Comics
Review: ‘The Returning’ #1
I couldn’t quite get on board with this comic. While nothing was terrible or really even stood out as “bad” there was also nothing that stood out as “good”. “The Returning” #1 is a finely tuned, well plotted, no surprises horror comic. Though it comes in riding on a very cool core concept — people wake up from Near Death Experiences changed, violent for no reason — the plot could have used some dramatic revelations or hard twists to stay ahead of the curve.
WRITTEN BY: Jason Starr
ART BY: Andrea Mutti
PUBLISHER: BOOM! Studios
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: March 12, 2014
Starr dutifully unweaves a tale of our protagonist after she has woken up from her Near Death Experience (NDE). With a simple flashback sequence, we see her jerk boyfriend pressuring her to have sex with him at Prom, we see him driving drunk with her in the passenger seat, and then we see a mysterious man before they go crashing into a tree and both die. But she wakes up 5 minutes of death having experienced the worst kind of actual Hell in her NDE.
Yet in this near future world that Starr and Mutti have created, it’s waking up from a NDE that’s the real hell. Because people are considered “Changers” if they wake up from a NDE, they are known to be extremely violent and murderous. Because of this, out protagonist suffer wave after wave of discrimination, bullying, and abuse. All while claiming that she really, truly hasn’t changed. But it’s the events of the last few pages that call both her reality and our opinions into question.
Like I said, it’s an interesting concept, but it’s presented very safely. It doesn’t appear that Starr or Mutti felt the need to take any risks while telling this story. Because of its strong potential in violence, madness, and bloodshed, the lack thereof was disappointing. On the flip side, it may be a perfect comic for beginners of the horror comic genre. Being fairly innocuous, those who don’t typically love horror but want to try it out will probably find that “The Returning” #1 is for them. And I don’t mean to condescend. I genuinely feel it’s a good appetizer for the horror genre.
I so badly wanted to love this comic based on the lore it imposes to the NDE but it didn’t quite hit home for me. I think that it may speed up in future issues and possibly live up to expectations because it’s clear that the creative team has some great ideas.
3/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – Breed Ogden
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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.