Comics
‘Five Ghosts’ Continues To Haunt As An Ongoing Series
Zac (Jimbus_Christ) and I been virtually ejaculating over the epic that is Frank J. Barbiere and Chris Mooneyham’s “Five Ghosts” from Image Comics, and I’m happy to share the news that it is officially an ongoing series. The fifth and final issue of the first arc dropped earlier this month, and it perfectly wrapped up the the storyline, and the sixth issue is now slated for a late October release.
In case you missed out on the first arc, look for “Five Ghosts: The Haunting Of Fabian Gray” Vol. 1 in shops everywhere on September 18th. It’s only $9.99 and you’d do well to pick it up.
Official Press Release:
The FIVE GHOSTS team returns to Image Comics for another arc, following the unmissable September release of the first trade paperback collecting the original FIVE GHOSTS five-issue miniseries. The fan-revered debut by burgeoning creators Frank J. Barbiere and Chris Mooneyham has readers primed for even more eye-popping adventure as the book is made into an ongoing series, starting in October.
FIVE GHOSTS: THE HAUNTING OF FABIAN GRAY follows the story of infamous treasure hunter Fabian Gray, who, after being bewitched by the mysterious power of “The Dreamstone,” must battle the unwieldy power of five archetypal ghosts that both possess and guide him. Lost in forgotten cities, Fabian faces enemy shadows in a mesmerizing series riddled with literary allusions.
“Both Chris and I, as well as the whole Five Ghosts team, were amazed by the fantastic reception to our first few issues.” said writer Barbiere, who hopes to excavate more of the world of FIVE GHOSTS as the series continues, “We certainly have a lot of stories to tell in this universe and are very excited to have the opportunity to tell them in an ongoing series.”
The sixth issue of the self-declared “literary pulp adventure” series will borrow the talents of guest artist Garry Brown (The Massive, Mass Effect) to reveal the next chapter of Fabian’s story. Barbiere says, “We’re also excited to have our good friend Garry Brown contributing some amazing art to the series for issue six; Garry’s a fantastic artist and we think our readers will enjoy his take on the Five Ghosts universe!”
FIVE GHOSTS: THE HAUNTING OF FABIAN GRAY #6 will be in stores on October 30, and is currently available for pre-order from the August issue of Previews (Diamond code AUG130582).
The first volume of the series, FIVE GHOSTS: THE HAUNTING OF FABIAN GRAY, VOL. 1 TP will be published on September 18 and is available for order (Diamond code JUL130450).
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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