Welcome to the inaugural edition of K-Comic Beat’s Monthly Manhwa Recs! Our team has come together to provide you with a variety of recommendations to sample. If you check them out, be sure and let us know what you think of them in the comment section!
Daily JoJo ⸺ I hadn’t read Donggeon Lee’s previous popular work, Yumi’s Cells, but I’ve been really enjoying this one! The square horizontal-scrolling format is an interesting alternative to the standard vertical scroll, and the different devices the comic explores to illustrate how everyone’s brains work are really fun. I especially like the King’s Apps arc and the Luck Points arc, and how they kept coming back in later arcs to build on previously established ideas. And the story itself is a funny and cute office romcom! The art style is adorable, and I look forward to reading it every week. ⸺ MZ
There Are No Bad Dogs In The World ⸺ Sequel to All About Lust. Tirano Kim is the creator behind both series and unlike most of the Boys Love VSCs, the artist has a unique cadence to their stories. They’re chaotic, messy and not as straightforward. Not to mention, their character designs wouldn’t be sitting at the “stereotypical hunks” table. But Tirano masterfully makes all of these traits work like charm and create upbeat, interesting, addictive comics that I can’t help but writhe in agony while waiting for the next update. There Are No Bad Dogs In The World isn’t standalone so in order to connect some dots, you have to read All About Lust, but I assure you it’ll worth your time! Now I desperately need Friday to come faster… ⸺ MG
Killer Peter ⸺ Created by Kim Junghyun of Viral Hit, and art by Lim Lina of Unholy Blood, Killer Peter is what can be described as, what if John Wick got to live to be an elderly man, but by some supernatural happenstance returns to his prime form in a younger body to settle the score with the crime organization that nearly ended his life. My draw to this was initially another Webtoon illustrated by the amazing Lim Lina, but I stayed for the story as it is packed with action and the satisfying thrill of following an assassin get his revenge against other criminals. It’s a simple idea but it just works! The art I can sing its praises as Lim Lina’s art is always gorgeous and inspiring to me as an artist. So if you want an action heavy WEBTOON with amazing Art and the story written by the creator of Viral Hit, Killer Peter should be one to add to your reading list. ⸺ JG
I Don’t Want This Kind of Hero ⸺ I’ve been working my way through samchon’s classic comedy superhero comic in the hopes that I might do a longer write-up later. While the English translation isn’t particularly great, I Don’t Want This Kind of Hero holds up in other ways. Much like ONE did with One Punch Man, samchon asks: how would a society of superheroes really work? Is it really fair that some people have powers while others have none? There are also a ton of entertaining characters such as a tall birdman with a lisp, a sociopathic yet oddly friendly villain, and Chief. (You’ll know who Chief is when you see her.) I’m curious to see how this series evolves over its nearly 300 episode run. ⸺ AW
Surge Towards You ⸺ Boys’ Love omegaverse stories can be a bit of a hit or miss (a miss more times than not), but Cheongyeon‘s Surge Towards You is definitely a hit. Mpreg stories that take us into the parenting aspect are not very common and while the main story focuses on Yirim and Cheongho’s relationship, the side stories transitions to focus on the two taking care of, quite possibly, the cutest baby in the world–Yiho. Am I recommending that you read this because I think everyone needs to meet Yiho? Maybe. But the story as a whole is amazing and I loved reading how the two slowly open up and learn to lean on each other. Plus, as a swimming and figure skating fan, I felt like this story was made for me. ⸺ HL
What’s for Lunch Today? ⸺ ODRIHAVEFUN writes and illustrates What’s for Lunch Today?, a manhwa that follows the main character Audrey, a 30-year-old employee at a small startup company. Audrey survives tough workdays by enjoying a good meal. Whether facing the director’s indecisiveness or feeling overworked and exhausted, she brightens her day with a tasty dish. Each of the manhwa’s 81 episodes highlights a different meal, starting with yukgaejang (beef soup) and ending with pork cutlet nabe with kimchi. I personally relate to Audrey’s sense of reenergization after eating something delicious, so this webcomic resonated with me. I think readers who enjoy slice-of-life, mukbang, or the joy of a good meal will likely connect with What’s for Lunch Today?. ⸺ HK
Come back next months for more manhwa recs! Click here to check out every entry of the column.
