cover image Comic Volume 1

Comic Volume 1

SiHyun Ha, . . Ice Kunion, $10.95 (200pp) ISBN 978-89-527-4607-8

Alice Song may just be a high school student, but she dreams of drawing manhwa—Korean comics. When she wins a contest sponsored by a manhwa publisher, she has the chance to live her dream, but finds that it's not all she imagined. Her winning comic was about an unrequited crush on a teacher, based loosely on one of her own teachers—who now just happens to be working for the publisher. To make matters worse, she gets to meet one of her idols, manhwa artist Saturn Kang, who turns out to be a high school student no older than her, and a jerk to boot. Rumors start flying around the school, jealousies erupt between Alice and the more established manhwa creators, and Alice can't decide whether she likes Saturn or hates his guts. Korean manhwa artist Ha offers this story as an inspiration to all hopeful manhwa creators. Although the plot twists may be beyond what a manhwa artist can actually expect, this story is a diverting romance told through Ha's elegant and soulful art. (Sept.)