Comics
[Comic Book Review] “Ghosted” #15 Turns The Tables Yet Again.
I’ve come to have certain expectations when reading a Joshua Williamson comic, and that is to expect the reversal. Whenever everything is going great, we’re on panel away from absolute dread, and when we expect dread we’re offered something a little more hopeful. “Ghosted” #15 slides into the latter category, offering a sliver of hope going forward that Jackson Winters may not be as doomed as he likes to think.
WRITTEN BY: Joshua Williamson
ART BY: Davide Gianfelice
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: November 12, 2014
He also might not be as comfortable with death as he’s previously alluded. This issue picks up immediately where last month left off, having Charon left our heroes in the belly of his beast, a theater of his grand design of insanity made to offer tribute to his blood candles in an effort to finally appease a more evil force with Jackson’s death wish.
Did anyone really expect Jackson to be the type of guy to off himself? No fucking way. He is cunning, ruthless, and a dickhead, but he’s not a coward. He uses his wit to weasle out of the given situation and his odd relationship with Anderson takes center stage at the climax of the issue. It’s a strange and intoxicating relationship they share, bred out of hatred, nurtured in the afterlife into a bond of almost camaraderie and love, Anderson does something here that isn’t really out of character, but still proves remarkably surprising. I only hope we touch on the ramifications of her choice soon.
David Gianfelice has really come into his own on this series. I started unsure if he was the right fit for the series, but his tight paneling and dark style have only evolved since signing up to take on the series, and he’s really showing a familiarity with the world now. The way he depicts the ghosts are alarming and overwhelming, but kinetic in their displays of power. It proves rather intoxicating and provocative, especially when he really gives us a display of his power, like he does this month with Anderson’s excellent “die” line.
The end of the issue pushes us in a new direction that can’t help but tie itself to the past of the series. It proves very interesting as it seems Williamson has a carefully constructed story that has been heading to a definitive payoff for a while now. I can’t wait to see where things go next.
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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