With its newly-minted status as a hit series on Netflix, the original Korean manhwa The Hellbound - an immersive horror anthology revolving around a series of grisly public executions at the hands of supernatural demonic creatures - is finally getting an official English translation. Now available on Webtoons.com free of charge, the saga of The Hellbound is also receiving a physical release from Dark Horse Comics, perfect for fans looking to get the inside scoop on the new crossover phenomenon.
Writer Yeon Sangho, also the writer/director of the Netflix series, weaves the tale of everyday rapture in a world where, one day, ethereal angels begin randomly appearing to people in order to announce prophecies of their deaths and consignment to an afterlife in Hell - prophecies which are then followed through by bands of vicious demons. The sprawling narrative covers many compelling protagonists, including a young cult leader, a brooding police detective investigating the deaths, and a young husband and wife whose infant child's death is prophesied.
The Hellbound is being given an official translation to English by Danny Lim and Dark Horse Comics, available for free in its original webtoon format on Webtoons.com, with new chapters uploaded every Tuesday. Featuring gorgeous, expressive and detailed art by Choi Gyuseok, it is a poignant commentary on the harmfulness of sensationalism and the contemporary societal obsession with dispensing quick and often undercooked ideas of justice. Originally running 57 chapters from 2019-2020, The Hellbound originated in a pair of animated short films Sangho produced in 2003 and 2006 respectively.
While The Hellbound is assuredly a work which showcases dramatic monster encounters and nail-biting terror, the thematic meat of the story concerns the impact of public evisceration for those deemed immoral or deviant, exploring the general lack of sympathy for criminals within a supposedly just society. Given that many of the damned appear to be upstanding member of society at least superficially, the concept of The Hellbound seems to be Sangho's satire on moral absolutism, and the frequency with which this particular philosophy is exercised in lieu of a slower, more rational and empathetic process. The horror comes from the frequently gory executions, but also from the public's reaction to a terrifying new moral order where brutal "justice" can be passed off as a (literal) act of god.
Fans can dive into a world of cults, cops, angels, demons and twisted morality in the hit webtoon The Hellbound, now available for free on Webtoons.com in weekly installments, with volume 1 of the physical collection available from Dark Horse Comics on sale December 8.