Comics
‘War of the Worlds: Thunder Child’ Graphic Novel Runs Parallel to H.G. Wells’ Sci-Fi Classic
The War of the Worlds: Thunder Child tells a terrifying tale that runs parallel to the events of H.G. Wells’ classic 1898 alien invasion novel, The War of the Worlds.
The 144-page graphic novel will be published on June 2, 2026 via Titan Comics.
It’s written by Matthew Hardy and Rob Jones with art by Kevin Castaniero and colors by Simon Gough.
The War of the Worlds: Thunder Child follows the exploits of the crew of the eponymous ironclad torpedo ram, the HMS Thunder Child. The story takes place against a backdrop of strange occurrences and creeping terror, all leading up to the Thunder Child’s final heroic showdown with the invaders from Mars.
A thrilling tale soaked in blood, recriminations, sacrifice and loss, this is first act in a new take on the classic science fiction story. It explores the horrors and conflicts of the crew as they experience the first desperate days of the Martian invasion and face the possible collapse of the British Empire and civilization itself — threatened both from the stars… and from within.
The War of the Worlds been adapted many times over the years, most notably Orson Welles’ 1938 radio drama, the 1953 sci-fi movie, Stephen Spielberg’s 2005 film, and this year’s infamous screenlife take.
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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