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Post by chigirl68 on Jan 27, 2010 15:07:48 GMT -5
KDD, not sure if you are referring to the IYSS thing we had and KBS AMerica came out. That was quite some time ago. I know Michael had it up on a web site he had for a short time. I have not looked to see if it was on YouTube with or without subs.
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Post by KyungDaeDoo on Jan 29, 2010 18:52:28 GMT -5
I think it was the second time they came. When they brought the folks from S. Korea. I have a VHS of it - or one if us has - maybe teacher. Just wondering if it was on youtube. I couldn't find it. No big deal, just curious.
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Post by okompan on Jan 29, 2010 23:51:01 GMT -5
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Post by okompan on Feb 19, 2010 16:24:14 GMT -5
Hey Everyone, Hope all has been well. I just wanted to share the link to the official trailer for YI SOON SHIN: WARRIOR AND DEFENDER. Feel free to check it out and let me know what you think! www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwJwGRe8_WEBest Regards, Onrie Kompan
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Post by okompan on Mar 1, 2010 13:53:08 GMT -5
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Post by jolson1933 on Mar 1, 2010 19:35:21 GMT -5
HELLO OKOMPAN : RE: YI SOON SHIN COMIC BOOK 2 March 2010
I am Jolson1933,Glad to meet you. Just came upon your posts in regard to doing a comic book about YI SOON SHIN as well as the addresses you supplied as to where to buy one = in EVANSTON..that is a convenient place for me to go to. However. at the moment and till sometime in end APRIL. I will be in Germany & Netherlands,therefore will check it out when I return to Chicago. Am looking forward to it even though I am not a real fan of Comic Books but will attempt it this time if still available end April.
Thank you very much... I am 7 hours LATER then Chicago time, right now it is 1:26 (Tuesday in the morning here & 6 pm (Monday your time)...enjoy a nice dinner and best regards
Will read this board off & on every couple of days. Jolson 1933
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Post by okompan on Mar 2, 2010 19:26:27 GMT -5
@joison1933, It is a pleasure to meet you as well! Thank you so much for taking an interest in the book and I hope that it will change your opinion of comic books! There will be plenty of copies available for purchase by the time you return to your trip. If not, contact us and you can purchase it through us!
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Post by ginnycat5 on Jul 21, 2010 18:30:42 GMT -5
I just bought IYSS#2 in Evanston at Comix Revolution, ~600 Davis St., and they gave me a YSS bookmark too. The comic looks really intense; I'm looking forward to reading it tonight.
Another draw to that street: there's a used book store "Fresh Books" (or something like that), maybe one or two doorways away. They weigh the books and tell you the price. I bought a mass-market copy of Pillars of the Earth instead of the big trade version. (They have a couple more left, if anyone is interested.)
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Post by sageuk on Oct 16, 2010 17:57:35 GMT -5
The best part of the comic would have to be the use of color but thats about it. The first issue relies too much on narration that constantly states the obvious-as a result, I feel like I'm reading a (violent) children's book. The panel transition also feels awkward as well. The second issue fixes some of this, but there are still problems. The artwork looks awkward at times, and the dialogue is laughably bad at times. There are also story elements that are just downright strange, such as Todo Takatora and Kurushima Michifusa being a homosexual couple. What the comic book does succeed in doing, however, is not being too much like the drama.
There are some parts of the drama incorporated in the comic that are noticeable. -Sen no RIkyu commiting seppuku in protest against Hideyoshi's invasion. -There is also a nurse, along with a harlot lady. They seem to be homages to JIn and Chunghyang. ANd the comic characters based on them are annoying, just like how I find Chunghyang annoying -Baron Seo seems to be a combination of Baron Heo, Chunsu, and the sniper that shot Yi in the battle of Sacheon.
However, despite these criticisms, it seems you're improving.
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Post by okompan on Dec 28, 2010 18:02:25 GMT -5
@sageuk, Thank you very much for your commentary! Please pardon my delayed response as these last few months have been very busy for me. In fact, I am writing my response to you from Kazakhstan. I appreciate your honest words. I'll start off by saying that this is definitely not a children's book. The central theme of this series is war and we aren't holding anything back. It's the story of Korea's greatest hero told through the eyes of American style comic book creators. There are some things that we exaggerated in order to make our story unique to Korean readers and more easily accessible for all non-Korean readers. We take our craft, as well as this task, very seriously. It's interesting that you mentioned the relationship between Todo and Gurijima. We decided that this was a necessary risk to take in order to set our characters apart from their TV show counterparts. The cast is huge and we considered that it would be difficult for Americans to remember all of these Korean and Japanese names. Let alone distinguish who is Japanese and who is Korean. Many people still have problems pronouncing Admiral Yi's name. But this will change in time. It must. And as much as I love the TV show, I felt like all of the Japanese generals were pretty much the same person. You won't find that in our book. Every character has their own unique feel to them and the reason why we explored the idea of homosexual relationships is because people are people. No matter what time period you throw them in! Homosexual behavior didn't just pop up from out of nowhere. It existed since the beginning of time and it most likely existed in feudal Japan. But that isn't why we decided to reveal that Todo and Gurijima are lovers. There is a purpose to all of it. However, I can't reveal anything major for the sake of potentially spoiling the plot for anyone who hasn't had a chance to check out the book yet. Rest assured that there is a method to all this and hopefully it will make sense to you as we progress with the story. In all honesty, as familiar as some of the secondary characters feel, they really have nothing to do with characters from the show. In fact, Baron Seo is actually the series antagonist as well as a real historical figure that existed. And for the record, his design was actually based on the main character from OLD BOY as well as Anton Chigurh from NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. Now as for the "harlot" and "nurse", all I can say is that they are more than what they initially seem. Every cast member in our story serves the plot. None of them are there to simply fill the void. It will ultimately be up to you whether you choose to enjoy it or not. But hopefully you will. A lot of your concerns regarding the artwork are addressed in Issue #3 which is now available for purchase on Amazon.com. And personally, I think its the best work we've done yet! Here is the link; www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004BA0SI4/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0PDGNKYSBF0RN8HHQGBM&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846Feel free to check it out and let us know what you think. Again, thanks for coming on here and expressing your thoughts. It means a lot to us! And to all of you, enjoy the holiday season! Be well, be happy and most importantly, be safe! Happy New Year! Best Regards, Onrie Kompan
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Post by sageuk on Dec 28, 2010 23:42:23 GMT -5
You're in Kazakhstan? What are you doing there?
Baron Seo was based on a actual historical figure? I didn't know that. Was he actually mentioned in Admiral Yi's diary, or was he something else? Details please? My access to Korean history is limited.
I guess I found the homosexuality offputting because I've never encountered a historical that involved homosexuals. Wow. Writing this makes me look like a homophobe. But, you took a risk, and for that I praise you for it. Are you going to chronicle the entire days of the admiral's time during the war?
There are also questions I wanted to ask you about the series. You are probably aware about some of the criticisms about the artistic licenses that the show took, the most noteworthy being the portrayal of Won Gyun being Yi Soon Shin's friend and starting out as a noble person before being destroyed by his arrogance. What did you think of that? What did you also think of the earlier episodes (it received some backlash from Korean viewers because it was fictional...I never understood the complaints considering that not alot of his early life was known about). And is the story in kids books about Yi Soon Shin of him being the leader of a band of boys playing war games true or exaggeration (since his childhood days showed him as shy)?
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Post by okompan on Dec 29, 2010 2:57:06 GMT -5
@sageuk,
I am visiting my fiance' and her family. They all live in the city of Almaty and so I am spending the New Year with them.
As for Baron Seo, if I tell you now, it'll spoil the fun! But don't worry, some of the answers will be revealed in Issue #6.
I saw nothing homophobic or degrading regarding your commentary about Todo and Gurijima's relationship. I believe you had every right to feel off put and reserved about such depictions. I sincerely appreciate the praise and I praise you for being so open-minded about it!
The first 12 issues will chronicle Admiral Yi's service during the war. Eventually, we will do another 12 issue series that will show Yi Soon Shin in his early days before he became Admiral.
In regards to the artistic licenses that the TV show used, I think some of them were necessary for the story they were telling. The childhood friendship between Yi Soon Shin and Won Kyun I believe was used to mirror the two figures. Since we see them both so often, the show allowed us to watch them both grow up together side by side and we got a clearer understanding of why Yi Soon Shin ended up being Korea's hero and why Won Kyun ended up becoming a jealous and naive commander. In our comic, the two hate each other from first sight and their relationship is much more hostile, which is more or less how Yi referred to their relationship in his diaries.
I do appreciate many of the artistic liberties that the show took in order to keep the story grounded and yet mythical. For example, the Battle of Myungnyang was much more mythical than how it actually occurred. We've decided to portray this battle the way historians believe it unfolded.
Yi Soon Shin was a natural born leader. What many people did not like about the earlier episodes of the TV show was that he was portrayed as a scared child in his youth. I believe their intent was to capture his noble and genuine nature rather than portray him as a blood thirsty warrior.
It was a risk that the creative team took and looking back on it, I believe they made all the right decisions. That show is truly amazing and no matter how many times I go back and watch it, I always find something new to appreciate about it.
All right my friend, be well!
Best,
Onrie
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Post by sageuk on Dec 29, 2010 23:40:30 GMT -5
You know, I once had a goal of making a comic book on Admiral Yi (or to be more specific, an anthology chronicling the entire war in general) as well, and just like you, I was inspired by the TV series to do so. The title was "Dragon's Fire", since the war started in the year of the dragon and fire is associated with destruction (of course some would think it referred to the cannons fired from the turtle ship; the original title was "Dragon's Fire, Turtle's Shell", a reference to the said ship). I like titles that are metaphorical or symbolic. One story idea was So Yoshitoshi's hesitation to attack Joseon, something which was kind of touched upon in the series. The So clan is often involved in trade with Joseon from Tsushima, and the idea was that through those trading relations, Yoshitoshi viewed Joseon as a second home. It destroys him inside to have to kill the people he established friendships with, especially the general Song Sang-hyeon during the Siege of Tongnae. Then there was a story with Gwak jae-u, the famed Red Robed General. I'd list more, but I'm tired right now. Who knows. I may go with this idea in the future
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Post by okompan on Dec 30, 2010 19:09:45 GMT -5
@sageuk
Funny you should mention the So clan. We've been doing some research on this very recently as a matter of fact and the truth is that they were both deceived and embraced by the Joseon dynasty. The So clan held major advantages over all regular Joseon folk and at one point were actually guardians of the sea. So Yoshitoshi was actually a navigator for Hideyoshi when he decided to invade Korea. He played a very important role in the war.
The Imjin War was an age of heroes. Kim Shi Min, Gwon Yul and Kwak Jae Wu were all bad asses! If it wasn't for them, all of Yi Soon Shin's efforts would have been in vain. Much like what Themistocles accomplished by defeating the Persians at the Battle of Salamis while King Leonidas and the Spartans held the Persians off at the Battle of Thermopylae.
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Post by sageuk on Dec 31, 2010 1:58:22 GMT -5
One thing that has always bothered me and even to this day was the character Chun-su. For one thing, his subplot was a distraction and him as a plot device was redundant, and it bugs me even more that they just dropped him, making me feel like I was looking at useless footage. No proper send off. Looking at it another way though, the subplot could be a reflection of a corrupt society. I heard originally they planned for him to redeem himself by giving money to the navy prior to the Myeongryang battle. As I said, redundant. Remember the magistrate and his son in the earlier epiodes? They sudden;y disappeared as well (I have a feeling bad writing had nothing to do with this). And the turtle ship sinking- that got an awful lot of flack, some Koreans accusing the show of mking the admiral look bad. But the good outweighs the bad.
Speaking of which, will we be seeing other Korean heroes in the comic? I'm pretty sure Gwon Yul will appear. As for the prequel series, will it explore his childhood? His time as an officer at the north? His training of the navy (makes me think back to the days when he was whipping the navy to shape; seasick soldiers were hilarious, and the admiral being harsh on them in a good way was a delight to watch as well)?
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