as a bookstore and creative space. KOMIKET’s mission is to make comics accessible, nurture new creators, grow readership, and elevate Filipino comics on the world stage. For more information, please visit https://www.komiket.com/
The JFK Foundation in Thailand was founded by H.E. Dr. Thanat Khoman, the former Ambassador to the United States, with the purpose of commemorating President Kennedy’s principles through education, public service, and good governance that benefits mankind in Thailand, the United States, and ASEAN, now and in the future. For more information, please visit https://jfkth-foundation.com/index.php/en/
