Comics
[Comic Review] “Ivar, Timewalker” #6 Is A Must Read… Yet Again
Reviewed by Brady Steele. Ivar, Timewalker #6 includes three immortal brothers, two versions of the same character from different ends of time who is both the damsel in distress and the villain of the story, a Lurker, spaceships and the end of time itself. All of this plus riveting dialogue like “I will MURDER YOUR FACE!” makes this book a must-read month in and month out.
WRITTEN BY: Fred Van Lente
ART BY: Francis Portela
PUBLISHER: Valiant Entertainment
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: 17 June 2015
Writer Fred Van Lente knows how to tell a darn entertaining story no matter what characters are involved. A random look at Van Lente’s previous works involve philosophy, history, gods, geniuses, superheroes, immortal drunks, scumbags, robot fighters, spies, mutants and even zombies. Time travel seems to encapsulate all of this and so much more, doesn’t it? This series manages to make fun and be serious as well as capture exciting storytelling throughout each issue.
The Brothers Anni-Padda: Ivar, Gilad and Aram, have struck out an adventure to save the girl and stop the end of everything. The fact that two of these brothers literally can’t be in the same room before lines like “You don’t look a day over ten thousand–“ and then one brother getting ejected out an airlock can give you just a glimpse of the wackiness and merriment this book consistently provides. Artist Francis Portela and colorist Andrew Dalhouse embrace the sheer insanity situations like immortals and time travel can provide and illustrate the heck out of everything. It’s not groundbreaking but it is still great to look at. Everything and everyone looks distinct and unique which is not always the case in some books.
This issue is like the latest and greatest Mad Max: Fury Road movie in that there is so much amazing craziness that keeps you entertained, you almost forget the titular character is in this story too. And just like said film, that’s not a bad thing. Ivar gets his moments but the menagerie of plotlines, characters, time periods and who is who really keeps your attention. This books demands multiple reads every month because there is so much cleverness and exuberance every time. Get on board and enjoy the ride already!
—
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
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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.