RUN, BONG-GU, RUN!
Byun Byung Jun
Off the train in the middle of winter at the station in Seoul, Bong-gu and his mother bring a little spring time warmth to the capital. They’re from a poor isolated area but on the beautiful sea. She’s looking for her kid’s dad who left without a trace. An old man meets the kid and actually remembers seeing his dad. He manages to bring them together. Dad had dreams coming from the country, hitting the big city. They didn’t quite work out. He had become too ashamed to show himself again. From desperation, the outcome of this story, however, will bring warmth to any heart, showing that the hope and love of humanity can even melt the cold indifference of our urban societies. A beautifully, poetically illustrated little manhwa lit.
"Although short, this manhwa is not slight, changing from gray scale when Bong-Gu is observing his surroundings to full color when he begins interacting with the different characters, the art is done in a photorrealistic style that showcases both the grim coldness of a big city street and the beauty of a modern skyline."
-Library Journal
"Byun is a skillful artist who refrains from exaggerating his characters, instead using subtle devices to elicit real feeling for them. Let's hope we see more work from this fascinating artist and social critic." -Rain Taxi
"I think it takes an enormously gifted creator to tell a sentimental story well, and I think Byun has gifts to spare. With a minimum of manipulation and unerring visual skill, he creates an unexpectedly moving work." -Comic World News
"Lovely" -Booklist
6x9, 112pp., full color trade pb.: $15.95, ISBN 978-1-56163-501-6