志异 Draft by Drama box July 2014 (english) | Page 38

the Japanese in the 1930s. The
Chinese in Singapore were more
concerned about the political and
social situation back in China and
the cartoons reflected that. There
was limited localisation, although
there were some attempts to
introduce local topics and imagery
in cartoons in the late 1920s and
1930s. But all that stopped in 1937.
In 1937, Japan invaded China. The
Sino-Japanese war marked the
start of a nine-year war in China
that would feed into World War II
in 1941 when Japan bombed Pearl
Harbour. But for now, the invasion
of China by Japan would once

column three – ct lim

again rally the overseas Chinese
intellectuals, including writers and
cartoonists to take up their weapons
of choice, to show that the pen
is equal, if not mightier, than the
sword.
Many cartoons were drawn in
Chinese newspapers in Singapore
to condemn the Japanese for
their invasion of China. This would
prove fatal for the cartoonists
in 1942 when Japan invaded
Singapore. During the Sook Ching
massacre, the Japanese soldiers
rounded up many anti-Japanese
elements, including cartoonists, to
be executed. The atrocities of the

disjuncture & discord in singapore comic & cartoon