Comics
Review: The Immortal: Demon In The Blood #1 and #2
There is something that is always appealing about samurai and the point in Japan’s history that takes place immediately before guns took over. This is the setting for Dark Horse’s new comic titled, The Immortal, and it works perfectly. As with all good samurai stories lots of blood and guts are involved, as well as … heart eating demons? Ok, Heart eating demons may not be a staple in other samurai tales, but it works nicely for The Immortal.
WRITTEN BY: Ian Edginton
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Vicenç Villagrasa
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse
Based on a classic story, I feel that The Immortal has real potential to become not only a successful adaptation, but also a great comic in its own right. Stunning artwork by Vincen Villagrasa complements Ian Edgington’s adapted story perfectly. The highly detailed drawings, defined colors and stylized violence made this an exciting read that has me looking forward to the next one and figuring out what is up with those heart eating demons.
3 out of 5 skulls
WRITTEN BY: Ian Edginton
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Vicenç Villagrasa
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse
Steam punk is one of those genres that constantly pops up in anime despite its almost exclusively Westernized feel. If you take a movie like Steamboy (one of the most expensive animes ever produced) the action takes place in Europe, the dress is European and the characters are European, there is nothing Japanese ant it except for the credits. Dark Horse’s new comic, The Immortal, is an exception to this stereotype, and a refreshing one at that…
In the first installment of this series I gave it credit for taking place in the pre gun era of Japan. I was wrong. The main character is, you guessed it, immortal. This allows for time to jump forward 15 years, and the appearance of a Japanese version of steam punk to emerge. While this is merely an environmental phenomenon at this point, with no impact on the plot, it adds an another dimension to the already appealing artwork, and perhaps elevates the clash between Eastern and Western civilization that took place in Japan’s history.
Regardless of the setting, The Immortal’s plot continues to evolve as well, with new twists being introduced that complement the shiny metal contraptions that appeared out of nowhere. I’m definitely going to keep reading this one because if nothing else I want to see the samurai-demon-steampunk battle that is surely brewing. Oh I also forgot to mention that some demon bro is being totally not chill and ripping out prostitute’s hearts in a very graphic manner. You have been warned.
3.5 out of 5 skulls
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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