With more people reading manga and webtoons (aka vertical scroll comics) than ever before, Beat’s Bizarre Adventure gives three writers an opportunity each week to recommend some of their favorite books and series from Japan, Korea, and elsewhere. This week we have LA vampires, serpent gods, and, of course, a sleepy child.
Babylon Paradox
Writer/Artist: Kure/Miel
Platform: WEBTOON CANVAS
Victoria is a Los Vegas surgeon riddled with guilt over losing her son years prior. She carries on and does her best to save lives. But one fateful night, a vampire breaks into the hospital and slaughters the staff and security. Victoria barely survives the encounter. Barely. After awakening as a newly turned creature of the night, she embarks on a journey to hunt down the vampires responsible for turning her, and uncover the circumstances that led to her transformation in the process.
While Babylon Paradox‘s premise already had me hooked, what really caught my attention was Kure/Miel’s art. The designs, the quality, the panel spacing and sizing, all felt to me like a WEBTOON original. But imagine my shock that this is a self-published CANVAS series. Its style is reminiscent of webtoons like Killer Peter, Unholy Blood, and other large scale productions. So it’s just shocking that this was illustrated by one person. The coloring, shading, effects, lettering, and other additional layers within this series give it a professional quality. That the series releases monthly also makes me wonder just what Kure/Miel’s workflow might look like to accomplish this.
As much as I’d love to write more about this series in depth, I would hate to spoil it. It engaged me from the end of the very first episode. I recommend it to anyone who wants a gritty vampire webtoon with gorgeous art. — Justin Guerrero
The Sacred Serpent’s Seduction
Writer/Artist: Dagom
Platform: Lezhin
If any Boys’ Love fan is on the hunt for a fantasy story featuring cute babies, animal gods, and a heartwarming tale about grief and saying goodbye to loved ones, The Sacred Serpent’s Seduction is for you.
The Sacred Serpent’s Seduction follows Taesun, who takes on odd jobs to care for his dying grandfather who is his only remaining family. When he climbs up the mountain Geumryang and happens upon a dehydrated snake, kind-hearted Taesun gives him some water. What he doesn’t know is that he just saved the great snake god Geumryang, who offers him a deal: he’ll save Taesun’s grandfather if Taesun will bear his seed.
BL fans are probably not unfamiliar with the power imbalance in BL, where the indebted “bottom” is pulled by the “top” into a friends-with-benefits transactional relationship. While the manhwa certainly follows this trope, the fact that Geumryang literally has Taesun’s grandfather in his hands means that there is more at stake.
I won’t sugarcoat it: there are enough problematic elements in this series that I almost dropped it. But I thought The Sacred Serpent’s Seduction did a good job touching on the theme of loss. Taesun’s grandfather can’t keep living on borrowed time—a fact that Taesun eventually comes to terms with, though it isn’t easy for him.
As a god, Geumryang is familiar with loss. But since he’s been living on the mountain for centuries, he’s grown detached from humanity and doesn’t understand things like love or grief. That’s what makes the side stories the strongest part of this manhwa.
I’m not sure what it is with Korean manhwa and side stories, where it seems like most of the development happens there rather than the main story. But this is where you see the most growth out of Geumryang. Out of risk of spoiling the story, we see Geumryang come to terms with his feelings for Taesun and realize that even though he’s a powerful god, he’s not all-powerful and has his limits. — Hilary Leung
Sleepy Child
Writer/Artist: Shinnosuke Saika
Translation: Anna Schnell
Lettering: Tim Sun
Editing and Design: Emuh Ruh
Publisher: Glacier Bay Books
Glacier Bay Books is, in my opinion, publishing some of the most interesting indie manga on the scene in English. One of those is the Sleepy Child series by Shinnosuke Saika. I read the first two stories in this series a couple of years ago, but recently bought the entire collection to see what else Saika had in store for the world they lovingly crafted.
The first two one-shots, “Sleepy Child” and “That Child,” follow Muto, an anthropomorphic animal child who is sleeping too much and having strange dreams. The next four one-shots (“The Lullaby,” “Tonio,” “One Strange Day,” and “Mi-chan”), explore the lives of different inhabitants of Muto’s small town. Their paths intersect to create a world that feels lived-in
This is a series about death, loss, and grief. Almost every character throughout these stories is dealing with the loss of a loved one or someone they remember fondly. Many of these encounters are told through the perspective of a child character. Some stories are sweet, others are dark. All of them are treated with care.
Saika expressing this series through the lens of anthropomorphic animal characters invites a buffer between the reader and the characters themselves, but also adds whimsy to a heavy subject. I don’t think swapping in human characters would work in the same way, especially for the story “Tonio.”
Saika’s art style is also lovely. While it’s minimal in its approach, you can tell a ton of work went into every panel. The contrast between heavy white and black tones allows for a comfortable reading experience. The characters also have cute designs and are imbued with so much life. Muto’s mom and the town doctor stand out as particularly spunky characters.
I knew as soon as I finished reading the Sleepy Child series that I wanted everyone to read it. These stories are smart, funny, bittersweet, and kind. I would love to live in Shinnosuke Saika’s world for a while longer, if anything because I feel like there are still more stories to tell. Even so, I’m thankful for what we’ve received. — Derrick Crow
Follow Beat’s Bizarre Adventure to get weekly manga and webtoon recommendations!
