TEENAGE MERCENARY

https://www.webtoons.com/en/action/teenage-mercenary/list?title_no=2677

Status: Ongoing

Creators: YC, Rakyeon

A boy lost overseas in a war torn area was trained to fight by terrorists and after helping rescue some prisoners of war, was inducted with the military and sent home.

This is the story of his homecoming as a teenager, going to high school, learning what it means to reconnect with the family he’d nearly forgotten. And of course, using his ridiculous fighting skills to help the people he comes to care about.

WEAK HERO

https://www.webtoons.com/en/action/weakhero/list?title_no=1726

Status: Ongoing

Creators: Seopass, Razen

A quiet student who just wants to be left alone so he can study and be #1 is faced with ever present bullies. It seems Korea (in fiction at least) is rife with bullies who all know how to fight. Regardless, he gets involved to try to keep the peace, but he can’t fight because of his slight build.

He uses the power of intellect and instinct instead; using situational awareness and whatever is close at hand to fight dirty and force the bullies in his classroom to behave. He gets the attention of a shuttle (bullied kid) and strong kids at the school and they end up becoming friends. Later, it’s discovered why the MC has a particular hatred with bullies, an impactful moment.

ELECEED

https://www.webtoons.com/en/action/eleceed/list?title_no=1571

Status: Ongoing

Creators: Jeho Son, ZHENA

An incredibly powerful asshole named Kayden hides in the body of a corpulent cat and accidentally starts helping a clueless kid with his newly discovered power. The kid has to navigate a dog-eat-dog world of powered individuals, and this cat ass is the only person on his side until his kindness gets him a nice little friend posse.

Plenty of rationale for the action, but this one glows because of the comedy. I never thought I’d choose a fat cat’s form over a hot guy’s, but in Kayden’s case, the cat form wins because of the hilarity of his physical expressions.

GREY IS…

https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/grey-is/list?title_no=10833

Status: Ongoing

Creators: deejuusan

Not for the faint of heart. A young man named Black lives alone with his trauma, struggling with self-harm after a series of abuse as a child. Until his old friend White crashes back in to live with him, though because of his struggles with memory, he doesn’t immediately recognize said friend.

Both have emotional baggage and try to help each other improve their situations, evolving into a co-dependent friendship. It’s revealed how they got their names and where their struggles began, how they met, and why they’re so entwined. (It’s also not BL (male x male), the two are just friends. And it’s perfect that way.)

This one is for anyone who enjoys having their heart broken. It’s painful but fulfilling. It hurts and then warms. It explores deep psychological themes and you can tell the author did so much research to get things right, and to get the therapist’s parts accurate. To nail the reactions that the characters have.

I couldn’t put this down when reading season 1, which is why I haven’t read season 2 yet: I know it would consume my life. But if you pick it up, do check the trigger warnings on the Webtoon’s description first.

LOVE ADVICE FROM THE GREAT DUKE OF HELL

https://www.webtoons.com/en/comedy/love-advice/list?title_no=1498

Status: Finished

Creators: unfins

A 20-something guy falls in love with a waitress and summons a demon to ask his advice on how to get her interested in return. I don’t want to spoil how this goes, but naturally, the Great Duke of Hell is… bad at this.

The MC’s sister gets involved when she figures out what he’s done, and both try to hide it from their dad. There are supernatural powers (that no one uses appropriately most of the time), an adorably cringy chunibyo who actually uses black magic, more demons, a guy with a fish head, and a visit to Hell.

It starts out as comedy for a long while. The art is lovely in its simplicity and has some of the best drawn expressions I’ve ever seen. It’s clean. It’s emotive, which is important for something that becomes more dramedy as we go on.

The sister’s facial expressions kill me. I had no idea there were so many ways to draw defeat, disillusionment, disappointment, the utter disbelief and disgust that what you are witnessing is real. What’s even better is the timing with what she’s reacting to.

WIND BREAKER

https://www.webtoons.com/en/sports/wind-breaker/list?title_no=372

Status: Ongoing

Creators: Yongseok Jo

A reserved jerk (Jake) who only wants to study turns out to have wild skills on a bicycle. He gets into a bike-race-fight-situation with an amateur racing team even though he only wants to study.

A hot American girl (Shelly is stunning) falls for him and joins the team with skills of her own, and a redheaded gangster guy who wants to raise money for his mom’s operation joins.

The team enters an amateur bike race and from there things go between high-stakes competition to fighting over competition-rigging and interpersonal situations.

Also, every single bike race is gorgeously drawn and choreographed. There’s a ton of drama internally, and well-executed crystal clear action. It’s like watching an intense race in an anime, but in your head.

The races are my favorite part, and I feel the same anticipation as the characters on the sidelines. (Despite the shit the race announcer gets for being so over-the-top, I really love him, too.)

MIDNIGHT POPPY LAND

https://www.webtoons.com/en/romance/midnight-poppy-land/list?title_no=1798

Status: Ongoing

Creators: Lilydusk

A short spunky young woman moves to the city for her job after living rural life. She’s nervous to be far from family and in a more dangerous place. She finds a mysterious bag in the woods, stumbles into an imposing man with tattoos who takes a photo of her without explaining, but the bag is the link; and their lives are changed.

Tora is a gangster, because it’s all he’s known, but he has a protective side only Poppy can see. Tora is a loner, afraid to get attached. He even goes as far as to convince his fellow gangsters that he’s gay so they won’t be suspicious that he never gets involved with women.

Poppy’s kindness gradually melts him, and despite his habit of not getting involved, he finds reasons to be around her. She’s by turns irritated and intrigued by Tora, and finds reasons to be around her, despite finding out who he really is.

SHOTGUN BOY

https://www.webtoons.com/en/thriller/shotgun-boy/list?title_no=2534

Status: Finished

Creators: Carnby Kim, Hongpil

I don’t read too many horror comics, despite listing three. This is the only one I’ve finished so far. This is the prequel to “Sweet Home” (also a Netflix adaptation) that expands about the progenitors of the invasion that occurs.

Both involve an invasion of body-snatcher type creatures who consume and become humans, though over time, the human form mutates into a monster and they lose their minds.

Both toons involve the cliche of humans as pretty terrible people at the beginning so that slow redemption of some of them occurs in the face of death or mutation.

Some characters have shining moments, though others fall a bit flat. Which is a bit too realistic sometimes. I watched the Netflix adaptation of Sweet Home, which added depth to the characters earlier, so I can’t get past the early one-dimensional depiction of the characters in the Webtoon.

HELLPER

https://www.webtoons.com/en/fantasy/hellper/list?title_no=185

Status: Finished

Creators: Sakk

A rock-and-roll gangster died and ended up in Hell. He’s trying to regain his soul against other denizens there, and meets a weird headphones girl. Really zany and eclectic.

Not sure if it’s horror exactly, it’s kind of a genre blend. Notable artwork that features black, white, and red in stark contrast as well as cartoonish exaggerated proportions. This toon looks soooo slick. It feels like a Genndy Tartakovsky show.

DELUSION

https://www.webtoons.com/en/thriller/delusion/list?title_no=2470

Status: Completed

Creators: Hongjacga

Historical Korea take on a vampire from the perspective of a painter hired to paint the vampire as an old woman – fully expecting that he’s going to die. Gorgeous vintage-looking art style. Ongoing, I just didn’t get that far since it’s a Daily Pass toon.