In an attempt just to spread some joy, Malaysian artist Chow Hon Lam has created an ongoing manga series called Buddy Gator. It has an alligator as the main character, but it’s not as scary as the gators are commonly thought to be. This amiable creature is a reminder to “never judge a book by its cover”.
Lam started illustrating his comics about a year ago at the start of the pandemic. He said, “I wanted to create something to make people feel better during difficult times.” The artist’s empathy for others is certainly evident in his work, where moments of kindness are beautifully illustrated with cute animal characters.
Lam designed his main character to be like the friend we all longed for. The artist said: “Sometimes alligators give us a scary impression: long mouth, sharp, strong teeth and a scary tail. “Alligators can also be warm and sweet. In this comic, you will see a different king crocodile, a warm and friendly king alligator”. Lam added, “Maybe we all need a friend like him.”
Each image shows Buddy the alligator and his animal friends playing together and helping each other. In one image, a bear welcomes a giraffe, a rabbit and Buddy to his “house warming party”, held in a cave.
In another comic, Buddy gives Eric the rabbit a skateboard so he can zoom around his burrow. Buddy also befriends an elephant named Nancy, a shark named Koji, and a whale named Andrew. Lam’s lovely series teaches us to be kind to others, even when they are different from us. The artist said, “Everyone is born special, love those around you and love yourself.”
Scroll down to see some images from the Buddy Gator comic series and follow Lam on Instagram for more adorable, illustrated moments.
Chow Hon Lam’s ongoing manga, Buddy Gator, illustrates the life of a friendly crocodile and its animal friends.
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