Johnny Tay is a native of Singapore, an island
on the equator at the heart of South-East Asia.
He has explored the comic artform for the past
22 years, and was able to produce complete graphic
novels since his fifth birthday.
All his life Johnny believes that the medium
deserves more respect than the public currently
accords. He likens a comic to a blank slate, where
its contents are only limited by the creator's
imagination and the depth of human conception.
In the hands of a true master, a comic can be
educational, evocative and profound. Comics need
not be about spandex-clad superheroes, watery-eyed
manga characters, or funny animals.
In 2003 Johnny combined his business training
and life-long cartooning skills to self-publish
Anema, and never looked back. This is Anema's
online version, which has garnered 3 international
web awards and enjoys worldwide readership.
In person the author appears deceptively boring,
preferring to engage in sedentary pastimes like
watching TV and gorging on food; only in his work
one realizes the scope of his imagination.
Some peripheral facts—he has a business degree with highest honours; he can
be lulled to sleep with heavy metal music, new
age music suits his tastes better; unlike most
men soccer does not excite him, who prefers to
watch the ultimate macho sport of wrestling.
Johnny is currently working on a brand new title,
a standalone graphic novel. He has yet to decide if it should be gradually released online or wholly released as a book.
At this moment Johnny finds it corny to describe
himself in third-person, but since many great
authors do it he shrugs and follows suit.
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