Comics
[Comic Book Review] Nick Brehmer Needs You To Read “Zero” #11
Edward Zero’s bed is warm. He’s got Siobhan now. He’s got a snow-covered cottage nestled in Iceland’s remote countryside. He’s got pet chickens, wine, and a car. He had two full bags of groceries before he launched them at the face of the assassin waiting for him to get home…
WRITTEN BY: Ales Kot
ART BY: Ricardo Lopez Ortiz
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: October 22, 2014
Reviewed by Nick Brehmer
You know what, I’m just going to be fully honest with this one: I’m tired of waiting for these issues of “ZERO” to come out. Then when they do come out, I get tired of writing reviews for them. I’m tired of trying to convince you jokers to start reading this incredibly fascinating series. I’m tired of trying to think of new ways to explain how blown away I am by the creative artistry of the artist each issue (#11 is drawn by Ricardo Lopez Ortiz, by the way) and the narrative genius that Kot injects into his storylines. I’m tired of flipping the page, seeing the paneling, and saying, “shoot, look at that paneling.” I’m tired of rereading each issue thinking, no, knowing that I’m missing sometime big. I’m tired of all the burning questions I have by the end of each issue. What’s with the volcano? Who’s on the phone? What does it all mean? It’s so tiring!
Are you reading this Ales Kot & co.? I’m tired!
Dammit. Until next time…
—
A product of the harsh lands of Northern Ontario, Nick Brehmer is in fact a sensitive flower currently blooming in the GTA. He spends his downtime wishing he was British. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @nicholasbrehmer
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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