Comics
[Comic Book Review] “Zero” #13 Brings Us Back To The Beginning
And so, we go back to the start. After the stunningly gruesome visuals Adam Gorham provided last month, Ales Kot returns to “Zero” #13 with the help of illustrator Alberto Pontecelli to pick up right where we left off.
WRITTEN BY: Ales Kot
ART BY: Alberto Pontecelli
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: December 17, 2014
Reviewed by Nick Brehmer
Issue #12 saw Agent Zero investigate a quarantined house where child-agent, Chaz, was hiding out. It would appear that Chaz, like Zero, suffers from severe mental instability and may have released a chemical weapon in order to “preserve” his parents. the toxicity of which appears to have no effect Agency members. Upon his return to the Agency, Zero learns that Chaz was leaking Agency information and, according to Agency chief, Sara Cooke, he wasn’t the first. The child recruitment program has to end. With that, Edward Zero’s complete file is handed over and details of his history are revealed. Unbeknownst to the Agency, a very real threat was waiting outside the Agency headquarters.
Issue #13, entitled “Farewell”, has the headquarters in full lockdown as a squad of biomodified soldiers has infiltrated the building. The soldiers are outfitted with the same iron-man-esque blue chest lamp that was introduced to us all the way back in issue #1. As you may recall, we first met agent Edward Zero as he was trailing a biomodified Palestinian terrorist who was equipped with stolen Agency technology. The fear was that the Israeli army would get their hands on it before it could be recollected by the Agency. Naturally, agent Zero didn’t let that happen…or so we thought. Sara Cooke understands that the attack could have been orchestrated by a number of Agency threats, but the destruction of sensitive Agency data and the preservation of the child agents are of utmost importance now. However, a ghost from Beit Hanoun stands in the way.
13 issues in and what’s most evident is how much of a master Kot is through his narrative direction. Along with his team of artists, he has managed to create stunning levels of intrigue, grit, and emotion throughout the series. This issue is just one of many which creates a remarkable cinematic flow through its panel progression, often with minimal-to-no expository text. Pontecelli’s work is tireless – you can practically here the blood vessels break and the bones shatter during the fight-scene in the latter part of the issue. My only hope is that issue #14 picks up right away again. I need to know.
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A product of the harsh lands of Northern Ontario, Nick Brehmer is in fact a sensitive flower currently blooming in the GTA. He spends his downtime wishing he was British. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @nicholasbrehmer
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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