Malaysian WINS Prestigious Eisner Awards For Slice-Of-Life Webcomic

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Malaysian illustrator Erica Eng won the prestigious Will Eisner Comic Industry Award this year, beating out five other titles internationally.

What you need to know: The Will Eisner Comic Industry Award is akin to the Academy Awards of the comic industry. The votes for the awards are only open to comic industry professionals, and Erica is the youngest Malaysian to have been nominated and won.

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Brought it home! 🏆 (Well, the trophy’s getting mailed to me but you know what I mean) Disclaimer: the name of my comic had an error. I told the admin about the mix-up before the press release, and tried again when I was notified of my win. Unfortunately, I didn’t inform them quickly enough. To set the record straight: it’s just Fried Rice. No comic at the end. 🍚

A post shared by Erica Eng (@paprikapeprica) on Jul 24, 2020 at 8:26pm PDT

Why it matters: 22-year-old Erica Eng’s comic Fried Rice is an autobiographical fiction set in Malaysia. The art is familiar and nostalgic, giving local and international readers a slice of Malaysian life with every update. She cites Lat as a comic inspiration, and she hopes to depict a modern Malaysian life for international and local audiences.

A snippet of Erica’s art features a hearty Malaysian breakfast of yau char kuay (fried dough sticks) and nasi lemak bungkus.
(Credit: Fried Rice)

Her art is a charming display of Malaysian life, and for quintessentially Malaysian culture to be acknowledged by the international community is always exciting.

The story is actually based on her own experience after graduating high school and journey to become an artist and animator.

Where to read it: You can read more of Erica’s comic on her Fried Rice comic blog here.

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