Comics
[5 Skull Review] “Space Riders” #3 Is All Glorious Setup
SPACE RIDERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Or perhaps I should say Space Riders, as this is more of a laidback setup issue. The penultimate adventure is here, questions and intrigue run abound as the crew of the Santa Muerte come closer to answers than ever before. They’ve been through hell together now they’re setting out on what could be their glorious final mission.
WRITTEN BY: Fabian Rangel Jr
ART BY: Alexis Ziritt
PUBLISHER: Black Mask Studios
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: June 17, 2015
Before we can get to the calm and soothing penultimate festivities there’s the small matter of being wrongly accused and held at gun point. The robots who live inside the giant Voltron sitting on a toilet from last issue mistakenly believe the Space Riders were trying to harm An-Anu, a space-god-whale. They were in fact assisting it but the robots aren’t in a debating mood and neither is Captain Peligro. Who gives a magnificent speech in defiance before all out assaulting the robots. First blows are exchanged, then words and finally understanding. Peligro even gets to headbutt a Kano looking motherfucker in the process which is hella rad.
Once that kerfuffle is over we get into the meat of the issue. The bigger picture begins to take shape with a true lead villain mysteriously introduced. Along with the we also get more information regarding that guy with the skull face from last issue and an individual Captain Peligro shares a mutual past with. These characters form the opposing force the crew of The Santa Muerte will be facing in the sure to be breathtaking conclusion. If Space riders was lacking anything it was a cohesive antagonistic force for our heroes to push back against and now we have it.
Space Riders #3 is all about epic set ups in anticipation of glorious payoffs next issue. As always the writing and art are on point making every moment memorable. I’ll be deeply saddened by Space Riders conclusion next month but until then the wait will be agonizing.
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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