Comics
Review: ‘Spike: A Dark Place’ #4
With only one more issue ready for release next month, Victor Gischler delivers a fast-paced fourth installment that finally tells the readers where Spike: A Dark Place is headed; not only in terms of plot development leading towards the finale, but also regarding Spike’s character growth and place in the grand narrative of “Season 9”. It’s just a shame that it took 4 issues of a 5-issue miniseries to see this kind of progression.
WRITTEN BY: Victor Gischler
ART BY: Paul Lee
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: November 21st
Following the events of “A Dark Place” #3, Spike leaves the ruins of Sunnydale with Morgan, the Courtesan (sex) demon, who wants nothing more than to return to her home dimension. Unfortunately, due to the destruction of The Seed, leading to the loss of magic on earth, her efforts are hindered. Spike, playing the hero, offers to help look for the pieces of the destroyed Seed, or any remnants of leftover magic, in order to connect Morgan to her world. But as the issue progresses, it becomes abundantly clear that this enigmatic “damsel in distress” might not be as helpless as she appears.
Jenny Frison’s cover effectively, though somewhat ambiguously, portrays Spike’s uncertainty regarding which direction he wants to take with Morgan (romantic or otherwise), who continues to use her demon “influence” over him for her own selfish reasons. But while her intensions may or may not be honorable, she does play a significant role in helping Spike come to terms with his heartache over our favourite Slayer.
Because this mini is supposed to plug into the grand narrative of “Season 9”, I’m hoping that Gischler’s efforts to show Spike’s inner journey through an abundance of monologues, self-reflection, and now character development, finally leads our boy back where he belongs. Spike is an incredibly strong character and an obvious fan favourite, but after the progression of this series, it seems that he is best suited for driving the other BuffyVerse characters’ stories forward, rather than take the lead amongst an ensemble of unfamiliar faces.
Overall, issue #4 is a vast improvement on the previous 2 installments, especially with Lee on board to draw Spike and Morgan. Their facial expressions are expressive to a hilarious intent in certain panels, and it definitely helps Gischler’s script come to life. With Spike’s loyal bug minion, Frisky gearing up to take action against Morgan, here’s hoping the conclusion to the series will lead to something significant to the “Season 9” arc, and not something anticlimactic.
3/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – ShadowJayd
The supernatural world of Korean folk horror movie Exhuma grows larger with the arrival of prequel spinoff webtoon Maengjong this weekend, Variety reports today.
Naver Webtoon debuts Maengjong on May 30.
The series hails from Haemuri (Olgami) and will trace the high school origins of how shaman duo Hwarim and Bonggil, played by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun in the 2024 film, came together to face occultish threats.
The story is set to begin when “Hwarim, who has been concealing her identity following a childhood encounter with a snake spirit called Jin, crosses paths with Bonggil at their school.”
Variety notes that Exhuma director Jang Jae-hyun participated in the project’s early concept stage.
“We are presenting ‘Maengjong,’ a new series capturing the appeal of the horror-occult genre, ahead of the full summer season,” said Lee Jeong-geun, Naver Webtoon’s Korea webtoon content leader. “With the high school story of Hwarim and Bonggil, who left a strong impression in the film ‘Exhuma,’ enhanced by Haemuri’s characteristic tense direction, we expect it will be a welcome work for genre fans.”
“It is meaningful that the spin-off story of ‘Exhuma,’ loved by many audiences, expands by meeting the new grammar of webtoon,” said Lee Hyeon-jeong, managing director of the film business division at Showbox, which distributed the film. “We hope it will be a fresh experience for both film fans and webtoon readers.”
Exhuma was a breakout hit in 2024, becoming the first Korean occult film to surpass 10 million ticket buyers and the country’s highest-grossing film of the year. I wrote in my review that “the intricately woven Exhuma delivers one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror so far.”
The bond between Hwarim and Bonggil was one of the film’s highlights, making this prequel webtoon a must for fans.
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