When an unremarkable player in an expansive virtual fantasy world discovers legendary blacksmithing abilities, it’s not exactly the answer to all his problems—but the ability to craft godlike equipment certainly goes a long way toward changing his circumstances.
Overgeared from IZE Press adapts this story of Youngwoo Shin from the Korean light novel of the same title. Youngwoo ks a bit of a loser in real life, and in the massive online VR Game Satisfy, he’s also a low ranging errand boy. However, when a job goes badly, he uses a powerful in-game item to turn his character into a smith and the successor to the greatest blacksmith in the game’s lore. Reset to base level but with an abundance of new abilities, Youngwoo decides to seize the opportunity in front of him in an effort to make something of himself in the game and out of it (there’s a pile of debt waiting for him back in the real world after all). However, alone and with the odds stacked against him, his only chance will be to craft an arsenal of advanced gear capable of offsetting his weaknesses (and there are many of those). It’s a difficult enough challenge on his own, but Youngwoo’s change has not gone unnoticed, and there are others who are quite interested in seeing what the newly forged smith will make of himself.
Volume 1 opens with intercuts of past and present, introducing Youngwoo’s in-game character named Grid in his overgeared state along with flashbacks to how this adventure began. It’s a bit of a jarring opening to follow, but once the stage is set, the story settles on following Grid in the immediate aftermath of his rebirth as an adventuring smith. There’s lots of game lore and rule mechanics mixed in with the gameplay, but with excitement and humor, the story strikes a fairly quick pace of daring and misadventures. Outside of the game, Youngwoo proves to be a bit of an unlikeable character. Struggling with money, jobs, and relationships, his video game addiction and general lack of motivation hang over his decisions. It’s early in the story yet, so there’s presumably room for growth, but it’s Grid’s sometimes bumbling attempts at gaining levels and fighting enemies that drives most of the story. Volume 1 already establishes a cast of in-game characters and conflicts that promise to kick off more shenanigans. And back in the real world, the game’s developers have also taken notice of Youngwoo’s new fortune, though it remains unclear exactly what they expect of him.
Illustrated in full color, this volume is a vibrant romp through the digital world of Satisfy. Video game menus and notifications are integrated into the story, visible to the characters as much as they are to the reader. And when the action kicks off, magic and combat explode across the page with stylization worthy of adventure comics and video games alike. The characters are distinct and the narrative is generally easy to follow, hitting the range of emotional beats effectively. It’s a comic that seems to relish its own concept and execution, and the art team brings the story to life with a visual language that’s engaging and fun to read.
On the whole, Overgeared is an enjoyable start to a new series. For those not thoroughly familiar with the genre already, the digressions into game mechanics and stats screens might be a bit distracting. And though I expect there’s much more to come, Youngwoo’s shortcomings as a protagonist make him occasionally tricky to root for with full sincerity. All that aside though, there’s a great deal to enjoy here in a comic that, while not necessarily treading any new ground, seems to have a great deal of fun setting out on an adventure. It’s a story aimed comfortably at teens, with plenty of fantasy violence but nothing too troubling in the content otherwise. Especially if readers have previously enjoyed titles like Solo Leveling and Ready Player One, Overgeared should find happy readers ready to settle into familiar territory and see where Grid’s often poor decision making leads next.
Overgeared Vol. One By Team Argo IZE Press, 2023 ISBN: 9798400900518
Related media: Book to Comic
NFNT Age Recommendation: Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16) Creator Representation: Korean, Character Representation: Korean,
In 1978, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il had South Korean actress Choi Eun-hee kidnapped because he loved her films. Spat’s graphic novel recounts this true story, interspersing it with a reimagining of a folktale that Korea’s first kaiju film, Pulgasari, was based on. This serves two purposes – it becomes an allegory for political strife in both Koreas, but its also a failed South Korean film that Kim wanted remade. To do so, he later captured Choi’s director ex-husband, Shin Sang-ok, as well.
This dual story-telling format means that Spat has quite a bit of ground to cover. This includes Choi and Shin’s first meeting, their romance, film careers, marital troubles, kidnapping, reuniting, and escape in less that 200 pages. It’s hardly enough time to sketch in details even if half the pages weren’t devoted to a folktale where a blacksmith’s daughter’s relatively carefree life is upset when the king kidnaps her father for forced labor. She must work with her fellow townspeople and some magical beings to rescue or avenge their loved ones.
However, the brevity works. There’s certainly enough story to fill volumes of nonfiction prose, but as an enticing introduction to Korean history and folklore, this shines. Readers are likely to finish this with many questions that are readily answerable with a bit of research. The downside is that occasionally the narrative feels abrupt as it switches between Choi and the pulgasari story. This is amplified by the spare art style. Sheree Domingo’s art style emphasizes emotion and vibe. For instance, Choi on a picnic with her children versus Choi as an actress talking to the press with Marilyn Monroe could almost be different graphic novels entirely – a great representation of the different eras of Choi’s life. The color palette consists mostly of blues and yellows, with occasional reds. Otherwise, it’s mostly black and white and contained in the expected panels. Domingo breaks free with phenomenal full page spreads where the passage of time occurs in torn off calendar pages or film cels.
There is something a little off-putting about the speech bubbles font in the English translation that isn’t present in either the Korean or German text. There is also a full-page panel featuring a protest that has footnoted translations placed rather awkwardly. The volume ends with a few pages of text that give a more succinct timeline, which is appreciated. It also may delight readers of a certain age since it mentions Choi and Shin’s involvement in the Three Ninjas movie franchise.
I happily recommend Madame Choi and the Monsters: A True Story for library collections as an interesting insight into Korean history. The kidnapping and strange behaviour of Kim Jong-Il is a great hook to draw readers in before giving them a greater insight into Korean culture and history. Aspects of Korea’s arts are trending these days with the love for K-pop, manhwa, and K-dramas continuing to rise, so that may translate into greater interest in Korea as a whole.
This title is geared towards adults not only because of the serious subject matter, but it does contain a couple panels of nudity in addition to domestic violence and infidelity. There is on page violence, but it is more disturbing for implications rather than the imagery.
Madame Choi and the Monsters: A True Story By Patrick Spat Art by Sheree Domingo Abrams, 2024 ISBN: 9781914224225
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+) Creator Representation: German, Character Representation: Korean, North Korean, South Korean,
Every city fears becoming Jeju Island—a paradise now overrun with monsters when heroes failed to close their gate in time. In this alternate Earth, portals to deadly dungeons began spawning without reason across the world.
Simultaneously, some people manifested special powers. It is incredibly rare for their power level to change, leading to a classification system of hunters used to triage dungeons most effectively. This brings us to Jin-woo, known to be the weakest of them all. Still, as long as he survives, dungeon work is lucrative so he can pay his comatose mother’s medical expenses and support his sister. When he somehow survives an unexpectedly deadly dungeon, he gains the ability to level up and soon surpasses everyone else.
In these kinds of stories, it’s easy for the protagonist to feel overpowered and boring, but ten volumes in and Solo Leveling is going strong. The tension stays high because his increasing abilities are leading him to greater threats that no other hunter is even aware of. While he does sometimes come into conflict with other hunters, this usually ties more to the secondary tension – is Jin-woo’s humanity the cost for power? The kindness that was his defining feature seems colder as the volumes continue.
The reveals come just this side of excruciatingly slowly, creating the perfect sort of agonizing anticipation that must be shared with friends through theories about what is actually going on. These come with a charming cast of characters we hope Jin-woo will continue treating well as his journey changes him. Battles are, of course, frequent and can be both brutal and, occasionally, funny.
As with most manhwa releases, the volumes are entirely full color art peppered with breathtakingly gorgeous panels. The illustrator, Dubu, has such skill at detailed work, when the story beats call for it. These are most frequently used for creating realistic, awe inspiring monsters, but his skills for setting and faces are just as great. Of course, most of the art doesn’t require quite that level of detail, but is still gorgeous nonetheless. The fight scenes are drawn with care so are rarely confusing and employ techniques to elevate them beyond standard fare.
The series is obviously great for gamers, who will be unbothered by level-up screens, but they’re tucked into the story well enough that lack of video game knowledge is no barrier. It’s all perfectly acceptable for a teen audience, despite Jin-Woo’s adult age. There is violence but no sex or nudity, only occasional swearing, and isn’t covering controversial topics. That said, Jin-woo’s concerns are adult enough to keep general adult audiences engaged. This (and the occasional severed limb) is probably why Ize Press rates the series as older teen. Right now is an excellent time to drop into the series because the latest volume, ten, had major revelations about the purpose of the gates and Jin-woo’s special ability. Additionally, the anime was popular enough to have the first two episodes of season two run in theaters in anticipation of the January release. This is definitely a must-have series for people looking to get into manhwa – personally, it was one of the two that started my addiction!
Solo Leveling By Chugong , h-goon Art by DUBU Yen Press, 2024 ISBN: 9798400902536
Volume
ISBN
9
9798400901935
8
9798400901072
7
9798400900488
6
9798400900266
5
9781975344382
4
9781975337247
3
9781975336516
2
9781975319458
1
9781975319434
Company Age Rating: OT
NFNT Age Recommendation: Older Teen (16-18) Creator Representation: South Korean, Character Representation: South Korean,
Youngwoo Shin is a total loser. He is in debt to his parents, working freelance construction jobs to pay the bills, and has no hobbies or interests beyond video games. His favorite is the VR MMORPG Satisfy, which is the biggest fantasy game of its kind. It is there that Yongwoo becomes Grid the Warrior… and is just as much a loser as in the real world.
Three years of grinding and Grid has only managed to attain the modest rank of Level 73. Most other players who have been playing that long have levels over 200 and have found rare artifacts and unlocked special legendary classes. And Youngwoo loses even that after he stumbles across a magical tome containing the knowledge of a legendary blacksmith.
The bad news is that Grid has been knocked down to negative class levels and Youngwoo must start from square one. The good news is that his new Legendary Craftsman class has some special abilities that make up for his lack of combat power. These include the ability to wield any weapon and armor in the game and the ability to craft epic level items.
True, he takes a penalty for wielding unsuitable gear, but what does that matter when he still has an effective level 100 points higher than his single-digit attack score? Or when he can start selling the gear he crafts to make real-world money? Thus begins the legend of a new Legendary Blacksmith, who will forever change the world of Satisfy.
Overgeared started out as a Korean light novel series. It was later adapted into a graphic novel and has now been translated into English. In terms of story, it is like other Isekai science fiction where the hero enters a virtual fantasy world. What reportedly distinguishes it from similar series, however, is how Youngwoo grows as a person as the series continues and the complexity of its mythology.
There are signs of this in the first volume of Overgeared. Much of this book is devoted to explaining the world of Satisfy and the mechanics of how the game works. This is far from expository, however, and the information is naturally conveyed as Youngwoo learns about his new class and compares it to his old one.
We also learn through the eyes of other adventurers, who are stunned to see epic level arrows capable of slaying high-level enemies with a single shot showing up in the marketplace. There is also an early scene showing the game designers discussing the Legendary Blacksmith tome and what may happen when such power falls into the hands of a relative nobody.
The artwork of Team Argo is suitably animated and perfectly suit the story. The shading and inking effects are particularly noteworthy, giving an unusual sense of depth to the finished artwork. There are also subtle shifts in the color palettes, with cooler colors being used to denote the dull reality of Youngwoo’s life compared to the vibrant hues that dominate the world of Satisfy.
This volume is rated T for readers 13 and up. I consider that to be a fair rating. There is no nudity or sexual content, largely because Youngwoo seems uninterested in sex. Indeed, apart from one other warrior in a low-cut corset, there’s hardly any of the usual sexualized fantasy armor one expects to see in an Isekai comic. The violence level is also appropriate to the age range, with no excessive bloodshed.
Overgeared, Vol. 1 By Monohumbug Art by Team Argo Ize Press, 2023 ISBN: 9798400900518
Company Age Rating: 13+ Related media: Book to Comic
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16) Creator Representation: South Korean, Character Representation: South Korean,
Maha Lee is an aspiring Idol. Her group, Tea Party, hasn’t hit the big-time yet, but she’s made a lot of friends on the circuit. Unfortunately, most of her fame to date is due to her amazing resemblance to solo singer La Lima. It wasn’t a huge issue, however, until Tea Party’s manager got them booked on Pop Idol Sports Games, alongside La Lima and Shax, the hottest boy band in South Korea.
An accident during the games leads to Maha Lee becoming the most hated woman on the Internet. This is partly due to the anti-fans dismissing her as a pathetic imitation of La Lima. Yet what concerns her most is the apparent hatred of Kwon Ryok, the bad boy of Shax, who is equally outspoken about his disapproval of wannabe Idols ripping off established artists. Unfortunately, fate and Maha Lee’s newfound popularity lead to her being offered more work. This includes her first acting role, opposite Kwon Ryok. This pushes Maha to prove to herself (and the world) that she has what it takes to make it big on her own merits and that she is more than just an imitation.
Originally published as a webtoon, Imitation was a smash hit on its original release. Indeed, it was adapted into a live-action series which ran on South Korean television from 2021 to 2023. This English translation does a masterful job of conveying both the story and K pop-culture to Western audiences. Notes in the back of the volume help explain the more subtle cultural references that are lost in translation. This includes a long list of foods Maha Lee must recite featuring various dishes that are considered old-fashioned by Korean hipsters. It is a small thing, but an important one. Thankfully, the general story is more universal, if born of the usual RomCom clichés and stock characters.
Maha Lee is the classic good girl, struggling to succeed in a competitive business. La Lima is the classic Mean Girl. Kwon Ryok is the typical harsh love interest who hides his sensitive side behind a rough facade. Thankfully, the supporting cast vary things up a bit. A good example of this is Yujin, Maha’s friend and lead singer of the boy band Sparkling, who seems to have a crush on Maha he dare not express. The usual love triangle elements are avoided, though Yujin does step in to defend Maha. This, in turn, inspires her bandmates to push her to stop talking to Kwon Ryok so they can guide her to the far kinder Yujin.
The artwork of KyungRan Park is like their writing – smooth and satisfying. There’s nothing visually outstanding about the artwork, but nor is there anything glaringly off. The strangest thing is that for all the talk of La Lima and Maha Lee resembling each other, the two have distinctly different designs apart from similarly shaped faces. Even when Maha instructed to straighten her hair to look more like La Lima, it does little to make her look that much like the elder Idol.
Imitation Vol. 1 is rated T for Teen. I consider that a fair rating. There’s no violence or bloodshed, apart from a staged strangling which leaves Maha Lee bruised and Kwon Ryok bleeding from where her nails dug into him. There’s also no sexual content, apart from one kiss, but that’s a given considering how strict Idol culture is about the Idols dating, much less going further. The end of this first volume, however, suggests more kisses will be inevitable as the series continues.
Imitation, Vol. 1 By KyungRan Park Yen Press, 2023 ISBN: 9781975367008
Company Age Rating: T Related media: Comic to TV
NFNT Age Recommendation: Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16) Creator Representation: South Korean, Character Representation: South Korean,
K-pop idols with magic are all the rage; those without magic are considered tier-two. Sadly, that means that boy band Star One barely gets noticed. Once the members turn 19 years old and still don’t have magic powers, their company assumes that they’ll never be a tier-one group, and takes away all of their glam treatment. However, during an attack (possibly by an idol terrorist group), one of the Star One members manifests magical powers in a moment of desperation to keep his friends alive. After discovering his powers, the company hires an agent to train him and help the other members find their powers.
Throughout The Star Seekers, the reader is taken along the journey of the Star One members finding their powers. With each magic power exposure comes a bit of background for the related band member, providing context and intrigue for the reader. The Star One members are all highly emotional, kind, empathetic, and caring. They love each other greatly, and it’s shown throughout the book. Most of their powers are born from the love they have for one another, and the desire to protect each other.
Interspersed in the book are glimpses of mysterious, dark meetings, in which the reader must determine who the villains are and what they are planning. This volume is very much an introduction to the characters, the world they live in, and their powers. I imagine more understanding of the enigmatic bad guys will come in subsequent volumes. The storyline in this volume is fun, interesting, fast-paced, and sweet.
With full colors on every page, simply flipping through the book is enjoyable. The art style is a bit serious – almost with a super-hero comic book tone. By contrast, the line art is cutesy, and the character designs are soft and gentle. The idols are all hyper-beautiful and feminine. Each type of magic displayed is accompanied by its own distinguishable style and color scheme. Some of the powers come with little creatures. The creatures are all round and big-eyed, giving them adorable baby-like vibes. Almost every panel shows movement, whether it’s in the background, the flow of clothes, or the characters. This movement works well with the action and drama in the story.
I would recommend this book for ages 12-18 who enjoys fantasy, action, and drama. This volume contains no romance. One friendship has the potential for romance, but it is difficult to tell at this stage.
The Star Seekers, Vol. 1 By HYBE , TOMORROW X TOGETHER, and Nicki Sidwell Yen Press, 2023 ISBN: 9798400900648
Publisher Age Rating: Teen
NFNT Age Recommendation: Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16), Tween (10-13)
The Naked Tree is an autobiographical novel by Park Wan-suh that was published in 1985. It was adapted to a graphic novel by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, translated by Janet Hong, in 2023. Booklist has spotlighted the graphic novel in its best of 2023 line-up and it has popped up in other places as a noteworthy title from the past year.
In The Naked Tree, protagonist Lee Kyeonga recounts her memories from the time of the Korean War, when she lost her two brothers, worked in a postal exchange, and became infatuated with a married artist named Ok Huido. Ok Huido is based on the real artist Park Su-geun, who Gendry-Kim writes about in the afterword. The heavy subject matter does not make for a pleasant reading experience, because The Naked Tree transports the reader to a time and place of danger, fear, and uncertainty. Kyeonga’s mercurial attitude and mean-spiritedness, especially towards her elderly, grieving mother, made me completely dislike her until the end of the book. Kyeonga’s memory of her mother’s cutting words towards her after her brothers’ deaths somewhat justified her bitterness. Upon reflection, I understood that during wartime and periods of personal loss, people are simply not at their best and Kyeonga exemplifies that.
The artistic style is unique but sometimes awkward. The faces of the characters are frequently rough caricatures, but occasionally they are drawn with more care, such as Kyeonga’s mother on p. 133. I wished that the whole work was as lovely as that larger, full-body illustration. Other times, the perspective is peculiar, such as when Kyeonga is seen from above gazing up at the falling snow. Gendry-Kim’s talent really shines in depictions of the scenery. Beautiful images of a busy street, a cathedral, the postal exchange (PX) where Kyeonga works, and the trees and houses of Kyeonga’s neighborhood bring the setting to life. Her color reproductions of Park Se-geun’s paintings are marvelous.
While The Naked Tree sparked my curiosity about the painter Park Se-geun, the odd artistic style, unlikeable main character, and melancholy tone did not appeal to me. Nonetheless, the book has its merits. Readers who are interested in civilian memoirs during wartime, and the Korean War specifically, should pick up The Naked Tree.
The Naked Tree By Keum Suk Gendry-Kim Drawn & Quarterly, 2023 ISBN: 9781770466678
Related media: Book to Comic
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18) Creator Representation: Korean Character Representation: Korean
In volume one, we are introduced to Miso Kim, secretary of nine years to Youngjun Lee, who decides that she is finally able to leave the working world and focus on herself and her future. This comes as quite the surprise to narcissistic Youngjun, who can’t understand why his secretary would want to leave when they work so well together. He spends a large amount of time trying to persuade her to stay and continue working with him. From promising a promotion, her own secretary, a car, and even his hand in marriage. None of it works, so he tries more elaborate schemes to find out how to woo her. Unfortunately, Miso Kim has a secret. One that she can finally track down once she no longer has to answer to a boss who doesn’t know the meaning of time off.
In volume two, after manipulating Miso Kim onto a surprise “date”, the awkwardness is truly apparent. At least to Kim. Youngjun doesn’t seem to notice and continues to exude confidence and nonchalance throughout. Later, we learn that Youngjun pulled out all the stops to make sure Kim compared all future dates or potential dates with the one he provided as a going away present. We also learn more about Youngjun’s older brother and the mystery of what happened to Kim in her youth that she’s trying to track down. The mystery involves Youngjun and his brother in some way, which makes the relationship between them even more intriguing.
This author ably balances the plot and relationship building. We get little hints at a deeper mystery sprinkled throughout while focusing on the complicated relationship between Kim and Youngjun. It’s not love at first sight either. There are layers upon layers that get revealed slowly. By volume two, I can already see that what is happening on the surface level only looks like a simple romance. I love that there is no info dump that gives us the whole backstory yet. Although I would like to know more than what we’ve been given.
I appreciate that this series has color illustrations that incorporate a variety of textures. I find that makes it much easier to separate characters in a realistic setting (as opposed to a fantasy setting that has access to fantastical elements to make characters distinct). And I just really like color illustrations.
This series feels like new adult romance, with the hints of mystery pointing towards a darkness that isn’t present in the first two volumes. I’m not sure just how dark the story will get, so it would probably be best in a teen or adult collection. Either option is sure to find readers who fall in love with it.
What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? Vol. 1-2 By Gyeong Yun Jeong Art by MyeongMi Kim Yen Press, 2023 Vol 1 ISBN: 9781975366803 Vol 2 ISBN: 9781975366827
Publisher Age Rating: Grade 8+ NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18)
Naerim Shin has been the victim of bullying since middle school. Between her introverted nature, her ‘gloomy’ appearance, and her mother’s work as a shaman, she’s been an easy target, and none of the adults in her life seem to notice or care. She dreads each day going to school, only to return to an empty home, as her mother’s work often is her sole focus.
An upcoming class means 48 hours with no escape from her classmates’ torment, and Naerim can’t help but wish for a knight in shining armor to come to her rescue. But when a group of girls force Naerim to break open a sealed wardrobe in an abandoned church, she ends up accidentally forming a contract with an ancient vampire instead.
The vampire, Fetechou Vlad, is bound to be Naerim’s servant in exchange for her “witch’s blood” in the hopes it will eventually make him human again.
Bloody Sweet is a manhwa (translated from Korean) originally serialized as a webcomic, with the first few installments available for free, and the rest locked behind a paywall. Yen Press’s edition is the first physical release of the english translation, with volume one currently available, and volume two set to release in 2024.
I set out really hoping to enjoy this title, and it definitely had a few things going for it. The art, published in full color, is lovely, and Naerim is a protagonist that is easy to relate to and root for- her struggles with depression, isolation and bullying are unfortunately all too common. Unfortunately, the story’s tone was incredibly inconsistent. Fetechou, the vampire, and really all of the paranormal elements, feel like they’ve been tacked on in a way that doesn’t mesh well with the rest of the story. The narrative swings wildly between intense scenes of bullying and suicidal ideation, and awkward, manic jokes about the vampire eating scabs, quoting snack commercials and acting like a puppy.
The story is strongest when it deals with real world elements, focusing on Naerim and the people in her life. She reconnects with a childhood church friend called Hyoyeol, who had been crushing on Naerim for years, and truly admires her as a person for her kindness. Hyoyeol is bubbly and bright. Because he is a year younger than Naerim, they don’t attend the same school, but he has huge potential to be a positive force in Naerim’s life, reaching out to include her and introducing her to others willing to accept her.
At the same time, one of the adults Naerim met at the church has also been hired at her school as a counselor, meant to help address bullying in the school. But whenever the story seems to really be hitting its stride, Fetechou returns with more false, overly cutesy energy and jarring sexual innuendo.
There are intense discussions of bullying, depression, and implications of an attempted suicide. (A bloody boxcutter is shown, as well as self-harm scars on the protagonist’s wrist). However, it is the prevalence of BDSM imagery and awkward sexual remarks (including those related to Naerim’s menstrual blood) that lead me to disagree with the publisher’s age recommendation of 13+. I would bump that up to a 16+ or even perhaps shelve this title with the adult collection. Libraries with a tight graphics budget could probably stand to skip this title entirely.
Bloody Sweet,Vol. 1 By NaRae Lee Yen Press, 2023 ISBN: 9781975366728
Publisher Age Rating: 13+ Series ISBNs and Orde
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18) Creator Representation: Korean, Character Representation: Korean, Depression
A Business Proposal is a comedic story about a sneaky plan, born from desperation, and carried out by two good friends.
The plan is proposed by Yeongsuh Jin, who cannot bear to go on another blind date set up by her father. She offers to pay her friend, Hari Shin, to impersonate her on the next blind date and act in such a way that the date will not want to marry her. Hari accepts the job proposal, because she desperately needs the money to save her family’s business. She has no idea that the blind date, Taemu, is the new CEO at her workplace.
Thus begins a series of scenes in which Hari, pretending to be Yeongsuh, behaves in what she believes is a terrible way, in order to push Taemu away, and the unbothered Taemu insisting on marriage. Meanwhile, the real Yeongsuh meets Taemu’s secretary, Sunghoon Cha, and through a misunderstanding believes him to be Taemu. Eager to see Sunghoon again, Yeongsuh calls Taemu and arranges a date. The date reveals that she had the wrong Taemu, and that Taemu had the wrong Yeongsuh. Hijinks ensue.
The writing includes many fun moments in which the reader becomes worried or frustrated for the main character. The storyline is engaging and hilariously tense. Hari’s character is fleshed out a comfortable amount for the first volume. However, a more in-depth description is needed for the other characters, especially Taemu. He is an expressionless workaholic without any backstory for explanation. Taemu’s expresses only that he wants to quickly marry in order to get back to work. Some character history providing a bit of context would have been helpful in creating a connection to the reader. Perhaps, the backstory and connection will come in the following volumes.
With the visuals, Narak creates a lovely, balanced atmosphere. Each page is beautifully detailed in soft, cozy colors and gentle lines. Both the colors and line art give the reader warm, pleasant feelings, even while emanating the feelings of stress felt by the characters.
Adults (18+) will find this book appealing, because the main characters are working adults trying to figure out and manage work life and love life. Many adults will find that content relatable.
A Business Proposal, Vol. 1 By Haehwa , Perilla Art by Narak Yen Press, 2023 ISBN: 9798400900334
Publisher Age Rating: OT NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+)
answer to all his problems—but the ability to craft godlike equipment certainly goes a long way toward changing his circumstances.
In 1978, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il had South Korean actress Choi Eun-hee kidnapped because he loved her films. Spat’s graphic novel recounts this true story, interspersing it with a reimagining of a folktale that Korea’s first kaiju film, Pulgasari, was based on. This serves two purposes – it becomes an allegory for political strife in both Koreas, but its also a failed South Korean film that Kim wanted remade. To do so, he later captured Choi’s director ex-husband, Shin Sang-ok, as well.
alternate Earth, portals to deadly dungeons began spawning without reason across the world.
interests beyond video games. His favorite is the VR MMORPG Satisfy, which is the biggest fantasy game of its kind. It is there that Yongwoo becomes Grid the Warrior… and is just as much a loser as in the real world.
Maha Lee is an aspiring Idol. Her group, Tea Party, hasn’t hit the big-time yet, but she’s made a lot of friends on the circuit. Unfortunately, most of her fame to date is due to her amazing resemblance to solo singer La Lima. It wasn’t a huge issue, however, until Tea Party’s manager got them booked on Pop Idol Sports Games, alongside La Lima and Shax, the hottest boy band in South Korea.
K-pop idols with magic are all the rage; those without magic are considered tier-two. Sadly, that means that boy band Star One barely gets noticed. Once the members turn 19 years old and still don’t have magic powers, their company assumes that they’ll never be a tier-one group, and takes away all of their glam treatment. However, during an attack (possibly by an idol terrorist group), one of the Star One members manifests magical powers in a moment of desperation to keep his friends alive. After discovering his powers, the company hires an agent to train him and help the other members find their powers.
The Naked Tree is an autobiographical novel by Park Wan-suh that was published in 1985. It was adapted to a graphic novel by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, translated by Janet Hong, in 2023. Booklist has spotlighted the graphic novel in its best of 2023 line-up and it has popped up in other places as a noteworthy title from the past year.
her mother’s work as a shaman, she’s been an easy target, and none of the adults in her life seem to notice or care. She dreads each day going to school, only to return to an empty home, as her mother’s work often is her sole focus. 
A Business Proposal is a comedic story about a sneaky plan, born from desperation, and carried out by two good friends. 
