Comics
Review: ‘Saga’ #5
Saga steamrolls back onto into the scene this week with a heart wrenching issue that’ll have you feeling some serious empathy. As always BKV and Fiona Staples use their skills to create an amazing comic, the amount of talent it takes to pull this book off is beyond measure. After every issue, I let myself believe that there is no way the book can be topped, until I pick up the following issue…This month is no different.
WRITTEN BY: Brian K. Vaughan
ART BY: Fiona Staples
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
RELEASE DATE: March 20th
PRICE: 2.99
“Saga” chapter 11 is an emotional rollercoaster; kicking off the issue with the climax of Hazel’s conception and light humor makes us forget just where the last issue left off. The steamy and humorous opening cuts into the drama filled crazy situation both the protagonists and antagonists were left in: giant space baby trying to kill everyone. The book has an incredibly fast pace as events begin to unfold and both ships need to GFTO as quickly as possible. Here is when the emotions really start to take over as excitement, relief, and despair wash over the reader, in no particular order. This book is lethal.
BKV shows off his writing skills in more way than one in this issue, with both the organisation of the story and the dialogue itself being the prominent factors. Using the flash back and narrative methods are key to “Saga” as a whole and this particularly rings true in this issue, both at the beginning and towards the end the flash back helps the reader gain more insight on the character’s lives. Hazel’s narration acts as a catalyst throughout the story as her witty thoughts create a relief in tension right before an occurrence that would leave anyone stressed. The dialogue of this book is top notch, when I read “Saga” I don’t feel like I’m reading a story from a different time and place, I feel as though all the characters interact in a realistic modern way the only difference being they’re shooting around space and are most definitely not human.
Another element that “Saga” brings to the table is the incredible skills of Fiona Staples. She makes every illustration look as though it was painted on a canvas. Very soft minimalist lines give these fantastic images a human look while the colours give that extra depth and realism. To say Fiona is talented is like saying the sun is hot, she could quite possibly be one of the best artists in the game.
Another home run is put into the books for “Saga”, I’ll just quietly lock myself into my room and cry softly till next month’s issue.
5/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – GreenBasterd
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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