As you must have guessed pages ago, Chapter 18 is not the end; it’s only the mid-point of the series. I have opted for a “semi-ending” that satisfactorily ties up the loose ends so far and suggest future adventures at the same time.

Almost 5 years and more than 500 full-colour pages later, I have grown as a creator as much as Anema has grown as a story. Look at last few chapters, then at the first few, and you’ll see!

My desire to make a whole new title - a standalone book - beckons. If I spend any more time on Anema, I may be typecast a maker of “furries and robots”!

Anema has been a foray into the human condition as much as into professional comics. You certainly know who your friends are when some won’t even fork out $2.50 to buy your life’s work, and then zip off in their new cars!

As the months and years passed, the harsh realities of the publishing industry and the Singapore psyche were also gradually peeled bare for me to see. Well, what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.

We learn of the proverbial “artist’s suffering” and acknowledge it dispassionately, but we’re mere ignoramuses of what it really constitutes until we taste its full brunt ourselves.

I’ve learned how a creative and rational man should see and relate to the world - a true creator must live for his own sake and take second opinions with a pinch of salt. Appeal to the whims of industry and you may see success for a while; once the trends shift you’ll be swept to a corner.

Now comes the compulsory thanking of the fans, and I’ll try not to be too mushy.

THANK YOU.

It’s always gratifying to know there are people reading my work- all 40,000 of you- when all I face is a computer and table every day. You’ve made writing Anema the most precious experience of my life so far. Thanks for all your emails, irrational outbursts, and raves.

The saga of Anema WILL continue one day, and it’ll be grander, deeper, and more than you ever imagined.

Yours truly,
Johnny Tay

Post Script:

I’m currently an editor at Reader’s Digest and have my own “editor’s blog”. If you’re keen on reading something from me that isn’t comics, drop by. (you need to register to add comments)