Comics
[Comic Book Review] “The Ghost Fleet” #3 Is A Glorious 80’s Tribute
“The Ghost Fleet” is back in the New Year with a vengeance, fully blossoming into the glorious 80’s action movie it is at heart. Now let’s be honest for a moment, if Ghost Fleet was an 80’s action film it’d be one of the fucking best. It’s had multiple set pieces that already fully encompass the definition of rad and it’s got an analog for Snake Plissken as a protagonist. If that’s not enough there’s also a lovable dog companion.
WRITTEN BY: Donny Cates
ART BY: Daniel Warren Johnson
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: January 7, 2015
Reviewed By Torin Chambers
To get serious for a second “The Ghost Fleet” has genuinely likable characters who feel real and make you care while also being badass action stars. All wrapped up by mysteriously intriguing secret society who would normally have no right being a part of something that also has semi’s exploding through the air as the protagonist walks away with his back to it smoking a cigarette. Somehow Donny Cates juggles it all without fumbling.
This month’s issue tells a more centralized and contained story of Trace stealing from the Ghost Fleet. More specifically the precious cargo that “The Silhouette” (secret society) has tasked Roland Cohle with transporting whom in turn tasked Ghost Fleet with. Trace does it all with the skill and style of a genuine cool guy. This consequently puts Robert is hot water with Cohle.
Besides limited interaction with Cohle there isn’t much from that fancy pants secret society introduced last issue, which I think is a great move. I’ve seen it numerous times before where a serialized story drops a few bombs about things bigger than our protagonists then slowly trickles those details out over a long period of time. Those bigger background bombs can often times eclipse what the characters are currently dealing with and make their regular struggles boring and unfulfilling. This is not the case at all with Ghost Fleet, the society is still there upping the stakes but the main action isn’t lessoned for it. If anything it’s been enriched, both play into each other creating a balance that I’m really digging.
Ghost Fleet is a fun and rewarding read, every issue is a satisfying affair that leaves you wanting more. If it was a film Michael Bay would direct it and ruin it, which is why comics are amazing and it’s flourishing under Donny Cates and Daniel Warren Johnson’s capable hands.
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Torin Chambers is a rad dude from the nineties who does film stuff or something. Thomas the Tank Engine is his favorite transformer. Find him on Twitter @TorinsChambers
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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