Comics
[Comic Book Review] “Memetic” #1 Weaponizes Memes To Create Genuine Terror
In three days, the world as we know it is going to shit. And, in “Memetic” #1 James Tynion IV and Eryk Donovan begin to take us on the three issue journey of how it happens.
WRITTEN BY: James Tynion IV
ART BY: Eryk Donovan
PUBLISHER: BOOM! Studios
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: October 22, 2014
Reviewed By Pablo Arriaga
The story begins with Aaron Summer, a young kid who is browsing the right Reddit page at the right time when the “Good Times Sloth” image pops up online, and people love the shit out of it. They obsess over it. It makes them feel good. It makes them feel euphoric and they can’t have enough of it. Yet Aaron’s odd eyesight and his inability to see most colors causes him to be unaffected by the image. As he sees the world go completely apeshit over the picture, we move over to Marcus Shaw, a former member of the military who’s career may be retired but his discipline and hunger for truth hasn’t. His desire to find out what’s happening is sparked when the meme phenomenon hits a little too close to home.
Eryk Donovan’s art is set on everything that’s happening in this world and not missing an eye for detail. With an amazing flow from one panel to the next one, you’re not feeling like you’re missing any moments or are stuck, mirroring Memetic’s world to ours. Aaron’s “I should go to sleep” moment is all too familiar to all of us. Whether it’s trying to fall asleep but our phone is right there, or opening our laptops again to check something and have another four hours sucked out, everyone is on their cellphone, tweeting something, checking Facebook. Just when we’re settled into and feeling comfortable about what happened, it’s kicked into high gear and everything takes a massive dive. No one is sure what’s happening, all they know is that it’s got something to do with the Good Times Sloth.
I wish I’d gotten to know the characters a little bit more, but this being the first out of only three issues the focus is mainly on what is happening, and what our characters are going to do about it. By the looks of it, the next two issues are going to be non-stop action well worth your money.
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Pablo Arriaga has been bringing the gospel of The Slacker Nerd to countless people the world over with Juatcast.com. He also writes the most metal rants on the web and knows a better recipe for tacos than you do. For more writings or to be baptized in the arms of Matthew McConaughey follow Pabby on Twitter and Facebook.
The supernatural world of Korean folk horror movie Exhuma grows larger with the arrival of prequel spinoff webtoon Maengjong this weekend, Variety reports today.
Naver Webtoon debuts Maengjong on May 30.
The series hails from Haemuri (Olgami) and will trace the high school origins of how shaman duo Hwarim and Bonggil, played by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun in the 2024 film, came together to face occultish threats.
The story is set to begin when “Hwarim, who has been concealing her identity following a childhood encounter with a snake spirit called Jin, crosses paths with Bonggil at their school.”
Variety notes that Exhuma director Jang Jae-hyun participated in the project’s early concept stage.
“We are presenting ‘Maengjong,’ a new series capturing the appeal of the horror-occult genre, ahead of the full summer season,” said Lee Jeong-geun, Naver Webtoon’s Korea webtoon content leader. “With the high school story of Hwarim and Bonggil, who left a strong impression in the film ‘Exhuma,’ enhanced by Haemuri’s characteristic tense direction, we expect it will be a welcome work for genre fans.”
“It is meaningful that the spin-off story of ‘Exhuma,’ loved by many audiences, expands by meeting the new grammar of webtoon,” said Lee Hyeon-jeong, managing director of the film business division at Showbox, which distributed the film. “We hope it will be a fresh experience for both film fans and webtoon readers.”
Exhuma was a breakout hit in 2024, becoming the first Korean occult film to surpass 10 million ticket buyers and the country’s highest-grossing film of the year. I wrote in my review that “the intricately woven Exhuma delivers one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror so far.”
The bond between Hwarim and Bonggil was one of the film’s highlights, making this prequel webtoon a must for fans.
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