Comics
[Comic Review] “Burning Fields” #4 Shifts To Supernatural Horror
“Burning Fields” #4 makes it very clear that the series is distinctly a supernatural horror. It isn’t a completely accurate category; nothing in this post-modern landscape is exactly one genre after all. But if you fancied “Burning Fields” a noirish thriller à la “Silence of the Lambs”, “Burning Fields” #4 pulls a “From Dusk till Down” and goes full monster mash. I’m not in love with the direction things are taking, but even just four issues in this series has earned my trust, here’s hoping I’m not let down.
WRITTEN BY: Michael Moreci & Tim Daniel
ART BY: Colin Lorimer
PUBLISHER: BOOM!
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: April 29, 2015
Detective stories, noir, murder mysteries, a serial killer stories commingle with the supernatural relatively often. The dark themes lend themselves to thoughts of “the other” and vice versa. Cults and devil worship are often a motivation or interest for a killer but rarely do they completely escape reality and divulge into the satanic and when they do: the story becomes something entirely different.
I’ve really enjoyed “Burning Fields” so far, I think setting a horror noir in an oil field has such a built in tone and tension its one of those things that makes me wonder why no one else has ever thought of it. And the supernatural doesn’t turn me off either, at least as a theme. Much of “True Detective” hinged on a cosmic presence that drove the antagonists to insidious acts. But it was always something suggested, something in our minds. “Burning Fields” makes the monster in our minds real, and I honestly don’t know how to feel about that.
I guess my reservation is that making “Burning Fields” a demon story takes something away from it. The book has had character depth and cultural dissonance and gripping noir sensibilities, all the things your common monster mash categorically lacks. I know that isn’t necessarily the case though, my beloved “Fatale” did hell beasts without sacrificing any of the substance. I guess I just didn’t see “Burning Fields” going this ways. Because it isn’t “True Detective”, it isn’t “Silence of the Lambs”, and whatever its going to be I’m fully on board. I hope the next 4 issues aren’t people running through caves that keep changing shape, but I’m still very much intrigued by whatever comes next.
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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