I've been a fan of translated HK comics because they were a primary source of entertainment when I was in high school. Jin Yong's adapted works were popular, but I preferred Chris Lau's Raja Wira.
Jin Yong (Louis Cha) stuff I've read/seen are Legend of Condor Heroes, Return of Condor Lovers (both TV series), Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre (Golok Keramat), Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (Wira-Wira Keinderaan), The Smiling Proud Wanderer (Sowrdsman I and II) and I think that's it.
I think his best work is Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre. There was a Jet Li movie adaptation of this tale which is one of my favourites- Kung Fu Cult Master. Sadly, only one movie was made which covers several early chapters.
The problem with Louis Cha stories is he often revises the ending according to feedback from fans. But, whatever. The wuxia world he built and its strict Confuscian ethics is quite interesting, where moral standing is just as important as inner energy and martial arts.
A favourite among Malaysians would have to be Alam Perwira - the one with Ji Fat. This is based on a legend called The Investiture of the Gods written probably during the Ming Dynasty (14th - 17th Century), but the setting was 1046 BC, around 2,500 years earlier.
Anyone who read translated HK comics back then would remember Jademan Comics, that published Dendam Kesumat, Jejak Wira (Dragon Tiger Gate) and a bunch of others. These were done by Tony Wong, who later started Jade Dynasty with the hits Alam Perwira and other stuff.
Ma Wing Shing emerged with Jonesky that published Pedang Setiawan (Wind and Cloud/Fung Wan/Feng Yun/Storm Riders). Then Wan Yat Leung started Ocean Creative with Pendekar Laut (Tigershark!)
Amongst all this and the peak of translated HK comics, there was one guy who became a comics writer - Chris Lau - and he did a medium length series I consider to be my favourite - Raja Wira.
Raja Wira was a tale of politics and maneuvering in a pugilistic state called Kota Pedang. The main hero was not 'the strongest in the land' but rather a man who seeks the meaning of drinking wine. "Only those who have experienced life can appreciate this bitter drink."
Unlike Pedang Setiawan which went on and on and on. Raja Wira had a proper ending. The same location with the same characters on the very first page of the story.
Oh, something surprising my Chinese friends told me about Dragon Tiger Gate is the fact that Tiger Wong and Dragon Long are NOT the two main characters. Tiger Wong is THE main character, but Dragon Long is a nobody called, originally, Turbo. Tiger has a brother called Dragon Wong
Ah, there was an isekai tucked somewhere in those HK comics. In Malay, it was called Zaman Perbalahan, which I think refers to the Warring States Period. It is one of the raunchiest HK comics out there.
In Zaman Perbalahan, one modern day dude gets reborn as another person during the Zaman Perbalahan. He has sex with lots of girls and used his knowledge of history to make the right moves.
Not all HK translated comics were wuxia fantasy and sci fi. There was a comic called Feel 100% which was insanely popular in HK (I guess?) but not so in Malaysia. Feel 100% was about wooing girls and friendships and probably a love triangle somewhere.
Some HK comics also 'drew inspiration' from other popular media. I read a forgettable Star Wars knock off, a facsimile of Jojo's Bizzare Adventure (the one with the first use of the Star Platinum Stand) and a few others that copied each other.
I think the best translators worked on the first 100 issues or so of Pedang Setiawan (Fung Wan). They translated 'Origin of the Swords' sword art as 'Seribu Pedang Pulang Ke Asal'. Two of the stances used were 'Kesedihan Tidak Terperi' and 'Kegeraman Terbuku di Hati'. So poetic.
Some forms of comics martial arts cross several titles. The 18 Dragon Subduing Palms/ 18 Dragon-killing Palms used by the Beggar Sect leaders (Qiao Feng in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils/Wira-Wira Keinderaan) is called 18 Cakar Penunduk Naga.
There's also the Shaolin Golden Bell Armour which was translated as Ilmu Badan Kebal Loceng Emas in most comics, and Badan Kebal Emas - a variant - in Pedang Setiawan.
In a lot of the wuxia fantasy ones, I am attracted to the shared supporting characters and sects, such as this one - Tok Sukaria from Kumpulan Sukaria. I think this refers to the Carefree Sect which is featured prominently in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.
In Pedang Setiawan, though. Tok Sukaria is a joke. He needed to attack with most of his cult members and they lost to Po Jun, a Japanese warrior or something
Another translation decision was also notable - there were some characters that looked like pigs or practiced pig-based martial arts. Instead of calling pigs as 'pigs' or 'babi/khinzir', the translators decided to use the word 'sungkur'. As in Tok Sungkur, a pig-faced old master.
Some Jin Yong novel influences are apparent. The Mount Hua sect (Flower Mountain sect?) which practices sword arts is featured in several series. So does Wudang Sect, the all female i-mei sect, and of course, Shaolin.
The liberal use of a BM thesaurus is also apparent with some 'themed martial arts masters and groups.' There was a group of astronomy-based martial artists in Senjata Keramat with names such as Sirius Tamak - as in sirius of the Canis Major constellation.
In Alam Perwira, there was a poison called 'Guna-Guna Bisa Telu' which doesn;t make sense to me, but I guess the 'guna-guna' part works to explain it's not truly a poison but a means to control/subdue Marsyal Mo.
The very best translation work was Pendekar II: Rico. The translators didn't give a fuck and named martail arts moves as 'Anjing Lapar Melahap Tahi' and spent pages on how the hero, a seasoned warrior, cooked fried rice using cold rice.
These days. I do read some of the new Chinese comics online. But the absence of earnest BM translators dull my enjoyment by a lot. I miss the days when I was perplexed trying to figure out what the hell was happening and what the translators tried to explain.
