Comics
Review: ‘Miss Fury’ # 1
Rob William’s Miss Fury weaves an interesting premise around an eccentric protagonist. That makes for a rather interesting, albeit familiar first issue.
WRITTEN BY: Rob Williams
ART BY: Jack Herbert
PUBLISHER: Dynamite
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: April 3rd , 2013
Miss Fury is three parts Catwoman, one part Black Panther, and one part original. Which is to say this “new” character from William’s borrows from a lot of different places. Yet, while Miss Fury should falter on these merits, it’s actually where the story succeeds the most.
The story follows a rich female who has grown so accustomed to a life of luxury that nothing seems to excite her anymore. Naturally she dons a cape and cowl, and excitement rockets back into her life. The issue picks up in the heat of a battle, and we’re quickly introduced to Miss Fury’s powers. She’s able to kick some serious ass too. From the opening pages of the issue it is very clear Miss Fury doesn’t mess around.
After a brief introduction, we are given some background information on the protagonist. This is where the story staggers the most. We’ve seen Miss Fury’s origin a thousand times, and we’ll see it a thousand more. The whole thing proves to be unoriginal and not very interesting.
Once the actual plot picks up, the issue is in high gear. The plot involves time travel. The beat that concludes this issue left me wanting more, and left me overly excited as to the potential storylines this series could unravel. Pacing was pretty equally balanced between plot and origin. Which is a difficult thing to do in a first issue. Props have to be given to Williams for an exquisite script.
Jack Herbert’s art is clean, well motivated, and unique. His use of forced high and low perspectives gave me the feeling of looking up at, or down upon the characters with each page. A couple huge spreads really make the issue come to life, particularly a page with shattering glass, or a full page of our protagonist in the bathtub. The art is so dynamic that the entire issue flows with unprecedented speed. Herbert’s attention to facial expressions reminded me of some of Steve Dillion’s work on “Preacher”. Which is a compliment of the highest order. One of his character designs surely must be a tribute to Dillion, if not I’ll eat my damn hat.
“Miss Fury” # 1 is an impressive first issue with a protagonist that we’ve all seen before. Yet, an imaginative and original plot and some rather impressive art let this book stand out among the other number one’s out there. If the frenzied pace keeps up, and the setup from this issue has proper payoff, we’re looking at one helluva great new series.
3/5 skulls
Reviewed by – Jimbus_Christ
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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