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 An Introduction to Manwha
Written by
Manwha in Korea
Manwha artists in Korea are currently going through a particularly unfortunate phase - due to the proliferation of manwha/manga rental shops. Certainly manga cafes abound in Japan, but Korea's native manwha market is dwarfed by that of the Japanese imports, and the rental shops just collapse the number of books an artist can sell to make a living. The government is more interested in supporting "Mum and Dad" businesses than they are in supporting manwha artists, so instead of fighting for a shrinking market share, many manwha artists have left Korea.
Most have gone to Japan for a crack in the manga pie, even though the Japanese manga market is extremely difficult for foreign artists to enter. Others have looked for greener pastures elsewhere by teaming up with Western companies, or directly entered the Western market.
Manwha in the West
There is a vast array of translated manwha for sale on the shelves, and the numbers are increasing every month. At the time of this article, some Korea-based companies are combining to release manwha in America, though for the time-being TokyoPop still releases the most manwha.
Here are some recommended manwha on the shelves:
Priest (http://www.tokyopop.com/dbpage.php?propertycode=PRI&categorycode=BMG)
A dark, gloomy tale in a Western setting about a tortured demon hunter. The art is pretty atypical of manwha art and it's quite a good read (not to mention pretty gory).
Les Bijoux (http://www.tokyopop.com/dbpage.php?propertycode=LES&categorycode=BMG)
A (Soonjung?) fantasy tale about an androgynous hero/heroine destined to overthrow the tyrannical rulers of his/her land.
Rangorak (http://www.tokyopop.com/dbpage.php?propertycode=RGK&categorycode=BMG)
This one is well-known enough. A swords and sorcery epic with influences from Norse Mythology.
Model (http://www.tokyopop.com/dbpage.php?propertycode=MOD&categorycode=BMG)
A gothic tale about the relationship between a vampire and an art student, who lets him feed on her in return for posing in her pictures.
Demon Diary (http://www.tokyopop.com/dbpage.php?propertycode=DEM&categorycode=BMG)
Another fantasy advnture epic, this time about gods and demons waging an eternal battle through the mortal realm. The story revolves around the prince of the demon king, who is destined to be the one who restores harmony to the balance between heaven and hell.
Warcraft (http://www.tokyopop.com/dbpage.php?propertycode=WCT&categorycode=BMG)
Drawn by Kim Jae-Hwan and written by Richard A. Knaak, this collaboration is rather exceptional. But it's a best-seller in Germany.
Kill Me, Kiss Me (http://www.tokyopop.com/dbpage.php?propertycode=KIL&categorycode=BM)
A teenage romantic comedy/angstfest. A young girl dresses up as a boy and exchanges places with her young (male) cousin at his school, in order to get close to a famous pop idol she is infatuated with.
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