Comics
Review: ‘Billy The Kid’s Old Timey Oddities And The Orm Of Loch Ness’ #3
If you’ve been following Billy The Kid’s Oldtime Oddities, by now you should know what to expect in issue #3. It’s a wacky adventure that lacks any gravity whatsoever, but has a unique and entertaining take on pop mythology and horror conventions. The art is solid, the story is fun, and that’s about it. What makes issue #3 unique is the presence of – or the attempt at – gravity and loss. Ultimately this attempt falls flat, and it highlights some of the weaknesses of the book. SPOILERS AHEAD.
WRITTEN BY: Eric Powell with Tracy Marsh
ART BY: Kyle Hotz
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE DATE: December 12th, 2012
I’m not going to beat around the bush here; Sproule, Billy’s most mature, thoughtful companion, dies. He’s stabbed to death by Dracula’s brides/fish monsters. And when you read this, you probably won’t really care. That’s because “Billy The Kid” lacks the sense of meaning or seriousness necessary for you to care about any of the characters. The story itself is amusing, campy and fun to follow along to. Death in this series isn’t capable of conveying a sense of consequence so much as it is just a device to drive the plot forward, or to motivate characters who – frankly – don’t require much motivation.
Beyond that, this issue is standard fare. The pace is quick, the writing has a couple of funny quips, and the art is solid, moody and foreboding. But it’s beginning to get a little stale. I understand it’s not reasonable to expect more from this series than what it’s already offered, but that doesn’t mean it’s justifiable.
“Billy The Kid” works best when it’s just fun and games. When it tries to be something more than that, it exposes its flaws rather than addresses them. Coupled with the relative stagnancy of the series itself, there just seems to be less in this issue than in the others. This arc wraps up in the next issue, so maybe things will take a different turn soon enough.
2/5 Skulls
Reviewed by -GeorgeShunick
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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