Korean manhwa (not to be confused with Japanese manga) celebrates its one hundredth birthday this year. The manhwa publishing industry has had its ups and downs, enduring censorship, book burning (consider the happy idea of manhwa burnings every National Children’s Day in the 1970s) and outright banning. The form is now undergoing something of a renaissance, with manhwa titles available in print and online, and also via ‘manhwabangs’ (manhwa rental libraries). In honour of the occasion, here’s a sampling of some classic Korean manhwa titles, taken from a series of articles in _list, the quarterly publication put out by the hosts for my Korean residency, the KLTI. Otherwise known as ‘The Institute’. Enjoy …
Boy 007
Love Doodles
The Terrifying Baseball Team of Outsiders
Analog Man
Lotto Blues
Blade of the Phantom Master
Totally Serious World War II Comic
The Story of Japanese Military Sex Slaves
A Finger That Shows Pictures
Jungle Private High School
Triple Transformer Kim Chang-nam
Miss Stationery Manager
A Spray of Prune Flowers
Like the Moon Escaping From the Clouds
There are of course many more – I highly recommend the articles, and only wish I could read some of these stories, especially ‘A Finger That Shows Pictures’, written by the awesomely-named Kimchi Salad. You just cannot make this stuff up.
