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[Comic Review] Valiant Entertainment Releases 04/22/15

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Reviewed by Brady Steele. The Valiant Entertainment Universe bounces back triumphantly this week by nailing three titles and making them all uniquely great. Ninjak #2, Divinity #3 and Ivar, Timewalker #4 are all fantastic reads worth your time and money. I’m going to cram in all the good stuff into one nice review for your reading pleasure.

Valiant

Ivar, Timewalker #4 WRITTEN BY: Fred Van Lente ART BY: Clayton Henry

Ninjak#2  WRITTEN BY: Matt Kindt ART BY: Clay Mann & Butch Guice

Divinity #3 WRITTEN BY: Matt Kindt ART BY: Trevor Hairsine         

PUBLISHER: Valiant Entertainment

PRICE: $3.99

RELEASE: 22 April 2015

 

First up is Ivar, Timewalker #4, written by Fred Van Lente and art by Clayton Henry. Once again, writer Van Lente takes something as tried and tested as time travel and makes a story so utterly unique that it will baffle and amaze you until the end. Henry’s art, as always, impresses with its duality of simplicity in line work but combined with superb detailing. The main character, Ivar, is scarcely in this issue at all. His would becohort, Neela, sets out to prove she can change history and the outcome is one remarkable and troublesome lesson to learn.

Second on our list (in no particular order because all these books are impressive) is Ninjak #2, written by Matt Kindt and art by Clay Mann and Butch Guice. This is a smooth, suave ninja / spy thriller of a series and it’s only the second issue! There are so many minute details spread all over this series, from the introduction / recap page at the start to the sly maneuvering in front and behind of his foes to the back-up new spy tales by the great Butch Guice. The story moves nice and quick and slick enough to pay attention and re-read it again to see how the past and present of Ninjak are all playing into one another.

Thirdly, we have Divinity #3, written (again) by Matt Kindt and art by Trevor Hairsine. The would-be Omni-powerful cosmonaut takes on Unity, all of the mightiest warriors the Valiant Universe can dish out to neutralize the uncertainty he represents. Kindt in one instance takes a typical fight and makes it into a multi-layered and fascinating look at how power can be used to eliminate adversaries without throwing a punch. Riveting work. Catch up if you aren’t up to speed to see how breathtaking the art by Hairsine has been so far.

I normally would expand elaborate how each of these titles is worth your attention. I think if you want to try this shared comic book universe out, any of the Valiant Next books are exceptional gateways into this refreshing world. Each book is so utterly different from the other and yet the greatest thing they all share in common is that they are great reads. Pick them up and catch up to the Valiant Universe.

 

Ninjak #2 Score: 9/10 Skulls

Divinity #3 Score: 9/10 Skulls

Ivar, Timewalker #4 Score: 9.5/10

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

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‘Exhuma’ Prequel Spinoff Webtoon ‘Maengjong’ Debuts This Weekend

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Hwarim and Bonggil (Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun) in Exhuma

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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