Artist Rachta Lin Debuts 1st Original Manga ‘The Wonderverse Saga’ At Singapore Comic Con 2022
Many of us may be avid consumers of manga, and some may have even dreamt of becoming a manga artist. But for non-Japanese, this is easier said than done since Japan is the mecca of manga — drawing manga for the Japanese market requires much more than just passion.
But Singaporean artist Rachta Lin wasn’t about to let any of that stop her. She gave up a corporate job as an art director so she could pursue illustrating as a full-time career.
Her true goal, however, is to become a manga author, which she has finally accomplished with the upcoming release of The Wonderverse Saga. The manga got its first official preview at Singapore Comic Con 2022.
Drawing on dark fantasy and superhero comic elements, Rachta shares that the manga process was much like being a “director, scriptwriter, videographer, everything at once”.
But evidently, the process was fun enough that she plans to release 10 to 20 volumes of the saga, and she already has an idea for the ending.
Rachta hopes her manga will help others who read it get through hard times, just as other manga did for her when she was growing up as an introverted and shy kid.
Explaining The Wonderverse Saga
The Wonderverse Saga, which won the Singapore Comic Con WIP Programme 2021, takes place in a world where humans with superpowers are normal, while those born without them are classified as “subhuman”. The latter group is treated as second-class citizens, enslaved and often existing to fulfil the whims of those with powers.
“The ones with superpowers are the villains,” Rachta explained in an interview with MS News.
It’s a subversion of the usual superhero trope where those with superpowers are the exception rather than the norm.
The protagonist is one such “subhuman”, born without superpowers and only given the number 110882 instead of a name. The Wonderverse Saga thus chronicles this teenage boy’s life and encounters as he rises above his circumstances.
Though Rachta confessed that she never had a particular age in mind for the protagonist, she said he is a teenager somewhere between the ages of 13 and 17.
While she declined to share details about the other characters, she did give a hint that “about 60%” of the characters that appear in the first four chapters will be important to the plot.
Being a manga artist is like playing every role on a movie set
It was an eye-opening experience writing The Wonderverse Saga. Rachta found out that, unlike illustrations, every panel needs to be thoughtfully constructed. Drawing manga also requires a different skill set from illustrating, even though both disciplines involve drawing.
(A manga artist has to) imagine there’s a movie set — there’s a director, scriptwriters, lighting, actors — (the manga artist) is everybody (at a movie set).
She elaborated that you need to know many things, such as how the characters act, camera angles, etc.
While coming up with the story was undoubtedly challenging, it was also fun for Rachta. She likened story writing to “gradually diving into the ocean” and being the only one there, having to wait and see what will appear while using the characters’ emotions to develop a story.
Rachta in the middle of a commission at Singapore Comic Con 2022
“That part always feels challenging and a little scary because I’m afraid I won’t be able to come up with anything good, but in the end, it’s also the most fun part of the process,” she shared.
Rachta also found out that as she developed her characters, they almost take on a life of their own — she shares it’s akin to “having a conversation” with these people in her head — to the point where even she has no idea how the story will progress right now. However, she has an ending in mind.
All she can do, then, is “talk” to the characters and bring them to life through her panels. Challenging, she said, but absolutely fulfilling.
Wants to help others with manga like what it has done for her
As a self-professed quiet, and “depressed” child growing up, manga and anime were what Rachta sought solace in — almost like an escape into another world. Her experiences as an avid manga reader led her to dream of becoming like one of the manga authors she revered growing up and, hopefully, allow others to find that escape themselves.
I want to do the same thing for somebody else.
Now that she has completed her first volume and fulfilled her lifelong dream of debuting as a manga artist, Rachta’s next goal is to publish The Wonderverse Saga in Japan.
Though Rachta admitted it was a “silly” goal, having seemingly outlandish dreams is how people become successful, after all. We get the sense that these “silly” ambitions have brought her to where she is today, so by all means, she should strive to make her dreams come true.
Volume 1 of The Wonderverse Saga will be released in 2023 at major bookstores and online.
More information will be released at a later date, so follow their social media to get the latest updates.
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Featured image by MS News.
