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[Visions of Horror] Riley Rossmo

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Farah Al-Hakkak (ShadowJayd) and Lonnie Nadler (Lonmonster) are back to showcase more first-rate horror artwork from the finest artists the comics industry has to offer. This week, the Visions of Horror spotlight will be shining on Ghastly Award winner Riley Rossmo, and his critically acclaimed work on Kurtis J. Wiebe’s “Green Wake”. Specifically, Bloody-Disgusting will look at his wicked cover art for issue #2, as well as a particularly powerful page from issue #5. So, without further ado, kindly hit the jump to check his pieces out.

In 2006, Canadian artist Riley Rossmo broke into the comic book industry through AIT/Planet Lar, thanks to his collaborative work with Alex Grecian on “Seven Sons”. Together, they went on to create an ongoing series called “Proof”, which was published by Image Comics the following year. His subsequent — and notable — work with the aforementioned publishing company quickly helped him establish a name for himself, and even garnered Hollywood attention from Disney and Universal Studios. The latter is set to bring Rossmo and A.J. Lieberman’s “Cowboy Ninja Viking” series to life in a film adaptation directed by World War Z’s Marc Forster. How rad is that?

In 2011, Rossmo and Kurtis J. Wiebe’s psychological horror series “Green Wake” was released. Though the book flew under the radar, it received high critical praise, and the book — along with its creative team — received a number of well-deserved nominations and awards for their exceptional work. Wiebe was named Outstanding Comic Book Writer by the Joe Shuster Awards, and “Green Wake” won a 2011 Ghastly Award for ‘Best New Series’ alongside Rossmo, who was named ‘Best Artist’.

For those unfamiliar with the series, it’s a remarkable murder mystery story of loss and horror, set in the forgotten town of Green Wake. The residents deal with confusing memory lapses and can never leave; and it’s rife with insanely messed up — though incredibly significant — imagery involving grisly murders and gross monsters that just drip through Rossmo’s pencils and colours. Fitting the dark tone of the series perfectly, his surreal artwork is moody, gritty, dramatically evocative and strikingly atmospheric. His manically unique style is so distinguishably his that Rossmo’s confidence in his art shines through his frenetically loose presentation on paper. His jagged, unclean lines, while chaotic in nature, are purposefully illustrated and fit exceptionally well with Wiebe’s world.

The “Green Wake” #2 cover:

The splash page from issue #5 (below) is one of the most memorable from the series, revealing all of the traumatic events of protagonist Morley Mack’s past in just two pages. “Green Wake” is one of those books that feels so intimate yet so vast at the same time, and this piece is testament to the amount of work, care, and creativity put into the series by both Rossmo and Wiebe.

The page depicts Morley’s dark history with his lover, from wedding to death, in a stunning arrangement. Rossmo guides the reader’s eye across an array of images, evoking feelings of dread, sorrow, and pleasure simultaneously. He seamlessly brings all these elements together with his signature sketchy line work and vibrant colors, making for one of the most memorable splash pages of the series. It’s a shame the book was cut short, as we only got a glimpse of the expansive nightmarish world that was Green Wake.

The “Green Wake” #5 splash page:

Rossmo donated this fantastic Batwoman & Swamp Thing piece to the Fourth Annual San Diego Comic-Con Autograph Card CBLDF/TFAW Auction. It’s not related to “Green Wake”, but we love it. So look at it.

The Batwoman / Swamp Thing piece:

Next up from Riley Rossmo is his book “Drumhellar”. The first issue drops in November 6th, 2013.

If you want Bloody Disgusting to cover one of your favourite horror artists, or a fantastic piece of horror-related comic book art, head down to the comment section, or hit up Farah or Lonnie on Twitter.

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Comics

‘Exhuma’ Prequel Spinoff Webtoon ‘Maengjong’ Debuts This Weekend

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Hwarim and Bonggil (Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun) in Exhuma

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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