Comics
GRAPHIC CONTENT PICK OF THE WEEK: Johnny_Trouble – ‘American Vampire: Survival of The Fittest’ Issue #1
This week is going to be filled with awesome titles gracing the shelves of our local comic shops. That being said, I plan on dropping a lot of money on comics this week. However, I have chosen Scott Snyder’s “AMERICAN VAMPIRE: SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST” Issue #1 for my pick of the week. (This was originally tied with “GREENWAKE” for the staff pick.)
WRITTEN BY: Scott Snyder
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Sean Murphy
PRICE: $2.99
“From the pages of the red-hot Vertigo series comes a five-issue spinoff miniseries!
It’s World War II in Nazi-occupied Romania as vampire hunters Felicia Book and Cash McCogan (last seen in the critically acclaimed AMERICAN VAMPIRE story “Devil in the Sand”) go behind enemy lines with the secret organization known as the Vassals of the Morningstar in search of a rumored vampire cure. But their haunted, twisted past with Skinner Sweet makes the mission more difficult than they imagined.
Superstar artist Sean Murphy (JOE THE BARBARIAN) joins Scott Snyder to tell a story of horror and history, expanding the American Vampire mythology in a way that changes this story forever.”
I love “GREENWAKE”, the story is fantastic, and Kurtis Wiebe and Riley Rossmo have created something truly unique. Also, if it weren’t for Rossmo’s book and movie suggestions, I wouldn’t be a William S. Burroughs fan. However, since LonMonster has flexed his Canadian pride and covered the series for his pick this week, I’m going to stick with “SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST” for my choice rather than covering both.
Why? Well, to put it simply, Scott Snyder is amazing! The man continues to outdo himself with every new issue of “AMERICAN VAMPIRE”. Which means I have high expectations for “SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST” issue #1. Even though it isn’t Rafeal Albuquerque on the art, Snyder has teamed up with Sean Murphy (“JOE THE BARBARIAN”) for the miniseries, meaning it will still be pretty to look at.
“AMERICAN VAMPIRE: SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST” Issue #1 is Available On June 8th From Vertigo 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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