Clever but superficial package for a fighting manhwa
Creative Staff
Writer/Artist: KwangHyun Seo and JinHo Ko
Translation: JiUn Park
Adpatation: Arthur Dela Cruz
What They Say
Death Zone is a place only the dead can see. But there are a few special people with the ability to step into that zone and make the stories of the dead into artwork. Those are called Croquers, and Da-Il is one of them. Well, the only problem is that he does not realize his power yet. As he starts his first day as an assistant of Manhwa artist Go-Ho, he has his first experience in the Death Zone.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The first introduced the concept of the “croquer”, one who can create/modify/destroy beings in the “dead zone” and volume two demonstrated just how grudges, frustrations, guilt and dreams denied can create monsters within this dead zone. This volume builds very solidly on the revelations of the previous ones and in it events of the past are revisited, ones that shed light on how the enthusiastic but clueless Da-Il has come to his particular croquer talent, which so far seems to be that of erasing, and hints as to what the very uncommon motivation for his talent might be.
A bus trip for art supplies with his studio mates finds Da-Il meeting up with a croquer whose particular talent uses a camera but whose motivations for his skills are unknown. The takeover of the bus by a bunch of thugs triggers a dead zone that allows Da-Il, along with the help of the mysterious camera wielder, to defeat the grudges that possess the men and to demonstrate a new skill that allows Da-Il to modify the past. Although important for introducing another croquer and his skills, this segment lost focus from undue length and shambling narrative.
Things seem to get back on track when the story returns to the mysterious gallery and its curator. A visit to the gallery by a character previously encountered and now transformed through a grudge of a dream denied may prove to be quite a challenge to the unproven and uncontrolled Da-Il.
The central conceit of Croquis Pop revolves around art and its definition. The authors take art very seriously as a vehicle for their narrative and the argument at the art academy seen in volume two demonstrates as much. The notion of what is proper art and what is lower class or debased is at the heart of the matter in that instance and is reminiscent of the arguments about photography as fine art so prevalent mid-century. But other than to incite hostilities, does it really matter to the story? In fact, much of the art talk here is really superficial. This is a pretty standard boy’s fighting/adventure tale presented in a package we haven’t seen before. Some of the concepts presented are fairly sophisticated, but will this really appeal to a 13 year-old? And those readers planning to sleep through Art Appreciation had better not use the definition of “kitsch” that the authors (or maybe the adaptors) use here. It’s wrong, wrong, wrong. There is no way comic art would ever come under the classification of “kitsch” even by the most rigorous critic. It’s a good example of how art terms are used as “decoration” rather than for serious consideration in this series.
The cover of this third volume is a departure from the previous two and looks as if it is from a different series with the lighthearted cover of the first two replaced with one full of power and darkness. The artist JinHo Ko mentions his change of style at the beginning of the volume, but it is less a change of style and more that of tone, indicating a shift in the storyline. The narrative leaves behind the story line involving Da-Il being the center of Ho-Go’s comic. Not a bad thing; it was uninteresting and looking to encumber the main story.
In summary:
It’s really difficult to see where the appeal is to the target teen audience. As much as I might chuckle over Da-Il’s power to restore the “dream of the neo-Renaissance” and the use of art as a vehicle for a fighting manhwa, I have to wonder if teens will find it as interesting.
Content Grade: B-
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: January 6th, 2009
MSRP: $10.99