Comics
Review: ‘Repossessed’ #1
Out with the little girl puking green vomit doing 360 head spins, and in with mass possession by freakish demonic beings. This new take on possession is what JM Ringuet has cooked up for Image as they drop their new horror book, Repossessed. Possession shows up all over the board in horror, sometimes it’s in the form of someone talking in tongues and other times it’s more intense with body manipulation and wall crawling. This book takes a different approach when it comes to possession cases and an even more unique way of “taking care” of those who are possessed.
WRITTEN BY: JM Ringuet
ART BY: JM Ringuet
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: 2.99
RELEASE DATE: January 9th
“Repossessed” #1 is pretty easy to slip into. It starts with and advertisement for the Dee Agency which gives a quick rundown of what the series will be about. Essentially it’s a team of bounty hunters who are hired to exorcise demons from people hence the “Repossessed”. The issue starts off with a bang really getting the reader familiarized with the nature of the story and how it differs from other books that revolve around possession.
The demons in this book are different from what I have come across. Even in comics that concentrate purely on earthbound demons, they never resemble the creations that JM has thought. The main characters Joe, Clay and Martha show their roles early as each of them offer different attributes to the group.
The flow and pace of the book is fast and easy to slip into, JM shows that this first issue isn’t going to be just a generic introduction; it starts off quickly and never slows down as the team go from one job to another. The story isn’t simply generic run of the mill demon story, there are elements of crime that relate to everyday life. The fact that they’re offering a service makes this book a different breed from hero-type demon books. Unfortunately the dialogue, though there was some good wit, is lacking. The exchanges between characters was lack luster throughout the book, taking away from the otherwise fun world.
The art has a unique look that mixes realism with cartoon; characters, environments, and even the demons have qualities that give them a life-like appearance with a subtle sketchiness that gives them a refined cartoon look. The art of this issue is much stronger than the writing.
“Repossessed” is fun read that makes up for its lack of script with a cool story and nice done art. I’m interested to see how it progresses, if it continues to develop or runs flat after its debut issue.
3/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – Green Bastard
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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