Comics
Love And Magic Are In The Air With Image’s ‘Valentine’
Image Comics is collecting Alex de Campi’s acclaimed digital comic, Valentine, in print form. The first volume is a massive 352-page trade paperback that collects the first 10 chapters of the story. “Valentine” mixes together pretty much every genre you could imagine for an epic adventure story from the early 19th century. The series combines magic, love, chaos, creatures, supernatural thrills, and sci-fi goodness for a wildly delicious concoction that really does have something for everyone. Check out more details below along with the cover art, which features a Shai-Hulud descendant.
Official press release:
Berkeley, CA – August 8, 2012 — In September, Image Comics will bring the first volume of VALENTINE, Alex de Campi’s acclaimed digital comic, to print as a 352-page trade paperback.
The year is 1812, and Valentine is one of the few soldiers left of Napoleon’s once-mighty army felled by the Russian winter. Given a mysterious package by a dying general with orders to see it safely back to France, Valentine finds himself pursued through the snow by blood-eyed monsters who intent on stopping him.
In an epic tale of war, love, and unexpected journeys, an unlikely hero discovers that fairy tales are true. Humans share the earth with other beings, trapped here while the world is drained of the magic that sustains them. They want only one thing: to return home. And their only way back is through Valentine.
“It’s been an unbelievable amount of fun to write a cliffhangerrific supernatural thriller, with twist upon twist to keep readers on the edge of their seat,” said the Eisner-nominated de Campi (Smoke). “I grew up reading fantasy and sci-fi novels, and suddenly finding myself elbow-deep in the fantasy toybox has been a delight. I’ve really enjoyed grabbing the beloved tropes and expectations of the genre and both respecting them and twisting/subverting them at the same time. If you think this is a historical thriller, for example, you are so, so wrong. The book is a wild ride.”
VALENTINE was originally distributed digitally through comiXology, RobotComics, and Amazon’s Kindle. With more than 350,000 downloads worldwide, the series is a pioneering work in the ever-growing digital comics market.
Of the book’s success in the digital realm, de Campi commented, “In download form, this is a series which — despite being a very shonen-style male fight/action book — has had a huge appeal to women readers and to teens around the world.”
Collecting the first ten chapters of the work, with full-color art by Christine Larsen and Tim Durning, a 42-page exclusive bonus story with art by Cassandra James, and a painted cover by Steven Belledin, VALENTINE, VOL. 1: THE ICE DEATH (JUL120391) will be in stores on September 5 and is available for order now.
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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