DELAY: A Comics Anthology
Edited by Charis Loke and Paolo Chikiamco
Difference Engine: 2025
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What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘delay’? A disruption to a well-laid plan, or a much needed respite from the seemingly never-ending grind of daily life? This is the theme explored in DELAY: A Comics Anthology, continuing the tradition from publisher Difference Engine’s previous collection, SOUND: A Comics Anthology. Helmed by returning co-editor Charis Loke and Paolo Chikiamco (who’d contributed to SOUND), DELAY features eleven stories by Southeast Asian creators giving the concept their own spin.

If the thought of yet another collection of “Southeast Asian perspectives” elicits a deep, wistful sigh from you, rest assured that you’re not alone. A decade ago, region-based comic anthologies were published rather frequently, such as Flight, an American comics series edited by Kazu Kibushi, and Liquid City, a Southeast Asian offering edited by Sonny Liew and Joyce Sim. Anthologies are a mixed bag by design, a format that showcases works by seasoned veterans alongside fresh creators, allowing readers to discover new voices as they flock to familiar ones. This is both its strength and weakness. I’ve picked up an anthology or two where I struggled to overcome the (visual and written) stylistic choices of some of the works and ended up glossing over them. This, combined with the increased commoditisation of Southeast Asian identities and visual language over the past decade, positions a regionally focused anthology like DELAY in a niche that treads a very fine line between kitschy and genuine. It’s enough to make any well-meaning reader approach it with scepticism and caution.

• Tags: Charis Loke, Issue 43, Max Loh, Paolo Chikiamco