Web Comic Review: Impulse

Impulse is a webcomic from Korean publisher Rolling Story, written/illustrated by Minyong Chung, set to debut via the company’s Spot Toon platform.

Centered around a group of outcast teens—Ehan, Shido, and Yeji—who gain strange, tech-based abilities after a natural disaster, Chung’s comic is an entertaining read that works on a similar premise to comics like X-Men. Already teased and bullied, the three friends are now saddled with these new abilities that set them even further apart from their peers, who’ve labeled them “monsters” and “aliens.” While the premise is largely paint-by-numbers, the story is still young. There’s a lot of room for it to grow and explore the relationship between the main characters as they figure out where they fit in with these new abilities.

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Visually, the story is very well done. Particularly impressive are the creative implementations of the characters’ powers, which are often more colorful and detailed than we’re used to seeing in American comics. Rather than bright flashes that erupt from characters’ eyes or fingertips, Chung’s heroes’ powers are more abstractly exhibited; ligaments and wires connect different colored shapes that grow and move with each panel—it’s unlike anything I’ve seen in American comics. They’re easily one of the most cool looking visual design elements that I’ve come across in quite some time.

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One of the more unique things about the SpotToon platform is the vertical orientation of the comics—SpotToon comics are read by scrolling down the screen—which not only keeps the comics mobile-friendly, but also makes for a more satisfying read. Because comics are a sequential medium, the passing of time is a key ingredient. SpotToon’s format frees creators from the confines of the 1/4 inch gutter, allowing them to play with the space between panels, compressing and decompressing time to the needs of the story. As a visual storytelling technique, it really makes for an engaging experience.

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I’m looking forward to more from Chung’s trio of misfits, and I hope that we get to learn the depth of the relationships between the three of them, because there’s a ton of potential for a great, touching adventure story here. And if the 10 episodes that SpotToon was generous enough to provide for review are any indication, Chung’s unique approach to character design is only going to become more refined and inventive as time goes on. Speaking of generosity, you can head over to SpotToon.com and see for yourself, as they’re going to be providing all of their comics for free until the end of August.

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