Tag Archives: difference engine

Exclusive Preview: “Syncopation” by Aime Marisa and Bonnibel Rambatan from DELAY: A Comics Anthology

Posted on by

Looming milestones, and missed connections. Resisting mainstream expectations, and doing life at your own pace. What does DELAY mean to you? 

Writers and illustrators from all around Southeast Asia take on this theme in an anthology, DELAY: A Comics Anthology. It’s curated by guest editors Charis Loke and Paolo Chikiamco, telling stories close to their hearts while exploring the potential of the comics medium to depict the passage of time.

Charis Loke has been found drawing book covers, fantasy maps, board games, street protests, in the jungle, on a boat, and by a glacier. As an editor and curator, she’s worked with close to a hundred Southeast Asian comic creators and artists, including co-editing Sound: A Comics Anthology, published by Difference Engine. She’s illustrated for Netflix, Orbit, Macmillan, Subterranean Press, and Mekong Review, among others, and has an MA in Visual Sociology with an interest in mapping as arts research.

Paolo Chikiamco, from the Philippines, is a lawyer and writer of prose, comics, and interactive fiction. His prose has been published in anthologies such as The Sea is Ours and The Best of Philippine Speculative Fiction, and his interactive wrestling novel Slammed! was released by Choice of Games. As an editor, he put together Alternative Alamat, an anthology of stories that reimagine Philippine myth and folklore. As a comics writer, he has collaborated with some of the country’s most talented artists.

Creative Teams

• A Day in the Life by Cesar Miguel Escaño (PH) & Ferdee Bambico (PH)
• Ad Astra by Nicolette “Wanlingnic” Lee (SG)
• Astray by Farid Nad (MY)
• DELAYED by Peter Lin (SG) & Angela Wu (SG)
• Fish Curry Tastes Better the Next Day by Paati/பாட்டி Philosophy (SG)
• Limerence Station by Eliot Lime (SG)
• Ma, Pa, Delayed Ako by Hansel Dimapilis (PH)
• Syncopation by Aime Marisa (MY) & Bonnibel Rambatan (ID)
• The Adventures of Sunday Domingo feat. Yaya Precy by Julius Villanueva (PH)
• The Other World by Cathlyn Vania (ID)
• Time For That Later by Wayne Rée (SG), Nadia Daeng (SG), & Abigail Goh Tian-I (MY)

DELAY: A Comics Anthology is out April 2026 from Difference Engine. You can pre-order it now on Bookshop, Amazon, from Difference Engine, or your local comic shop or bookstore.

We have an exclusive preview of “Syncopation” by Aime Marisa and Bonnibel Rambatan from the comics anthology.

DELAY: A Comics Anthology

Difference Engine taps Consortium for Distribution

Posted on by
Difference Engine

Difference Engine will begin distribution with independent distributor Consortium, January 1st, 2026. 

Consortium strives to share new ideas — some that may not otherwise be discovered — with the world. Staffed full-time by a professional warehousing, fulfillment, and customer service team, their core mission is to foster a vibrant community of independent publishers by distributing a diverse selection of thought-provoking books to the widest possible audience. “Working with Consortium/Ingram puts us in the company of amazing independent comics publishers Iron Circus, Pow Pow, Rosarium, Street Noise, and Uncivilized,” says Felicia Low-Jimenez, Publisher and Co-Founder of Difference Engine. “We have an exciting 2026 publishing line-up of graphic novels for all ages including To the Last Gram, a young adult fiction about living with an eating disorder, and Amazing Ash & Superhero Ah Ma: Coming of Age, a heartwarming middle-grade sequel featuring a superhero grandma with dementia.”

All internationally distributed Difference Engine titles will be in stock and available for fulfillment on January 1st, 2026. Effective the same day, global distribution, including Canadian and UK distribution, will be exclusively handled by Consortium/Ingram, with Southeast Asian distribution remaining non-exclusive.

Difference Engine is an award-winning independent comics publisher based in Singapore. They are inspired by stories from Asia, and are committed to publishing diverse, well-written, and beautifully illustrated comics of all genres and for all ages. They collaborate closely with Southeast Asian creators, both new and experienced, with genuine and thought-provoking ideas to share. 

The name is inspired by Ada Lovelace’s encounter with the Difference Engine, a mechanical calculator created by Charles Babbage. Now known as the world’s first programmer, she defied contemporary conventions and continues to inspire innovators and creators today. The comics that are published at Difference Engine are similar catalysts, to nudge readers to look at the world a bit differently. Who knows what they will see?

Visit https://differenceengine.sg/intl to view our complete international catalog.

Difference Engine inks an Exclusive Distribution Deal with Diamond Book Distributors

Posted on by
Difference Engine

Diamond Book Distributors has announced that it has signed a worldwide distribution agreement with Difference Engine to exclusively distribute their graphic novels, books, and comics to North American and international markets. This agreement also sees Difference Engine products distributed to the comic book specialty market exclusively through Diamond Comic Distributors.

Difference Engine is an independent comics publisher based in Singapore. They are inspired by stories from Southeast Asia, and are committed to publishing diverse, well-written, and beautifully illustrated comics of all genres and for all ages. They collaborate closely with Southeast Asian creators, both new and experienced, with genuine and thought-provoking ideas to share. In addition to their main publishing line, Difference Engine also publishes DE Shorts, an imprint focused on self-contained stories on a wide range of social issues.

Difference Engine boasts an ever-growing library of comic books and graphic novels that feature a variety of genres including fantasy, action/adventure, slice-of-life, personal narratives , and more. Work-Life Balance: Malevolent Managers and Folkloric Freelancers weaves Asian mythology with the dread of corporate life in a work that is equal parts prose and comics. Amazing Ash & Superhero Ah Ma is an action-meets-slice-of-life trilogy that captures the adventures of a grandma-grandchild superhero duo while dealing with life changes brought about by ageing and dementia. SOUND: A Comics Anthology challenges Southeast Asian writers and illustrators to answer the question “what does sound look like to you?” by pushing the boundaries of visuals and words to depict the unseen. Afterlife: The Boy Next Realm is a young adult fantasy graphic novel about a sister determined to save her brother, and the help she gets from a spirit-turned-love interest from the next realm over. Two Tails explores what happens when Rara, who dislikes animals, has an accident that turns her into a two-tailed cat with only one opportunity to regain her human form. A Drip. A Drop. A Deluge: A Period Tragicomedy is inspired by the true experiences of Asian women as they navigate their menstrual cycle at various points in their lives and its impact on those around them

Difference Engine Inks an Exclusive Distribution Deal with Diamond Book Distributors

Posted on by
Difference Engine

Diamond Book Distributors has announced that it has signed a worldwide distribution agreement with Difference Engine to exclusively distribute their graphic novels, books, and comics to North American and international markets. This agreement also sees Difference Engine products distributed to the comic book specialty market exclusively through Diamond Comic Distributors.

Difference Engine is an independent comics publishing house based in Singapore. They tell stories that make a difference. The company focuses on narratives from the vibrant and growing Southeast Asian comics community that detail joys and sorrows, worries and celebrations, and other lived experiences and inspirations. They work with people whose stories are birthed from the center and the margins so that their voices, histories, and perspectives are amplified. Difference Engine collaborates closely with a diverse group of Southeast Asian creators, both new and experienced, with diverse, genuine, and thought-provoking ideas to share. Difference Engine is part of the Potato Productions group of companies.

Difference Engine boasts an ever-growing library of comic books and graphic novels that feature a variety of genres including fantasy, action/adventure, slice-of-life, personal narratives, and more. Work-Life Balance: Malevolent Managers and Folkloric Freelancers weaves Asian mythology with the dread of corporate life in a work that is equal parts prose and comics. Amazing Ash & Superhero Ah Ma is an action-meets-slice-of-life trilogy that captures the adventures of a grandma-grandchild superhero duo while dealing with life changes brought about by ageing and dementia. SOUND: A Comics Anthology challenges Southeast Asian writers and illustrators to answer the question “what does sound look like to you?” by pushing the boundaries of visuals and words to depict the unseen. Afterlife: The Boy Next Realm is a young adult fantasy graphic novel about a sister determined to save her brother, and the help she gets from a spirit-turned-love interest from the next realm over. Two Tails explores what happens when Rara, who dislikes animals, has an accident that turns her into a two-tailed cat with only one opportunity to regain her human form. A Drip. A Drop. A Deluge: A Period Tragicomedy is inspired by the true experiences of Asian women as they navigate their menstrual cycle at various points in their lives and its impact on those around them.