Mythology of the Heavens Vol. #02

By Eduardo M. Chavez     November 02, 2005
Release Date: January 19, 2005



Creative Talent
Writer/Artist:HyunSe Lee
Translated by:HuMahn Alex Choi/SooMin Lee
Adapted by:

What They Say
Python is a child conceived from the union of Goddess and Human. He is strong, fierce, and can communicate with animals. His mentor, the human/wolf hybrid BANGO, hopes that Python will continue to hone his skills as a killer, hunter and leader. For the boy has a role to play in upcoming events, ones which will reshape both the Heavens and the Earth.

Meanwhile, a feral child raised by a tigress also learns how to survive in the wilderness, but without fur, fang or claw, the lessons are difficult. How will these two humans living among the animals shape the destiny of this ancient world?

The Review
Packaging:
CPM's packaging is pretty good. They have packaged this title in a wideban tall B6, oriented left-to-right (which is standard for manhwa). On the front cover, there is an image a tigress and her human cub on a red background. The image is indicative of what to expect in this volume.

Inside the printing is okay. This title does not use a lot of screen tone, so it is a little tough to tell how clean the print really is, but the inking looks sharp and the alignment is great. CPM Press has also included a few nice extras. Besides their usual character intros, they have included a great message from Lee-sensei detailing his courtroom struggles to get this series published in Korea.

Artwork:
Lee-sensei's artwork reminds me of a few of my favorite mangaka. Tezuka Osamu comes to mind when looking at the facial expressions and cartoonish feel that these characters have when they are not acting hard. In close ups, I am reminded of Saitou Takawo's (Golgo 13) stoic faces and powerful but simple eyes. This volume also has a few animals in it. I think his beasts look much better than his humans (something that Tezuka did as well). The detailing of muscle, tendons, and the line work to show raw power animals possess in their expressions was very powerful.

Lee's solid art also shows on the backgrounds and layout for this title. The background is often very detailed. With this being historical fantasy getting to know the landscape and scenery and how the culture in this story lives in it is important and Lee-sensei does a good job presenting the dark world his characters are in. The layout gives readers good sense of perspective and actually is active in the drama by occasionally making scenes look a little misleading. Really effective work.

Text/SFX:
SFX are all translated with subs. The retouch is pretty good, but I have to also say that Lee does not use a lot of SFX either so that might have helped as well. CPM uses subs that are about the same size as the original SFX so in some scenes, they could be covering up art, but CPM avoided that in most of their panels.

The translation really reads well. It continues to be one of the better translations I have read from CPM recently. I do not have the original to compare with (and I do not read Korean) but the story flowed well and really kept me caught up in the story. I kind of wish they had some translation notes though, for this story is filled with details on tribes and old legend. If they could have had notes on these tribes or the origins of these stories, I would have found this series even easier to read.

Contents: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The next leaders in this story will be determined not by who they were raised by and where they where raised but by their strong wills and their determination to survive. Each one raised by animals in the wilderness; each one born with a connection to power - socially and spiritually. Humanity will obviously turn their backs on these two but their wills has fated them to ascend to positions of power. Nevertheless, as we see in this volume there will be plenty of obstacles to overcome before these youth even get a chance to get anywhere near the throne.

There is the obvious knowledge that these two were not raised by anyone of high stature. Whoever their parents could be is not relevant especially in a time where class is very important. No one would care if you were the son of a lord or even a god, if no one could prove it. At the same time, we also learn that being the family of a lord can be irrelevant if you were not raised as a noble as well. There will always be people who will look down at others because of whom their parents are or where they were raised.

Then there is the potential difficulty these two will have getting used to the human world. Being raised in the wild by wolves and tigers is one thing. They had to rely on their strength and instincts to survive. Communication was completely different and social constructs were different, especially since tigers and wolves can be quite solitary beings. Will the child of a wolf treat people like members of a pack, where the strong stick with the pack and the weak are left behind on their own? Does a wolf "cub" fight among his fellow humans to show dominance in order to become the alpha male? Does a tiger "cub" have to live on its own for most of his life only to pair up when breeding? Does he live to watch over his vast territory guarding it with fang and claw? And what of the cub that does not have the fangs and claws of a tiger, what do they fight with and how do they survive without such things?

Will humanity accept either? Do either even really care? They have lived without "humanity" for all of their lives, why do they even need it now? Or will humanity force itself on these two?

Comments
The debate over the roles of nature and nurture in the raising of human life has been going on for centuries. There have been different angles from different cultures throughout the ages and no one has ever come to a consensus on how much influence does each have in people's future.

HyunSe Lee attempts to give his readers his own perspective on this debate. By using Korean mythology and his own unique storytelling and characters Lee shows that nature can set a table for the years of development that nurture will bring. Nature has the ability to set a tone for Lee's characters to live up to. Nature in this primitive world can mean different things as far as environment and social class is concerned. Nature is often something that many of these characters have to overcome, despite the prevailing class structure that has confined many people to limited lives. Nurturing could end up helping some people slowly escape the shackles of nature. There is hope in nurturing, however that can also be limited by those who feel that they are negatively influenced by others nurturing.

Lee does this in a few levels in this volume alone. He starts by continuing with the story of the big boned and big-hearted BalGi Dal. This story alone deserves at least a whole volume, for it clearly illustrates how difficult it is to change pre-existing beliefs and fears especially when people come from differing backgrounds. BalGi Dal was a woman who from the beginning was someone who chose to sacrifice herself for the sake of others. She believed in equality and peace. BalGi Dal never considered putting others down, for she was raised by nobility who chose to live a humble life. When she was raised to a high position, she tried to use her stature to share knowledge and her open attitude with all those around her, especially the youth who would eventually be in charge. Obviously ahead of her time Lee-sensei decided to show the tragedy of how fear through ignorance and prejudice have destroyed cultures throughout history.

Lee then moves on to the tales of those he feels could end up changing society. Two youth raised in nature by animals. Lee tries to give their lives conflict from the start, by not giving them fangs or claws. Each one has to learn to survive in a different way. One will grow to live the life of the wolf, the other of the tiger. But in Lee's world is that all that matters? What about the nature that is DNA? Will the blood that flows within these two make a difference in their futures?

Lee never makes this easy on his readers, consistently changing his mood on the matter but one thing is certain he definitely feels the debate is one to be had. In his message at the start of this volume, Lee notes he was able to express his emotions and desires in his work. His emotions come out strong here, from every struggle to every friendship made. The results are always uncertain at the start but a combination of will and fate (two strong concepts in all of Lee's works) end up collaborating to create stories that entertain and inspire. Maybe the history is a bit exaggerated and Lee admits that, but the stories themselves are powerful enough to move the soul and inspire curiosity for its readers.