Alternate Reality

Art By Gudim Anton

近年總是常常按進去Gudim Anton的社交平台零碎地看他的漫畫,特別是那些莫名地感到枯燥乏味的時候,更一定會看他的作品輕鬆一下。有時候是欣賞讚嘆好像獲得了驚喜的笑,但是有時候卻是帶點無奈的苦笑。吸引我的,是Gudim的設計能力與技巧,拼上他腦子裏的想法,兩者是缺一不可的。有評論曾經說過,Gudim的漫畫是要看至少兩次才會看懂,因為他的作品中有很多是在諷刺熱門的社會議題或者以它們作靈感,如果你知道他意指是什麼,才會了解他的幽默。

弔詭的地方在於,他的漫畫既需要你運用已有知識去理解,但同時他也擅長將我們的已有知識在兩個漫畫格內迅速推翻,這樣的能力令某些故事的發展讓人看得毛骨悚然;他甚至不需要四格的空間去表達,與其說是簡約的風格,彷彿更像是在囂張的宣示他洞悉別人心理的能力。他的漫畫是赤裸而直接的,當你細心觀察後突然看懂了,雞皮疙瘩也就起來了,整個過程可能是十幾秒內發生的事情,卻是那麼深刻;他畫了無數有趣的漫畫,但是沒有一個作品光是有趣或者好笑那麼簡單。你甚至會開始懷疑,他所畫的、那些我們稱為超現實的畫面,是不是另一種現實,在另外一個時空發生著。所有的事情看上去皆有可能。

In recent years, I have been accustomed to clicking into Gudim Anton’s social platforms frequently to look at some of his comic strips. Especially when I somehow feel bored, I will certainly look at his creations to relax a bit. Sometimes, I appreciate and applaud it for making me laugh out of surprise, but at times, the laughter is of a bitter sort, associated with a sense of helplessness. What draws me to his creations is his design skills and techniques, which are blended with his ideas. Both are indispensable. One critic noted that one has to go over Gudim’s comics twice in order to understand them because many of his works are a satirical take on social issues or draw inspiration from them. You will only understand the humor if you know what issue he is alluding to.

What is paradoxical about his comics is that understanding them requires your existing knowledge, yet at the same time they are adept at rejecting what you already know within the space of just two panels. Given such power, some of his story developments can give one the creeps. He does not need even four panels to get his message across. Rather than contributing this to his simplicity in style, it would seem more apt to regard it as his attempt to showcase his ability to read the mind of others. His comics are straightforward and direct. When you suddenly come to an understanding after taking a close look, you will get goosebumps. While the whole process might last only ten seconds or so, it can leave such a deep impression on your mind. Even though he has drawn numerous interesting comic strips, none of them is simply just interesting or hilarious. You might even begin to wonder if what he has drawn, those so-called surreal scenes, is in fact another kind of truth, happening in another space-time. Everything looks possible.

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