An epic fantasy and vivid re-imagination of ancient Korean history, made possible by painstaking historical research combined with breathtaking mythological visualization!
Kingdom of the Winds tells the legendary story of King Yuri (Goguryeo's second emperor), King Damusin (Muhyul, Goguryeo's third emperor), and Muhyul's son
Hodong. This tale fills in the personal details of their lives, their ideals and human emotions as they struggle with an unavoidable fate that intertwines and
tangles their lives with that of their nation.
You will meet the heroes of the Kingdom of the Winds; heroes afflicted and lost, opposed to each other, and bound together on their epic journeys to achieving
their diverse ideals that actual history had only hinted at.
We suggest you to read the background information by clicking on Background tab first before proceeding to the first chapter.
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reviews Avg. rating
(9.1)
Oh, sad.
SebastianMB
08/26/09 19:09
This is such a beautiful and tragic story. I really respect Maro's loyalty, but I don't think Muhyul deserves such treatment! It'll be interesting to see how their relationship evolves.
I've only read the first book, but I'm in love. The art is simply stunning, and I love the interweaving of fantasy and history. The dialogue is also beautifully written, and I love the integration of poetry into the text of the story. It reminiscent of the Tale of Genji. I wonder if they're from the original text? The story is a bit difficult to follow, but I love the different layers of romance, adventure, political intrigue, fantasy, mythology, and actual historical incidents. I can't wait to read more!
Note: I've only read the first two chapters. This is my first net comic. I was disappointed that everything was in black and white, but it actually worked to the comic's advantage, bringing out its very nice textures and allowing for some interesting illustration techniques, such as the occasional alternating between positive and negative film images. The comic begins the story in this rainstorm and conditions the reader to expect to see rain in every page. The rain, being water, and the darkness seem to be emphasized so much that I felt there was some symbolic meaning to them. The rain makes its first appearance with the mentioning of the Biryu river, which is apparently dangerous and mystical because it is on the frontier of the kingdom. Perhaps this dangerous frontier is meant to be associated with the rain..?
Most historical fiction pieces are ensured that they are going to be full of adventure and culture, but not only did "Kingdom of the Winds" match up to the standards--they brought more to the table. "Kingdom of the Winds" is a fictional tale of Korea's ancient history from the Goguryeo era about betrayal, lost love, and greed over power. It is not only overflowing with historical facts and characters, but also includes fairy tale inspirations from Korean mythological and mystical folklore.
The richness of the ancient Korean culture is incaptivating and sends the reader on a trip back into the days of old. Though, it upsets me that English language readers cannot read "Kingdom of the Winds" in Korean to get the full flavor of the time period. The translators did a good job, but unfortunately some things just do not carry the same tone and meaning when translated.
The lavish artwork coordinates well with the abundance of the Korean culture to complete this fantasy world. As a good portion of the series is about fighting to prevail over mystical creatures, the art of the action sequences are flurid with kenetic movement which is very detailed, but albeit confusing because you can't exactly tell what's going on admist the furious activity. I'm assuming people mentioned the confusion from the drawings, because the clarity of the drawings in volume 2 step up a notch.
My biggest concern was the pace at which the story was unfolding, but the momentum of the narrative picked up by the 2nd and 3rd volume. Overall, I'm satisfied with how the story is developing. I'm anxious to learn more about Muhyul's relationship with his son, Goeyu's significance in the story, and the fate of Seryu. "Kingdom of the Winds" is something that I will definitely be keepig my eye on for future installments.
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