Bringing you all, or at least three, webcomics from the larger interwebs, it’s The Webcomics Weekly! *Cue theme music*
First up is “The Breaker: Eternal Force.” Then, after the break, is our recurring segment “Dr. Frost.” Finally, rounding out our lineup, we’ve got the mystifying “Immortal Weakling.” Tune in Tuesdays at 1pm Eastern Standard Time for all this, and more.
The Breaker: Eternal Force
Episodes 1-3
Schedule: Mondays
Written by Geukjin Jeon
Illustrated by Jinhwan Park
Art Assistance by Jongil Park and Sangmin Son
Reviewed by Michael Mazzacane
I’m no expert in the education system of South Korea but having read enough of these strips one gets the feeling that it is extremely stressful to say the least. “The Breaker: Eternal Force” is like the third of fifth webtoon I’ve read that begins with the main character attempting to commit suicide because of either bullying or the structures of the schools overall. It’s just similar too and yet very very different compared to the American response to such things: mass shootings. To Line’s credit their content warning system has gotten much better, and readers clearly know what they’re getting into.
There is a banal familiarity to the setup of “Breaker”, even as it attempts some dark humor it isn’t that clever. On top of the other genre in this hybrid strip, martial arts, about halfway through the first strip I was questioning if there was anything that was going to make this stand out. There is and that is the work by the art team of Jinhwan Park with assistance by Jongil Park and Sangmin Son. Their art is fantastic. The dialogue and setup is familiar but the melodrama captured in the expression work and some wonderful use of vertical lines and perspective that fit the webtoon format, gives this series a reason to read it. As our main character the bullied and depressed Haje Kang is bawling his eyes out talking to Si-un Lee, the art makes you believe and feel more than the dialogue.
That sort of textual excess bleeds over into the way action has been handled thus far. It reminds me of the work of Yusuke Murata in “One Punch Man” not in terms of superhero aesthetics but with how that art work revolves around big impactful images. Punches being thrown and their impact are what matters, not fluid pristine choreography. It really works in this webtoon format which does suffer from excessive gutter space that makes for a disconnected feeling at times. This rears its head in the third strip as Haje stands up for himself in his classroom, there’s a lot of dialogue and panels and it just isn’t as tight as you’d hope.
The creative team also brings in some Enter the Dragon secret super martial arts subculture, with a hint of mysticism, narrative beats that are not immediately interesting. International terrorism and secret cults are about as far away from high school as you can get, despite the two always meshing together. I’m not immediately interested by any of it but it offers up a narrative space for more awesome violence so it will be tolerable.
“Breaker” story isn’t exactly unique or engaging, but this one’s worth keeping an eye on for the art. Maybe it’ll turn into something more than it appears. There’s bound to be a tournament arc at least.
Dr. Frost
‘Eggshells’ (8) – (9)
Updates: Saturdays
By Jongbeom Lee
Reviewed by Elias Rosner
Well that was a bit underwhelming. I was expecting a deep dive into Moon’s past and maybe a flashback arc to kick off. Instead, we got some resolution to the former school guard’s struggle to reach out meaningfully with his estranged granddaughter and the appearance of our good friend Changgyu! I didn’t realize I was missing him till he burst through the doors.
I’ve got a million questions about his appearance. How’d he find Frost? Why’d he think now was a good time to come out of hiding? Will we get to see more of his sister, who was apparently Frost’s doctor during his coma?? It’s given me plenty to chew on. However, it feels like it was too early to deploy. It’s only been one arc! If this were indeed “Monster,” Changgyu would be missing for at least twice as long before suddenly showing up again.
Continued belowOK, that’s a minor gripe. I think I’m feeling the pacing oddly simply because I’ve been reviewing two episodes at a time instead of reading it every week or doing a larger chunk where I can better assess the arc’s momentum vs the starting and stopping I’ve experienced. The place Lee has brought Frost to, a place that’s clearly worrying enough that the teens who went to beat him up decided against it, has me on the edge of my seat. What could possibly have given him those dead eyes?
As always, Lee’s art is evocative and effective, though the end of ‘Eggshells’ is pretty workman-like, doing just enough to get us through but not adding too many flourishes. There aren’t any real opportunities to do so, nor is there a reason to. We’re mostly building up the mystery and setting the endgame into motion.
I don’t know how many arcs are left. I’ve been saying we’re reaching the end for months now. I can’t imagine it’s many more; the next arc is the same as the season’s subtitle ‘Oroborous’ and that’s ominous enough for me to say it may be the last, or maybe the final major arc. We’ll see if I’m right.
Immortal Weakling
Episodes 1-5
Updates Fridays
Written by Yaruno
Art by Civen
Reviewed by Mel Lake
I’m going to start off by admitting that there’s very little about “Immortal Weakling” that’s original. It’s about a world with superheroes where aspiring new heroes must take a series of tests to become part of an elite group. Nothing about this is new. The main character is an underdog type who becomes friends with a girl with powers but zero confidence. Again, nothing about this is new! But! I read all five episodes in one sitting and didn’t even consider hitting the back button to find another comic? That’s so rare for me, you guys. There’s just something about “Immortal Weakling” that’s fun enough to overcome its formulaic premise. And it’s funny!
Tai is our main character. He’s a boy who can’t die. No matter what happens to him, he regenerates like a character in a video game. He even uses the “video game save point” analogy to explain it. Tai receives all kinds of damage (often portrayed in a hilarious way) and walks away as if nothing happened. But because he regenerates into basically the same version of himself, he can’t train to become stronger. His punch is like the antithesis of “One Punch Man” because it’s so weak. He has generic anime looks and a Naruto-like personality. All of this sounds negative while I’m writing it, yet I genuinely enjoyed Tai’s presence! His “sidekick” Nerin is a girl with telekinetic powers. She’s hesitant about becoming a hero, and during her “first episode moment of doubt,” instead of convincing her to be a hero with a rousing speech, Tai accepts her choice. He recognizes that he can’t choose for her, and says that she should be realistic about what she wants to do with her life. I have watched many hours of anime in my life and I can’t think of a moment like that. Go Tai! Drink that “respecting women’s choices” juice!
“Immortal Weakling” was a Canvas series before becoming a Webtoon Original. And the artwork in the first few episodes is a bit too simplistic in spots. There are some bits where the characters look like Pokemon trainers but by the fifth episode, the artwork is majorly improved. It looks great, and even in spots where the art is a bit too simple, the action sequences and excellent backgrounds make up for it. One of the main reasons I kept reading the first episode is the villain’s ability to use giant words to crush his enemies. It just looks … neat!
The premise or characters in “Immortal Weakling” won’t be surprising to anyone who has read more than a few pages of “Naruto” (or, you know, an updated shounen manga reference since I’m old), but for me, it was fun enough to overcome the formula and worth a read. If nothing else, I give Tai a lot of credit for using his powers to donate organs. Organ donations in a superhero comic, who’d have thought? I’m all for it.
