Comics
GRAPHIC CONTENT PICK OF THE WEEK: Johnny_Trouble – ‘Butcher Baker, The Righteous Maker’ Issue #3
Last week I was tempted to post a crudely drawn hand turkey for my pick of the week. However, THEoDEAD advised against it. Now most of the time that doesn’t really affect what I do, but I listened to my editor for a change. Why a hand turkey? I have no idea, but the thought amused me. Which is probably why I do most of the things I do, despite knowing it goes against my better judgment. However, this week I picked an actual comic book, “BUTCHER BAKER, THE RIGHTEOUS MAKER” Issue #3. Now, if you are willing to take the plunge down the rabbit hole, I will explain myself.
WARNING: I Have A Potty Mouth. Deal With It.
WRITTEN BY: Joe Casey
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Mike Huddleston
“Car chases and coimcbooks are like oil and water – until now! You’ll feel the motion of the ocean when you open this issue! You’ll feel the wind in your hair as Butcher Baker races for his life! Plus, as more enemies conspire, Arnie B. Willard has a cosmic epiphany! Don’t miss it!”
There is a hell of a lot of horror comics that I am going to be spending my money on this week, and I know that you guys would probably expect me to choose one of those for my pick of the week. However, by now those of you that have read my work have noticed that I am not one to really do what most people would consider logical, and I am not about to start.
I have said it before and I will say it again, I know that this is a horror website, but I don’t care, I love horror comics but I love a lot of other types of comics too. For example, “TRANSMETROPOLITAN” was the first complete comic series I have ever owned. I loved immersing myself in the world Warren Ellis created in that comic series, and I still do. What does this have to do with Joe Casey’s “BUTCHER BAKER, THE RIGHTEOUS MAKER” you ask? Well hold your fucking horses, I am about to get to that.
You see, just like Spider Jerusalem, Butcher Baker is a character that I have grown to truly enjoy. I always admire a character that tends to go rogue, and Butcher Baker definitely meets that definition. I love characters that are chaotic, nonconforming, and do not care for authority figures, which would explain my love for Rorschach and Skinner Sweet as well.
In addition to a great main character and some really interesting villains at the forefront of the comic, the creative minds behind the project, Joe Casey and Mike Huddleston are also why this comic appeals to me. You see, both of them are fucking insane, and I mean that in the best way possible. What is my proof of this? You know the cliché “it takes one to know one”? Well, just because it is a cliché doesn’t mean it isn’t true. For instance, the arm wrestling competition story Mike told when I interviewed him a few weeks ago, (which can be found here) and Joe Casey’s interview with himself, which can be found in the back of Issue #2 are both proof of that. In summary, I love “BUTCHER BAKER, THE RIGHTEOUS MAKER” because of the story as well as the creative minds behind it. This is why I have chosen Issue #3 to be my staff pick of the week, despite all of the wonderful horror titles I could have gone with. It is an unapologetically great comic, and I look forward to owning the third installment of the series. Now that I have given you my reasons, I guess all I have left to say is…
THE END
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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