KOMACON Anthology HC
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: July 2013
Price: $12.99
Creators: Anina Bennett, Colleen Doran, Joe Keatinge, Ben McCool, Beau Smith and Rick Veitch [writers]; Chan, Cory, Hae Mi, In-Hyuk, Rock and Yoon [illustrators]
Format: 80 pgs., Full Color, 7” x 10.5”, HC
ISBN: 978-1-6070-6764-1
Age Rating: N/A
ICv2 Rating: 3.5 Stars out of 5
 
This anthology was an experiment in blending young Korean artists with experienced American or British comics writers, each pair cranking out a short story in a very short time.  For the most part, these experiments were successful in creating pieces that left the reader wanting to see more set in the same world.  On the other hand, a couple of the pieces were simply too short to be a complete story, which was slightly frustrating.  Apparently some of the creators felt the same way, but the format was due to the nature of the project.
 
The writing styles and the art styles vary wildly from tale to tale, and any single reader may not like all of them.  Still, these short pieces of SF and fantasy created entire worlds within a few pages, and were mostly successful in that creation.
 
If you've ever wanted to see a Korean equivalent of Heavy Metal crossed with 2000 AD, KOMACON may be your chance.  Subject matter and writing suggest that this anthology is intended for adults.  It might interest older teens as well, especially ones who have enjoyed Korean manhwa and want to see what else young Korean graphic artists can produce.
 
--Nick Smith: Librarian Technician, Community Services, for the Pasadena Public Library in California.