Comics
Review: ‘Bedlam’ #3
A completely unique take on the world of crime and serial killers is quickly becoming a more meaningful and deep story than issue #1 represented. Bedlam comes from the creative mind of Nick Spencer who is weaving an intense tale of mayhem and murder with the aid of an incredible artist in Riley Rossomo. The combination of both the story and art makes it one hell of an interesting read and I’m not surprised at all.
WRITTEN BY: Nick Spencer
ART BY: Riley Rossmo
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: 3.50
RELEASE DATE: January 23rd, 2013
Former serial killer Madder Red has been rehabilitated and under his new guise of Fillmore Press has decided to aid the police of Bedlam in locating the culprit of a recent rash of killings. His methods are somewhat unique due to the nature of his past but this past also gives him the edge; as a former serial killer he sees patterns that others do not. The book explores Press’s insightful ability for the reader while leaving little doubt that police think it is all bullshit and plan on pegging the murders on the innocent Press.
Nick Spencer has taken us on a roller coaster ride through the first 3 issues of “Bedlam”. The story began with an insane historic tale of Madder red, centred on Fillmore and the new killer and now has really hit its stride and become a new entity entirely. I did not read issue #1 expecting the story to come to this point with the use of Fillmore as a protagonist searching for a serial killer. The books pace isn’t very intense and there is a lot of dialogue as Fillmore investigates the nature of the murders while trying to have the law enforcement understand that he is truly helping. This aside the story still flows very well and never has any lulls that can be so common in script dominant books.
The plot of this story is a unique but the best way to describe it is by saying, “look at the art”; the art is a mirror of the story itself. Riley Rossmo does an incredible job of giving the visuals a sketchy, unpolished look while still having a realistic air to it. This approach to the art style gives the book that extra oomf that it needs to set itself above the pack. The parts I love most are when Madder Red is taking part in the story and the imagery is black and white with wonderful red colour spotting.
I’m finding this book a fascinating read and become more ingrained into the story as each issue comes to a close. This one is no different; the ending sets up perfectly for the next issue and a new obstacle for Mr. Fillmore Press.
4/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – GreenBastard
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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