Manhwa (만화)

Thanks for the intro Liz! And thus I begin my maiden entry…

It's Manhwa, not Manga!

While both terms mean exactly the same thing in Korean and Japanese, manhwa is the term specifically used for cartoons and comics from South Korea. Throughout recent mainstream toon history, manhwa artists have played an important role in animating titles, from The Simpsons to Spongebob Squarepants, for their overseas clients. Often just looped together with its Japanese counterpart, Manhwa is now emerging from Manga's shadow and will be, if not already, claiming their rightful space on bookshelves across the planet.

Many Manhwas are adapted into live-action dramas where they reach a broader audience and become instant hits! All hail 'Full House' and 'Goong'. Even Hollywood will be taking advantage of the Korean invasion and it is rumored that Screen Gems will be adapting the Manhwa, ‘Priest’ by Hyung Min-Woo, into a major motion picture for 2008 being produced by Spider-Man’s director, Sam Raimi, and possibly starring Gerard Butler. Think ‘The Quick and The Dead’ crossed with ‘Van Helsing.’ Vampires and a spaghetti western? Yikes, now that’s a horror ride I wouldn’t want to miss!

And now for your Manhwa moment of enlightenment:

http://www.koreanmanhwa.com/