“King Grey is a remarkable ruler with a prosperous reign, and yet…opulence and success cannot bury emptiness and solitude. His time as king, however, comes to an abrupt end, and he reincarnates as Arthur Leywin—a baby born in a world of magic and monsters. Equipped with memories of his previous life and the desire to protect the newfound warmth surrounding him, Art begins his journey of becoming a strong warrior once again. Sword training, mana coreformation, magic studies—Art does it all in order to be as powerful as can be! But will it be enough to repel the dangerous forces that threaten his second chance at life…?” (Yen Press)
Continuing the trend of bringing popular webcomics to print, Yen Press and Tapas release the hit fantasy series “The Begining After The End”. An iseaki series that excels in using well-timed humor and a dedication to building the lore of the world around the young Arthur Leywin. It is apparent that creating strong memorable characters is as important to the story as building the fantasy elements. Consequently, if readers are going to take away anything from the book, is that TurtleMe is a capable writer who knows how to appease and entertain an audience. This is essential for the enjoyment of the comic, as the accompanying art from Fuyuki23 leaves a lot to be desired.
Digital art is becoming more accepted and even celebrated in the comic book space, with the webtoon ever gaining in popularity and more making its way to print. Admittedly, as a long-time fan of comics and manga, there is a certain coldness to this artistic approach that is really difficult to shake and embrace. This admittance is important in approaching the art of Fukuyuki23, as the finalized product here is underwhelming to my own aesthetic preferences. The action is stagnant/awkward and there is not a single panel that really sparks deeper interest. Arguably, what makes “The Begining After the End” an engaginig read is the humour and world-building from TurtleMe and the art is somewhat inconsequential to that experience–the art serves the story, not the other way around or a mutual relationship. Furthermore, those who are used to the empty spaces and often rushed scheduling of the webtoon format will know this is not the worse that the medium has to offer and could feasibly still enjoy the art of Fuyuki23. Still, the majority of those who are seeking a pronounced and memorable visual style will find that the comic underdelivers.
Despite its rather crude visual style, the physical edition is still the ideal way to check out the series. Notably, Yen Press has been doing a phenomenal job in overseeing the transfer from the webtoon format into print across all their publications. It is the ideal way to check out the work and does help put some shine on the, otherwise, underwhelming art. There is certainly something about bright colors popping on glossy paper that elicits joy in the medium of comics.
While “The Begining After The End” suffers from a rather mundane artistic style, the story from TurtleMe is highly entertaining, balancing humor and the fantastical to great effect. Is it anything groundbreaking? Certainly not, but it does have its charm and is easily accessible to a broad audience. In fact, the work may work best aimed at the YA market, given the playful humor and storyline evolving a young child growing into a powerful fighter. Ultimately, hardened fans of manga and manhwa will find the series to be a passable timekiller with enough cutesy humor to, possibly, keep the reader coming back in subsequent volumes.
