Rusty Rail: A love letter to 1980s Singapore
For many Singaporeans, Kelvin Chan’s comic series Rusty Rail is more than just a comic – it’s a time machine.
Each panel bursts with the vibrant colours, familiar sights and forgotten flavours of a bygone era, transporting readers back to the heart of 1980s Singapore.
At the centre of this nostalgic journey is Boy Boy, a mischievous and adventurous character based on Chan’s younger self, and his endearing relationship with his Por Por (grandmother).
“Rusty Rail is about Boy Boy’s relationship with his grandma,” explained the 53-year-old veteran artist.
This deep bond resonates throughout the series, reflecting the special connection Chan shared with his own Por Por, who raised him after his mother's death when he was just six.
He described his Por POr as a “really strong woman”, someone who instilled in him a sense of independence and resourcefulness.
This spirit of adventure permeates Rusty Rail, as Boy Boy explores his HDB estate and the streets of 1980s Singapore with a mixture of mischief and wide-eyed wonder.
For Chan, who describes himself as a “kid at heart”, these childhood memories left a powerful impression. The series' name itself was inspired by a particularly vivid memory.
“In those days, the metal railings on the parapet of HDB flats weren’t very well-maintained and were pretty rusty,” Chan recalled with a laugh. “I was so young, I hadn’t learnt about germs, so I actually licked them!”
It was after he shared this anecdote with a long-time friend, who encouraged him to channel his quirky childhood experiences into a comic strip, that Rusty Rail was born during the circuit breaker in 2020.
The comic strip found its home on Facebook and Instagram, where Chan built a small following. Readers would sometimes share their own memories and experiences evoked by the comic in the comments section.
One strip featuring Boy Boy playing the childhood game “A-E-I-O-U”, sparked some comments from followers who shared the various names and iterations the game had across generations and cultures.
“Every generation has a different name,” Chan acknowledged, proving that even seemingly simple games can hold a wealth of cultural history.
For Chan, Rusty Rail became a passion project fuelled by a desire to preserve a rapidly vanishing side of Singapore.
“I wanted to capture everything from that period, you know,” he said. From chapteh and zero-point to catching spiders, the comic is filled with details that resonate deeply with those who lived through that time.
Beyond the humour and nostalgia, however, lies a profound love for Chan’s Por Por, who raised him until she died in 1987 at the age of 85.
He described her as a “really strong woman” who, despite being in her 80s, managed everything from cooking and grocery shopping for Chan and his father. She was even known to embrace new technology of the time such as the VHS player.
“She was into all the Hong Kong dramas,” Chan shared, recounting how evenings with his grandma were filled with a comforting routine: renting VHS tapes and settling in for a nightly ritual of shared viewing.
After putting up over 60 episodes for Rusty Rail, the comic strip went on a hiatus in 2021, with Chan citing work and family commitments getting in the way.
“We stopped because we had enough to compile into a one-volume collection of Rusty Rail episodes. We were planning to launch it at Singapore Comic Con a few years back, but life got in the way,” he admitted.
However, Chan is far from done with Boy Boy and Por Por. With plans for a physical volume release and potentially expanding beyond the 1980s setting, Chan’s immediate focus is on the comic’s upcoming syndication in TNP.
“We’ll run this series in TNP (10am every Monday), and after that, maybe we will launch the physical or digital collected volume,” he said.
When asked what his Por Por might think of Rusty Rail, Chan said she would probably enjoy it.
“I think she would have a good laugh. She had a really good sense of humour."
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