hankyoreh

After a heydey in the 1990s, mainstream comic books aimed at adult readers have all but disappeared from the nation’s graphic novel scene. Cine 21 Co., the publisher of film weekly Cine 21, seeks to spark a renaissance with its new comic book, "POPTOON."

The comic will be published twice a month beginning March 1.

The nation’s comic book industry has shown a keen interest in the new title. The Korea Culture & Content Agency (KOCCA) and the Korea Manwha Information Archives late last year selected the scheduled foundation of the comic as one of top 10 news stories in the nation’s comics world in 2006, even before its launch.

In the mid-1990s, titles such as "Mr. Blue," "Big Jump," and "27," defined the domestic comics scene for adult readers. But production in this market rapidly shrank, and such once-popular titles have all but disappeared.

The domestic comics industry anticipates "POPTOON" will be the breakthrough needed to pull itself out of the current slump, and industry experts say a regularly published comic book in the genre could be the means for new talent to be discovered. Park In-ha, a comics critic and professor of Chungkang College of Cultural Industries, welcomed the foundation of "POPTOON," saying, "The publication of genre cartoons is necessary for the diverse development of the graphic novel culture. Comic books are the only solution for this, and I hope ‘POPTOON’ will provide a breakthrough for the comics industry," added Park.

Comics fans hope "POPTOON" will see the popularity of predecessors such as "Manhwa Gwangjang," a monthly founded in 1985 that served as the vehicle to propel cartoonists Oh Se-yeong and Park Heung-yong into fame, proving in the process that comics aimed at adult readers could succeed in the nation. "Mr. Blue," another predecessor, occupied the top spot in the market in the 1990s, at a time when Japanese comics began to rush into the country after a ban on Japanese cultural products was lifted. The comic title slipped from top place in the late 1990s when the government introduced a comics ratings system designed to protect youths from adult-themed content.

The nation’s representative cartoonists from both the old and new generations, such as Lee Du-ho, Hong Seung-woo, Lee Gyeong-seok, Na Byeong-jae, and Kim Yeon-seo, will take part in the production of the new comic. They said the comic will deal with various subjects germane to adult readers, such as family, occupation, school, and dreams for the future. At first glance, "POPTOON" looks like a news magazine due to its unique cover design, distinct from its predecessors, which imitated Japanese comic cover design. It will also be the first all-color comic book in Korea.

Jeon Jae-sang, chief editor of the new title, said, "Readers who grew up reading comics in their childhood now want high-standard ones. We want to introduce a new comic book to satisfy that standard."

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