Comics
REVIEW: Chandra Free’s ‘The God Machine’ From Archaia Publishing
I saw this book from about 50 feet away while at Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) The lovely Chandra Free was sitting patiently at the Archaia booth waiting to speak with the adoring public. I was surprised that she wasn’t overrun with admirers. This book has a quality and feel to it that stands out immensely even if it was overshadowed at C2E2 by being between Green Lantern props and Thor’s giant cardboard hammer…Read on for the full review!
“What this book has that makes it stand out isn’t easy to put a finger on. It has a style uniquely its own. Flipping through the pages, the art goes from brightly colored to dark and brooding. Whimsical art to intensely creepy. Cartoonish to beautiful. The changes artistically flow through the book and never really take you out of the story. Beyond the art styling, Chandra shows that she has a great sense of storytelling. Using the page in interesting ways page after page. Full page splashes occur periodically, but never in an obtrusive way. Many mainstream comics use full pages and they feel like an excuse to draw less. Chandra uses them as moments. On the pages where she uses panels, they are fun and interesting panels. Not just the standard here a square, there a rectangle. The art alone is enough to make you want to pick this book up. And keep returning to it day ofter day.
But there is story too. I know. I was surprised too. This isn’t just a picture book, there are words too. The main character Guy (his name is Guy don’t talk to me about it, I didn’t write it. Besides some people actually are named Guy. Hmmm, never encountered a woman named Gal though. Makes ya wonder, eh.) The gist of the story is that Guy has lost his girlfriend. Some hinted at tragedy took her from the world. Meanwhile on another plane of existence we see Good God and Evil God. They happen upon Guy and his sorrowful plight but discover there is more to him than meets the eye (no, he isn’t a Transformer.) Marcynites are involved. What the hell are they, I hear you ask. Well that is something to be discovered through the series.
Ultimately this is but the first chapter in the story. I am really looking forward to the next chapter. As we see where the intriguing threads that Chandra is weaving lead to. What sort of tapestry will be unveiled from this story? This book easily earns 5 stars. Don’t question it, One look at the cover should tell you all you need to know. Go buy it. After the links there are several pictures from the series.”
5 Out Of 5 Skulls
Guest columnist JimmyZ is the web-master of Horror-Web.com as well as an avid reader and fan of the horror genre.
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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