Have you ever heard of a book titled This Book, or even The Second Book, The Third Book, and ... Not the Fourth Book? The graphic writer who spawned this series, Huang Chun-Lang, is known to those who know him as Ah-Lang, or with the added honorific "Mr. Ah-Lang". As the art director of Chinese Edition Publishing, he has published his own creative graphic books, helped Jay Chou write lyrics, and many other roles. For him, the most important thing is to stick to his own creations and publish the books he wants to publish. From "This Book" to "Not the Fourth Book", the seemingly witty, kuso style reveals Lang's self-contained creative style.
Doing what you love doesn't have to be recognized or known
Arang was born in Kaohsiung's rural areas, where his parents were seamstresses, and brought up their children by cutting and sewing in a small workshop less than six pings in size, which has become the most distinctive image in Arang's memory. He grew up as a good kid, excelled in both academics and character, and even never read a comic book before high school. It was only after he got into Xiongzhong Middle School that he slowly became accustomed to living in a group and learned how to make friends. In college, he enrolled at Chung Hsing University, majoring in geomatics, but always knew he wanted to pursue a career in writing and graphic design.
When he first graduated from college, his family and friends all wanted him to find a stable job, but Lang felt that if he found a stable job, people tend to become accustomed to being comfortable, and even if he decided to wait until he had enough savings to realize his dream, he could easily give it up because of his inertia and complacency with his status quo, and he began to develop the idea that "it doesn't matter if he doesn't publish a book". He knew that since publishing a book was something he had to do, he had to take the plunge, so when he graduated from college he made up his mind that he wouldn't accept any job offer unless he waited for the chance to publish a book.
At that time, his family was still in debt, and relatives and friends were puzzled by his decision, but Arang was clear about his goal. After careful weighing, he decided that his style of painting, which no one else had done, and his writing were his strengths, and he felt that this was the way to make a living for himself. He is convinced that the only way to make a living is to do what he does best, and that by publishing books he will be able to have a consistent and sufficient income to settle his family's debts.
Persisting and giving up, often in the blink of an eye