Some manwha scans

[telophase]

I've been reading the manwha (Korean comic) Threads of Time by Mi Young Noh, and while the story doesn't really rise above the level of predictable, I'm enjoying the hell out of the art. (This is why I'm not putting spoiler warnings, because if you can't spot these scenes coming a mile away, YOU ARE BLIND.) So, a couple of scans. (About 300-400K of images)

To show you some damn fine tone work that is bollixed up by my cheapo, dying scanner.


Here's the page, at print size, although it's in low resolution so the dots run together and form moire patterns, which tends to hide the details in the tone:



And here are two closeups of the girl's head, so you can attempt to see the details of the tonework. IGNORE THE RIPPLES! They're produced by my scanner flailing around as it tries to scan tonework and fails.






I'm really impressed by that - they're using real screentone and not digital, I beleive - the stuff that comes preprinted on sticky transparent acetate and you have to cut it up and apply it, and then etch away parts to make the edges look rough and gradated.










And then here's my favorite two-page spread:





This is a scene in the 5th book, where the main character, in disguise as a girl* sees the Mongol general Sasuke Sali Tayi for the first time. And, um. WOOF.

Anyway, to give a flimsy excuse other than WOOF for posting this - I don't need to tell you which one is the general, do I? :D He's the one with the command presence - he dominates both pages with his Sasuke hair stride and with his coat billowing out behind him. Everyone's looking at him. He's got the most contrasts in dark and light on his body and clothing - the guy whose face is turned towards us has the same sort of thing, but his belly is greyed out and he's got less pure dark on him. Sasuke Sali Tayi also has that black line with white dots trimming his coat that is the most striking decoration of any of the characters, and unites him with the protagonist - it runs from (oh dear) Moon Bin Kim/Sa Kyung's** crotch all the way up toSasuke Sali Tayi's black collar, which points directly at his face.

This is an exception to the guideline that profiles are usually not interesting, but that's because everything else in this picture is so strong that it makes his profile interesting.

Moon Bin Kim/Sa Syung is set off by beign greyed out and by having a white halo around him, so he pops out. Without that, he'd blend in too much and you wouldn't be as aware of him.

I also find it interesting that the manwha-ka has chosen not to portray the moment that Sasuke Sali Tayi and Moon Bin Kim/Sa Kyung stare into each other's eyes in teh big two-page spread, instead focusing everything on the power and command presence of Sasuke Sali Tayi - that's saved for the next page and the next:




Anyway, not much more to say than that you can already tell who's the protagonist and the antagonist in this manwha. XD (Not that that was EVER in question.)


* Why? Because it's manwha/manga. The hero has to end up crossdressing at some point in the story. It's in the contract.

** Moon Bin Kim has traveled in time and woke up in the body of this medieval Korean. We don't know why yet.




Have I sold you on the art yet? The story's readable, nothing really mindblowing, but the art...

Comments

[magicnoire.livejournal.com]

I keep looking at this manhwa and debating, "Should I? Shouldn't I? Should I? Shouldn't I?"

Story of my manga/manhwa buying life.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

If you read for story ... eh. There's no plot twist or characterization that I haven't predicted so far. However, Sasuke Sali Tayi as the antagonist (I should just say villain, he's damn bloodthirsty), hits all my buttons. :D And the art is ... damn pretty. I ADORE the 3/4 views on heads and the linework and the tonework.

And the manwha-ka had me when she used a two-panel sequence of the protagonist storming away to ahve him break teh fourth wall and say "Drawing medieval Koryo must be hard" and a chibi version of her rolled the panel corner over and said "No, but your hair is a BITCH!"

[magicnoire.livejournal.com]

Bwahahahaha! Hmm, maybe I'll add it to my list -- a few of the manga I currently read are reaching their final volumes so I'll be able to fit it into my budget. :)

(And yeah, I know I tend to read more for story and execution than your average manga reader but I'm also shallow. I like pretty art.)

[rilina.livejournal.com]

I've been finding the art gorgeous and the story acceptable (what a cool period!), but I'm finding it terribly difficult to keep some of the supporting cast distinct in my mind. They all look a bit too much alike.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah. They totally blend into each other. But I can stare at Sasuke Sali Tayi all day long and not worry about all the faceless minions on both sides. XD

[ninja-tech.livejournal.com]

Oooh. Yes, I actually started reading this manwha when the first volume came out, but haven't bought any of the following volumes, because I've been alternately too poor to buy possibly buy more manga/manwha or too busy to read more than is necessary. *sigh* But I've been planning on continuing it. Does it get more slashable?

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah. If you can stick to volume 5, after our protagonist is forced to GET THE HELL OFF HIS BUTT AND STOP ANGSTING, then you get the scenes above, with the promise of more in volume 6, after the protagonist is a prisoner in the Mongol camp and sees Sasuke Sali Tayi. They have a Mysterious Connection that He Can Feel.

In the grand tradition of crossdressing in books, comics, TV shows, and movies everywhere, Sa Kyung makes for a manly man normally and yet a very feminine and alluring woman once he's put in the medieval Korean equivalent of a dress.

[rushthatspeaks.livejournal.com]

And in the two-page spread, the leopardy trim on the random hench-guy in the far right runs in a straight line to the protagonist's head, and then the line is continued by the protagonist's arm till it curves up to hit Sasuke the antagonist's coat trim. So whichever order you look at the pages in-- and I admit to having trouble remembering sometimes which way manhwa go-- you get this U-shaped movement between protagonist and antagonist's heads and out.

I like the art, but we have an untranslated thing sitting about here that is set in about the same time period and culture and is so good that I can't bring myself to try something I know isn't gonna be as good from your description. Said untranslated thing is known in English as Crystal Lord Opera for some reason, but I think an accurate translation of the title would be more like Clan of the Horse-Lords. Images of volume covers of that, very small, here (http://shoujomagic.net/update/projects.php?PNUM=61), and these fansubbers seem to have put out a few chapters on IRC at some point, too. I'm reading it extremely sloooooowly with a dictionary, though. Highly recommended.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Ah, you're right. Spiff. :D

The other one may be better, but this one's got the bloodthirsty crazy Mongol general Sasuke Sali Tayi! And at one point he even explains logically why he needs to let his men rape innocent Koryo women. Man, I love me some good unrepentant evil in my fiction sometimes. XD And he even has an unexpected small moment of character depth shortly afterward!