There are two universal truths in today’s rapidly changing comics industry. The first is that Dog Man is the defining comic of our era. The second is that more people are reading manga and Webtoons (aka vertical scroll comics) than ever before. Therefore we at Comics Beat have chosen to embark on a new venture: Beat’s Bizarre Adventure. Every other week, we’ll have three writers recommend some of their favorite books and series from Japan, Korea and elsewhere. This week we have old-school sci-fi action, grotesque human-plant hybrids, and, of course, the Omegaverse.
9mm Girls
Writer: Soliko 6
Artist: Ash Kohari
Proofreading: Vice
Publisher: Globalcomix
I am quite picky when it comes to comics that I read chapter by chapter. Especially since there are so many options across platforms. But there is one story on Globalcomix that has earned my attention time and time again.
The premise of 9mm girls, written by Soliko 6/SK6 and illustrated by Ash Kohari, is quite simple. Private security partners Aya and Hazel provide bodyguard and surveillance services. Yet two demons overpower them and make their jobs and lives extremely difficult. So the pair must outsmart and overcome their new demonic rivals with the help of a caterpillar-like demon named Rain.
9mm girls is packed with action, gunplay, and moments that feel inspired by classic OVAs like Gunsmith Cats. There are also hints that the relationship between Aya, Hazel and the two demons might become something other than hostile. I’m curious to see if there will be an “enemies to lovers” storyline and if there will be any big bads to overcome if the series goes that route.
This comic is very much for the 18+ crowd, but those elements don’t distract from the plot and character development.
Fool Night
Writer/Artist: Kasumi Yasuda
Translator: Casey Lowe
Design: Kam Li
Editing: Julia Walchuk
Touch-up Art and Lettering: Snir Aharon
Publisher: VIZ Media
In the near future, the sun has gone out and all the plants have died. Humanity’s last chance for survival is “transfloration.” The process morphs dying human volunteers into conscious plants called “spiriflora” that produce life-giving oxygen. These volunteers are given an enormous sum to enjoy what remains of their lives before they lose their humanity. The protagonist, Toshiro, poisons himself to become a spiriflora and escape his debts. But when he discovers that his affliction lets him communicate with other spiriflora, he is enlisted as a messenger between humans and their living plants.
Fool Night makes a neat pairing with the infamous Shonen Jump series Chainsaw Man. Both are parables about ordinary people fighting for solace within the soul-crushing grind of capitalism. Both also fixate on abuse perpetrated by families and social hierarchies. Toshiro works to pay for his mother’s medication precisely because he’s scared of what she might do to him off those meds; another character, Sumi, resents her father for orchestrating her future career with transfloration money. Another series might engineer a shared moment in which kids and parents resolve their differences. Fool Night instead says: burn it all down.
Any fan of Junji Ito will relish the grotesquely warped spiriflora. But Kasumi Yasumi is just as good at drawing Toshiro howling in anguish, or Sumi crumpling under the weight of her family legacy, as she is at drawing “horror” images. The reader is never in doubt as to what the characters are feeling, how they are feeling it or why they feel that way. Fool Night’s great strength is that it is always convincing no matter how loud it gets.
Before reading Fool Night, I was fascinated by the premise but wasn’t sure if it could sustain a longer series. At the end of the first volume, I don’t yet know if that is the case. What I do know, though, is that Yasumi is an artist to watch. That’s more than enough to keep me turning the pages.
Beta Off Not Dating
Artist: Doojja
Writer: Saena
Original Novel: MINTRAN
Translator: yw740030
Editing: Kelly Lee
Publisher: Tappytoon
If you see Juhyeok having a meltdown, pretend you didn’t. In a country full of alphas and omegas, their pheromones, jealousy streaks, and all those ludicrous fights that surround their romantic relationships, he’s had enough as a beta. After witnessing what having a lover entails daily, Juhyeok is adamant about staying single. No dating, no hook-ups, nothing. His good-looking, charismatic alpha boss Sihyun, however, has the smoothest flirting skills.
Omegaverse is an extremely popular subgenre of Boys’ Love. In short, society is largely made up of betas, while alphas and omegas are rare. Alphas are the “cream of the top” and they have a unique way of interacting with omegas. Betas are not biologically capable of forming that kind of connection. This results in a societal hierarchy where who you can date or how high you can climb the ladder is dictated. Being a beta, Juhyeok cannot make sense of the bizarre world alphas and omegas inhabit. He has no intention of trying, either.
Beta Off Not Dating was the highlight of my Fridays during its run. As a reader, I’m a fan of unconventional pairings in BL. In the Omegaverse context, that would mean couples outside the standard alpha/omega. I was already sold on our alpha/beta main couple and the pretty banner with soft colors. The first chapter just sealed the deal with its over-the-top humor.
This series checks a lot of boxes. The pacing is great, with little in the way of detours or unnecessary drama. It can be extremely funny while also tender and sweet. Beta Off Not Dating approaches the drama from a critical perspective even if it is not quite a deconstruction. Sure, the side couple made me want to rip my hair out. But both Juhyeok and Sihyeon are effortlessly lovable, and you can’t help but cheer them on after getting a glimpse of how compatible they are. Sihyeon is one of the greenest flags you can find in BL, while Juhyeok is on the prickly-but-adorable end of the spectrum.
If you’re in the mood to read something funny, fresh, and lovely, Beta Off Not Dating has to be your pick so give this webtoon a chance!
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