Comics
[Comic Review] “Ivar, Timewalker” #5 Continues The Series Perfect Streak
Reviewed by Brady Steele. “Breaking History” really sums it up, doesn’t it? The new and ominously titled arc begins this month in Ivar, Timewalker #5. This creative team gives a refreshing approach to the tried and true time travel story month in and month out. They could give Doctor Who a genuine run for his money when it comes to creating blurring time loops, causing paradoxes and averting potential future timelines.
WRITTEN BY: Fred Van Lente
ART BY: Francis Portela
PUBLISHER: Valiant Entertainment
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: 27 May 2015
I cannot deny that I love a good time travel story. This series has been downright pitch perfect since its debut. I have thoroughly enjoyed the inventive ways writer Fred Van Lente has spun out a very different attitude to time travel storytelling. Van Lente’s storytelling skills really make the reader pay attention to each panel. It’s fascinating and fun to see how everything gets more and more connected in the universe. He also manages to keep the intrigue moving by introducing doubt as to if destiny and things being set in stone time-wise are immovable.
Ivar is one of the three immortal brothers running around the Valiant Universe. He uses his Tachyon Compass to navigate time travel. Not only does he try to save the girl / inventor of time travel Neela Sethi, from the scary villain, he needs to save her from her cybernetic, dictator at the end of time future self. Readers get to see how truly powerful and universe ending future Neela and her city ship, OBLIV-1. Kudos to the art team of Francis Portela, Andrew Dalhouse and Dave Sharpe for pulling off the epic scale of the action going on in this chapter.
Ivar is a compelling character worth following. He seems to be doing things for noble reasons. He appears to have good intentions to saving all of creation. The fun part is seeing how manipulative he is going about it. Doing something good but going about it deviously is a great hook for any story. Add to it the layering of different eras, straight face lying to hero siblings and bribery with burgers and you have a tale that warrants your undivided attention.
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Mr. Steele enjoys all things comics and imagination-based. Using his lifetime of comic-fu-dom for good, he imparts his knowledge for the universe to enjoy and for you, dear readers, to pass it on.
Twitter: @mrbradysteele
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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