Last week I mentioned my love for physical media, including the creative devotion given to it by the K-Pop industry.
At the end of last year, the industry ventured into the comics game as HYBE Corporation released the first volumes of physical copies of the Webtoons created two years ago by K-Pop groups BTS, Tomorrow x Together, and Enhypen.
Slowly but surely the Webtoons world (comic stories created originally for online reading) is climbing out of the computer and into the physical comics dimension. For book lovers like me, being able to grab stories like What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim or Hellbound as a graphic novel was such a treat.
Often, physical copies of Webtoons are found with manga, due to their similar art style and Asian origin. When they are in print, they follow the layout of Korean comics, manhwa. These read from left to right like western graphic novels. Not all manhwa are from Webtoons, obviously. There are plenty of Korean comics on their own.
I had been ignoring the online Webtoons for these, as I was hoping they would eventually come out as graphic novels. They finally have, and I was able to pick up two of them this week, 7 Fates: Chakho (with BTS) and The Star Seekers (with Tomorrow x Together).
These fantasy adventure stories, created about and mostly by the artists themselves, build a cool fictional universe inspired the imagination and essence of the groups. The fandoms, of course, eat it up, so there is no doubt these are going continue to be big sellers.
Will these have a big enough appeal for other comic and manga readers? Well, they are definitely Young Adult level, and they’re easily read through in one sitting. I actually read two in about an hour… and I was deliberately taking my time. They are very visually driven, and the art work is vibrant. If you want some heavy, twisty reading, don’t expect it here.
However, these still have solid little stories.
My favorite of the two was The Star Seekers. In this world, the most popular of the K-Pop idols are those who posses magic… of which the boys of Star One have none. This first 10-chapter volume shows them one by one manifesting their powers as well as revealing a sinister group who wants to use these “Boys of Destiny” for their own purpose.
Back in 2021, Tomorrow x Together released a beautiful pop-up book towards the beginning of their lore, The Magic Island, that was well out of our price range. Those who have been following the group from the beginning know this lore goes all the way back to their first album. The Webtoon does tie into this lore, but fans have known that for two years. The world-building is just getting bigger. Hopefully, as both Tomorrow x Together and Webtoons are getting much more attention, there may be less costly reprints appearing. At least one can hope.
Official story film trailers were released when all the original HYBE Webtoons came out starring the group members themselves, along with official animated trailers for the Webtoons, soundtrack music videos, and YouTube channels devoted to each original Webtoon. You could tell HYBE really wanted people excited to log on and give them all a read.
The BTS book, 7 Fates: Chakho, is more of an action fantasy where seven hunters in dystopian world (Beom) take on a beings from another dimension set on destroying them and all of mankind. BTS has always tackled some darker storylines, and they’ve placed themselves and various alter egos in the thick of it. Some of their giant hits may make casual listener think they are an upbeat, cutesy group, but there is some deep-thinking, tragic lore in their songbook and video releases as well as feel-good tunes.
I am currently on the lookout for Enhypen’s contribution, Dark Moon: The Blood Altar, and might have to the Amazon route. All three HYBE graphic novels are available there. This is Enhypen’s version of the teenage vampire story, with all seven members portrayed as such. There are werewolf rivals—aren’t there always—and a girl with a hidden power and no love for the vampire sort. It seems like a familiar romance scenario, but I am looking forward to seeing where it heads.
The books retail for $20, but I picked up copies at Target that ran for $16 with the 20 percent discount they often slap on there. The Amazon prices for these are $16 as well, so there is no reason to pay the full $20 if you don’t have to.
If you’re ARMY, MOA, or Engene, these are great ways to grab some more collectible lore from favorite group. If not, they are easy, fun little fantasies that could get a reluctant adolescent reader into putting down the electronic device and picking up a book, even one based on K-Pop group.
