Comics
[5/5 Review] “Broken World” #1 Is Emotionally Captivating
In the days leading up to a “Deep Impact” style apocalypse 75% of the population has been evacuated from earth through space elevators. The rest have either resigned themselves to their fate as it is divine providence or have collected to violently protest their being left behind until the final moments. Elena is ineligible because of something in her past. Her family does not know this and she is able to obtain a fake I.D. that will allow her to leave Earth with her family just two days before Exodus. “Broken World” #1 is what those last two days on Earth will look like.
WRITTEN BY: Frank J. Barbiere
ART BY: Christopher Peterson
PUBLISHER: BOOM! Studios
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: June 3, 2015
Global catastrophe is the fair of many a summer blockbuster and one of the most universal fears there is. A disaster massive enough to threaten the entire world always an engrossing visual spectacle and narratively transcends all culture and language barriers. Giving anything away about this book would do you a huge disservice, but “Broken World” is not a big budget Disaster film. You may guess how this first issue will end, but I doubt that will take away from the exquisite emotional journey you will go on as you follow Elena through her final day on Earth.
This issue works completely as a one-shot, it’s so tight. I often give issues the accolade of being expertly plotted, but this #1 introduces characters, stages, arcs, and pays offs so impressively right now I’m calling it the best single issue of 2015. Now, it is not without its narrative crutches: the premise is established by a newscaster explaining everything in the first scene, and the Children of the Revelation, the cult that embraces the apocalypse, is explained to us via a class presentation. Perhaps there are craftier, less expositional ways to share this information. But I’m thankful it wasn’t crammed into the dialogue or explained in a forward. The alternative, which I see taken more often, is to leave out all exposition and let the audience peace it together themselves. That works about as often as it doesn’t, and I think Barbiere chose the lesser of 4 evils here by working it into the story in a way that doesn’t feel forced.
I was emotionally gripped by this book from beginning to end. The countdown was an effective device, constantly reminding us that this is a ticking time bomb, even when Elena is trying to keep it cool, go to class, cook dinner. I was completely taken by the ending and even let out an “oh shit!”, rare for me, but that is how sucked in I was reading this book. If I never read another issue I would be completely satisfied having read such a perfect first, but now I’m bought in, and I can’t wait to see what happens 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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