Comics
[Comic Book Review] “Wild’s End” #4 Is Another Stellar Step Towards The Finale
“Wild’s End” #4 is another stellar installment in this fabulous series. Mr. Fawkes joins up with our rag tag group of heroes and is finally taken seriously. He was dismissed almost immediately, by most, when he gave his early warning of what was to come. Our heroes now understand all too well the real danger these “space-things” can cause and the doom that they bring.
WRITTEN BY: Dan Abnett
ART BY: I.N.J Culbard
PUBLISHER: BOOM! Studios
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: December 10, 2014
Reviewed By: Torin Chambers
The tension is high this week as Wild’s End Opens with us looking down the double barrels of Mr. Fawkes shotgun as he yells “RUN” to what’s left of our group of heroes. They’re standing in the middle of a massive field of corn, hearing the ominous “klik-klik-klik-klik” all around them. The group promptly makes a run for it and escape the deadly field. As they pass Fawkes convinces Clive to make a stand with him and see if they can take the mechanical beast down. This is another excellent scene showcasing these incredibly different people/animals being forced together under these extreme circumstances. It’s a blast to see these opposites begrudgingly work together.
Together they blast the damn thing to oblivion, cracking open its glass dome in the process. This releases a strange and curious wisp like thing that floats up into the sky far beyond their reach. Was it just some form of gas fueling the machine or, more sinisterly, could it have been an alien life from that was piloting the small bot? It certainly raises a myriad of questions and is infinitely intriguing, reminding me of the whispering wall in Abnett and Culbard’s last collaboration: Dark Ages. If the amazing reveal done in Dark Ages in any indication this will be shocking, stimulating and superb.
My only criticism comes from the cliffhanger for this issue. About three quarters of the way through there is a perfect cliffhanger, involving a shadowy figure pointing a gun at one of our protagonists. It’s an utter “Holy Shit” moment that makes the actual cliffhanger feel weaker by comparison. Not to say it’s bad, just that the stakes could have been raised higher.
With only 2 issues left Wild’s End is running ahead at full steam. We even get a brief glimpse of that large alien machine from the cover the first issue. Our heroes have the toughest part of the journey left, one that I see being incredibly far from their humble beginnings 4 issues ago. Wild’s End is headed for a grand conclusion that will undoubtedly rock everyone’s worlds.
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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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