Comics
Review: ‘B.P.R.D.: Vampire’ #3
BPRD: Vampire explodes into action in this week’s issue as Agent Anders’ finds himself in the presence of an ancient undead evil. The previous two issues of this story arc have been lacking the luster that Mike Mignola has built his universe upon. This third issue really makes up for lost time in that sense. The most disturbing thing about this issue is that there are two issues to follow it and with all the plot advancement and action that takes place, I’m truly at a loss as to which direction the story will go.
WRITTEN BY: Mike Mignola, Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon
ART BY: Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
RELEASE: May 29th, 2013
PRICE: $3.50
We ease into this issue slowly as Anders attempts to track down the illusive Lord Wilhelm, soon enough magical powers surrounding the protagonist begin to activate he soon finds himself in the confrontation he’s been looking for. This issue answers some questions revolving around this story but it happens to introduce several big new ones. But the issue holds a lot of plot advancement and gives great insight into the character of Agent Anders, particularly his link to the vampires he seeks. Upon the completion of the issue we are left with some resolution but it’s clear that the ensuing issues will hold key answers to important issues.
The writing is spot on. There is a slow build to the banter between Anders and Wilhelm. It’s as if Anders is playing by the old saying “Revenge is a dish best served cold”. The presence of the ghostly apparitions adds additional dimensions to the dialogue going on for the bulk of the story. This book is no-where near as slow as the previous issues. It has that same slow build quality to it but the climax of the book is reached much more quickly and takes up a solid three quarters of the book. The book is action packed but with proper spacing between panels as not to go against the grain of the average BPRD book.
At first I was not a fan of this book’s artistic style. I felt the simplistic cartoony look of the characters took away from the sinister feeling that accompanies BPRD, but as the book progressed I found that the artistic style has grown on me. This is especially prevalent with Lord Wilhelm. He looks like one bad ass vampire and the contrast between him and Anders gives off that sinister dimension I mentioned previously. The setting of this book is drawn wonderfully, up close the ruins of the dank dungeon and abandoned upstairs are detailed but the back ground is left more with blank colour to give the effect of extreme darkness and large unknown territory left out of panel. When it comes to colours and shading this book is clearly that of the Migonla legacy, soft pallet with a hefty amount of shading and darkness gives the proper mood and effect.
I definitely like this issue the most out of the bunch and I’m looking forward to seeing how the rest of the arc develops.
3.5/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – GreenBastard
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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