Transformative Architectures in Postcolonial Hong Kong Comics

Abstract

This chapter looks at Hong Kong cultural identities by analyzing the postcolonial Hong Kong comic Harbor Heroes, by Siuhak, in which the heroes are fictional characters in the form of anthropomorphologized robots transformed from famous architectural landmarks along the Victoria Harbor front. The characterization of these robots reflects the transmedial influences of robot animations produced in Japan and the United States in the 1980s when Siuhak was growing up. Originally published as editorial comics from 2004 to 2016, <italic>Harbor Heroes</italic> has the features of political cartoons that are closely tied to current issues and political events. The narratives include political humor, nostalgia, and parodies. Therefore, they have displayed the transformation of Hong Kong as well as the shifting cultural identities among Hong Kong people. After studying its comic forms, functions, and publication format, it is proposed that this story embodies multilayered hybridity which also accentuates hybrid Hong Kong cultural identities.