As interviews go, no one was more relentless and meticulous in detail than SH Lim. He likes to come prepared, being the perfectionist journalist that he is. He was also gracious in sharing his thoughts about narrative to a newcomer like myself.
One for the album!
Interview & review by SH Lim for Time Out KL Magazine *August 2009*. Incidentally, this article turned out to be my favourite so far!
Another interview article by Quill magazine *July 2009*.
Finally, here's the review from the Business Times, Singapore by Christopher Lim (10th July 2009). He gave my book a rating of B-. Haha... Here's what it says:
"Malaysian John Ho has just published his first graphic novel, and Scary Ever After is a one-man affair, written and illustrated by Ho and no one else.
As you might gather from the title, this is a collection of seven horror stories, so, like Liquid City, it isn’t the kind of thing to use to cure your kid’s insomnia. Some of the stories, such as Fairyland, are full of macabre beauty, while others, like chalk ring, are a cross between H P Lovecraft and your average Asian horror movie.
Ho’s art style is black and white, and he likes to compose his scenes by getting friends to re-enact his storyboards and then take photographs of them. Then he puts the photos in front of him and lets his imagination take off. The style is reminiscent of artist and graphic novelist Dave McKean, who also draws in black and white, and this resemblance is reinforced by one of the two available covers for Scary Ever After, which shows a mixed-media tableau comprising a cat standing on a skull – something that could easily have been mistaken for a McKean creation.
The quality of Ho’s words isn’t as consistent as his artwork, and sometimes is a tad awkward, but it’s nothing that a stern copy editor couldn’t fix.
Scary Ever After originally started life on a website, which was taken down after Ho got a publishing deal, but it’s an interesting approach and gives fans some insight into a work in progress. Ho hopes to publish more graphic novels in the near future, and while he isn’t sure if he will start a website for the next project, hopefully he will decide to let the public into his mind."
Here's another one. This is a local review from The Star by Kaleon Rahan (17th July 2009) :)
👻 1. Scary ever after is a collection of Horror Comics Written & Illustrated by John Ho - 1st Book published in 2009
👻 2. Never Scream in the Dark, written and illustrated by John Ho - 2nd book published in 2020
john ho ~
Educator. Storyteller.
Mobile : 016-3827960
Email: johnhoys@gmail.com
Graphic Novel Writer & Illustrator, Art Teacher, Fine Art Artist and Motion Graphics Enthusiast, I enjoy undertaking different roles and artistic endeavors.
I have a degree in Graphic Design & Illustration from Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand. I've also received multiple awards for my works (the prestigious Creative 31 International Award 2002 among others.) Among my high profile work is an international commercial starring Jackie Chan!
My Debut Graphic Novel Scary Ever After is a collection of horror comics that will haunt you with its suspenseful stories! My illustrations have also appeared on the cover of a novel titled A Lawyer on Trial and in children coloring books, including Warisan Negara Kita Malaysia.
I love and excelled in art at a very young age and received an Award from my school for Best SPM Art results! Having been there myself, I know how every young, promising artist feels!
My teaching philosophy is simple - I understands that each child is a unique, artistic individual!