What is right thing to do with this blog ?!

Time to wrap up Year 2009 and to clear my thoughts about this blog.  Now that fall 2009 semester is over, my obligations to continue this blog has expired too.

The problem, however, is the fact that I discovered a hard but entertaining hobby of writing in English , but should I keep my stream of conscious in public?

I'll be off for a few months . . .

Cultural Authenticity and Fair Representation

Writing about multicultural topics, we cannot be  too careful.  It is especially so when anyone authors a book as an cultural outsider: done right, it will bring great delights.  Done wrong, the results can be more than a simple resentment.

Legend of Hong Kil Dong: the Robin Hood of Korea (2006) by Anne Sibley O'Brien is one delightful example that makes cultural insiders hiccup.  Not only the cultural and historic details but also the affection toward Korea engrained in the book is such that it seems impossible that a Westerner can author the graphic novel.

The Korean Cinderella (1993) by Shirley Climo is an example at the other end.  As one Amazon.com book reviewer wrote, "the subtle racist undertones of one Westerner's portrayals of Asian looks" surely can offend Asians.  That review might explain why some readers had to cut out the eyes of characters in the book that I borrowed from QBPL (Queens Borough Public Library in NY). 

well . . .

Some publishers go extra miles to do it right, when they publish muticlutural items.  Pigling: a Cinderella story (2009) by Dan Jolley,  is a dreadful example.  Cosidering the range of muticultural aspects, the publisher claimed to have had some consulting process but it could not stop errors (quite obvious to cultural insiders) and permanently ruined a beautiful depiction of Korean Cinderella. 

The Re-gifter

Just finished the Re-Gifters (2007) by Mike Carey. Thank you all who recommended me this title. It was a delightful read and I am so relieved that I can  agree with other reviewers about this graphic novel.
 
A teenager Dixie practicing Hapkido, her friendship with Avril and her crush on a fellow martial artist are well developed. Plot is fast enough and black-and-white pencil work is popping up but not so much to distract the story.  Not bulky, just 148 pages!

As one of reviewers wrote "racial and economic issues explored in the narrative are seamlessly integrated as realities of Dixie’s life," ethnic and multicultural factors, such as the main character Dixie is a Korean American teenager, she is learning a Korean martial art in the Koreatown in LA, and her dad's business was flatten down during the LA Riots in 1992, are credibly well blended in.

My excitement about this book also comes from the fact that those multicultural elements add more depth to the story.   It seems that an author wanted to narrate a teen character, who lets out her growing pains through a marital art, and he successfully set her in a Koreatown in LA.  As he sees it, it is a romance graphic novel.  Great entry book for girls and boys who have grown out of the strawberry bubblegum flavor.

Lee Lela: Angry Little Girls

Here's a real entry, the kind of author I love to see more!

As a college student, Lela Lee got frustrated with her contemporary comics and animations. She found them to be so "racist and sexist" that she started making her own cartoon about herself.  Now, "the Angry Little Asian Girl" has fully developed into the following five graphic novels. 

• Angry little girls (2005)
• Still angry little girls (2006)
• Angry little girls! : a little book of friendship (2007)
• Angry little girls in love (2008)
• Angry little girls!: a little book of love (2009)

When her, Angry little girl was first  released in 2005, she received quite a coverage in mass media and public support.  She even appeared in AMERICAN EXPRESS card commercial.  Chris Chan Lee's widely acclaimed drama, YELLOW, and PBS featured her.

Meet her characters, by the order of appearance,

Disenchanted Deborah,  Angry Kim, Crazy Maria, Fresh Wanda, Gloomy Xyla, well can't identify the last one!

Her website angrylittlegirls.com 

1. Well maintained with surprising lists of merchandise she has created
2. Her comic strips are daily updated

"The Danger of a Single Story": Why I fuss about Multicultural Literature

Starting over a new life in a new country, I had a good time to think over what I wanted to do with my second life, a second chance.  Doing it all over, I wanted to do it right.  A career in a library caught my attention.

Sitting and watching people and librarians for hours, I felt I could do some contributions.  Fresh from a different country, I did not have any concrete plans but a lot of aspirations.  Then, I found books by and about people like me, new comers in the country.

 The following story is the one that makes my heart beats faster.  So closely and so powerfully,  Chimamanda Adichie talks about "The danger of a single story,"  about the things that I was not able to articulate.

That's is why I strongly believe that minority librarians should make it their business to promote good multicultural literature, books of their stories, other stories.  In a way, librarians provide the general public open access to "more balanced stories" of the world.

The author's website is at http://www.l3.ulg.ac.be/adichie/

Jim Lee

Here is Jim Lee, who baffled me a lot by appearing behind all major American comic heroes: Superman, Batman, X-man.  After a little research, I am learning that over 20 regular writers and 40 regular pencillers have been involving in creating the Uncanny X-man comic series, alone.

Mr. Lee was born in Seoul, Korea but grew up in Missouri to be one of the most popular American comic writers.  As his high school classmates predicted him would be a commic writer, even after he went to Princeton Univ. following tracks to be a medical doctor, he started his career by  penciling Uncanny X-man #248.

He started gaining reputations after his involvement in critically acclaimed series The Authority and Planetary for "breaking out stereotype of comics" with "substance."

Wiki credits the following works to him.

• Alpha Flight #51,53,55–64 (Marvel, 1987–88)
• War Journal #1–13, 17-19 (Marvel, 1988–89)
• Uncanny X-Men #248, 256–258, 267–277 (Marvel, 1990–91)
• X-Men (vol. 2) #1–11 (Marvel, 1991–92)
  
• WildC.A.T.s #1–13 (Image/Wildstorm, 1992–94)
  
• Fantastic Four (Heroes Reborn) #1–6 (pencils) #7–12 (co-plotter) (Marvel, 1996–97)
  
• Divine Right #1–12 (Image/Wildstorm, 1997-99)
  
• Batman #608–619 (DC Comics, 2002–03)
  
• Superman (vol. 2) #204–215 (DC Comics, 2004–05)
  
• All-Star Batman and Robin #1—9 (DC Comics, 2005— )
  

It is disappointing to see that he does not elaborate his life or works in any of his Myface,  Twitter nor author's page at ComicBookDB.com.

Korean Ninjas and the Korean Wave

Here are new entries in the American Ninja revolution and its Korean connections.

A Korean actor, Byung-hun Lee is The Storm Shadow in the movie version of G.I Joe: the rise of cobra.

Rain, a Korean actor and singer, is playing the ninja in upcoming movie, Ninja Assassin. Its trailer at Youtube has already got 2,000,000 hits.

This mega singer and actor with a Master's degree  is one of the Korean pop stars trying out a new land over the Pacific: hope to write an entry about him in this Blog when Ninja Assassin is released and gets any attentions.

There's something called "The Korean Wave,"  which Wiki explains to be "popularity of South Korean culture that rapidly expanding toward world."   By the time I was packing to come here in 2004, I did not understand why Greyhounds packed with Japanese or Taiwanese tourists were milling into my hometown just to visit a movie set they had been watching on TV.  Still then, I underestimated it as a little fuss of Korean pop culture just for the Millennial Generation.

Now that Korean teenagers (17 to 21) are naming themselves as Wonder Girls and climbing up Billborad chart with their title song "Nobody"and Korean actors are starring major roles in the Hollywood movies,  I am wondering if this Korean Wave will make a change: living in US as a Korean American, I've always tempted to fix people thinking all Asians are either Chinese or Japanese.  I am wishfully thinking that this Korean Wave has a Tunami effect to awaken people about a fact that Asia is a big continent with more than two countries.

Derek Kirk Kim

The first find, an award winning Korean American graphic novelist.


Reading along his blog, you'll find "Apples don't fall far from the tree": his cousin in Korea is a successful graphic novelist and one of her stories is being adopted to a Korean TV drama, and his brother is a graphic novelist, too.

Best known as the author of the following three graphic novels:

• The Same Difference (2004/2005): His first book that brought him glory and fame.
• Good As Lily (2007); I don't know why he didn't illustrate it.
• He worked with Gene Luen Yang, the author of the classic, American Born Chinese and produced  The Eternal Smile: Three stories.

His stories are included in

• Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall (2006)
• Superman: Tales of the Bizzaro World (2006)

He is also translating a bunch of Korean Manwhas

• Hanami series
• Shaman Warriors series

His comment on the controversy over 'Hollywood Avata, casting all Caucasian actors to portray Asians characters' shows he stands in the world of Graphic Novels in US.

H1N1 and libraries

While parents and educators are deeply concerned about the epidemics, ALA seems to be quiet on the subject. Libraries and librarians encourage people to share library materials when CDC has confirmed that "people may become infected by touching something – such as a surface or object – with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose." I am wondering if it has been an intentional choice that ALA keeps silence on issues related to the safety of borrowing library materials that have been widely circulated among general public. I believe that the success of my new career as a librarian depends on how "well and good" I will be in helping people with making informed decisions. Here is some information on 2009 H1N1 Flu:

CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) offers well updated and organized information.

NYC Health (Department of Health and Mental Hygiene) send off letters to parents and educators about their "Open School Policy," "Free H1N1 vaccination plan" and basic health information for school aged children on 09/15/2009.

ALA lists some resource links in its Wiki on Pandemic Planning.

Correction: What do Koreans have to do with Ninja?

Ninja is a Japanese term for a killer or an assassin. The term seems to be a conceptual opposite word of the samurai, an honorary term. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles originated in a single issued comic by two young American artists in 1984. About ten years later after the self-published comic book got attentions from general public, a Korean film maker caught between two Koreas (released from North Korea but couldn't return to South Korea) came to US and produced three films, which I mistakenly assumed to be the origin of Ninja comics and films.


1. 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up (1995)
 
             
   
  2.  3 Ninjas Kick Back (1994)

             

3. Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain (1998)

             

Wiki states that Sin Sang-ok, a legendary Korean film maker, produced those three films under the pseudonym, Simon Sheen.

Manwha (Korean graphic novel)

Hi class 777.  Thanks for reminding me of my love to graphic novels when I felt so lost about what to do with this blog.

Here's a quick list of Korean graphic noves in English at Wiki. Hope it would do until I can come up with some numbers of graphic novels of Korean Americans.  Those on Wiki are Manwhas, Korean equivalent of Japanese Mangas, being translated in English as a response to the popularity of graphic novels here in US. Considering the humongous size of Manwha reservoir, it is safe to assume that Korean Manwhas are just beginning to tap in US.

In general, Manwhas have been written in Korean and published in Korea for Koreans. Meanwhile, there are other graphic novels written by Korean Americans. I also bumped into a graphic novel with Korean American characters. These were published in US for American readers in English. While good readers would not mind some cultural backgrounds of Manwhas, new readers might prefer books originally published for them in their language.

Graphic novels "by" and "about" Korean Americans are what I am intrigued and want to post in this blog. Manwhas are great!  Being a new immigrant trying to root down here in new country, I feel  they belong to my "past" that I left behind in my old country.  Meanwhile books related to my Korean American life seem more current and relevent to me; those are stake now and here. That's why I believe that it is critical to differentiate those two kinds from Korean Manwhas as well as all the other graphic novels.

Being a Korean American and prospective librarian, I am looking forward to discovering graphic novels that have great stories and illustrations, and most of all fair representations of Korean Americans.

H1N1 and libraries

While parents and educators are deeply concerned about the epidemics, ALA seems to be quiet on the subject.   Libraries and librarians encourage people to share library materials when CDC has confirmed that "people may become infected by touching something – such as a surface or object – with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose." I am wondering  if it has been an intentional choice that ALA keeps silence on issues related to the safety of borrowing library materials that have been widely circulated among general public.  I believe that the success of my new career as a librarian depends on how "well and good" I will be in helping people with making informed decisions.     Here is some information on 2009 H1N1 Flu:

• CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) offers well updated and organized information. 

• NYC Health (Department of Health and Mental Hygiene) send off letters to parents and educators about their "Open School Policy," "Free H1N1 vaccination plan" and basic health information for school aged children on 09/15/2009.

• ALA lists some resource links in its Wiki on Pandemic Planning.