Comics
GRAPHIC CONTENT PICK OF THE WEEK: Lonmonster – “Flashpoint: Batman – Knight of Vengeance” Issue #3
Despite all the changes that Batman has undergone in his lifetime, his moral code has always been the one thing that remained steadfast. Whether it’s Bruce Wayne or Dick Grayson wearing the cowl, Batman has never broken his one rule: “no killing”. But in Flashpoint, where “everything you know will change in a flash”, it seems that along with Gotham, there has been a major shift in Batman’s morality. For three issues only, the dream team of Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso (100 Bullets) come together again to give readers the Batman they’ve always wanted, darker, grittier, older, and more bad-ass than ever before (who thought that was possible?). The team already has an Eisner Award under their belts, and Azzarello’s graphic novel, Joker, ranks up there with the best Batman stories. Azzarello has proven his masterful ability to create some of fantastic noir worlds in comics, and this book should be no exception. Flashpoint: Batman – Knight of Vengeance is one Flashpoint tie-in that you won’t want to miss. Read on for the skinny…
WRITTEN BY: Brian Azzerello
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Eduardo Risso
“FLASH FACT! He spends his days running Wayne Casinos!”
DC has a knack for keeping their plans secret, but this time the entire future of the publishing giant is a total mystery. As you should already know, Flashpoint is one of the largest events in DC history, and much of the future of DC universe depends how it plays out. From the looks of it, DC will be wrapping up all their major titles by the end of summer as Flashpoint comes to an end, and this leaves our heroes in a strange place. Because of all the uncertainty, Flashpoint is both extremely concerning and exciting for DC fans, and nobody really knows what to expect. What I do know is that Flashpoint: Batman – Knight of Vengeance is going to be one of the most intriguing versions of Bruce Wayne to date.
Batman is one hero that writers don’t usually mess around with, however, here Azzarello (who tends to stay away from major events) gives us a special treat with this Batman tie-in. Azzarello and Risso are two of the most reputable names in the comic industry today, and they deserve an incredible amount of respect. For anyone who isn’t a stranger to Azzarello’s works, they know his ability to write gruesome detective stories that throw characters headfirst into modernity. While he never changes a character completely, he is known for bringing them into the real world, and seeing how they stand in the face of contemporary society. I can only begin to imagine what the dream team has up their sleeves for The Caped Crusader. Judging by The Bat’s appearance in Flashpoint #1, he’s going to play a major role in how Flashpoint pans out.
As far as we know, Bruce Wayne in this timeline is older, has a highly ambiguous ethical code, and spends his days running Wayne Casino’s. It seems that Batman has become fed up with crime fighting, and his interests no longer lie in deep detective investigations. Instead, Batman will be taking a more, shall we say, “hand-on” approach to cleansing the streets of its villains (which you can also expect to be very different, surprise, surprise). On top of all this madness, the city of Gotham also seems to have changed drastically. It’s gonna be one dim and wild ride, that could change the face of DC forever.
The goliath mystery that is Flashpoint begins to reveal itself this week as several tie-in issues come out on Wednesday. Hopefully after this week we’ll have a better idea of which one’s to follow, and which one’s can be left on the shelf. While I could go on for days speculating about what we may see in this tie-in, I have a feeling this will be like no Bat-book we’ve ever read before.
“Flashpoint: Batman – Knight of Vengeance ” Issue #1 Drops June 1sy From DC Comics ! (MSRP – $2.99)
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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