In Magic From The Margins, Latonya “Penn” Pennington explores sci-fi fantasy webtoons and Tapas comics by marginalized creators. For the third entry, they’re checking out High Spirits Neoma.
High Spirits Neoma
Created by: oroor0
Writer/artist: oroor0
Platform: WEBTOON
Publication: October 9, 2023
Rating: Young Adult
Genre: Supernatural
High Spirits Neoma is about a teenage girl named Neoma Cruz. For years, she has used her spiritual abilities to help humans and spirits. One day, her family moves to a new town to investigate a rise in cursed spirits and discovers a family secret. With help from her new friend Mateo, Neoma must deal with her family’s past while helping the town.
One of the most poignant aspects of the comic is how it blends everyday life with the supernatural. A chapter of the comic explains that Neoma is a bridge between the normal world and the spiritual world, due to being able to see and exorcise spirits that exist on the border between the two worlds. Another way that everyday life and the supernatural collide is how the spirits manifest in the human world, latching onto humans experiencing negative emotions such as grief or appearing as discontent spirits.
An additional notable aspect of the comic is Neoma, the protagonist. She’s upbeat, but is serious about her duty to assist spirits and won’t tolerate anyone who takes it lightly. An example of this occurs in one of the early chapters when she tactfully but firmly corrects a classmate about what she can do to help humans with spirits. To put it simply: sometimes we humans have to acknowledge what is attracting spirits in the first place.
Besides Neoma, Mateo shows promise as a secondary character. He has the uncanny ability to see spirits and Neoma’s abilities, and further demonstrates that he wants to help people, even if he isn’t fully aware of who is a spirit and who is a human. He is also shown to potentially be a good friend to Neoma by comforting her when other classmates make fun of her.
A final aspect of the comic is the eye-catching artwork. The character designs are well done and the use of color to showcase Neoma’s powers is nothing short of magical. Yet, the designs for the malevolent spirits bring out the comic’s supernatural aspects through their terrifying designs, use of dark colors and a little gore.
All in all, High Spirits Neoma is an exciting and terrifying supernatural urban fantasy. An intriguing premise, promising main cast and visually striking artwork make this comic a compelling read.
If you like fiction about exorcists or anything involving ghosts or spirits, give this comic a try.
High Spirits Neoma is currently available to read on WEBTOON.
Keep up with every entry in K-Comics Beat’s Magic From The Margins column by clicking here.
