Starlight Cats

SHOWS Drive-through art exhibitions could be coming to China > TOMORROW IN LIFE Monday, December 14, 2020 THINKING POSITIVE ALL THE RIGHT MOVES Safeguarding your mental health during and after ‘Queen of Swords’ Cheng Pei-pei’s accidental the pandemic > FITNESS & WELL-BEING B14 career in martial arts films > CINEMA B15 Illustrations from the graphic novel Starlight Cats. Photos: Handouts Claws for celebration Starlight Cats, a graphic novel by a DC Comics artist and his wife, features a cast Davis has previously After losing touch in 2010, drawn his pet cat of 18 Davis and Lin reconnected in of superhero Singaporean street felines and a young girl battling rat-like aliens years, Dexter, in one of his 2016 when Lin began studying works in the Red Lantern the Montessori method of child comic series. Fan-favourite education in Vancouver, Canada. multicultural modern city,” Davis well-known Singapore pinafore Dex-Starr is known for the Two years later, they got married Haneesa Begum says. “A lot of people in the United school uniform and eating at a powers that emerged after in the United States and they [email protected] States have heard of Singapore, hawker centre with Barnaby. his contact with a Red have been living in North but there are very few representa- “We want to highlight ele- Lantern Power Ring. Davis Carolina ever since. With a backdrop of Marina Bay tions of Singapore in American ments of the Singapore heartland says he had “tonnes of fun” Several years of being online Sands, scenes set in hawker pop culture.” Superhero comics to readers worldwide,” Lin says, co-creating Dex-Starr and friends and getting to know centres, and a character modelled are usually set in metropolises “such as hawker centres, HDB decided to continue the trend each other has been an on the city state’s symbolic such as New York, he adds. (subsidised public housing) flats – so Starlight Cats was born. asset for their creative mythical creature, the Merlion, and the street cat population of “I had already drawn Dexter collaboration as well, the intergalactic comic-like Singapore, and how they are very into a comic book, and it was they say. Their comple- graphic novel Starlight Cats different from street cats else- only natural to want to draw mentary partnership has presents Singapore in an where in the world.” Yanzi’s pet cat into a comic book been transferred onto the alternative universe. Singaporeans often think their as well,” he says. “Barnaby is pages of Starlight Cats and The brainchild of husband- We want to highlight street cats are healthier than the based on Yanzi’s ginger cat in into their work patterns. and-wife duo Shane Davis and elements of the scrawny strays in other nations Singapore. In the comic, he is Although they are Yanzi Lin, the comic has illustra- because although Singapore’s dependable and loyal, just like co-writing the publication, tion panels and stars the city Singapore heartland feral felines do not belong to any- the real-world Barnaby.” the rest of the project is state’s population of street cats – a one, they are randomly cared for Davis has 20 years of experi- divided. Davis works on the common sight in the alleys and to readers worldwide by locals, and become almost ence in the comics industry, Shane Davis layouts and pencilling draw- backstreets of Singapore. YANZI LIN, CO-WRITER “community cats”. working on several world- and Yanzi ings on the pages. Lin then inks Three years in the making, Lin and Davis’ 48-page renowned DC Comics creations, Lin; the cover the pages, and transfers them Starlight Cats features a team of graphic novel features a quartet of from Superman: Earth One to Starlight Cats. digitally before sending the feline superheroes who join Lin’s own experience as a colourful cosmic-powered felines Batman and the Red Lantern images to Malaysian colourist forces with a young girl to battle The Merlion Singaporean brings authenticity – Barnaby, Princess L’Amour, series. DC comic books have Candice Han. evil rat-like aliens. character is to Starlight Cats. The main char- Salty and Jellybean. Each cat has a been published since the 1930s “We enjoy bouncing ideas off Set to hit the market next year modelled on acter is an eight-year-old, strong- distinct personality and together and, even in the age of the inter- and Lin believe readers of all ages each other; the process for creat- after initial funds were raised on Singapore’s willed Singaporean named they call themselves the Catz, net, they are still sold by the mil- will enjoy Starlight Cats, saying ing the story is more free-form the Indiegogo crowdfunding symbolic Rebecca Chow, who is thrust into working with Rebecca to save the lion, and their reach is growing. there’s something in it for every- than structured,” Davis says. website, the first in the series is mythical an action-packed adventure world from the treacherous rat- Comics and graphic novels one. Gore and violence are omit- The Starlight Cats graphic titled Starlight Cats: Merlion creature alongside her pet cat, Barnaby. like alien Verkins. have a huge following worldwide, ted, making it a perfect read for novel is projected to hit the mar- Rising. (below); the Rebecca can fly wearing a There’s a reason cats are the inspiring acclaimed television younger audiences. They add that ket by August 2021. According to “We both felt that setting the character supersuit, but she is also an ordi- main focus of the intergalactic series and films. According to a themes of betrayal, espionage its creators, this is only the begin- story in Singapore is a great fit, as of Rebecca nary little girl. On various pages of publication. The couple have four recent report by 360 Research, and thriving through adversity ning of the series. They are Singapore is a cosmopolitan, (right). the novel, she is seen wearing the cats of their own. this year the market was worth should captivate adult fans. already planning for a sequel; more than US$3.8 billion, with saying at least two more Starlight the Asia-Pacific region account- Cats graphic novels will be ing for the largest comic book published in the future. market share with 41.26 per cent. “We will be expanding on the Despite his experience in the world of the Catz and their world of comic books, Davis says I think this book has a mythology for sure, whether it is there is always something new to much larger scope than in the main book or in the supple- learn. With Starlight Cats, work- mental stories that we will in- ing on Rebecca’s story pushed what I am used to drawing clude in ashcans available during him into uncharted territory. the campaigns,” says Lin, refer- “During my time working SHANE DAVIS, ARTIST ring to promotional materials. professionally in the US comic The Indiegogo campaign for industry, I ended up learning a lot The couple hope to send a the project was launched on about world-building and how to signal about the importance of October 4 and it has already capture an audience’s attention teamwork and optimism, and racked up a little more than as well, in the process of working how characters can become S$98,000 (about HK$568,000) on legacy characters,” he says. stronger by facing trials and tribu- with close to 900 backers, and the “I think this book has a much lations – a message reminiscent of current plan is to keep it going larger scope than what I am used Davis and Lin’s own story. until August 2021. to drawing. Having to envision The couple met 14 years ago Fans who back the campaign the world through a little girl’s on LiveJournal, an online social can buy limited-edition eyes is something different. I am networking platform centred on merchandise such as T-shirts, trying to visualise a story that is blogging, communicating and enamel pins, trading cards and much larger in scale – on a reading stories posted by users stickers. There is also the chance universal scale, even.” worldwide. After Lin posted about to buy original inked covers and a Although the human super- an issue of Batman drawn by limited-edition cover that hero in the novel is a child, Davis Davis, they began video chatting. features the Merlion..

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