I'm not much of a comic book fan. Frankly, nothing can compete with the sheer brilliance of "Calvin and Hobbes," and I've already read the complete series several times.
I don't know how Chinese people feel about comics, but based on the gem I just read, I think the country has a promising future in the industry.
The only example I've seen thus far was written by the "Exit-Entry Administration Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau." The literature is supposed to relate important information about how to arrive and live in China for Americans studying abroad, but since Americans are too impatient to read normal brochures, they made a comic book especially for us.
Meet Tom. Tom is a typical American on his way to study in Shanghai. He has neon orange hair and a complete lack of life skills. When Tom lands in Shanghai, he must first go through customs. In line in front of Tom are a growling international gangster and an innocent-looking young girl. The caption reminds us that we should not study abroad in China if we already have a criminal record there as the gangster is whisked away by shadowy guards.
The young girl then steps up to the desk and asks, "May I visit the satellite launch centre in Xichang?" "No," responds the customs officer,."You won't be admitted to satellite launch centre without permission." Somehow, this obvious terrorist/spy posing as a student is let through. There's a brief romance between terrorist girl and Tom, followed by a lecture on how to tell your passport apart from your visa, but I'll skip to the good part.
After they both move into their dorms, Tom, covered in bruises and band-aids, approaches terrorist girl. Nice one, Tom. Play the sympathy card. Tom then claims that he got in a fight the night before over which World Cup team was worse, Italy or Poland. Tom, being the typical American soccer expert, is apparently a really big Poland fan. More likely, he was hit by a bicycle but was too embarrassed to tell his new girlfriend. No big deal, she buys it and invites him to a party at her place.
The next day, Tom has somehow managed to purchase a car. He gets a call from terrorist girl demanding that he bring beer on his way to the party. After getting beer at the store, Tom realizes he's running late and decides to speed. He then thinks to himself, "So thirsty, let me drink some beer." So Tom gets trashed and crashes his car. When the police show up, he says he didn't know he needed a drivers' license. The caption warns against making these mistakes, but minutes later, Tom arrives at the party, grateful for the apparent lack of traffic and liquor laws.
The first person Tom meets at the party is a girl with blue hair who hands him something that looks like a Tylenol gel cap. "Hi, do you want to try a little bit? Very high," she says. When Tom refuses, he is dubbed a "coward," but when the police show up for a noise complaint, the blue-headed girl is taken away and probably executed.
Tom breathes a sigh of relief and starts to put the moves on his terrorist girlfriend, but apparently the rest of the story was censored because the next frame shows Tom getting his degree and flying home. It's alright; we all know what happens next. Moral of the story: don't do drugs, aspiring terrorists shouldn't visit satellite launch centers, and if you're going to drink and drive, make sure you at least have a license (but it's OK if you don't). Welcome to China.
Mike Adams is a junior majoring in international relations. He can be reached at michael_j.adams@tufts.edu.
