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[Comic Book Review] Cutter #4 Concludes In Lackluster Fashion

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“Cutter,” the weekly revenge horror comic that ran through the month of October, came to an end today in what I can only refer to as the most boring and subpar conclusion I’ve read in a long time. Not only was the “big reveal” not shocking at all, it was so sparse in plot that it felt like pages were missing. I actually counted to make sure something wasn’t wrong with my issue. Especially after making us wait two weeks for what was supposed to be a weekly comic, this conclusion was mega-disappointing.

STK653017

WRITTEN BY: Seamus Kevin Fahey / Robert Napton

ART BY: Christian Dibari

PUBLISHER: Image Comics / Top Cow

RELEASE DATE: October 29th, 2014

PRICE: $3.99

Jeremy sits in a jail cell because, if you remember, he’s been accused of all the mysterious murders—the ones he claims are being committed by the ghost of Emily Higgins, a former classmate whom he and all his friends bullied back in high school. He wakes up in his jail cell bed, hands covered in blood, cell doors open, guards slaughtered all around him. So naturally he dresses up like a cop, steals a cop car and heads down to the psychiatric hospital to check out Emily’s old files. While there, he finds out her sister has been admitted and goes to have a chat with her. Secrets are revealed and he’s off to go save another one of Emily’s victims.

At this point I was thinking something really cool would happen. I was kind of hoping for a “My Bloody Valentine” situation—mind fracturing after witnessing a violent event turning Jeremy into the killer. I was even kind of wondering if Jeremy’s wife had some strange involvement. Basically I was hoping for some reveal that would knock me on my ass. What I got was so basic I nearly laughed. The only thing keeping me from laughing was how depressing it was. Without giving too much away I’ll just say that rape, no matter how poorly plotted, is never something I could laugh about.

So at this point, not only is the plot twist so dull and kind of really depressing, it also just… ends. Like mid-story. And since this was only an October mini-series, I literally have no idea what to think. My mind is blown and not in the good way. Issue #3 gave me some hope that the creators could do something solid with the revenge genre. Although it was nothing superb, it was fun and had all the makings of a solid story. So frankly, I’m utterly confused at this ending. It’s also worth noting that the art seems to have gotten progressively lazy. I was really digging it at first. There was a lot of detail and the violent scenes, though in black and white, were very vivid. By this last issue, the detail has gone and the violent scenes have all the impact of a cutaway shot.

Because it leaves us on a cliffhanger (if you can call ending a comic mid-story a “cliffhanger”) it’s possible Image has future plans for this comic, though I probably won’t be checking it out.

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‘Exhuma’ Prequel Spinoff Webtoon ‘Maengjong’ Debuts This Weekend

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Hwarim and Bonggil (Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun) in Exhuma

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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