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CHARLIE CHONG COMICS: "CAIRO FOE" ($1.00 ppd)
CHARLIE CHONG IN "CHONG VS KONG" ($3.00 ppd)
(Larned Justin / PO Box 471 / House Springs, MO / 63051 USA. Web:
www.candidcartoons.com)
It seems there's been a bit of a flap over these titles with regards to ethnic stereotypes. You see, both of these comics – as should be apparent to at least some readers – are parodies of the Charlie Chan mystery movies from the '30s and '40s. Naturally, such a thing can't really be done without broken english, slanted eyes and "Number One Son". Adding to the mess, of course, is a minor character, an explorer's guide, in
Chong vs Kong who is from (presumably) the jungles of Africa and doesn't speak english. What he does speak is sort of a pseudo-ebonics. Personally, I don't find this stuff offensive for two reasons: (1) The aping of the dialogue style from those movies is actually quite good, and (2) I find the language play amusing. But I can certainly see how someone unfamiliar with the Chan movies (or someone who's offended by those) might take umbrage. Is it offensive? I don't know. I'd suggest that if you find Peter Sellers' character in the movie
Murder by Death offensive then you should avoid this one.
Now. As to the books themselves, I enjoyed them. They follow the feel of some of those films quite well and distinctly feel like an homage in that respect. Other, more modern, subjects are parodied pretty well (Larry King being the most obvious) or at least referenced and there's a good number of jokes to keep the chuckles coming.
Cairo Foe is actually the first chapter of an ongoing story, but
Chong vs Kong is self-contained.
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