Koreans kicking manga ass

[Inkthinker]

There's some seriously awesome manhwas out now.

Banya: The Explosive Deliveryman rocks.

I'm pissed that I can't find more than the first three volumes of Yongbi the Invincible (best. sidekick. EVAHR!!)

And today I picked up my first copy of Shaman Warrior, which has pretty much blown me away. Park Joong-ki has a masterful hand with faces and a brilliant sense of action, making each panel powerful and exciting. Easily up there with the best of Japan's action artists like Kishiro or Samura, I think... I'm really looking forward to seeing more of what this guy can do.

Who else am I missing? There's got to be more out there... I can't wait to get my hands on it.

[The Xenos]

I've only got a few manhwa titles. I have a couple volumes of Priest. I have the two volumes of the gothic and more female targeted Under the Glass Moon which caught my eye for some reason. I want to say I have at least one more Korean title.

Anyway, I'm quite glad to see Korean books getting some recognition. However, I hate it when they're just lumped in with manga. Knowing the history and tension between the two countries, that cannot be good. Now I certainly don't want more animosity, but I can't help but think calling their books by a Japanese name isn't going to help things.

[chojinlocke]

Wow, just so happens I recently did some work for a Korean publication on manhwa, how manga kind of overshadows it in the US (some of The Xenos comments are extremely relevant [OT--BTW, XT your post on the other thread about manga vs. comics is one of the best ones you've posted!]) and some of my faves. It was cool to write and it exposed me to much more manhwa which I will be covering in the future on Manga Island.

Inkthinker, once again I'm right with you on Banya. I LOVE that book!!!!!! It is awesome. The new Manga Island features it actually.

I suggest checking out CPM's catalog like Nambul and Armageddon. Also check out www.netcomics.com. They have TONS of free preview chapters. I fell in love with "The Great Catsby." It starts slow and the translations are really rough in the first chapters, but it gets really touching and heartwarming. Once again, there is a wide range of style and content in manhwa, and people who say that it just copies manga aren't looking hard enough. I can't wait to read more, and the Dark Horse manhwa imprint looks to be getting some great titles.

Anyway, those are some of my faves, post if you dig anything else. I want to hear what others are digging!

-TS

[OverMaster]

Ehh, I would say the thread title is a bit too... enthusiast. I've checked a decent bunch of manwhas out, and never found one I liked so much as manga. Then again, I haven't ever seen that Yongi the Invencible title at all.

[chojinlocke]

Ehh, I would say the thread title is a bit too... enthusiast. I've checked a decent bunch of manwhas out, and never found one I liked so much as manga. Then again, I haven't ever seen that Yongi the Invencible title at all.

I've found a bunch I liked that were pretty close. I like Banya more than Claymore, but not as much as Berserk. I like Catsby as much as any manga coming of age story (well it's more for adults I suppose, dealing with life as a 20 something and beyond), but you do have to search. I think the storytelling is different in the same way that Chinese manhua is different. However, everyone is going to have their faves. To me Banya kicks major butt, reminds me of something I would see in Heavy Metal magazine. Your mileage may vary though. I still suggest checking out netcomics. There is a TON of content there. Not shilling, just excited about the idea of previewing so many comics.

[Inkthinker]

And like I said, check out Shaman Warrior... the quality is very high. I'd rank it up there with Berserk and certainly Banya. Not "better than", but I can at least say "if you like that, you'll like this".

Of course I'm being enthusiastic with the thread title... I'm making a point, which is that many people have been viewing Korean comics (manhwa) as a sort of "lesser manga", and that's just not gonna cut the mustard when these consistenly excellent books are being released that demand attention and should be recognized as work separate from the Japanese diaspora of comics content, even if they initially appear to be similar to manga.

One of the more interesting things about manhwa is that Koreans read left-right, same as we do in English, so their books read left-right without being flipped.

[GloryQuest]

Threads of Time is good manwha from Tokyopop that I'm really enjoying.

[The Xenos]

I picked up Shaman Warrior because my shop thought I ordered it. I wasn't sure, but I remember talking about Korean books in this thread, so I did anyway. It's on my pile with a bunch of manga I've got backlogged. That's sitting next to my pile and short box of unread comics.

[Inkthinker]

Let us know if you liked it as much as I did.

[Knightosis]

Read Rebirth. Excellent art and story-telling. Not to mention that it is,
at times, funny as hell!

[Jamal]

And like I said, check out Shaman Warrior... the quality is very high. I'd rank it up there with Berserk and certainly Banya. Not "better than", but I can at least say "if you like that, you'll like this".

Of course I'm being enthusiastic with the thread title... I'm making a point, which is that many people have been viewing Korean comics (manhwa) as a sort of "lesser manga", and that's just not gonna cut the mustard when these consistenly excellent books are being released that demand attention and should be recognized as work separate from the Japanese diaspora of comics content, even if they initially appear to be similar to manga.

One of the more interesting things about manhwa is that Koreans read left-right, same as we do in English, so their books read left-right without being flipped.

I've just got finished reading Shaman Warrior# 3 and I got to say this is hands down the best action manhwa/manga comic I've read in years. It's like a mix of Lone Wolf & Cub with Blade of the Immortal and MMA, the fight scenes are so detailed you feel like you are reading a movie. If you still haven't givin it a try you are really missing out on a great book, Ink was telling the truth about this one.

[AnimeAvatar]

I haven't gotten a chance to pick up any manhwa as of yet but i've heard lots of good things about them.

Q: How can you tell the difference between a left-right manga and a manhwa?

[The Xenos]

Easy. Manga isn't printed left to right. (Unless it's older and they flipped the pages.) Japanese reads right to left. To me, if it isn't right to left, as in it wasn't originally published in Japan, then it's not actually manga.

Korean, like English, is printed left to right. Plus I guess looking at the creator names and copyright info should tell you what country the book originates from.

Korean. Japanese. American. Chinese. European. Eh. Don't think about where it comes from. Just look for good books. Though right now more people in the US seem to buy Japanese books than anything else, even US comics.

[AnimeAvatar]

I'm kinda cruel when i buy mine. I only look at it if i like the cover art...slightly shallow i know. It's a good system though. I seems to find that if the artwork is good so is the plot. One of my better finds using that method was Alichino. I don't have the whole series yet but i've read what i have about a hundred times...it's gorgeous and the plot is great.

I think i'll have to start paying more attention when looking for my books(manga/manhwah). It's been awhile scince i bought any so there's alot more out there for me to find.


I think people in the U.S. are becoming more Japan-ised...clearly not a word... Things realating to anything foreign, mainly Japan, have become extreamily popular.

[Pikachu]

I personally like Shin Angyo Onshi by Youn In-Wan and Yang Kyung-Il. The art is amazing. And the only way I can describe it is Bleach meets Evangellion meets Lodoss War on steroids, and drawn with the same grit and detail as Inoue Takehiko uses. Crazy.

Pika! :p