DELAY: A Comics Anthology
About the book
Looming milestones and missed connections. Resisting mainstream expectations and doing life at your own pace.
What does DELAY mean to you? Writers and illustrators from Southeast Asia take on this theme in a comics anthology curated by guest editors Charis Loke and Paolo Chikiamco.
From explorations of identity and inner worlds to the twists and turns of modern life, these stories offer restoration, room for reflection, and invite us to reclaim time in our own ways.
Why read this book?
• Explore the theme of “delay” through the eyes of various Southeast Asian writers and illustrators.
• Compelling narratives that span personal stories and universal themes selected by veteran comic book editors.
• Features a wide range of art styles and genres.
• A great read for anyone interested in Southeast Asian comics and diversifying your bookshelf.
Creative Teams
• A Day in the Life by Cesar Miguel Escaño (PH) & Ferdee Bambico (PH)
• Ad Astra by Nicolette “Wanlingnic” Lee (SG)
• Astray by Farid Nad (MY)
• DELAYED by Peter Lin (SG) & Angela Wu (SG)
• Fish Curry Tastes Better the Next Day by Paati/பாட்டி Philosophy (SG)
• Limerence Station by Eliot Lime (SG)
• Ma, Pa, Delayed Ako by Hansel Dimapilis (PH)
• Syncopation by Aime Marisa (MY) & Bonnibel Rambatan (ID)
• The Adventures of Sunday Domingo feat. Yaya Precy by Julius Villanueva (PH)
• The Other World by Cathlyn Vania (ID)
• Time For That Later by Wayne Rée (SG), Nadia Daeng (SG), & Abigail Goh Tian-I (MY)
Praise for DELAY: A Comics Anthology
An intricate mosaic of stories told from different Southeast Asian perspectives, this anthology ignites a deeper appreciation and hunger in me for modern Southeast Asian comics. I can only say, ‘More, please!’
— Erica Eng, Eisner award-winning creator of Fried Rice
DELAY shows both what Southeast Asia and comic books are capable of. It captures the many different ways comics can tell a story, through montages, mosaics, messages, and even a recipe. It’s a heartfelt examination of what it means to be between and looking for what’s coming next.
— Myle Yan Tay, author of catskull
Lovely, thoughtful, the stories of DELAY interrogate the delicate notions of progress as established by cultures, governments, or ourselves. As we read through lives marching forward, staying still and holding on we are invited to reflect on what is holding us back and what is keeping us anchored.
— Renren Galeno, author of Sa Wala
Another fantastic collection of stories from Southeast-Asian comic book creators… Each story experiments with many visual ways of showing delay, getting stuck, feeling lost, and flying free.
— Budjette Tan, author of Trese
DELAY shows us the power of comics to play with temporality and spatiality, to weave different lives and times together across panels and pages.
— Gui Weihsin, Professor of English
Charis Loke
Editor
Charis Loke has been found drawing book covers, fantasy maps, board games, street protests, in the jungle, on a boat, and by a glacier. As an editor and curator, she’s worked with close to a hundred Southeast Asian comic creators and artists, including co-editing SOUND: A Comics Anthology, published by Difference Engine. She’s illustrated for Netflix, Orbit, Macmillan, Subterranean Press, and Mekong Review, among others, and has an MA in Visual Sociology with an interest in mapping as arts research
Paolo Chikiamco
Editor
Paolo Chikiamco, from the Philippines, is a lawyer and writer of prose, comics, and interactive fiction. His prose has been published in anthologies such as The Sea is Ours and The Best of Philippine Speculative Fiction, and his interactive wrestling novel Slammed! was released by Choice of Games. As an editor, he put together Alternative Alamat, an anthology of stories that reimagine Philippine myth and folklore. As a comics writer, he has collaborated with some of the country’s most talented artists.
