cover image FULL HOUSE VOL. 1: Incompatible

FULL HOUSE VOL. 1: Incompatible

Soo Yon Won, . . CPM Manhwa, $9.99 (187pp) ISBN 978-1-58664-970-8

Romantic comedies fueled by "will they/won't they" tension are nothing new, but the genre gets a fresh going over in this amusing manhwa. A young Korean woman named Elle resides in a palatial house in London, bequeathed to her by her beloved father. For reasons that are never quite explained, the house is somehow acquired by young British actor Ryder Baye, who intends to hide out there until tabloid rumors of his alleged homosexuality blow over. With Elle unceremoniously chucked out into the street, the scene is set for fireworks. The tension increases when Elle and Ryder have their "meet cute": Ryder runs over Elle's foot in his convertible, causing her to lose the screenplay she's writing to raise money to buy back the house. While Elle is furious, Ryder thinks she's another one of the stalker fans he's trying to avoid. Eventually, the two agree to share the house, and, of course, plenty of love/hate antics ensue. Although the plot is typical of the romance genre, Soo's artwork is full of atmospheric detail, and the script makes the characters quite likable. Further volumes will stretch out the romantic tension, but it's all for a good cause. (Oct.)