Manga Review: March Story vol. 1 by Kyung-il Yang and Hyung-min Kim
No spoilers.
*
I'm hesitant to judge this volume, because it's obviously a setup for bigger things which have the potential to be, not just interesting, but truly awesome. However, I've seen things with equally great promise peter out before (coughTetragrammatonLabrynthcough), so it's hard to say just where this one is going to end up.
A young man named March hunts "Ill", or demons that inhabit inanimate objects lying in wait for human souls to possess. The first half of this volume follows March across 18th century Europe as he exorcises Ill, while the second half goes into his past and the macabre secrets that turned him into a Ciste Vihad, or a hunter of Ill.
That's an inadequate summary, but we learn March's secrets as the story goes on, and I can't reveal much without spoilers. Speaking generally, March Story combines psychological horror with moments (and one chapter) of splatter-gore, fantasy adventure, and an impending tragic love story woven into March's fate as a Ciste Vihad. It also features beautiful, detailed art with attention paid to tiny details like the knots in March's hood and beautiful designs in buildings and costumes. Though written/drawn by men, March Story doesn't go overboard on things like panyshots or sex jokes; though there's a bit of that, our two primary female characters aren't what you'd expect of male-drawn adult manwha (Korean comics), as one is deformed, and the other cute but fully dressed.
The opening half of March Story, traveling and beating Ill, was less interesting than the second half, but still good. Yang kept it fresh by changing the style of each chapter: the first is an adventure, the second a romantic tradgedy, the third a comedy. More importantly, March developed over those chapters. He and his world are very interesting. I want to know more about his mysteries, friends, and battles, and he's up against such long odds there's a question about whether or not he'll win his struggle.
If you're a fan of epic fantasy, horror, or beautiful detailed art, this one is worth a look. It's got a lot of promise.