Comics
[Review] Mark L. Miller’s Debut Comic, ‘Luna: Order of the Werewolf’ #1
For the last year or so, the realm of horror monsters has wandered into weaker territory. Some of the concepts of the modern monster have grown a bit weary. With the same ideas being recycled repeatedly, the monster subgenre had seemed to reach a plateau. Now, however, brand-new concepts are wriggling out of the woodwork every month. One of these new creations is a fresh take on werewolves written by Mark L. Miller and Martin Fisher, entitled Luna: Order of the Werewolf. Read on for the skinny…
WRITTEN BY: Mark L. Miller and Martin Fisher
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Rim Rees
PUBLISHER: Famous Monsters
In Luna, a werewolf named Andres has an epiphany that his species is dying, due to being hunted down and prosecuted by man in years past. He decides to gather some of his fellow werewolves, and form an entire order of werewolves that live in a monastery in South America. In the monastery, the werewolves try to control their desire for human flesh and ultimately find salvation amongst their own kind. In the first installment, the organization is compromised when a group of mountain climbers wander into the vicinity of the monastery, evoking potential chaos.
Miller and Fisher have created an inventive, original story out of werewolf concepts that have been utilized in the past. All of the werewolves are distinct, fitting with their individual personalities and the type of werewolf that they actually are (and according to Mark, the different types will be explained further in future issues). Tim Rees’ artwork complements the premise of the story with prominent shading and the utilization of thicker lines. The shadows contrast strongly with the bright color palette, working with the contrast between “light” and “dark” forces in the storyline itself.
The first issue of Luna: Order of the Werewolf has established an excellent foundation for future installments; personally, I’m excited to see storylines emerge between the different types of werewolves, but there are countless directions that this series could take, which is what makes it such a fresh, versatile piece. Make sure to watch out for the second issue, published through Famous Monsters Magazine, which hits shelves in December!
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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